Anybody been to Castle Mountain?

[Edd]

It's in Alberta. Place looks kind of sick and I get the sense it's financially reasonable as these things go.

http://www.skicastle.ca/the-mountains.cfm

 

[dmc]

Some friends day tripped there from Fernie once and liked it.. But said they like Fernie better..

Interior BC/Alberta is where it's at... Good goods...

 

[Huck_It_Baby]

Interior BC/Alberta is where it's at... Good goods...

+1 I've been skiing in BC and it is nothing short of magical =)

Alberta should be similar.... I would go!

 

[dmc]

+1 I've been skiing in BC and it is nothing short of magical =)

Alberta should be similar.... I would go!

Yeah - it's only a few kilometers from the border...

Too me - personally - interior BC blows away the costal stuff.. Better snow..

I'd say go.. Stay in Fernie and you can drive anywhere...

 

[SIKSKIER]

Alberta does'nt even come close to interior BC as far as snow depth and quality.The systems get their moisture squeezed out in huge quantities in the Columbia Range.The snowfall drops off abruptly when reaching the Rockies near Banff.Lake Louise only averages 150 inches a year and Sunshine Village is about double.The snowfall averages 800-900 inches in the Monashees where I go catskiing every year.In fact,the North American record is held there.Having said that,Castle looks like a cool place.High elevation to 7400Ft and 350 inches claimed snowfall.

 

[dmc]

Alberta does'nt even come close to interior BC as far as snow depth and quality.The systems get their moisture squeezed out in huge quantities in the Columbia Range.The snowfall drops off abruptly when reaching the Rockies near Banff.Lake Louise only averages 150 inches a year and Sunshine Village is about double.The snowfall averages 800-900 inches in the Monashees where I go catskiing every year.In fact,the North American record is held there.Having said that,Castle looks like a cool place.High elevation to 7400Ft and 350 inches claimed snowfall.

Im a big fan of Kicking Horse.. Had a blast there both times I went.

 

[St. Bear]

Alberta does'nt even come close to interior BC as far as snow depth and quality.The systems get their moisture squeezed out in huge quantities in the Columbia Range.The snowfall drops off abruptly when reaching the Rockies near Banff.Lake Louise only averages 150 inches a year and Sunshine Village is about double.The snowfall averages 800-900 inches in the Monashees where I go catskiing every year.In fact,the North American record is held there.Having said that,Castle looks like a cool place.High elevation to 7400Ft and 350 inches claimed snowfall.

There's a documentary on Wiegele World that my wife makes fun of me about because I've seen it at least 5 times. Looks amazing.

 

[dbking]

OK, so none of you have been there. I have.
I think it is one of the most awesome ski areas in North America. It has over 3000' of real vertical. I mean if you fall off the lift at the top you will hit the base a couple minutes later. There are no trails that traverse thru other trails. It is steep. It has great backcountry skiing. It is cheap. Real cheap. The vibe is like Mad River except that it makes MRG seem crowded. There might be 50 people skiing there on a powder day. It used to be just one chair that took you half way up then you had to hike but now a second lift takes you to the top. I would think the place would be great for a boarder since there is 0% flats to push thru. Nightlife... a six pack of Kokane. Pot and hash are basically legal and it took all of three minutes to hook up. Ask a kid in the cafeteria. The snow is different than BC. They get a lot of wind sift. It doesn't get as deep as BC powder but it is denser and you can stay on top of it. The place rocks for a good skier who is there for the skiing. Fernie is a lot bigger than you would think. Too many condos. Too many people who rent condos.
There are no condos at Castle. There are a few motels a few miles away that are cheap, clean, offer breakfast and usually great deals with lift tickets included. And Whitefish is about an hour and a half away down in Montana.
Don't go where everyone else goes... go have some adventure!

 

[Anklebiter]

OK, so none of you have been there. I have.
I think it is one of the most awesome ski areas in North America. It has over 3000' of real vertical. I mean if you fall off the lift at the top you will hit the base a couple minutes later. There are no trails that traverse thru other trails. It is steep. It has great backcountry skiing. It is cheap. Real cheap. The vibe is like Mad River except that it makes MRG seem crowded. There might be 50 people skiing there on a powder day. It used to be just one chair that took you half way up then you had to hike but now a second lift takes you to the top. I would think the place would be great for a boarder since there is 0% flats to push thru. Nightlife... a six pack of Kokane. Pot and hash are basically legal and it took all of three minutes to hook up. Ask a kid in the cafeteria. The snow is different than BC. They get a lot of wind sift. It doesn't get as deep as BC powder but it is denser and you can stay on top of it. The place rocks for a good skier who is there for the skiing. Fernie is a lot bigger than you would think. Too many condos. Too many people who rent condos.
There are no condos at Castle. There are a few motels a few miles away that are cheap, clean, offer breakfast and usually great deals with lift tickets included. And Whitefish is about an hour and a half away down in Montana.
Don't go where everyone else goes... go have some adventure!

Have you ever skied Revelstoke? If so, how did you like it?

 

[dbking]

Yeah, I skied Revelstoke, Nelson, whitewater and Red Mt. I had some good skiing at all of them. My main impression of the first three was that I had to walk or push myself everywhere I wanted to go. I'm tired of hiking inbounds. Red Mt is very cool. Old school Canada. Very good expert terrain. And unlike other places, that area ( Nelson ) has great night life and things for the wife to do ( shopping ).
But, for serious skiing, everyone owes it to themselves to ski Castle.

 

[dmc]

But, for serious skiing, everyone owes it to themselves to ski Castle.

How does it compare to Kicking Horse?

 

[Edd]

I think it is one of the most awesome ski areas in North America.... It is cheap. Real cheap.........There are no condos at Castle.

This is good to know. I don't know how long ago you skied there but there appears to be on mountain accommodations ranging from a hostel to units with multiple bedrooms now. Think I'll pay a visit sometime.

http://www.skicastle.ca/on-mountain.cfm

 

[snoseek]

Whoaa! This is definately my kind of mountain, makes loveland look like keystone haha. Seriously considering an extended (like a few months or the winter) tour of interior B.C. next winter. I need to work out some logistics. I'm not sure if I could legally work there or not even though I'm told hospitality peeps can usually get in for a season. Anyone have any info on this sort of thing?

How long could someone stay up there if they were just skiing? There's no real rules on this right?

 

[Edd]

I’m 99% sure I’m buying an Indy Pass, so I’m reviving this thread, because Castle is on it. First thought is a combo of Castle and Whitefish (pay for lift tix there). Anybody been to Castle since this thread was started?

 

[jaytrem]

2010, wow! I guess I have been there since the thread was started since my kids were already born. I don't think much ever changes there. Very cool place. They do have some wind issues in the area, saw a number of semi trucks blown over and a RV trailer that looked like a tornado hit it. Local told us the winds are often crazy around there. Lower chair and (obviously the t-bar) apparently not on wind hold that much. More common for the upper. We only got one ride on it before it shut down. It was a while ago, but I remember there being a lot of power left over and light crowds even though it was a weekend. I'd love to get back there one of these days and get more runs off the top lift.

 

[abc]

Seeing the original thread is from 2010, I have skied it since.

Go! Before it gets "overrun"

When I went, it wasn't like what the other poster said. It has occasional lift lines! But nothing to bother a northeast skier. Also, there're now a few more motels than 2010.

It's only an hour and half from Calgary. So weekends can get a bit "crowded", by Calgary standard that is. So if you can, try to ski there on weekdays, you'll have the mountain to yourself as described.

Almost nothing is groomed. So depends on condition, you may love it or hate it.

 

[jimk]

A know a strong skier who was an instructor at Castle for a season back around 2017. They liked the mtn and said it has a lot of challenge and small crowds. I've never been.

I have skied at Revelstoke for just two days in March 2018. It was good, but could have been better if more of the mtn was open and I figured out how to get the best out of the place. See comments/photos here: https://www.skitalk.com/ams/unofficial-guide-revelstoke-mountain-resort-bc.133/