Paul_H

My wife and I are doing Silver Star/Fernie/Louise then Whistler in Feb/March. At the moment we are tossing up between:

a) hiring a 4X4 at the end of the Silver Star component and driving to Fernie and Louise, and dropping it off at Calgary before flying to Vancouver for Whistler.

or

b) flying/shuttling everywhere.

We are getting mixed opinions on which is going to be more practical and would appreciate any advice anyone has. Also, any info on which major car rental places there are in Vernon or Kelowna would be gratefully received.

Cheers,

Paul

laverendrye

I think that a rental would be more practical than flying/shuttle, although you will likely pay a hefty drop-off fee for a one-way rental.

Getting from Silver Star to Fernie means a shuttle to Kelowna, flight to Cranbrook (through Vancouver as I don't believe there are direct flights), and then an hour's transfer to Fernie. From Fernie to Lake Louise, you would have to fly to Calgary and then take a 3 hour shuttle back to Lake Louise. You would have to time your flight carefully to match the shuttle's departure time. I don't believe that there is any shuttle between Fernie and Lake Louise, nor is there a direct commercial bus route. In Lake Louise you will need to take shuttles (free) to the ski area as there is no on-mountain accommodation.

As an alternative, you might consider flying to Cranbrook/Fernie, and then taking the airport shuttle (about 4 hours) to Calgary. In Calgary rent a car for Lake Louise and return. You won't need a 4x4, and you'll save on a drop-off fee.

If you do drive, I would recommend taking the Trans-Canada through Revelstoke and Golden and then south on 95/93. It's shorter than the southern route through Trail (3), and likely to be better driving in winter.

ltt

for the places you are going, the rent a car would be your best choice (only get a 4x4 if you want it, it's not necessary). but, as mentioned, check several rent a car places as drop off fees can vary a lot.
i don't recommend greyhound for long distances but since you are commuting between fairly short distances, you could consider taking the greyhound between the cities. then you wouldn't have to worry about drop off fees (or driving if you aren't use to winter, mountain driving).
if you are starting in silver star, are you flying into the kelowna airport from somewhere? just curious cause if so, why wouldn't you fly into calgary first and work your way back west?

Paul_H

Thanks for the info. In answer to your question about flying into Calgary and working our way back west, we really want to start with a week or so at Silver Star, the reason being it apparently has one of the best skiing and boarding schools in Nth America. We then want to spend just shy of a week at Fernie, and by that time we'll be nice and relaxed, ready to go up to Louise and kick back, eat, go for walks, point at things, etc. We're going there more for the scenery than for any other reason, and we're not going to be very relaxed if we start the holiday off there straight off a plane from Oz.

Cheers.

Paul

hydra

That's a tough one Paul -- considering you're coming from Australia I'm assuming your winter driving skills are probably nil.

I would suggest flying from Kelowna (which would be the airport closest to Silver Star) to Calgary and renting a car for the time you're going to be at Fernie and Lake Louise. The flight between Kelowna and Calgary is an hour and then the driving time to Fernie is 3 hours. You can then use the car in Fernie to explore the area (just in case you get tired of skiing). You may also want to ski at Kimberly for a day and with the car you're mobile.

Drive from Fernie to Lake Louise (about four hours) and then you still have the car to explore that area. Drop the car in Calgary and fly to Vancouver/Whistler. This way you avoid the one-way drop charges.

For flights between Kelowna and Calgary check out westjet.com or aircanada.com

Also -- Fernie and Lake Louise ski resorts are owned by the same company so I would look into a multi-day pass for the two resorts. You can access their site at www.skircr.com

I hope that helps.

Paul_H

Thanks for the info everyone.

Cheers.

Paul