Here is additional rationale and the rest of my resort ranking's for Canadian resorts since it is inevitable half of these comments will mention how many I missed. I decided to not include resorts I didn't have footage for or haven't yet skied because it would make for a more boring video and title. I've never skied Ontario or the Maritimes, but spent 5 years skiing in Quebec and Vermont. The Eastern mountains although fun can't compete with BC and Alberta because of lack of snowfall. Even the smaller BC and Alberta hills get nuked more than the Eastern ones. But the East will always have a place in my heart. Canadian Resorts I have not skied (but really want to): Shames Hudson Bay Mountain Cain Powder King Mount Washington Marmot Basin The Rankings For Everything Else I've Skied 18. Manning Park 19. Nakiska 20. Cypress Mountain 21. Sasquatch Mountain (formerly hemlock) 22. Grouse Mountain 23. Mount Seymour 24. Stowe 25. Sutton 26. Mont-Saine-Anne 26. Tremblant 27. Massif The rest of Quebec in no particular order that I have skied (Mont Saint-Sauveur , Mont Sainte-Anne, Mont Ste. Marie, Owl’s Head, Bromont, Mont Blanc, Mt Orford, Stoneham)
That’s crazy you skied st-Anne in Quebec and Le massif and stowe. It’s good that you made this list having skied those ski resorts in the east. I also like that there is no background music in this video.
@@davisbyer4791 haha. I found out quickly why Colorado is such a Mecca for skiing. The altitude of the mountains makes a HUGE difference, especially now with odd winters. Skied at Red and Whitewater last year beginning of Feb and the conditions were the worst outwest skiing I have done in 30 years. The terrain looked amazing, especially since I love steep ski runs, but not enough snow and sheets of ice were problematic. The low elevation gave us rain at the end of Jan and beginning of Feb... That is unheard of in the CO, Montana, etc. Flying back to the U.S. I talked to some other people that skied in Colorado and they all said the conditions were good. Don't get me wrong, I will spend more time skiing in Canada, but I will look to go mid winter for at least 7 days in case the conditions are terrible and I can do something else.
I love your glass half full approach. Skiing anytime, anywhere is fun. It doesn’t matter what the steepness of the slope is or amount of fresh Pow, there’s an intrinsic joy in a ski gliding across snow. Anytime, anywhere, and I wish more people could feel that same joy.
@@lakelouiseskier if you carry a wide all mountain ski, like a Cochise, a big fat powder ski and a carving ski you can have a blast anywhere. Former lakelouiser 94 to 2003, Golden since then.
Hi. I was a ski bum. I lived in Whistler back in the day and skied all of the resorts on your list except Kimberly and Castle. Last year we hit a resort east of Quebec city called Le Massif. Looking at your list I think we think alike so I'd say if you skied Le Massif you would probably award it a spot on your list as high as 10th spot. Le Massif is a real mountain with gobs of snow. The verticle is the highest in eastern north America. But what makes it so special is not just the culture but the View. The whole mountain faces 50 mile wide St laurence river. The base is a rocks throw from the water. While skieng you observe ships navigating the shipping chanel. Baluga whales are observed although I did not see any! A new ski in/ ski out Club Med just opened so see if you can hit it this coming season. Cheers
I've skied Massif as I lived in Quebec for 5 years. It's an awesome resort for sure. I never experienced pow there but google says it gets 645cm a season, that's some real snow for sure. Might be worth another visit if I ever find myself out east again.
I’ve been everywhere Here’s My Top 10: 1) Whistler 2) Kickinghorse (Golden is also getting to be much nicer of late, it use to be a dump of a town it’s not anymore, might be number one soon, plus no beginners around) 3) Sunshine (can’t beat The Dive and Wildwest, also best Chair Selection in World. Heated Quads instead of going to clubhouse, yes please. Banff apes Ski please, but staying on the mountain is also incredible) 4) Fernie (Mountain has always been the same, but the towns exploded last decade as funky as Nelson now) 5) Revelstoke (when it dumps it’s the best resort in Canada, like everyone in Calgary books a week off and leaves when snows a coming at Revy and puts up with a 24 Hour drive back home with closed off highways, it’s so good) 6) Red Mountain (great town around it surprised more don’t make the trek, super advanced as well so no noobs) 7) Whitewater (it’s catching Red Mountain for me with the new chairs it might have, plus Nelson is the best Ski Town in Canada by far) 8) Louise (I’ve been there on plenty of dump days and it might have best run in Canada at top of the rarely opened peak tow with the greatest view in maybe the world. Plus locals know all the Hidden Spots like “Rock Garden” a boulder pillow rock run that you can just lap all day, but most don’t find it. 9) Panorama (hiking the Goldie Plateau and Tayton Bowl right of the top chair are just a blast, apparently they’re also expanding in a few years and let’s face it getting drunk with everyone in the communal hot tubs is just as fun. Plus go to Kickinghorse for a day when you’re there like a 1.5 Drive) 10) Big White (being so close to Kelowna makes up for a lot, best Snow Bunnies anywhere outside of Europe) HM: Castle Mountain (love the chutes and such a laid back feel. Makes me miss Fortress Mountain) Top. 10 USA 1. Park City/Deer Valley 2. Snowbird/Alta 3. Jackson’s Hole 4. Aspen 5. Telluride 6. Sun Valley 7. Breckenridge 8. Mount Hood 9. Tahoe 10. Whitefish HM: A-Basin HM2: Brighton Go to Utah in normal season if you’re doing a full winter and then go to Colorado later year the altitude keeps the snow longer, but Utah gets sooooooooo much better snow and is way more fun. Park City is the best Ski Town in North America. Think like a laid back Whistler where the rich haven’t totally invaded.
Looking at the terrain from the top of the gondola at Kickinghorse was enough to give my roommate a panic attack. Almost every line starts by falling off a cliff at the top of the world
😂 Kicking Horse looks like it’s mostly intimidating. I looked at a map of it and everything from the top is expert runs. I’ve never skied there, but James and Rob doing Dutchman’s Wallet is a crazy vid!
Stairway to heaven gets a little tense at the top section, too...First time I was like ohhh man, how the eff I'm I getting down from this idiotic chair...LoL
My second time ever (first time in Ontario…. Aka bunny hills out west) took me to the top of kicking horse and said meet you at the bottom and dipped I felt so completely overwhelmed
As someone who currently lives in Fernie (from Ontario originally), I will say a pow day at Fernie is absolutely epic! So much skiable terrain and you will never get bored on this mountain. An average pow day out here is at least 20-30cm and from people I met out here, there has even been 50-60cm pow days in past seasons which is absurd!! The one downside to this mountain is there is not a lot of long, wide open runs compared to Kicking horse, Sunshine, Lake Louise, Nakiska and Whitewater to name a few. Still a great mountain in my opinion though. Out of all the hills I've skied at so far, the one that has impressed me the most is Red Mountain, especially when the snow base is good. Another nugget of a hill that is super underrated in my opinion is Whitefish located just outside of Whitefish, Montana! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the hills you have been to and was interesting to see your rankings
I agree with Revy. It was pretty cool but something was missin for me too. Glad to see Kicking Horse get so much deserved love. Almost surprised you didn't have it at #1. Never seen you that stoked in a video as when you rode there.
The town of Golden is also really making a come back, which makes Kickinghorse even better. Golden used to be a dive, but know quite a few people who’ve moved there from Calgary recently. As Canmore and Banff are just inobtainable.
Castle is my favourite, I’ve never seen consistent steepness like the chutes. On a powder day they are epic, and a few days after a powder day there’s still fresh lines in the far chutes. Those are also just my favourite sort of thing to ski-steep, deep, super long fall line with the occasional cliff to jump-so I’m a bit biased. Agree with your assessment of Revy. I finally got there for the first time last winter and was pretty underwhelmed. There’s some epic stuff you can hike into but the lift setup is clearly optimized for max vertical, not for what best services the hill. Any other resort would have built a road up to the day lodge a third of the way up, but at Revy they built it at the valley bottom so they could brag about vertical in their marketing. Maybe in 20 years when they’ve built out more lift infrastructure I’d go back (assuming we actually still get snow then). Still never made it to Whistler and Red, they’re on the bucket list for sure (well, Whistler will be if I ever start making a livable wage).
So jealous you've had a full on Castle pow day! I think you would especially love Red. Whistler is super busy so you might feel overwhelmed if you're used to the chill vibes at Castle. I really want to try Marmot!
@@riseandalpine My guy, this winter we have unrestricted lift at Castle. We plan on making the trek to Red at the top of list. Hopefully get at least a day at Golden. We did roll through Rossland a few years ago while we were in Nelson, but didn't end up clicking in. After your reviews, Red moved to the top. Whistler still is a hard sale for me, because I'm spoiled with no crowds, although Fernie does get busy on weekends, and pow days. It's day 2 & 3 out from a pow day at Fernie where you get the goodies. Castle you get the goodies, as soon as it snows, and you're still skiing untracked pockets 4 & 5 days on...
Agree! If you live there then totally, but if you travel for it and hit a pow day with the lineups, it’s absolutely brutal. I’m surprised at sunshine tbh, the snow is so insanely inconsistent and bad last couple of years
Similar places. Been to KH this last winter but to JH many times. Big, steep, challenging terrain. Very little in the way of apres or amenities. Keeps away the jet set and those just showing up to ski a few runs then shop and party. Mostly serious, skilled skiers. Like that vibe a lot. I take the wife to Vail.
@@th3oryO Tough question. I was to JH 4-5 times and to KH once and it was a lousy snow year. I think if you want to ski a lot of really hard terrain and challenge yourself then JH. It's also really easy to get laps with the tram going from the bottom to very top in 12 minutes. KH is much tougher to get around but if you are looking to ski insane chutes and very steep faces, go there. There is very little in the way of entertainment at the base and almost nothing in the town. It is criminally underdeveloped but it's not a place you could ever take the family.
Speaking of rank, my wife, who was in competitive GS , once soiled herself on the chairlift and it pushed through her Lycra ski suit and onto the snow below. By the time we skied down you could see the huge amount of people who skied through it.
I am Canadian, but grew up skiing and snowboarding at Mount Baker in Washington State. In '98 or '99 Baker had the world record for snowpack at a ski resort. They had to dig out the chairlifts in certain places because the lifts couldn't run due to snow drifts or snowfall being in the way. I have had way more incredible powder days at Baker than Whistler (though my Baker days far outweigh Whistler days to be fair). Now we live in the Okanagan and have Silverstar season's passes, so we can't wait to get to know this underrated mountain that happens to be the 3rd biggest ski resort in BC in terms of skiable acres! We work remotely and live 35-40 mins from the Silverstar parking lot, so weekday powder laps will be a thing!
Baker is the best mountain ever and I've been to almost all the ones he reviewed. Silverstar unfortunately blows. Terrible layout. not enough snow, all moguls or groomers. Virtually no rock or cliffs and super long groomers taking you back to the chairs kind of like Whistler mtn. Big White out is way better if you can get a day it's not socked in.
Baker is one of a kind for sure! Can't say I agree with Sean. I think you've wound up in an awesome spot. I've got a friend who lives on the hill up to the resort as well and absolutely loves it. Everyone's preferences are different and honestly I like long groomers and bumps. To be honest, long term, I don't see myself jumping off cliffs and rocks when I'm older hahaha. Just stoked to be turning and skiing a place that isn't too busy.
That's a pretty fair ranking. I was a bit surprised that you put Baldy on the list but I get it. I found a rental up there for the winter, having never skied it and I loved it so much that I just bought a place and moved there permanently! I do miss a high speed chair every once in a while but I feel like I have the mountain to myself almost every day!
Road tripped these in 2023, ranking them: 1. Fernie - it has everything. Town is vibes! 2. RED - also has everything, but is a bit smaller, and slower chairs. 3. Revelstoke - unreal skiing, but the layout is strange. 4. Whistler Blackcomb - epic, but the lines suck. I get why it's your #1 if you're local. 5. Sunshine - other than Delerium and Goat's Eye it's so flat. 6. Lake Louise - 80 cm base in the middle of Feb. Need I say more?
Super fair ratings! I do agree with Sunshine being flat. If you remove the Dive, Wild West and Goat's Eye, it would definetly be number 7 or so for me.
I ski and snowboard, and I've been lucky enough to get to a few places in my life. I'll try to play along. Worth noting that I'm often with folks that aren't necessarily looking to push themselves too far, so it's nice if a mountain has some intermediate variety for them. For Canada, I only have experience at the following mountains, and I'd put them in this order: 1. Whistler 2. Fernie (great snow, great terrain, limited intermediate options, limited vert) 3. Kicking (terrain is absurd, but make sure you're with people that want to go hard. Intermediate terrain is very limited) 4. Lake (great place, but also the coldest place on earth) 5. Kimberley (purely intermediate hill, but really fun for that) 6. Nakiska (to be fair it was a low snow day) 7. Pass Powderkeg (tiny and not much snow, but honestly I had tons of fun) US is gonna be hard and controversial, but I'll do what I can 1. Alta It's ski only which is a bit of a bummer but makes sense when you realize how much time you'll spend traversing. Still, the snow is unmatched. 2. Winter Park This won't be a popular choice, but I think it's one of the best possible places with a group of mixed levels, it's the best bumps in the biz, it's only busy on Saturday, and the Vasque Ridge zone added some needed terrain. Good flow for the most part. 3. Palisades Tahoe Closest to Kicking Horse I've seen in the states for bonkers terrain. Snow can be iffy, and I don't love the flow of the mountain, but the terrain is just wacko. 4. Mt. Batchelor Another controversial pick here, but when the full 360 is on the backside is one of the most unique places you can possibly ski. True advanced terrain is definitely missing, and the flow can fall apart, but I love the backside so much. Unfortunately it's not open all that much. 5. Jackson Hole Cons: Pain to get to, expensive as hell, crowds. Pros: You already know. 6. Snowbird Same snow as Alta, allows snowboarding, but again I don't love the flow. 7. Park City Don't like the vibe, and it doesn't have the snow of the other Utah resorts, but it's gotta a ton of possible lines. 8. Crested Butte Great for advanced, limited for intermediates, hard to get to, medium snow 9. Breckenridge Town is great, mountain is pretty solid, crowds are brutal, but the worst thing is that I've never skied or boarder anywhere with less safety conscious people on the slopes. Head on a swivel 24/7/365. Famous places I haven't been: Aspen, Vail, Mammoth Place I loved but only been in the spring with limited terrain: A-Basin Place I've been but so long ago I don't feel comfortable rating: Big Sky, Grand Targhee, Keystone, Baker, Crystal, Copper Bonus Round, other continents 1. 3 Vallées Probably the best place I've ever been. Completely insane scale, tons of terrain. Even some trees, which is rare over there, but nothing like Canada or the US in that regard. The size, views, and vibe are unmatched though. 2. Sella Ronda in Italy Not really a single resort, but what an incredible experience 3. Niseko Great snow, extremely Australian, lots of lift closures. Place I've been but so long ago I don't feel comfortable rating: Val-d'Isère, Les Diablerets, Chamonix, Grandvalira All time top 5: 1. 3 Vallées 2. Whistler 3. Alta 4. Fernie 5. Winter Park Whew.
Dude. Thank you for writing this out, It's actually super helpful for my trip planning! Unbelievable that you have been able to explore so many of the top resorts in the world! You've got me stoked to get out there and explore this winter. Any ideas on strategies on how to make the US trips more affordable?
@@riseandalpine Happy if it can be of any help! The downside of growing up far from a ski mountain is pretty obvious, but the upside is the you can kinda go wherever you want. Luckily my parents were total ski hounds even though we lived in a place without snow, and they travelled a bunch for work so I got to hit up a ton of rad mountains. Mom is a French history prof, which explains the Euro places. I did a ski/snowboard instructor course at Fernie, so I got to know that place pretty well. Was actually planning to move to the mountains and teach, but covid killed that plan. Maybe in the future... Anyway, as for doing it on a budget, what we did growing up was just stay about an hour away from the hill and eat the milage. Of course, I'm old so gas was cheaper, parking was cheaper, so on and so forth. Still, with a bunch of these places it's feasible to commute from a bigger town. All the main Utah options are a fairly short drive from Salt Lake, particularly if you can do it on a weekday with low traffic. Colorado resorts are more of a haul, but you can definitely round trip from Denver if you do it during the week. Weekends will be hell on the roads in both places. Pow days will also get crazy. Still, most of these drives will be shorter or similar to what you do from Van to Whistler. If you're flying in to Denver and not driving, which might save you some cash, the Summit County resorts (Keystone, Breck, A-Basin, Copper (which I forgot to list but didn't love)) are all on a free shuttle if you are staying in the area. Could get a shuttle from the airport and then take the bus to all the different places, although it's not exactly light speed. Unfortunately they aren't all on the same ski pass, so you'd need Epic and Alterra to hit them all. summitcountyco.gov/services/transit_summit_stage/bus_schedule/winter_bus_schedule.php The UTAH TRANSIT AUTHORITY SKI BUS might be helpful too, but I confess I've never used it. www.rideuta.com/News/2023/11/Ski-Bus-2023-2024 As for tickets, it's basically a case of picking your pass. With Whistler being on Epic that means you could target Breck, Keystone, Crested, and Park City. Crested is pretty far from anywhere, but you can make all the others cheaper with driving/buses. I'm not up to date on the hostel situations in those places, but I've had luck with that before. Same for camping I'm afraid. I'm usually with family that doesn't wanna get to rustic! 3 Vallées is actually really cheap to ski compared to NA if you can work out the transport. Epic gets you 7 days, there's a bazillion options for lodging, and food is WAY cheaper. I'd kill to see you do a video from there. haha. FWIW at your level of skiing I'd focus on Alta/Snowbird (they are connected), Jackson, A-Basin, Crested Butte, and Palisades in the US. I think they'd be closer to what you enjoy skiing than something like Winter Park. Although with trees... haha. Many options out there. Telluride has a bunch of crazy hike-to terrain, but I can't speak to it personally. Silverton would be right up your alley I suspect with your back/slack country experience as well. Hope any of that helps! And I appreciate the videos my guy. I find most ski vloggers out there kinda weird...sometimes I'm not sure they love skiing. Never a question with you!
Totally agree with your assesment of Big White/Silverstar. Silverstar is very underrated and will be interesting to see what happens with it now that its up for sale. Big White on a bluebird day (I would argue) is better than Silverstar, but you know what you're getting with Silverstar and the average day there is more enjoyable I find.
So the first time I skied Louise (Ontario skier here) was about 30 years ago and the week I skied there they had a puke of champagne pow to the tune of well over a meter in a few days. Never seen snow flakes that were 5cm across. It was crazy snow all week long with limited visibility and it was f'n COLD. Warmest day was -19. Last day there was a thermal inversion and they finally opened the poma to the top. Epic power but even better, my buddy and I made the first tracks of the season in the back bowls including a 10' cornice drop into chest deep pow. Best day ever!
great list. I have been to all of these resorts except for 2 of the lesser knows ones. I rank Revy a lot lower. G-d created a phenomenal mountain, and ownership has failed to take advantage of the amazing terrain. with only 1 chairlift to access the higher elevations plus a hike and a really horrible ski out, it has become one of the resorts that we will not be returning to. We were lucky to have had 15-20 kms or pow at Apex and were blown away with the gladed areas to the right of the chair. Totally agree with your top 2. looking forward to another great winter season. I am not sure how you are going to outdo yourself, but we are all looking forward.
Thanks Jay! Glad you are as big a fan of KHMR as me :). Not sure how I'm going to outdo myself either. Goal is to just keep having a good time otherwise video making can become exhausting.
I love these reviews. I agree with Revelstoke…huge elevation but lacks a little terrain to match your top picks. I just hope they move forward with their expansion plans to open up that west(?) side. Then you’re talking a whole new mountain!!
Nice list man! You know I'm bias like you for whis but honestly everywhere else you go you're like "this place is sick!!! If only it had [insert something] it'd be as good as whistler! I agree on revvie. Didn't grab me or my friends either. My BC list in order is 6. Sun peaks 5. Revvie, 4. Whitewater 3. Red mountain 2. Kicking horse (so so good) and 1. Whistler. Keep up the good work legend. Looking forward to yelling at you off a chair sometime soon.
You know how I think. Every resort is the 'best ever' just love the sport so damn much. Your list is super fair. Nice to see Sun Peaks so high, it's truly one of the best all rounders. Looking forward to your yell from the chair.
Nice list! Of those that I have skied: (1) Fernie (2) WB (3) Silverstar (3) Louise (4) Sunshine (5) Norquay Would definitely like to hit KH and Rev, SunPeaks and Red.
Whistler is easily the biggest mountain with the most terrain but it's the most commercialized and Americanized too and it's not a friendly lift line crowd. Have skied all the resorts on the ranked list except Baldy and Sunshine captures the true essence of skiing the best imho. It's not about which resort has the most or the knarliest terrain but the feeling one has walking off the mountain at the end of the day.
I agree.... People at Whistler can be mean... but for each one of those pricks there's a wonderful soul kicking around. That feeling walking off the mountain is absolutely the most important. I'll never forget the good ole' days I had growing up skiing Manning Park!
No affiliated with anyone or any mountain so happy to always give my honest takes. Thank you for the sub, really helps me do what I do and still manage to put food on the table.
Try Marmot Basin. I love it as it’s usually Edmonton locals, a lot less tourists. But it has some great runs and can have some amazing powder days. A hidden gem in Jasper National Park, which this next season I’m looking forward to showing some love after their epically tragic summer.
@riseandalpine I'm too old to ski like I did back in the day but I am hoping to teach my daughter soon. Unfortunately where I live 700' is the max drop of our nearest and biggest hill.
Spent the last decade skiing and touring the rockies, just made the move to Squamish. I agree with pretty much your whole list. That being said, have yet to ski Whistler. Stoke levels are over 9000, see ya on the hills 🫡🤙🤙
Me who lives in Georgia and has to go to North Carolina resorts: I want to go to ANY of these Canadian resorts! They all look like a massive upgrade over what I am used to
You inspired me to go to Castle and I had a blast! Sorry Revvy didn't live up to it's hype for you. I also agree with you on LL, like it's awesome but can get icy (as I experienced once). My top three are Revy, Sunshine and Castle!
Whistler on a Snow day (40 or more cm) is EPIC. If you can ski double diamonds it’s like Science Fiction. Glades and Couloir galore. My family usually just alternates between Whistler and Blackcomb each time we go. Both mountains are da bomb. Last winter the snow came later in the season. But there was that week when it snowed over 100cm. You don’t forget those days…
It needs to be redone. Why? Because how good a mountain is depends on factors such as your finances, level of skill, the importance of the village, etc. For example Sun peaks rates low for Expert skiing but rates high for Family Skiing due to factors such as price, the number of beginner and intermediate runs, and short lift lines.
agree mostly with this list..always love sunshine as home resort..love fernie and kicking horse...whistler is great but the minus point for us is just the long line and crowds
It's cool you feel the same about some of these resorts! It's honestly hard to actually recommend Whistler as a vacation destination spot due to the horrible lines
@@riseandalpine Give your legs another 25 years and see how high you rate a westcoast mountain. The weight of the snow in Whistler vs. any of the interior mountains is signficant once you add a few years to your knees. Red Mountain has some chutes and trees (out of bounds) that are hard find anywhere else. The steeps and the powder depth make you feel like you're flying - weightless carving in chest-high pow. I've never been able to match that feeling at Whistler.
When Red was getting 10, fernie was getting 20 and whitwater would get 30 to 40. Amazing tree skii and although small you never get bored. Kicking horse is an awesome hill but lacking snow. Castle was fun but no comparison to whitewater. Nelson is a fun town and offers everything. Sunshine like kicking horse. Big mountain riding but snow was so so. Want powder and good vibes go to h20
I appreciate your take on these. I don't have the experience you have but with Red Mountain as my home ski hill, I had heard all of the hype about Revelstoke and so I took a trip there last season. Spent two days and even hit powder days. I had a lot of fun, nevertheless, it didn't leave me needing to go back. Sure, I'd go again if a perfect opportunity arose, but I'm even more solid in my love of Red, and if the snow isn't great in Rossland, I can just go to Whitewater. However, I would like to go to the East Kootenays and ski Fernie and Kicking Horse. Anyway, I enjoyed the video and if you ever do move to the Kootenays maybe we could shred a few laps together. Keep up the good work.
been to most of the top 10. Red is my favorite just becuase of how much powder i've witnessed there over the years. Wheras i've been to Sunshine 10+ times and have never seen sunshine and been almost 90 degrees to the ground on the 2 man chair because of the wind
Totally agree! Revelstoke sucks, don’t come! Next time your out find a local, there’s amazing slack but you really need to know where you’re going!! Then if we could get in at more like #10 next year that would be great! Cheers
I agree. The slack is great. Resort for the average everyday non backcountry skier leaves something to be desired. At least for me :). I'll lower the ranking for ya next year to keep things quiet!
Only time I’ve been to revelstoke, had 8 in of fresh snow. Definitely found the stoke, and really felt there was every type of terrain anyone could want. That was low for me, louise was high (was so cold and windy, and lacked snow like you said) Great video!
Jealous you've had a prime Revy day! I feel like the top 10 resorts could pretty much be interchangeable depending on time of year and whoever has the best snow on any given day
I noticed that Chicopee in Kitchener Ontario was accidentally left off your list. Highest vertical drop in Canada with thr fluffiest powded in North America.
You'll like Big White more if you get deep conditions with good visibility. If you aren't primarily staying on Gem Lake then you're missing the best part of the mountain. Powder and Falcon are adjacent and good options, but the fast quad and length, along with size of the Gem area makes it the "locals" zone. Also, the cliff chair matching good snow is kinda insane. Also, the back side is nuts if you're willing to hike out and know your avalanches. Silver Star is nice but it needs to expand. They swapped the ol doubles chair and all it's charm for a gondola but it really didn't make the mountain better. More blue bird days than BW but less snow. You guys won't like SS ;)
About 7 years ago I linked a clear powder afternoon on the Gem Lake express and had one hell of a time in the trees! Would love for a clear day the next time i go.
Great list and very fair. I've never been to whistler but I'm also not a huge fan of crowds. Only one I would put lower is louise, every single time I have gone there 90% of the runs are basically skating rinks. 0 snow all ice. Love Sunshine though. So much variety.
Glad you thought it was fair! Whistler is amazing, but if you hate crowds, 100% never visit, you will hate Whistler. Unless you sneak up in mid-April for some sleeper days when everyone in the city has switched to biking.
Banff and Calgary locals know Louise>Sunshine on a powder. But you really can’t go wrong with either! Having a ski big 3 pass is the closest thing to Whistler blackcomb 😅
James rockin’ some Def Lev “Funked Up, Cranked Up”… perfectly describes how the Rise & Alpine ski experience was last year! AMAZING MOMENTS WITH SURPRISING DISCOVERIES!!!
In Quebec, Mt. Orford has some of the best terrain in the east on a powder day with a fast gondola taking you up. Endless laps of 600m vert. Haven't skid out west yet!
Hard agree with Revy. Long lines, little lift infrastructure, lots of traversing, was not the vibe we were expecting. Left early and went to Red and didn't want to leave.
Red>Revy is an absolute no brainer! Revy just gets so much damn hype it would be hard for it to actually live up to it. I'm sure locals have a very different perspective.
Agree 100% with you. It’s subjective and depends on the skier ⛷️ and group of skiers ⛷️ there. And glad you didn’t put that hot sauce in your eye! I was just at Fernie this week for a short leisurely visit with family. Stayed at lizard 🦎 creek lodge , definitely quiet there off season but was very pleasant for our purposes. Would like to visit it during winter in near future. As far as where I’m in states I got a season pass for Schweitzer ski ⛷️ resort in Sandpoint, Idaho which has sort of spoiled me with its abundance of strategically placed high speed lifts…but find myself most often at Mt Spokane…with the exception being toward end of season (April) at Lookout Pass (when all the other resorts are more or less closed)
@@riseandalpineyour review made me want to check out Fernie and Sunshine village next time when I’m up in Canada. Great list and great timing for uploading this kind of content. And, great background/ moodlighting for video.
What a cool look back at the ski season! It’s interesting getting your afterthoughts! I thought Baldly looked kickass but you explaining it’s a lot of tree skiing adds perspective. I remember commenting that Revelstoke seemed like a great place, and you saying it’s good but has it’s shortcomings. Red Mountain was really unique. I figured Kicking Horse and Whistler would be at the top. Kicking Horse might be the most badass place for hardcore skiing in North America. But at the end of the day, Whistler/BlackComb looks like paradise. They have everything a ski freak could want. So when are you and Laura gonna move there? 😉
a friend was a groomer here years back , nice to have ski in and out accoms for t5he cost of some booze as thanks . same not many sun days , i cal it Big White-out !!
So nice to have ski in ski out accom - that is one of the beautiful parts about the interior BC mountains. More affordable ski in ski out accom if you're renting a B&B or living up there.
@@riseandalpine back when , i had a chace to buy a 3 bed condo i9n whistler village area , was 180,000 $ , my fam wouldnt go in on it with me . hate to think what worth today , and back then was rented out in winter for 350 a nigt , i could have been a local ski bum if ... lol .
Marmot Basin at Jasper is on the tame side but fun for a guy traveling around in his van ski bum style. Parking lot is half way up the mountain and easily accessible to stop for a couple hot dogs and beer at lunch. Then just ski down the rest of the way down to catch a chair back up. Nakiska not worth it unless you live in Calgary. Mount Washington - small and not enough vertical to go out of the way to ski it.
@@riseandalpine Hi-way 93 up from LL is probably the best way to get to it. Again, not a steep experts mountain but fun if you're with others who like having a beer and the tunes going at half-time.
@@riseandalpineI ski’d them both during the March break last year. There was decent snow at both hills. Sunshine really only has one area for intense skiing- Goats Eye mountain. The rest of the resort is pretty flat. But skiing right into the glades once you come out of the couloir on Goats Eye was cool. Obviously I need to ski both more but I think Louise was better for advanced/ experts.
@@2204JCMGoat's Eye is the best lift but there are pockets of great terrain all over the mountain. There's a reason Virgin Chutes is the recommended test before you try the Dive!
I’ve said the exact same thing about Pano before. Done two seasons there so I know what you mean about the snowfall. Pow days are few and far between but when they happen, it’s unreal. And the resort is absolutely dead so a pow day tends to last 2 or 3 days if you know where to look!😉
@@riseandalpine I think you might mean the extreme dream zone, which is basically a bunch of cliffs and steep drops which are largely untouched! It’s a sick area. But yeah I’d say 75% of the season you are skiing on hard pack, but they groom the runs really well it’s not particularly icy so laying down some turns is fun. Also has a super underrated park imo. It’s excellent.
I skied Revy on a 30cm powder day two years ago. It was insane and one of my top ski days ever. l also skied it last year, and my skis took an absolute beating due to how thin the coverage is so I can see where you are coming from.
Came for the reviews from... a mostly beater free channel. Retinas damaged from the chest hair like staring into the sun. Seriously though, planned a pow highway trip based on your vids only to cancel bc the snowpack was dire. Keep up the solid work.
Totally fair! It's hard to actually recommend Whistler to skiers and riders when there are so many other amazing options at this list that don't have lines
I am a 2 day a week skier at Whistler. Nothing is better than Whistler on a good day, but there are so many bad weather and crowded days at Whistler. When I ski the interior I have good days almost every day.
I 100% agree. The interior is consistently good and way underrated. I always recco friends and family go there for ski trips instead of Whistler, especially if you have only a week. Whistler has such volatile weather and crowds that you need to be full-time or two months up there to actually get a taste of the good days
Honestly Sunshine suffers in snowfall in the exact same way as Louise, there are rarely huge dumps just consistent snow throughout the year. Also I can't remember from your video on Lake Louise but were you able to explore West Bowl? Huge new area they opened a couple years ago and doesn't require beacons (but a buddy is recommended). I think if you return to LL after a dump in West Bowl you will change your tune! Especially with the new 6 pack opening this year to make it more lap-able
Lake Louise is awesome. For those without Avy gear (and who aren't steep/deep obsessed like me) it is without a doubt the better and more well rounded resort. West Bowl is absolutely awesome, loved the trees at the bottom too. I wonder if the chair will make it a little worse snow wise because of increased laps. I could totally see myself ranking Louise higher after a few days with the right conditions. I just found those freeride zones in Sunshine so ridiculously unique.
Have to get you up to Powder King. Definitely a top ten experience, especially for the snow. Also think Hudsons Bay in Smithers (the view) and Shames in Terrace (the alpine) are worthy of consideration.
Ive spent weeks at Big White, its more awesome than the ranking here but deserves the name 'big white-out' alot of the time. we ski trees then, u can see better. booked a week at fernie, inversion so we tried kimberly (ugh) and then drove to montana for the best tree skiing of my life, whitefish.
Interesting. We can ski Blacktail on our Castle tickets, which we intend on checking out, just cause...But Whitefish, hmmm? Maybe worth a stop on the way home, too. How are lift prices & lines? Montana is awesome in the summer, too... Ps. We live near enough Kimberley, that we can really pick our days, otherwise...meh. Needs snow, or no-go. Fun as hell with lots of snow, tho.
Great list! Although I think Whistler is the best mountain on earth, the crowds make it unbearable. Also, I personally think Revie should be higher, but can absolutely see where you are coming from. Lastly, happy to see that none of the East Coast mountains made the list. Any time I see those mountains on any list, I immediately discredit it. Hard to compare big mountains with big snow, to tiny hills with tons of ice.
Whistler can be totally unbearable.... When you hit those weekdays with sleeper pow, blue sky's and no people. It is heaven. Webcam's make it harder these days. But the terrain and snowfall is hard to beat. Laughing my ass off at your east coast comment. I totally agree. When you see a list with Tremblant as #5 in Canada you always have to wonder who payed who in the marketing department.
@@KZ-yu4jz I've had a couple good days there. Lots of vert for an east coast hill, plus great views. It's also a bluff hill so parking is at the top. Cold. Bring your heavy layers. I could see it being awesome on a pow day.
🤣🤣 Considering I'm employed at Mt.Norquay I'd have to agree to some extent, but I also get to ride every powder day for free so can't complain Pro tip: head to mystic chair during a pow storm you'll find endless stashes for days on end, the lift is also a detachable high speed ❤🤙
Im not a skier, so not sure why this popped up haha... but the Revelstoke bike park sounds the exact same how you described it. Hyped up.....but a bit of a let down. Better riding in the surrounding area
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Here is additional rationale and the rest of my resort ranking's for Canadian resorts since it is inevitable half of these comments will mention how many I missed. I decided to not include resorts I didn't have footage for or haven't yet skied because it would make for a more boring video and title.
I've never skied Ontario or the Maritimes, but spent 5 years skiing in Quebec and Vermont. The Eastern mountains although fun can't compete with BC and Alberta because of lack of snowfall. Even the smaller BC and Alberta hills get nuked more than the Eastern ones. But the East will always have a place in my heart.
Canadian Resorts I have not skied (but really want to):
Shames
Hudson Bay Mountain
Cain
Powder King
Mount Washington
Marmot Basin
The Rankings For Everything Else I've Skied
18. Manning Park
19. Nakiska
20. Cypress Mountain
21. Sasquatch Mountain (formerly hemlock)
22. Grouse Mountain
23. Mount Seymour
24. Stowe
25. Sutton
26. Mont-Saine-Anne
26. Tremblant
27. Massif
The rest of Quebec in no particular order that I have skied
(Mont Saint-Sauveur ,
Mont Sainte-Anne, Mont Ste. Marie,
Owl’s Head, Bromont,
Mont Blanc,
Mt Orford,
Stoneham)
@@riseandalpine thanks man!!!
That’s crazy you skied st-Anne in Quebec and Le massif and stowe. It’s good that you made this list having skied those ski resorts in the east. I also like that there is no background music in this video.
Marmot basin is also on my list
If you ever go to mount Washington you need to line up cold snowy days because it rains a lot there in the winter
@@riseandalpine Someday you'll ski the wonders of Manitoba and know what it means to be at the top of a chairlift looking out at a farmer's field.
This shows how amazing Canadian skiing is. So much discussion goes into Utah vs Colorado, meanwhile Canada has so many amazing underrated mountains
Don't tell the Americans
@@davisbyer4791 haha. I found out quickly why Colorado is such a Mecca for skiing. The altitude of the mountains makes a HUGE difference, especially now with odd winters. Skied at Red and Whitewater last year beginning of Feb and the conditions were the worst outwest skiing I have done in 30 years. The terrain looked amazing, especially since I love steep ski runs, but not enough snow and sheets of ice were problematic. The low elevation gave us rain at the end of Jan and beginning of Feb... That is unheard of in the CO, Montana, etc. Flying back to the U.S. I talked to some other people that skied in Colorado and they all said the conditions were good. Don't get me wrong, I will spend more time skiing in Canada, but I will look to go mid winter for at least 7 days in case the conditions are terrible and I can do something else.
@@KZ-yu4jz we had an exceptionally poor winter last year until about mid March... Blame El Nino
@@KZ-yu4jz The only problem is the $400 lift ticket and the absolute impossible housing. Sadly, the nature is also just for rich in this world.
Utah faaaarrrr superior to Colorado for me, but don’t sleep on A-Basin if you’re in Colorado. Fuck Vail
I love your glass half full approach. Skiing anytime, anywhere is fun. It doesn’t matter what the steepness of the slope is or amount of fresh Pow, there’s an intrinsic joy in a ski gliding across snow. Anytime, anywhere, and I wish more people could feel that same joy.
Right on brother! Glad to hear you relish in the joy of it all as well.
@@lakelouiseskier if you carry a wide all mountain ski, like a Cochise, a big fat powder ski and a carving ski you can have a blast anywhere. Former lakelouiser 94 to 2003, Golden since then.
Hi. I was a ski bum. I lived in Whistler back in the day and skied all of the resorts on your list except Kimberly and Castle. Last year we hit a resort east of Quebec city called Le Massif. Looking at your list I think we think alike so I'd say if you skied Le Massif you would probably award it a spot on your list as high as 10th spot.
Le Massif is a real mountain with gobs of snow. The verticle is the highest in eastern north America. But what makes it so special is not just the culture but the View. The whole mountain faces 50 mile wide St laurence river. The base is a rocks throw from the water. While skieng you observe ships navigating the shipping chanel. Baluga whales are observed although I did not see any!
A new ski in/ ski out Club Med just opened so see if you can hit it this coming season.
Cheers
I've skied Massif as I lived in Quebec for 5 years. It's an awesome resort for sure. I never experienced pow there but google says it gets 645cm a season, that's some real snow for sure. Might be worth another visit if I ever find myself out east again.
@@riseandalpine I think it would make for an interesting episode for your channel. Very different visuals.....sea food etc..
Try Castle. But don't bring your friends.
I’ve been everywhere Here’s My Top 10:
1) Whistler
2) Kickinghorse (Golden is also getting to be much nicer of late, it use to be a dump of a town it’s not anymore, might be number one soon, plus no beginners around)
3) Sunshine (can’t beat The Dive and Wildwest, also best Chair Selection in World. Heated Quads instead of going to clubhouse, yes please. Banff apes Ski please, but staying on the mountain is also incredible)
4) Fernie (Mountain has always been the same, but the towns exploded last decade as funky as Nelson now)
5) Revelstoke (when it dumps it’s the best resort in Canada, like everyone in Calgary books a week off and leaves when snows a coming at Revy and puts up with a 24 Hour drive back home with closed off highways, it’s so good)
6) Red Mountain (great town around it surprised more don’t make the trek, super advanced as well so no noobs)
7) Whitewater (it’s catching Red Mountain for me with the new chairs it might have, plus Nelson is the best Ski Town in Canada by far)
8) Louise (I’ve been there on plenty of dump days and it might have best run in Canada at top of the rarely opened peak tow with the greatest view in maybe the world. Plus locals know all the Hidden Spots like “Rock Garden” a boulder pillow rock run that you can just lap all day, but most don’t find it.
9) Panorama (hiking the Goldie Plateau and Tayton Bowl right of the top chair are just a blast, apparently they’re also expanding in a few years and let’s face it getting drunk with everyone in the communal hot tubs is just as fun. Plus go to Kickinghorse for a day when you’re there like a 1.5 Drive)
10) Big White (being so close to Kelowna makes up for a lot, best Snow Bunnies anywhere outside of Europe)
HM: Castle Mountain (love the chutes and such a laid back feel. Makes me miss Fortress Mountain)
Top. 10 USA
1. Park City/Deer Valley
2. Snowbird/Alta
3. Jackson’s Hole
4. Aspen
5. Telluride
6. Sun Valley
7. Breckenridge
8. Mount Hood
9. Tahoe
10. Whitefish
HM: A-Basin
HM2: Brighton
Go to Utah in normal season if you’re doing a full winter and then go to Colorado later year the altitude keeps the snow longer, but Utah gets sooooooooo much better snow and is way more fun. Park City is the best Ski Town in North America. Think like a laid back Whistler where the rich haven’t totally invaded.
You really have skied it all. Seems like we have a somewhat similar list. Stoked to see if my rankings of the US mountains is similar.
Your endless enthusiasm inspired me to get a pass for the coming season. How do your guts handle all the hot sauce though?!
The fact that you are getting obsessed with skiing gets me stoked! That's the reason I do it right there. Not sure how my internal organs look hahaha
1-whitewater 2-red 3-revy 4-fernie 5-kicking horse. I'm all about the slack country, pillow lines and pure true old school ski resorts.
You gotta ski Castle if you're down with the old school, my dude...It's a sleeper.
That checks out! Whitewater's slack is dope for sure. How was the flow with the new chair this season??
shhhh. lol
Whitewater sucks man , you don't want to go there .
stfu bro don;t tell everyone :P
So excited for the new season your the most entertaining ski TH-camr on the internet
Agreed, his energy comes through the screen and is more effective than Red Bull!
You're making me blush hahah
Looking at the terrain from the top of the gondola at Kickinghorse was enough to give my roommate a panic attack. Almost every line starts by falling off a cliff at the top of the world
😂 Kicking Horse looks like it’s mostly intimidating. I looked at a map of it and everything from the top is expert runs. I’ve never skied there, but James and Rob doing Dutchman’s Wallet is a crazy vid!
Is your roommate still your roommate after that?
I was there last February and the view from the top of many runs is no less scary.
Stairway to heaven gets a little tense at the top section, too...First time I was like ohhh man, how the eff I'm I getting down from this idiotic chair...LoL
My second time ever (first time in Ontario…. Aka bunny hills out west) took me to the top of kicking horse and said meet you at the bottom and dipped I felt so completely overwhelmed
Last time I was this early, it hadn't snowed in Banff yet
Love it!
As someone who currently lives in Fernie (from Ontario originally), I will say a pow day at Fernie is absolutely epic! So much skiable terrain and you will never get bored on this mountain. An average pow day out here is at least 20-30cm and from people I met out here, there has even been 50-60cm pow days in past seasons which is absurd!! The one downside to this mountain is there is not a lot of long, wide open runs compared to Kicking horse, Sunshine, Lake Louise, Nakiska and Whitewater to name a few. Still a great mountain in my opinion though.
Out of all the hills I've skied at so far, the one that has impressed me the most is Red Mountain, especially when the snow base is good.
Another nugget of a hill that is super underrated in my opinion is Whitefish located just outside of Whitefish, Montana!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the hills you have been to and was interesting to see your rankings
Red rocks eh! Will have to check out Whitefish. Lot's of commenters saying good things about it.
I agree with Revy. It was pretty cool but something was missin for me too. Glad to see Kicking Horse get so much deserved love. Almost surprised you didn't have it at #1. Never seen you that stoked in a video as when you rode there.
Kicking Horse is pretty much my #1 hahaha. Love that place.
The town of Golden is also really making a come back, which makes Kickinghorse even better. Golden used to be a dive, but know quite a few people who’ve moved there from Calgary recently. As Canmore and Banff are just inobtainable.
I agree with your rankings and YES WB is the heavyweight for terrain and vibe.
KH, Red , Revi, WW, SS, and Castle are some of my Top Faves too! 🎿⛷️⭐️
100%
Castle is my favourite, I’ve never seen consistent steepness like the chutes. On a powder day they are epic, and a few days after a powder day there’s still fresh lines in the far chutes. Those are also just my favourite sort of thing to ski-steep, deep, super long fall line with the occasional cliff to jump-so I’m a bit biased.
Agree with your assessment of Revy. I finally got there for the first time last winter and was pretty underwhelmed. There’s some epic stuff you can hike into but the lift setup is clearly optimized for max vertical, not for what best services the hill. Any other resort would have built a road up to the day lodge a third of the way up, but at Revy they built it at the valley bottom so they could brag about vertical in their marketing. Maybe in 20 years when they’ve built out more lift infrastructure I’d go back (assuming we actually still get snow then).
Still never made it to Whistler and Red, they’re on the bucket list for sure (well, Whistler will be if I ever start making a livable wage).
Also had a fun time at Marmot one year when nowhere at lower elevation had any snow in February
So jealous you've had a full on Castle pow day! I think you would especially love Red. Whistler is super busy so you might feel overwhelmed if you're used to the chill vibes at Castle. I really want to try Marmot!
@@riseandalpine My guy, this winter we have unrestricted lift at Castle. We plan on making the trek to Red at the top of list. Hopefully get at least a day at Golden. We did roll through Rossland a few years ago while we were in Nelson, but didn't end up clicking in. After your reviews, Red moved to the top. Whistler still is a hard sale for me, because I'm spoiled with no crowds, although Fernie does get busy on weekends, and pow days. It's day 2 & 3 out from a pow day at Fernie where you get the goodies. Castle you get the goodies, as soon as it snows, and you're still skiing untracked pockets 4 & 5 days on...
Great preface, No bad days, Only bad attitudes.
100%
I find Whistler Blackcomb a great big beautiful resort. The lineups and traffic just take so much away from the experience. Thanks for the review!
I totally agree! It's funny how Whistler is the best but also the absolute worst at the same time.
Agree! If you live there then totally, but if you travel for it and hit a pow day with the lineups, it’s absolutely brutal. I’m surprised at sunshine tbh, the snow is so insanely inconsistent and bad last couple of years
Loved kicking horse in the cdn west, Jackson hole in the US for gnarly steeps. Enjoying your vid’s keep ‘‘em coming
I want to try Jackson so bad!
Similar places. Been to KH this last winter but to JH many times. Big, steep, challenging terrain. Very little in the way of apres or amenities. Keeps away the jet set and those just showing up to ski a few runs then shop and party. Mostly serious, skilled skiers. Like that vibe a lot. I take the wife to Vail.
@@cvn6555 which did you prefer between KH and JH?
@@th3oryO Tough question. I was to JH 4-5 times and to KH once and it was a lousy snow year. I think if you want to ski a lot of really hard terrain and challenge yourself then JH. It's also really easy to get laps with the tram going from the bottom to very top in 12 minutes. KH is much tougher to get around but if you are looking to ski insane chutes and very steep faces, go there. There is very little in the way of entertainment at the base and almost nothing in the town. It is criminally underdeveloped but it's not a place you could ever take the family.
Speaking of rank, my wife, who was in competitive GS , once soiled herself on the chairlift and it pushed through her Lycra ski suit and onto the snow below. By the time we skied down you could see the huge amount of people who skied through it.
That is absolutely insane hahhaha. One of the craziest ski stories ever.
kicking horse hits hard, was there once when it snowed 2 meters in a day. Probably the best day skiing i have ever had.
2 meters in a day???? Holy balls
@@riseandalpine yes they were very holy that day
I don’t get why everyone I know in Calgary drives further to go to Revy, I just go to Kickinghorse (Or Fernie, Redwater) every time.
Kicking Horse has never in its history had 2m in a day
@@riseandalpinenever happened
Solid list. I might adjust a few up or down but think you nailed it.
Glad you have a similar feel!
I am Canadian, but grew up skiing and snowboarding at Mount Baker in Washington State. In '98 or '99 Baker had the world record for snowpack at a ski resort. They had to dig out the chairlifts in certain places because the lifts couldn't run due to snow drifts or snowfall being in the way. I have had way more incredible powder days at Baker than Whistler (though my Baker days far outweigh Whistler days to be fair). Now we live in the Okanagan and have Silverstar season's passes, so we can't wait to get to know this underrated mountain that happens to be the 3rd biggest ski resort in BC in terms of skiable acres! We work remotely and live 35-40 mins from the Silverstar parking lot, so weekday powder laps will be a thing!
Baker is the best mountain ever and I've been to almost all the ones he reviewed. Silverstar unfortunately blows. Terrible layout. not enough snow, all moguls or groomers. Virtually no rock or cliffs and super long groomers taking you back to the chairs kind of like Whistler mtn. Big White out is way better if you can get a day it's not socked in.
Baker is one of a kind for sure! Can't say I agree with Sean. I think you've wound up in an awesome spot. I've got a friend who lives on the hill up to the resort as well and absolutely loves it. Everyone's preferences are different and honestly I like long groomers and bumps. To be honest, long term, I don't see myself jumping off cliffs and rocks when I'm older hahaha. Just stoked to be turning and skiing a place that isn't too busy.
That's a pretty fair ranking.
I was a bit surprised that you put Baldy on the list but I get it.
I found a rental up there for the winter, having never skied it and I loved it so much that I just bought a place and moved there permanently!
I do miss a high speed chair every once in a while but I feel like I have the mountain to myself almost every day!
You moved to Baldy! That's such a sick spot to call home!
@@riseandalpine so stoked. I live closer to the lift than the morning line up at a lot of big resorts!
honest rating by far! 1- blackcomb whistler 2- kicking horse 3- banff sunshine
Glad you feel similar about some of the best hills!
Great review man. How much you like the mountains really comes through.
Cheers brother.
Glad my love for mountains and the sport really comes through. Stoked you liked the vid.
OMG you mentioned Beaver Valley in Ontario in the intro, it almost makes me feel like a real skier. 😜😂🤣
If you ski , you're a skier! Even more so if you ski the Beav!
I was stunned when he said beaver valley 😅😅 I lived 20 minutes from there growing up
Great to see some love for KHMR! I almost wondered if you were about to put it above WB.
I might have too If I visit a couple more times!
Def above Whistler and No.1 for gnarliest resort ever
Road tripped these in 2023, ranking them:
1. Fernie - it has everything. Town is vibes!
2. RED - also has everything, but is a bit smaller, and slower chairs.
3. Revelstoke - unreal skiing, but the layout is strange.
4. Whistler Blackcomb - epic, but the lines suck. I get why it's your #1 if you're local.
5. Sunshine - other than Delerium and Goat's Eye it's so flat.
6. Lake Louise - 80 cm base in the middle of Feb. Need I say more?
Super fair ratings! I do agree with Sunshine being flat. If you remove the Dive, Wild West and Goat's Eye, it would definetly be number 7 or so for me.
I ski and snowboard, and I've been lucky enough to get to a few places in my life. I'll try to play along. Worth noting that I'm often with folks that aren't necessarily looking to push themselves too far, so it's nice if a mountain has some intermediate variety for them.
For Canada, I only have experience at the following mountains, and I'd put them in this order:
1. Whistler
2. Fernie (great snow, great terrain, limited intermediate options, limited vert)
3. Kicking (terrain is absurd, but make sure you're with people that want to go hard. Intermediate terrain is very limited)
4. Lake (great place, but also the coldest place on earth)
5. Kimberley (purely intermediate hill, but really fun for that)
6. Nakiska (to be fair it was a low snow day)
7. Pass Powderkeg (tiny and not much snow, but honestly I had tons of fun)
US is gonna be hard and controversial, but I'll do what I can
1. Alta
It's ski only which is a bit of a bummer but makes sense when you realize how much time you'll spend traversing. Still, the snow is unmatched.
2. Winter Park
This won't be a popular choice, but I think it's one of the best possible places with a group of mixed levels, it's the best bumps in the biz, it's only busy on Saturday, and the Vasque Ridge zone added some needed terrain. Good flow for the most part.
3. Palisades Tahoe
Closest to Kicking Horse I've seen in the states for bonkers terrain. Snow can be iffy, and I don't love the flow of the mountain, but the terrain is just wacko.
4. Mt. Batchelor
Another controversial pick here, but when the full 360 is on the backside is one of the most unique places you can possibly ski. True advanced terrain is definitely missing, and the flow can fall apart, but I love the backside so much. Unfortunately it's not open all that much.
5. Jackson Hole
Cons: Pain to get to, expensive as hell, crowds. Pros: You already know.
6. Snowbird
Same snow as Alta, allows snowboarding, but again I don't love the flow.
7. Park City
Don't like the vibe, and it doesn't have the snow of the other Utah resorts, but it's gotta a ton of possible lines.
8. Crested Butte
Great for advanced, limited for intermediates, hard to get to, medium snow
9. Breckenridge
Town is great, mountain is pretty solid, crowds are brutal, but the worst thing is that I've never skied or boarder anywhere with less safety conscious people on the slopes. Head on a swivel 24/7/365.
Famous places I haven't been: Aspen, Vail, Mammoth
Place I loved but only been in the spring with limited terrain: A-Basin
Place I've been but so long ago I don't feel comfortable rating: Big Sky, Grand Targhee, Keystone, Baker, Crystal, Copper
Bonus Round, other continents
1. 3 Vallées
Probably the best place I've ever been. Completely insane scale, tons of terrain. Even some trees, which is rare over there, but nothing like Canada or the US in that regard. The size, views, and vibe are unmatched though.
2. Sella Ronda in Italy
Not really a single resort, but what an incredible experience
3. Niseko
Great snow, extremely Australian, lots of lift closures.
Place I've been but so long ago I don't feel comfortable rating: Val-d'Isère, Les Diablerets, Chamonix, Grandvalira
All time top 5:
1. 3 Vallées
2. Whistler
3. Alta
4. Fernie
5. Winter Park
Whew.
Dude. Thank you for writing this out, It's actually super helpful for my trip planning! Unbelievable that you have been able to explore so many of the top resorts in the world! You've got me stoked to get out there and explore this winter. Any ideas on strategies on how to make the US trips more affordable?
@@riseandalpine Happy if it can be of any help!
The downside of growing up far from a ski mountain is pretty obvious, but the upside is the you can kinda go wherever you want. Luckily my parents were total ski hounds even though we lived in a place without snow, and they travelled a bunch for work so I got to hit up a ton of rad mountains. Mom is a French history prof, which explains the Euro places. I did a ski/snowboard instructor course at Fernie, so I got to know that place pretty well. Was actually planning to move to the mountains and teach, but covid killed that plan. Maybe in the future...
Anyway, as for doing it on a budget, what we did growing up was just stay about an hour away from the hill and eat the milage. Of course, I'm old so gas was cheaper, parking was cheaper, so on and so forth. Still, with a bunch of these places it's feasible to commute from a bigger town. All the main Utah options are a fairly short drive from Salt Lake, particularly if you can do it on a weekday with low traffic. Colorado resorts are more of a haul, but you can definitely round trip from Denver if you do it during the week. Weekends will be hell on the roads in both places. Pow days will also get crazy. Still, most of these drives will be shorter or similar to what you do from Van to Whistler.
If you're flying in to Denver and not driving, which might save you some cash, the Summit County resorts (Keystone, Breck, A-Basin, Copper (which I forgot to list but didn't love)) are all on a free shuttle if you are staying in the area. Could get a shuttle from the airport and then take the bus to all the different places, although it's not exactly light speed. Unfortunately they aren't all on the same ski pass, so you'd need Epic and Alterra to hit them all. summitcountyco.gov/services/transit_summit_stage/bus_schedule/winter_bus_schedule.php
The UTAH TRANSIT AUTHORITY SKI BUS might be helpful too, but I confess I've never used it. www.rideuta.com/News/2023/11/Ski-Bus-2023-2024
As for tickets, it's basically a case of picking your pass. With Whistler being on Epic that means you could target Breck, Keystone, Crested, and Park City. Crested is pretty far from anywhere, but you can make all the others cheaper with driving/buses. I'm not up to date on the hostel situations in those places, but I've had luck with that before. Same for camping I'm afraid. I'm usually with family that doesn't wanna get to rustic!
3 Vallées is actually really cheap to ski compared to NA if you can work out the transport. Epic gets you 7 days, there's a bazillion options for lodging, and food is WAY cheaper. I'd kill to see you do a video from there. haha.
FWIW at your level of skiing I'd focus on Alta/Snowbird (they are connected), Jackson, A-Basin, Crested Butte, and Palisades in the US. I think they'd be closer to what you enjoy skiing than something like Winter Park. Although with trees... haha. Many options out there. Telluride has a bunch of crazy hike-to terrain, but I can't speak to it personally. Silverton would be right up your alley I suspect with your back/slack country experience as well.
Hope any of that helps!
And I appreciate the videos my guy. I find most ski vloggers out there kinda weird...sometimes I'm not sure they love skiing. Never a question with you!
Great to see my hometown mountain shout outs, Baldy and Apex!
Great hills to call home and bounce between.
Totally agree with your assesment of Big White/Silverstar. Silverstar is very underrated and will be interesting to see what happens with it now that its up for sale. Big White on a bluebird day (I would argue) is better than Silverstar, but you know what you're getting with Silverstar and the average day there is more enjoyable I find.
I'd love to get a big white bluebird day!
So the first time I skied Louise (Ontario skier here) was about 30 years ago and the week I skied there they had a puke of champagne pow to the tune of well over a meter in a few days. Never seen snow flakes that were 5cm across. It was crazy snow all week long with limited visibility and it was f'n COLD. Warmest day was -19. Last day there was a thermal inversion and they finally opened the poma to the top. Epic power but even better, my buddy and I made the first tracks of the season in the back bowls including a 10' cornice drop into chest deep pow. Best day ever!
What a memory! Putting first tracks of the year into the back bowl would be absolutely mental. Hard to beat a day like that eh
great list. I have been to all of these resorts except for 2 of the lesser knows ones. I rank Revy a lot lower. G-d created a phenomenal mountain, and ownership has failed to take advantage of the amazing terrain. with only 1 chairlift to access the higher elevations plus a hike and a really horrible ski out, it has become one of the resorts that we will not be returning to. We were lucky to have had 15-20 kms or pow at Apex and were blown away with the gladed areas to the right of the chair. Totally agree with your top 2. looking forward to another great winter season. I am not sure how you are going to outdo yourself, but we are all looking forward.
Thanks Jay! Glad you are as big a fan of KHMR as me :). Not sure how I'm going to outdo myself either. Goal is to just keep having a good time otherwise video making can become exhausting.
He’s absolutely right about the management/ownership of Revy. They are way too pleased with themselves. And it’s becoming unlivable.
Only been to whistler blackcomb on that side of Canada and I agree. It’s amazing. Summit county Colorado locations are in my next 2-4
I want to check out CO too!
I love these reviews. I agree with Revelstoke…huge elevation but lacks a little terrain to match your top picks. I just hope they move forward with their expansion plans to open up that west(?) side. Then you’re talking a whole new mountain!!
The expansion would be mental!
Nice list man! You know I'm bias like you for whis but honestly everywhere else you go you're like "this place is sick!!! If only it had [insert something] it'd be as good as whistler!
I agree on revvie. Didn't grab me or my friends either. My BC list in order is 6. Sun peaks 5. Revvie, 4. Whitewater 3. Red mountain 2. Kicking horse (so so good) and 1. Whistler.
Keep up the good work legend. Looking forward to yelling at you off a chair sometime soon.
You know how I think. Every resort is the 'best ever' just love the sport so damn much. Your list is super fair. Nice to see Sun Peaks so high, it's truly one of the best all rounders.
Looking forward to your yell from the chair.
Great video!! My top 5 in BC / AB:
1. Revy
2. Red Mtn
3. Whistler / Blackcomb
4. Louise
5. KH
Red & Revy a deadly BC combo for sure!
Whistler is my number 1 because I met you there last season and it was one of the highlights of my life as a skier.
Ayyyee - great lap down chainsaw!
Nice list!
Of those that I have skied:
(1) Fernie
(2) WB
(3) Silverstar
(3) Louise
(4) Sunshine
(5) Norquay
Would definitely like to hit KH and Rev, SunPeaks and Red.
Unreal! Pretty similar tastes to mine.
Impressed you have Silverstar that high! I totally agree and have had some amazing times there. On a pow day it feels like a playground
You can't go wrong with anything on this list, but I just really had a good time at SilverStar. Real fun spot.
Whistler is easily the biggest mountain with the most terrain but it's the most commercialized and Americanized too and it's not a friendly lift line crowd. Have skied all the resorts on the ranked list except Baldy and Sunshine captures the true essence of skiing the best imho. It's not about which resort has the most or the knarliest terrain but the feeling one has walking off the mountain at the end of the day.
I agree.... People at Whistler can be mean... but for each one of those pricks there's a wonderful soul kicking around. That feeling walking off the mountain is absolutely the most important. I'll never forget the good ole' days I had growing up skiing Manning Park!
Earned a sub with that honest and accurate take on revy’s overrating
No affiliated with anyone or any mountain so happy to always give my honest takes. Thank you for the sub, really helps me do what I do and still manage to put food on the table.
Try Marmot Basin. I love it as it’s usually Edmonton locals, a lot less tourists. But it has some great runs and can have some amazing powder days. A hidden gem in Jasper National Park, which this next season I’m looking forward to showing some love after their epically tragic summer.
Such a tragic summer for Jasper. One of my favourite all time spots in the summer. Marmot is 100% on my bucketlist.
I used to love skiing when I was young but only Big Hill I ever got to was Sunshine Village. I loved my trip there and will never forget it.
Such great memories! Ever going to get back into skiing again?
@riseandalpine I'm too old to ski like I did back in the day but I am hoping to teach my daughter soon. Unfortunately where I live 700' is the max drop of our nearest and biggest hill.
Spent the last decade skiing and touring the rockies, just made the move to Squamish. I agree with pretty much your whole list. That being said, have yet to ski Whistler. Stoke levels are over 9000, see ya on the hills 🫡🤙🤙
Once you get desensitized to how painfully busy Whistler is, you'll fall in love with the terrain!
really enjoyed this video, never skied in canada but whistler or the big 3 are bucketlist for sure
Both are worthy of a trip! Big 3 is more affordable and pretty damn cool. You can also link Kicking Horse in a day trip too with a rental car
@@riseandalpine honestly the chances of me making it to canada anytime soon our low 🤣 someday i will get there, some day
Me who lives in Georgia and has to go to North Carolina resorts: I want to go to ANY of these Canadian resorts! They all look like a massive upgrade over what I am used to
Sick to hear you're skiing where ya can. No doubt all these Canadian hills would blow your mind!
Apex on a powder day is absolutely AMAZING. Makes the experience 3 times as fun, especially on the wildside
Wildside on a powder day would be so sick!
You inspired me to go to Castle and I had a blast! Sorry Revvy didn't live up to it's hype for you. I also agree with you on LL, like it's awesome but can get icy (as I experienced once).
My top three are Revy, Sunshine and Castle!
That's awesome! So glad you tried Castle. Stoked you experienced Revy in it's glory. Maybe one day I can link up a proper snow week there.
Season drawing too a close in the next month here in NZ, cant wait to see the content u put out this season!
Thanks dude! Hope you've been having a great one out there. Hopefully one day I can get this channel big enough so I can come for a summer ski in NZ
@@riseandalpine 100%, if ur ever down south there will be loads of locals happy to show u the best chutes and couloirs NZ has to offfer!
Whistler on a Snow day (40 or more cm) is EPIC. If you can ski double diamonds it’s like Science Fiction. Glades and Couloir galore. My family usually just alternates between Whistler and Blackcomb each time we go. Both mountains are da bomb. Last winter the snow came later in the season. But there was that week when it snowed over 100cm. You don’t forget those days…
100% I still dream about the big days from last season. Unforgettable!
Delighted you caved and made the list!
Finally eh!
It needs to be redone. Why? Because how good a mountain is depends on factors such as your finances, level of skill, the importance of the village, etc. For example Sun peaks rates low for Expert skiing but rates high for Family Skiing due to factors such as price, the number of beginner and intermediate runs, and short lift lines.
agree mostly with this list..always love sunshine as home resort..love fernie and kicking horse...whistler is great but the minus point for us is just the long line and crowds
It's cool you feel the same about some of these resorts! It's honestly hard to actually recommend Whistler as a vacation destination spot due to the horrible lines
@@riseandalpine Give your legs another 25 years and see how high you rate a westcoast mountain. The weight of the snow in Whistler vs. any of the interior mountains is signficant once you add a few years to your knees. Red Mountain has some chutes and trees (out of bounds) that are hard find anywhere else. The steeps and the powder depth make you feel like you're flying - weightless carving in chest-high pow. I've never been able to match that feeling at Whistler.
When Red was getting 10, fernie was getting 20 and whitwater would get 30 to 40. Amazing tree skii and although small you never get bored. Kicking horse is an awesome hill but lacking snow. Castle was fun but no comparison to whitewater. Nelson is a fun town and offers everything. Sunshine like kicking horse. Big mountain riding but snow was so so.
Want powder and good vibes go to h20
WH20 is Legendary!
Man Crusty lives the dream! Well played mate 👏👏👏👏
"Crusty Ranks Canada"
I appreciate your take on these. I don't have the experience you have but with Red Mountain as my home ski hill, I had heard all of the hype about Revelstoke and so I took a trip there last season. Spent two days and even hit powder days. I had a lot of fun, nevertheless, it didn't leave me needing to go back. Sure, I'd go again if a perfect opportunity arose, but I'm even more solid in my love of Red, and if the snow isn't great in Rossland, I can just go to Whitewater. However, I would like to go to the East Kootenays and ski Fernie and Kicking Horse. Anyway, I enjoyed the video and if you ever do move to the Kootenays maybe we could shred a few laps together. Keep up the good work.
Would love to rip some laps with you next time I’m around Red 🤟
been to most of the top 10. Red is my favorite just becuase of how much powder i've witnessed there over the years. Wheras i've been to Sunshine 10+ times and have never seen sunshine and been almost 90 degrees to the ground on the 2 man chair because of the wind
I'd hope you stay 90 degrees to the ground....lol
Red is pretty legendary eh!
Totally agree! Revelstoke sucks, don’t come!
Next time your out find a local, there’s amazing slack but you really need to know where you’re going!! Then if we could get in at more like #10 next year that would be great! Cheers
I agree. The slack is great. Resort for the average everyday non backcountry skier leaves something to be desired. At least for me :). I'll lower the ranking for ya next year to keep things quiet!
Great list. Whistler #1 is a very valid opinion.
It just can't be beat!
Only time I’ve been to revelstoke, had 8 in of fresh snow. Definitely found the stoke, and really felt there was every type of terrain anyone could want. That was low for me, louise was high (was so cold and windy, and lacked snow like you said)
Great video!
Jealous you've had a prime Revy day! I feel like the top 10 resorts could pretty much be interchangeable depending on time of year and whoever has the best snow on any given day
@@riseandalpine 1000000%
I noticed that Chicopee in Kitchener Ontario was accidentally left off your list. Highest vertical drop in Canada with thr fluffiest powded in North America.
😂😂😂
Marmot is awesome and will crack the top 10 on your list, maybe even the top 5.
Can't wait to try it!
Revelstoke just gets so much snow compared to other resorts in the area also they had some of the best groomers I've ever seen
Totally! Their groomers are pretty damn nuts. Some of the longest ever. TBH my top 7 on this list are pretty darn interchangeable.
You'll like Big White more if you get deep conditions with good visibility. If you aren't primarily staying on Gem Lake then you're missing the best part of the mountain. Powder and Falcon are adjacent and good options, but the fast quad and length, along with size of the Gem area makes it the "locals" zone. Also, the cliff chair matching good snow is kinda insane. Also, the back side is nuts if you're willing to hike out and know your avalanches. Silver Star is nice but it needs to expand. They swapped the ol doubles chair and all it's charm for a gondola but it really didn't make the mountain better. More blue bird days than BW but less snow. You guys won't like SS ;)
About 7 years ago I linked a clear powder afternoon on the Gem Lake express and had one hell of a time in the trees! Would love for a clear day the next time i go.
Love to see a new upload been watching since 10k subs
Stoked you've been here since 10k! Hopefully we can get that silver play button this season!
Thank god. Keep sending all the gorbs to Whistler and Kicking Horse. Love you man!!
🤫
Great list and very fair. I've never been to whistler but I'm also not a huge fan of crowds. Only one I would put lower is louise, every single time I have gone there 90% of the runs are basically skating rinks. 0 snow all ice. Love Sunshine though. So much variety.
Glad you thought it was fair! Whistler is amazing, but if you hate crowds, 100% never visit, you will hate Whistler. Unless you sneak up in mid-April for some sleeper days when everyone in the city has switched to biking.
Banff and Calgary locals know Louise>Sunshine on a powder. But you really can’t go wrong with either! Having a ski big 3 pass is the closest thing to Whistler blackcomb 😅
Locals know better than me! The fact that you can pick and choose depending on what your feeling and the conditions is absolutely sick.
Never been anywhere but KH in Canada but hard to venture to other places now that I know it’s there
Don't blame you!
James rockin’ some Def Lev “Funked Up, Cranked Up”… perfectly describes how the Rise & Alpine ski experience was last year! AMAZING MOMENTS WITH SURPRISING DISCOVERIES!!!
Glad you thought the tune matched up to the video
In Quebec, Mt. Orford has some of the best terrain in the east on a powder day with a fast gondola taking you up. Endless laps of 600m vert. Haven't skid out west yet!
Orford is fun for sure! I always preferred Jay, Stowe, and Sutton in that order.
Hard agree with Revy. Long lines, little lift infrastructure, lots of traversing, was not the vibe we were expecting. Left early and went to Red and didn't want to leave.
Red>Revy is an absolute no brainer! Revy just gets so much damn hype it would be hard for it to actually live up to it. I'm sure locals have a very different perspective.
always love to see a new upload
Thanks!
Big white on a blue bird day is beautiful.
Big white on any Sunny day is a blast.
I dream of linking a Biggie bluebird day!
definitely give biggie another try on a clearish day!
Of course I will! Big White is legend.
Big Whiteout from Nov to mid Feb. Everything is great after that.
Agree 100% with you. It’s subjective and depends on the skier ⛷️ and group of skiers ⛷️ there. And glad you didn’t put that hot sauce in your eye! I was just at Fernie this week for a short leisurely visit with family. Stayed at lizard 🦎 creek lodge , definitely quiet there off season but was very pleasant for our purposes. Would like to visit it during winter in near future. As far as where I’m in states I got a season pass for Schweitzer ski ⛷️ resort in Sandpoint, Idaho which has sort of spoiled me with its abundance of strategically placed high speed lifts…but find myself most often at Mt Spokane…with the exception being toward end of season (April) at Lookout Pass (when all the other resorts are more or less closed)
I'll have to check out Sandpoint, Schweitzer and Spokane at some point!
Marmot is also great. Kicking Horse is incredible, I go there yearly.
Really want to check out Marmot!
Loving the Beaver Valley shoutout!
Love how many BV fans are kicking around in the comments!
WB being #1 I agree. I really liked you focused on skier experience and Terrance stuff instead of lodging and food stuff. It’s straight forward.
Glad you liked the review from a skier for the skiers!
@@riseandalpineyour review made me want to check out Fernie and Sunshine village next time when I’m up in Canada. Great list and great timing for uploading this kind of content. And, great background/ moodlighting for video.
What a cool look back at the ski season! It’s interesting getting your afterthoughts! I thought Baldly looked kickass but you explaining it’s a lot of tree skiing adds perspective.
I remember commenting that Revelstoke seemed like a great place, and you saying it’s good but has it’s shortcomings. Red Mountain was really unique.
I figured Kicking Horse and Whistler would be at the top. Kicking Horse might be the most badass place for hardcore skiing in North America.
But at the end of the day, Whistler/BlackComb looks like paradise. They have everything a ski freak could want.
So when are you and Laura gonna move there? 😉
Baldy was Kickass, but small! Best to rank the gems a little lower :).
a friend was a groomer here years back , nice to have ski in and out accoms for t5he cost of some booze as thanks . same not many sun days , i cal it Big White-out !!
So nice to have ski in ski out accom - that is one of the beautiful parts about the interior BC mountains. More affordable ski in ski out accom if you're renting a B&B or living up there.
@@riseandalpine back when , i had a chace to buy a 3 bed condo i9n whistler village area , was 180,000 $ , my fam wouldnt go in on it with me . hate to think what worth today , and back then was rented out in winter for 350 a nigt , i could have been a local ski bum if ... lol .
Marmot Basin at Jasper is on the tame side but fun for a guy traveling around in his van ski bum style. Parking lot is half way up the mountain and easily accessible to stop for a couple hot dogs and beer at lunch. Then just ski down the rest of the way down to catch a chair back up. Nakiska not worth it unless you live in Calgary. Mount Washington - small and not enough vertical to go out of the way to ski it.
I love mid-mountain lots! Marmot is for sure on the hit list.
@@riseandalpine Hi-way 93 up from LL is probably the best way to get to it. Again, not a steep experts mountain but fun if you're with others who like having a beer and the tunes going at half-time.
thank you for your service, cant wait for winter
Thanks for tuning in. Couldn’t be more stoked about the upcoming snow season 🤟
Sunshine! I knew you'd answer my question whether Sunshine was better than Louise. I knew it!!!!!!! Thanks for clearing that up! lol
Just a personal preference, but I think many locals would disagree with me. Will be interesting to hear from them in the comments.
😂😂
Great list! But as a banff local I think lake is better, sunshine definitely gets better snowfall but lakes terrain and layout is better IMO
@@riseandalpineI ski’d them both during the March break last year. There was decent snow at both hills. Sunshine really only has one area for intense skiing- Goats Eye mountain. The rest of the resort is pretty flat. But skiing right into the glades once you come out of the couloir on Goats Eye was cool. Obviously I need to ski both more but I think Louise was better for advanced/ experts.
@@2204JCMGoat's Eye is the best lift but there are pockets of great terrain all over the mountain. There's a reason Virgin Chutes is the recommended test before you try the Dive!
Love it. Great video. Honest comments about each mountain. I agre W/B . He only 2 months and 19 days to go.
Glad you enjoyed the rankings! I can already taste the fresh pow.
I’ve said the exact same thing about Pano before. Done two seasons there so I know what you mean about the snowfall. Pow days are few and far between but when they happen, it’s unreal. And the resort is absolutely dead so a pow day tends to last 2 or 3 days if you know where to look!😉
I'm jealous! Could only imagine lining up a 3 day storm session at Pano. Would be impossible for the Beast zone to get skied out.
@@riseandalpine I think you might mean the extreme dream zone, which is basically a bunch of cliffs and steep drops which are largely untouched! It’s a sick area. But yeah I’d say 75% of the season you are skiing on hard pack, but they groom the runs really well it’s not particularly icy so laying down some turns is fun. Also has a super underrated park imo. It’s excellent.
I am soooo glad you didn't get a good snow day at Castle when you were here last season!!! ;)
LOL thanks hahaha
I skied Revy on a 30cm powder day two years ago. It was insane and one of my top ski days ever. l also skied it last year, and my skis took an absolute beating due to how thin the coverage is so I can see where you are coming from.
Yeah, but to be fair last season was a gong show all over for a good part of the year.
Super jealous! All it takes is one day. Weather plays such a big role in how much you like a resort, especially if you don't ski it full time.
I'm glad Baldy made it to your list! It's a hidden gem!! Shhhhh!!! Way better than scrApex!!!
Couldn’t rate it too high 😉🤫
Came for the reviews from... a mostly beater free channel. Retinas damaged from the chest hair like staring into the sun. Seriously though, planned a pow highway trip based on your vids only to cancel bc the snowpack was dire. Keep up the solid work.
Glad I didn't undo one more button, saved you from blindness. Hopefully we have some more normal snow this winter.
@@riseandalpine I guess the hot sauce makes you burly. Bring on La Nina!
The lines at Whistler are too much for me. Aside from that it’s incredible!
Totally fair! It's hard to actually recommend Whistler to skiers and riders when there are so many other amazing options at this list that don't have lines
I am a 2 day a week skier at Whistler. Nothing is better than Whistler on a good day, but there are so many bad weather and crowded days at Whistler. When I ski the interior I have good days almost every day.
I 100% agree. The interior is consistently good and way underrated. I always recco friends and family go there for ski trips instead of Whistler, especially if you have only a week. Whistler has such volatile weather and crowds that you need to be full-time or two months up there to actually get a taste of the good days
Honestly Sunshine suffers in snowfall in the exact same way as Louise, there are rarely huge dumps just consistent snow throughout the year. Also I can't remember from your video on Lake Louise but were you able to explore West Bowl? Huge new area they opened a couple years ago and doesn't require beacons (but a buddy is recommended). I think if you return to LL after a dump in West Bowl you will change your tune! Especially with the new 6 pack opening this year to make it more lap-able
Lake Louise is awesome. For those without Avy gear (and who aren't steep/deep obsessed like me) it is without a doubt the better and more well rounded resort. West Bowl is absolutely awesome, loved the trees at the bottom too. I wonder if the chair will make it a little worse snow wise because of increased laps. I could totally see myself ranking Louise higher after a few days with the right conditions. I just found those freeride zones in Sunshine so ridiculously unique.
Have to get you up to Powder King. Definitely a top ten experience, especially for the snow. Also think Hudsons Bay in Smithers (the view) and Shames in Terrace (the alpine) are worthy of consideration.
100% - haven't made it to those legendary hills yet, but have a Northern BC trip in the works!
Ive spent weeks at Big White, its more awesome than the ranking here but deserves the name 'big white-out' alot of the time. we ski trees then, u can see better. booked a week at fernie, inversion so we tried kimberly (ugh) and then drove to montana for the best tree skiing of my life, whitefish.
Interesting. We can ski Blacktail on our Castle tickets, which we intend on checking out, just cause...But Whitefish, hmmm? Maybe worth a stop on the way home, too. How are lift prices & lines? Montana is awesome in the summer, too...
Ps. We live near enough Kimberley, that we can really pick our days, otherwise...meh. Needs snow, or no-go. Fun as hell with lots of snow, tho.
Whitefish sounds sick!
Great list! Although I think Whistler is the best mountain on earth, the crowds make it unbearable. Also, I personally think Revie should be higher, but can absolutely see where you are coming from.
Lastly, happy to see that none of the East Coast mountains made the list. Any time I see those mountains on any list, I immediately discredit it. Hard to compare big mountains with big snow, to tiny hills with tons of ice.
Whistler can be totally unbearable.... When you hit those weekdays with sleeper pow, blue sky's and no people. It is heaven. Webcam's make it harder these days. But the terrain and snowfall is hard to beat. Laughing my ass off at your east coast comment. I totally agree. When you see a list with Tremblant as #5 in Canada you always have to wonder who payed who in the marketing department.
What about Le Massif? Hitting that up this year, hoping it will be alright
@@KZ-yu4jzI’ve been. If you’ve grown up out east I guess it’s fine but if you’re from the west it’s garbage.
@@KZ-yu4jz I've had a couple good days there. Lots of vert for an east coast hill, plus great views. It's also a bluff hill so parking is at the top. Cold. Bring your heavy layers. I could see it being awesome on a pow day.
Good stuff thanks for making that video!
You bet! Thanks for tuning in!
🤣🤣 Considering I'm employed at Mt.Norquay I'd have to agree to some extent, but I also get to ride every powder day for free so can't complain
Pro tip: head to mystic chair during a pow storm you'll find endless stashes for days on end, the lift is also a detachable high speed ❤🤙
Great tip! I watched some footage of Ian Deans skiing a Norquay pow day and it looked mental!
Im not a skier, so not sure why this popped up haha... but the Revelstoke bike park sounds the exact same how you described it. Hyped up.....but a bit of a let down. Better riding in the surrounding area
Stoked you stayed around and watched a little bit as a non-skier. Super interesting you feel the same about the bike park hype.
I love Whistler/Blackcombe but Lake Louise is my favourite. 🇬🇧🇨🇦🇨🇦🇬🇧
Lake Louise is absolutely amazing!
That's a solid list!