Lifts & Terrain
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Ski TerrainThe Powderhounds team has given Kicking Horse the following awards for
Best Skiing in Canada for Best Steeps, Best Uncrowded Slopes and Best Out-of-Bounds.
There is terrain for everyone at
Kicking Horse ski resort, although it’s most suited to adrenaline junkies who have a desire to be kicked by the horse. More skiers than snowboarders ride Kicking Horse which is potentially attributable to the terrain. As you venture further away from the lifts to sniff out fresh tracks, more traversing is required.
The ski terrain consists of three large bowls (Bowl Over, Feuz Bowl, and the central Crystal Bowl) that combine about two-thirds of the way down the mountain where the terrain flattens out somewhat to intermediate and then beginners’ territory.
And new for 2010-11 is a fourth bowl, the Superbowl.
Kicking Horse Lifts
The main lift that spans the massive vertical of 1,260 metres is the Golden Eagle Express gondola. Unfortunately, the rest of the lift system is still in its infancy, and it’s difficult to get access to a lot of the expert terrain at the top of the mountain without skiing all the way down to the bottom to catch the gondola. There is the Stairway to Heaven chair at the top, but it’s slow and only provides access to one side of the Crystal Bowl and the Feuz Bowl. There is also a magic carpet and two smaller chairs that operate from the base and service the beginner runs. The Pioneer chair is a relic from many years gone by and is probably not worth riding. The resort has plans for new lifts in the future, but this is not likely in the short term as the main focus is still on real estate development.
One of the major benefits of Kicking Horse is the lack of crowds. Lift lines are not an issue, and the slopes are largely devoid of other skiers and boarders.
Snow and Weather Conditions
The quality of powder at Kicking Horse is often described as “champagne”. Kicking Horse has dry powder that is more typical of the Rockies powder found at Lake Louise and Sunshine. Not surprisingly, the quality of snow up the top of the mountain is generally superb, but considering the vertical, the snow below mid-mountain can be a little slushy, icy or somewhat bare. Limited snowmaking facilities assist with the cover, and there are plans for additional snowmaking in the future.
Considering the snowpack and the steep faces at the top of the ski area, in-bounds avalanche risk minimisation is a significant undertaking for the highly experienced patrollers. The out-of-bounds backcountry areas are very avalanche prone and skiing in these areas requires significant precautions.
For the Beginner
There is beginners’ terrain at the base of the mountain. Another green option is the 10km “It’s a Ten” run that starts at the top and weaves its way down to the base. It’s a great opportunity for beginners to gain access to the magnificent views at the top, but this run is probably suited to very confident beginners. It’s more of a trail than a wide run, and the drop off either side of the trail may frighten timid beginners. Ten kilometres of snow-ploughing will probably also exhaust most beginners.
Intermediate Ski and Snowboard Terrain
There are a number of runs for intermediates, but currently there is the need to repeat the same couple of runs at the top of Crystal bowl in order to access the intermediate terrain in the middle of the mountain. Some of the blue runs are “dark blue”. My Blue Heaven off the Stairway to Heaven chair is a black run, but it’s often groomed and provides a steep fall-line run for strong intermediate skiers.
For the Family/Kids
The Kid’s Club caters well for children, but the family terrain is predominantly limited to the lower mountain with a dedicated family area near the top of the Catamount chair.
For the Shredder
If you’re looking to ride the terrain park or half-pipe, then Kicking Horse is not the mountain for you.
Advanced Skiing Terrain
Many of the black runs at Kicking Horse are very steep and superbly challenging. They are relatively easy after recent snowfall, but if it hasn’t snowed in a while the black runs can be covered with waist to shoulder high moguls. These sorts of bumps can ruin knees, backs and even teeth!
Many of the great black runs are off the north facing CPR Ridge. Significant glading works here and on the south facing Redemption Ridge have greatly improved the variety of terrain available for the advanced rider. However in order to access the great terrain on Redemption Ridge, an ugly traverse across bare patches and bumps is often required. There are plans to put in a cat track along the top of the ridge which will significantly improve the experience.
Feuz Bowl also provides fantastic skiing and snowboarding for experienced riders, as does some of the terrain near the Terminator run. Just follow the signs carefully for the entrance into this run, or you might find yourself in amongst incredibly gnarly tree terrain.
Expert Skiing and Snowboarding
Hardcore skiers are very well catered for at Kicking Horse. There are many in-bounds chutes and steep lines available within the bowls and ridges. The couloirs vary in tightness, so if you don’t want to scare yourself unnecessarily with super narrow chutes, there are also wider chutes. Guiding is available, and this is a great way to experience some of the best couloirs without the fear of going over a cliff.
An easily accessed double black area is the Whitewall, which requires a quick bootpack up to the right of the Stairway to Heaven chairlift. In the alpine bowl, you can pick any steep line that takes your fancy.
For the Powderhound
The expert runs are much less trafficked than some of the single blacks, and it’s possible to get great snow conditions even if it hasn’t snowed for a while. Obviously the further the hike away from the lifts, the fresher the tracks, and the new in-bounds Super Bowl is a classic.
There are also some easily accessed out-of-bounds and backcountry skiing such as Rudi’s Bowl. As to be expected with the steep terrain, proper avalanche safety precautions are required, and the patrollers are fairly strict with the policing of this.