Dec. 21, 2011 - Issue #844: The Artist
Fall Lines: Ski hill happenings
Ski hill happeningsWhat an amazing sight you can see while driving along the Whitemud Freeway near Snow Valley. After sunset, the hill appears to be enveloped in a mini blizzard with bright lights shining and snow guns blowing. Despite Mother Nature's reluctance to provide precipitation, it looks like the hill's snow guns are doing a pretty good job.
Last weekend, a little later into the season than normal, Sunshine Village Ski & Snowboard Resort announced the opening of its Goat's Eye slopes. With signature runs like Goat's Head Soup and Mother In Law, Goat's Eye offers amazing ski terrain and the opening of those slopes should help keep lift lines short around the rest of the hill.
A local Edmonton travel agency is erroneously advertising mountainside accommodations and lift tickets at Marmot Basin. Now, I know the new owners group at Marmot is spending millions in capital investments on new lifts, but slopeside accommodations aren't even on the drawing board. It would take years of negotiations with Parks Canada and is something we probably won't see in our lifetimes, if ever. This may not be a bad thing because most of us love Marmot just the way it is.
Kicking Horse Resort might be changing hands, after announcing that it is in negotiations with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) to transfer ownership, possibly by the end of the year. RCR already owns Nakiska, Fernie, Kimberley, Stoneham and Mont-Sainte-Anne resorts, so I guess it's looking for a six-pack. Current Kicking Horse owner, Ballast Nedam, is a Netherlands-based company that developed the resort from a smaller facility owned by the town of Golden. With most of its business activities centered in the Netherlands, the company is planning to pull out of some of its foreign investments.
Mountain resorts get festive
If you're heading to the mountains this holiday season, there are several unique events not to be missed. At Lake Louise there's a torchlight dinner & ski night on December 25 and 31. After the lifts have closed to regular skiers and riders, participants head up to the mid-mountain Whitehorn Lodge where drinks and appetizers await. Then they glide down the darkened slopes by torchlight, followed by a full-blown après-ski party at the Sitzmark Lounge. Prices range from $36 – $65 and reservations are a must. But Lake Louise isn't the only resort to offer skiing by torchlight, with Norquay also offering a torchlit ski parade on December 31, starting at 7 pm.
On December 23 and 24 at Fernie Alpine Resort, you can ski with Santa from 10 am – 12 pm, followed by a free photo opp with the big guy until 2 pm, with pics emailed straight to your inbox. Nakiska also offers the chance to ski with Mr Claus on December 24 from 10 am. And the big guy will continue his busy streak at Red Mountain on December 25, where you can meet at the bottom of Silverlode at 10 am and ride the chair with Santa, who will do some turns on Paradise, Silverlode, T-Bar and the Magic Carpet.
Back to Fernie and fast forward a week and you can get ready for 2012 with the family New Year's Eve dinner and magic. The festivities start as a family affair from 6 – 9 pm where fun and games take place around a hillside fire pit. At 9 pm there's a countdown, you can put the kids to bed and then over-19s can carry on the night at the Griz Bar and ring in the New Year to the tunes of Brocade. These tickets sell out every year, so get on board early or you may miss out.
If you're a Wheat Monkeys fan and want to party in the New Year in style with them, get yourself down to Castle Mountain on December 31. This is another one of those get-your-tickets-early events because you're not the only one who likes them. Tickets are only $15 and you must be at least 18 years old.
Staying across the border in BC, Panorama Mountain Village has a whole host of events for the holiday season, starting with holiday crafts for kids every day until December 31 and photos with Santa from December 22 to the 24th. Carolling by candlelight around the Christmas tree with your fellow Panorama guests takes place on the 23rd and 24th, and on Christmas Day there's a humungous holiday feast in the Great Hall.
Kimberley Alpine Resort will be ushering in the New Year with a fireworks display, family skating party, night skiing and a special glow stick run, with live music from New Moon in the Stemwinder from 6 – 8 pm.
More stories in Snow Zone »
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