Kicking Horse Mountain Resort British Columbia (Canada)

The terrain of Kicking Horse ski resort includes four upper bowls above the tree line, mostly rated as advanced (there is an easy way down for the rest) with a lower resort cut through the forest with runs for all levels. Don't be disappointed when you arrive as you can not see the bowls from the base. All you will be able to see are the tail ends of trails to the base. The bowls are up on top and require a gondola ride to get there. While you ascend, you will first notice that the terrain changes as well as the snow. The powdery light snow is usually preserved days after a snowfall at the upper elevations.

Kicking Horse has four upper peaks (Eagles Eye, Terminator I Peak, Terminator II and Blue Heaven) which segregate the four upper bowls:

• Bowl Over
• Super Bowl
• Crystal Bowl
• Feuz Bowl

Beginners and Intermediates:

The longest trail on the mountain is the green run "It's a Ten", running from the top of the gondola to the base. The only intermediate "blue run" in the upper bowls is "Cloud Nine", accessible from the Stairway to Heaven lift. These are the only two easy runs (start to finish) on the upper half of the mountain. All other beginner and intermediate access to the mountain requires that you restrict yourself to the lower half of the mountain riding the lifts Catamount and Pioneer, available from the base of the mountain.

Advanced Ski Terrain:

The advanced skier will want to explore the terrain of the upper bowls. With over 85 chutes and lots of steep double black diamond runs, this is an advanced skier's or advanced boarder's dream.

Tree Runs:

Kicking Horse has an abundance of trees at the lower elevations below the tree line. They are not marked trails, not maintained or cleared and thus one must be vigilant against hazards - ski with friends and only when there is enough ground coverage. Most of these tree runs are accessible off of the green run "It's a Ten". You must explore the mountain to find these gems.

Mogul Runs:

The mogul runs are most predominant on the black diamond runs on the lower part of the mountain below the tree line. The upper bowls have too much open space which allows skiers to find new lines. The trails cut through the forest in the lower part of the mountain funnel all skiers down the same lines forming moguls.

Out of Bounds Skiing:

As with most resorts, they warn that the back country is not patrolled, there is no avalanche mitigation and you are on your own in potentially dangerous terrain. That said, Rudi's bowl is North and outside the resort boundary just over the ridge from Feuz Bowl and a short hike from the top of "Stairway to Heaven". It can be skied so that one returns in-bounds at the resort.

Tweet on Rudi's Bowl: Kicking Horse made it official. Rudi's Bowl will be part of the controlled area of @KickingHorseMtn . The extra work to get there is well worth it. pic.twitter.com/TruRREkMOu — Vagabond (@VagabondLodge) June 15, 2018

The Molar's Bowl ridge-line is visible from Eagle's Eye restaurant at the top of the gondola and is located one bowl beyond Rudi's Bowl. Just hike further to get there. Dogtooth Bowl is an even further hike beyond Molar's Bowl to the next bowl. The skiing here is of the most extreme nature with very jagged rock formations.

If one heads South in the other direction past Super Bowl past Terminator 2 peak, you will hike to the appropriately named T3 and T4 peaks which will feed back to the valley floor.

• Back-country huts
• Purcell Heli-Skiing - 1-877-HELI-SKI
  Located in the town of Golden
• Alpine Club of Canada - guided adventures

Pros and Cons:

• Pros:
  • Vast terrain with an infinite number of fall lines. Even a day after a powder dump you can still have fresh tracks.
  • Few people and no crowds. This helps preserve new snow so you can find an un-tracked line.
  • Scenic and beautiful
  • Local town of Golden and mountain base can adequately provide your accommodation and amenities.
• Cons:
  • Poor souvenir t-shirt selection at the base store.
  • Proximity to an international airport. Calgary International Airport is 180 miles away.

There is one terrain park on the green run "Beaver Tail", named after the uniquely Canadian sweet treat. There are only a few features and the difficulty is targeted for kids to play on. One doesn't travel to Kicking Horse for the terrain park.

The facilities at the base of the mountain can take care of basic skiing and snowboarding needs. Equipment sports shops, rentals, ski instruction, a restaurant and cafe can be found in the mountain base village. The town of Golden can of course offer you more lodging, dining and service options. Golden is a rather simple and small town which offers more services than the mountain base, but one must have modest expectations. Golden still has the ambiance of the mountain mining town from which it evolved.