booked a big canada trip for february ... must be august

[KustyTheKlown]

i get bored. i book some stuff.

feb 16 - march 1. 4 nights in banff skiing louise and sunshine, 4 nights in revelstoke, 4 nights near panorama. maybe an audible to kicking horse at some point.

panorama will be new for me.

i know el nino is not great for north but i somewhat figure canada is a relatively safe bet.

the peso is remarkable.

anyone know if a calgary airport rental suv is likely to have winter tires? they were very unwilling to commit when i called. so much cheaper than a turo to get an suv from enterprise. its not the law in alberta. it is the law in bc. will prob just suck it up and get the turo with guaranteed snows.

its august, but im stoked.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

cars are pretty cheap out of kamloops and winter tires are a cheap add on option, but flights are less cheap and involve a transfer

 

[jimk]

You might look into how much you can buy a set of chains in Calgary area, $50-75? Rent cheap econocar and keep chains in trunk. Use chains when necessary and trash them at end of trip, but if roads stay clear return them unused at end of trip and get refund. I did that once on a two week trip from SFX to Oregon and Tahoe areas. Used the chains one day in 12 inches new snow and then trashed them near the airport car rental return. Saved big bucks on vehicle (minivan) rental. Had three other family members with me on that trip.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

some googling seems to suggest canadian rental cars are outfitted with M+S tires in the winter (mud and snow) and that this is adequate for BC road laws

the rules also seem to indicate chains dont cut it for regular passenger cars

 

[Edd]

Rented a Ford Escape in Calgary years ago, first week in April. I just cared about AWD at the time, but the issue of tires/chains never came up. Also, it didn’t snow during my trip. Lots of talk about windshields through, I guess falling rocks in certain zones have pebbles everywhere which results in cracked windshields.

Skied LL, SS, and KH, stayed in Canmore.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

yea i have done a variation on this trip twice before. it all blends together but i have been to kicking horse on two seperate trips, and i have been to louise, sunshine, revelstoke, kimberley, and fernie. the rocks on the drive from golden to revelstoke were no joke now that you jog my memory.

kicking horse and fernie are worth a repeat visit but would stray off my pass. panorama will be a new one for me. revelstoke had middling conditions when i went and i feel it is very worthy of a repeat visit and hopefully with better snow.

i stayed in canmore and only walked banff one afternoon. this time i am staying in banff. my hotel rates are fucking wild. 4 nights in banff $670, 4 nights in revelstoke $410, 4 nights in radium $475. i really cant ignore the exchange rate for this big trip! and as an advance planner, california or taos (el nino favored locales) feels too risky. and honestly i want to go someplace where i wont have any cannabis hassles. i had some stressors in idaho/wyoming/utah on that front last year.

i just got a 2018 rav4 with snows on turo from an all-star-host for $1100. my enterprise reservation is $950. the difference is worth the snow tires i think.

i can fly direct from newark for 650, or direct from jfk for 450. i think the 200 is worth the uber/time to traverse nyc. its weird being a person of new jersey now.

 

[djd66]

I did a trip out of Calgary before. I drove from Calgary all the way to Whistler and back,… hitting up multiple areas along the way. I dont remember if the suburban we rented had snows, but it was never an issue regardless. If you make it that far, I would recommend hitting Sun Peaks (ikon). That mountain was awesome. Sounds like a great trip you got planned!

 

[KustyTheKlown]

i'll also use this thread to talk about my family weekend. we all had lunch for my dad's bday and the whole fam was like 'so whats the deal with the ski trip?!'. last year was a huge success and it looks like we got a revived multi generational family tradition on our hands now. my brother in law put his foot down hard about not going as far as sugarbush - last year they got stuck in a big storm and it took them about 8 hours from long island. so i was forced to the stratton/magic area, to keep it on my unlimited ikon. i didnt want to go to killington bc of my ikon limit, and also bc my family has done k a million times (decades ago), and i really like taking them to places they havent been, or at least not so much. so the intent is to ski stratton friday and sunday, and (god-willing) magic on saturday. last weekend in jan.

we got a really sick airbnb in winhall halfway between manch and bromley. its stupid nice - https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/689269107443072497?source_impression_id=p3_1692969101_K62eDAT2ANtl5Fkp

 

[NYDB]

I’d rather be in Manchester if I had to climb most of the hill anyway. Looks nice though.

 

[Edd]

I won’t make a new thread but I’ve committed to a quasi Indy pass trip next February. Fly into Spokane, hitting Silver Mountain, Fernie, and Whitefish. Fly out of MT back to Boston. Layovers on both flights, can’t avoid it. Never been to these mountains though, so excited for that.

 

[BenedictGomez]

You might look into how much you can buy a set of chains in Calgary area, $50-75? Rent cheap econocar and keep chains in trunk. Use chains when necessary and trash them at end of trip, but if roads stay clear return them unused at end of trip and get refund.

This is elite SOTC tactics.

 

[BenedictGomez]

i can fly direct from newark for 650, or direct from jfk for 450. i think the 200 is worth the uber/time to traverse nyc. its weird being a person of new jersey now.

As a lifelong EWR'r I disagree on time, but agree for a different reason. Weather / traffic. You get a storm or an accident & you'll be in a world of stress. I once missed a business trip to San Diego from JFK because it took 2 hours to get there...................from Manhattan.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I won’t make a new thread but I’ve committed to a quasi Indy pass trip next February. Fly into Spokane, hitting Silver Mountain, Fernie, and Whitefish. Fly out of MT back to Boston. Layovers on both flights, can’t avoid it. Never been to these mountains though, so excited for that.

49N is a little small for western skiing but I found it to be very fun terrain for a day or two and it’s so close to spokane and on your pass

 

[KustyTheKlown]

As a lifelong EWR'r I disagree on time, but agree for a different reason. Weather / traffic. You get a storm or an accident & you'll be in a world of stress. I once missed a business trip to San Diego from JFK because it took 2 hours to get there...................from Manhattan.

yeah, time, and cost which directly relates if you’re in cab. PATH > subway > air train is pretty efficient but not with a 6 foot rolling ski bag and other luggage

my flight out is rush hour-ish bc im gonna leave after work on a Thursday so getting across both rivers and queens would be tough and the Uber would eat the price difference. early morning or late night not as annoying to traverse nyc

 

[jaytrem]

Might be worth checking into an Alamo rental from downtown Calgary. Was only $460 for Tahoe for 9 days last time I did it. But that was about 10 years ago. Bit more work compared to an airport pickup, but if it saves $500+...

 

[Edd]

Driving in Canada is about as easy as it gets, internationally speaking, although I did manage to get pulled over near Lake Louise in how I handled a 4 way stop. I also got pulled over in Mexico last year for a similar move so I’m committing crimes all over this continent.

 

[ThatGuy]

Edd the international criminal, now theres one thing you have in common with the former president

 

[SenorQuesadilla]

I hit Pano on my way up to Banff and the way back down before heading to Fernie this year, mostly because I remembered passing through Invermere the year prior and it was a new Ikon addition. Would not recommend spending 4 days there, you'll be bored to tears.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I hit Pano on my way up to Banff and the way back down before heading to Fernie this year, mostly because I remembered passing through Invermere the year prior and it was a new Ikon addition. Would not recommend spending 4 days there, you'll be bored to tears.

thanks. hotel is only 1 hour from golden (kicking horse) or 2 from fernie so i can day trip it off pass.

 

[Bumpsis]

thanks. hotel is only 1 hour from golden (kicking horse) or 2 from fernie so i can day trip it off pass.

Looks like a fine trip you've got planned. Any concerns about low snow cover, warm temps due to El Nino? These are typical predictions for Canadian Rockies in an El Nino year. I'm also contemplating a Banff trip this February.

One of the best things about staying in Banff and skiing Lake L. and Sunshine is not having to rent a car. Rolling out of the hotel in morning and hopping a ski bus is just great.