Lifts & Terrain
Revelstoke Skiing and Snowboard Terrain Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a big steep mountain that is most ideally suited to strong intermediates and above. Considering the steepness there is potential for vertigo, but the views that this big mountain affords are just fabulous. You are unlikely to need to wear thermals at Revelstoke because you’ll work up a sweat racking up kilometres of vertical, and with super fast lifts you’ll have minimal time to cool off. The many steep groomers that go on forever are fantastic, although your thighs might not agree. The majority of the resort is below the tree line, and whilst some glading has been undertaken, significant additional work is required.
The huge vertical of the mountain (1,713 metres / 5,620 feet) can be loosely divided into three parts. The lowest part of the mountain below the gondola mid-station provides 270 metres of vertical, and is good for beginners, but the snow conditions here are incredibly variable. The gondola goes up a further 881 metres of vertical, and this middle part of the mountain is predominantly blue and black groomers, and tree skiing. Above the gondola in the lift serviced terrain is more of the same, except for the fantastic north bowl which is the only open alpine skiing at Revelstoke. The tree skiing off The Stoke chair is more open, whilst the new Ripper chair has some incredibly frustrating tight and terraced tree skiing, with the potential to end up in flat spots.
Lifts New for 2008-09 was ‘The Ripper’ quad chair in the North Bowl area, and the gondola extension from the mid-station down to Nelsen Lodge. With the exception of the magic carpet, the lifts are super fast, super long and super comfortable. The lifts are so fast that you can feel the wind in your face even though it’s not windy. On a standard day there are no lift lines and the mountain feels somewhat deserted. You can have the gondola to yourself on every ride if you like.
Lift tickets Lift ticket prices have risen since 07-08 in line with the development, and the costs are now similar to other big Canadian ski resorts.
Revelstoke Snow Conditions The jury is still out on the quality and quantity of powder, and whether it’s as good as the media hype suggests it is. In the absence of lots of past data for the average annual snowfall, the statistic provided (12-18 metres) is estimated from historical data from the Selkirk Mountains, high up in the heli skiing terrain. During the 2008-09 season, an annual snowfall of only 6m fell very short of the 12-18 metres that was hoped for. The powder is reasonably light, but not as dry as that found in Rockies’ resorts.
The resort requires a significant base for all areas to be open. As examples, “Kill The Banker’ and the gladed ‘Critical Path’ may be closed unless there is plenty of snow. Snowmaking facilities are not present, but are not really required as the groomed runs have adequate cover early in the season.
For the Beginner There is a small amount of beginners’ terrain, but Revelstoke is really not the most ideal mountain for novices. The first timers’ area is very small and is adjacent to the magic carpet near the gondola mid-station. The next progression is the bottom part of ‘The Last Spike’ below the gondola mid-station. Even though the middle section of ‘The Last Spike’ is a green run, beginners would have to be game to tackle this stretch because it frequently crosses more challenging runs and is particularly daunting on low visibility days.
For the Intermediate Easy blue runs can be found below the gondola mid-station, although the snow conditions here are unreliable. ‘The Last Spike’ off the top of ‘The Stoke” chair is a blue run, but it’s more of an access track than a run and sometimes has some very flat spots. Elsewhere on the mountain there are plenty of long, long groomers for confident intermediates. The rollers and camber, as well as the pitch make these runs challenging for the average blue run skier.
Skiing for the Family/Kids This resort is not geared up for families considering the limited learner terrain and the lack of childrens’ activities. The resort is great for older children who are hot skiers and boarders, but otherwise this mountain is not family oriented.
For the Shredder Revelstoke is not the place to find a park or pipe. Snowboarders will need to get up plenty of speed in the trees to counteract the terrain traps. Some of the runs also have flat spots including The Last Spike, Downtowner, and the un-named trail at the bottom of the Back 40 glades.
Advanced Ski TerrainIf you have a need for speed then you’ll get stoked at Revelstoke. With a new winch cat groomer, some fabulous grooming can be found on some of the black runs such as Pitch Black, Critical Path, Snow Rodeo and Devil’s Club. The trail map does not differentiate between blacks and double blacks which can make it tricky for those who only want to do single blacks. As a general rule, runs off The Stoke closest to the chair are single blacks, whilst those further out such as Vertigo and Jalapeno are closer to double blacks. Single black type slopes can also be found below The Stoke on the piste runs (ie the cut runs). A super sweet run when the powder is fluffy is Clyde’s Secret Glades into Iron Glaiden.
Expert Skiing A favourite tree run is Jalapeno, but the North Bowl is the piece de resistance of Revelstoke. Not surprising considering the name, this alpine area has the best snow conditions. A short and easy hike from The Stoke is required for runs to the skiers’ right of Drop-In, whilst Sweet Spot and the runs below can be traversed to. The circuit to get in and out of the bowl takes a long time depending upon the route, but for those prepared to make the effort, the reward is worth it. The first exit option is to stay right and skim the right hand boundary line all the way down to the bottom of the Ripper chair. The second alternative is not to ski so far right and end up on an old cat track, parts of which require a hike or herringbone. This track eventually hits the Chopper run off the Ripper chair. The least taxing option (but the least rewarding) is to stay left and traverse moderately high for a long way until you hit the Downtowner run.
For the Powderhound In addition to the great powder in the North Bowl, there are also plenty of stashes hidden in the many trees across the resort. To get freshies off the upper reaches of Jalapeno and Hot Sauce, hike straight up from the top of The Stoke and then traverse across. Even though these steep open areas and the North Bowl are avo controlled, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to carry
backcountry safety equipment if you have it.
There are great opportunities for backcountry bowl skiing adjacent to the ski resort in the cat skiing area. There are no opportunities to traverse back into the resort, so if you don’t want to have to hike or trek then go
Revelstoke cat skiing.