Family ski holiday

Old Sep 27th, 2016, 05:02 PM
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Family ski holiday

Hi,

My husband and I are wanting to take our 3 year old and 9 month old (at time of travel) to Canada skiing. This is predominately a parent holiday as the kids won't be old enough to ski. We will either do nanny, childcare or maybe a grandparent will come to help!

We are both beginner (although I can ski blue runs from France) but that was 8 years ago and my husband is a very new skier (only once before in whistler for 2 days.).

Can anyone suggest a mountain that has nice, groomed skiing for beginner - blue and greens and also very family friendly. If a grandparent comes, she will not be skiing so I would like the village to have some atmosphere as well. We were looking at the following - whistler, silver star, big white and sun peaks. We will be travelling from Vancouver.

Thanks in advance!
AnnaBee333 is offline  
Old Sep 27th, 2016, 05:22 PM
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I would like to add we wil be wanting to do all the kid friendly things as well - sleighs, tobogganing, snow men etc etc so would like snow directly outside the apartment/chalet etc.
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Old Sep 27th, 2016, 10:56 PM
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I've skied at Silver Star a number of times and I think it meets all your needs. Big White and Sun Peaks are similar in size and facilities.

I would avoid Whistler. It's too big and you won't take advantage of its vast and varied terrain.
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Old Sep 28th, 2016, 10:47 AM
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The only issue with Silver Star is that it's a good 5 hr drive from Vancouver, and through some highways that could be very nasty. Unless you have a lot of experience driving in the snow, it could be very daunting. You also would need M+S tires on the rental, and flex time in case you encounter highway closures or bad weather. One alternative is to fly to Kelowna.

Another option is to consider flying from Vancouver to Calgary, and skiing at one or some of the resorts in the Banff area. That significantly reduces driving, with most driving on well maintained highways. You can also take shuttles to Banff/Lake Louise and to all three resorts. Between Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine, plenty of skiing for all levels. Banff and Lake Louise have lots to do for non skiers - xc skiing, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, ice skating, dog sled rides, shopping, winter wildlife tours, food etc etc.

Another key factor - when you are intending to take this trip? The best ski months here are mid February to early April - it's when the days are longer, usually warmer and we get the most snow. If you are coming early or late in the season, you want to pick somewhere higher (like the Rockies) where there is likely to be more snow.
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Old Sep 28th, 2016, 11:35 AM
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I assumed OP would fly to Kelowna or Kamloops and from the airport use a shuttle to the resort.

Skiing in the Banff area would certainly meet the skiing requirements, but not the on slope accommodation and village atmosphere that the OP is looking for. I have skied a number of times at Sunshine, but have never stayed overnight. However I think that the village attractions other than skiing are pretty sparse. Banff is of course a great town but getting to the slopes requires a car or shuttle bus.
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Old Sep 28th, 2016, 03:55 PM
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Kimberley has the best intermediate skiing. There is on site accommodation and some night skiing as well. It is a longer drive from Vancouver but the trip is worth it.
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