Where in Canada fror Christmas?
 

Hi everyone

My partner and I are thinking about heading to Canada for a couple of weeks over Christmas. We want somewhere with pretty much guaranteed snow (nice snow that you can play in!). We're not after a party town or anything, just somewhere easy to get to and to get around, pretty, safe and friendly. We thought maybe we could try our hand at skiing for a few days, or hire a car and drive through some lake or mountain areas. Not really sure. Any suggestions? We are based in London.

Jasper, Banff or Whistler are the biggest resorts, but you would probably have trouble findind accomodation now. There are a few nice resorts in interior BC - Fernie for example - but I have never stayed at them. Any ski resort would have what you seek - if you choose Whistler you could spend Christmas in Vancouver if you cannot find a place at Whistler and then move over to Whistler after Christmas (assuming it is not booked for the entire holiday season). You could do the same by staying in Calgary and then moving over to Banff/Canmore. Or you could try Kananaskis.

Basically I think your course of action is dictated by where you will find a place to stay.

Note: You are NOT guaranteed snow in a lot of Canada. The mountain areas of Alberta and British Columbia are pretty safe bets, as is Quebec City and far north areas. Toronto, Montreal, the East Coast, Vancouver, BC coastal areas, Calgary - maybe snow, maybe not.

Vancouver will most likely not have any snow - it rarely snows here - maybe once a year and it disappears the next day. There are usually some winter snowcaps on the north shore mountains but in the city it's green and normally quite damp - not unlike southern UK weather. You could go up Grouse Mountain and see lots of snow but there's only a teeny chance there'd be some in the city.

We fly to Calgary and the Edmonton area every Christmas and there is usually some snow - not always - and not necessarily a lot.
Stick to the mountains.

There will be snow in Quebec City.

http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/media/xmas/index_e.html

Then you can go ski in Stoneham, Mont-Ste-Anne or Massif. The latter has a scenery not found in any other place.

Last Christmas, Lake Louise and Banff were magical. I will never forget walking out the back of the Chateau at Lake Louise and seeing their ice castle on the lake... right before we went on our sleigh ride. It was unexpected, and beautiful. Very romantic.

Late or not, you never know - try booking in Banff - our family spent a wonderful Christmas there in adjoining townhouses - the owners put up a tree for us - my nephew was young enough to still believe in Santa - on Christmas morning a herd of elk were outside in the trees and I convinced him they were Santa's reindeer resting after a busy night. We had Christmas dinner at the Banff Springs. Try and see what you can get.

Banff or Jasper, you'll love either one and you should have snow.

hi! How about a few days in Toronto to see the sights & then drive up (about a 2 hour drive north of TO) to Meaford & The Blue Mountain ski area ...lots to see & do in the area....You could rent a nice self catering cottage right in town & be within a few minutes of all the resort stuff without the high prices!I know of a few nice places to stay in Meaford if you are interested.

As others have said, for a snow guarantee, you'll want one of the mountain resorts: Whistler (near Vancover), the Rocky Mountains near the British Columbia/Alberta border (there are a number of ski resorts), or Quebec (north of Montreal or Quebec City).

If you decide on the Rockies, there are several spectacular National Parks adjacent to, or containing, the ski resorts - so great scenic drives here as well as lots of tourist facilities. Whistler could be combined with a few days in Vancouver (very nice big city) and/or a trip over to Vancouver Island with a few days in Victoria (smaller but also nice city), and maybe a drive to the wild coastal scenery and old-growth rain-forests around Tofino and Pacific Rim NP. Quebec skiing could be combined with a few days in either Montreal (big city attractions) or Quebec City (romantic "Old Walled Section"). Parts of Ontario (e.g. Blue Mountain) will probably have some snow - but this would definitely not be my first choice of winter destination if coming from far away.

One thing to keep in mind though - "driving" and "snow" don't always mix real well together!

A couple of weeks is a fair amount of time. I'd probably opt for Whistler/Vancouver/Victoria/Tofino combination.

If you really want to guarantee snow try Western Newfoundland's Marble Mountain/Humber Valley Resort area. Breathtakingly beautiful and just being discovered by Europeans, you will find it is less expensive, too.

Definitely head for the Rockies. My vote would be Banff.

MontTremblant - an hour drive (there is a shuttle bus too) from Montreal. The ski resort is actually a village with shops and restaurants and you will definitley get snow!! It has a very international feel - you can get everything from upscale Sushi to French crepes; a cozy apres ski pub to a club with dancing - all within walking distance of your hotel. I stayed at the Fairmont for Christmas 2004 and would highly recommend it (it has a fabulous outdoor hot tub, whihc is more like a hot spring, built into the side of the Mountain). Great ski instruction too!

I would definitely suggest Alberta. If you are looking to be based in one spot, I'd suggest Banff. There is lots to do in Banff, along with gorgeous hotels/dining/shopping and stunning views. There is a ski hill in Banff called Norquay, and the two major ski hills of Sunshine and Lake Louise are an easy drive away. From Banff you can easily do day trips to Lake Louise, Canmore and Kananaskis Country. The towns are all decorated for Christmas, and snow is guaranteed. Christmas is magical in the Rockies.

I can vouch for Fernie as a great place but that's coming from the point of view of someone who wanted to spend the lion's share of their holiday snowboarding. I take it from the words "try our hand" that you have not skiied before. If that's the case, HAVE LESSONS! So many people think they can work it out for themselves, and just give themselves a bad day. Alternatively, you might want to give snowboarding a go. It's actually far less technical than skiing, and a lot of fun. Same deal though - have the lessons. Fernie's ski and boarding school is fantastic. Way better than at Whistler, where there seems to be an underlying attitude amongst people working there that their jobs - and the people they have to interact whilst going about them, AKA you - are an unfortunate necessity to be tolerated in order to be able to spend a season there.
The Rockies are absolutely spectacular and there are a lot of dining options in Banff. I stayed at Lake Louise at the Post Hotel and at the risk of attracting the wrath of some Post devotees (whose level of blind zeal would put The Rev. Jim Jones's followers to shame) would not recommend it. (If you're interested in knowing why, read my thread entitled Happy Wife, Happy Life? Not at the Post Hotel.)

forget about Toronto and the area around it! Go West.