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 #12 Re: US / Canada trip 28/06/2008 @ 12:21:13 |
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| In reply to post #10 ... |
I think Breckenridge is great. Lovely town, and four linked mountains to play on. Each has a character of its own, with a good range of difficulty for mixed ability groups. The village is at 8000ft, and the top at 12000ft, so it's actually very high up, with the risk of altitude sickness. But that's very rare. (Most people get a bit of a head-ache, but nothing that a couple of pills won't cure. Dehydration is also common, so you need to drink lots.) They get 300 days of sunshine a year, so the weather is typically perfect.  Big dumps overnight, and gorgeous blue skies in the day. And lift lines aren't too bad, except at weekends. So all in all I'd highly recommend it. The only criticism I've heard is that the runs are a bit bland, which is kind of true, so on a long trip you might want to take advantage of the shared ski pass and visit some nearby resorts for a change of scenery.  |
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| It's not just a sport, it's a way of life. |
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| #11 Re: US / Canada trip 18/06/2008 @ 21:10:35 |
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| In reply to post #10 ... |
| you should go to mammoth in California it has the best slopes |
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| #10 Re: US / Canada trip 29/04/2008 @ 19:05:17 |
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| In reply to post #9 ... |
i'm also thinking of booking at about this time too, although it'd just be a straight 10day ski deal but have been wondering about snow as the resorts dont seem as high as the more snowsure resorts over in europe. Would be very interested to find out from some of you more knowledgable peeps about this too 
Looking at Breckenridge and Fernie in particular. |
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| #9 Re: US / Canada trip 29/04/2008 @ 19:01:35 |
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| Revision #2 (Last edited: 29/04/2008 @ 19:02:17) |
| In reply to post #8 ... |
Thanks for the replies guys. I didnt know about multi-stop so that was a nice surprise.
Things Ive found out:
Flying from NY to Calgary is really expensive.
Getting to Kalispell from NY via Denver is £350 more than just flying to Denver, even though its a relatively short flight.
Getting to Toronto from NY was cheap, its just the Calgary flight that really bumps things up.
Getting to Denver seems reasonable - came out at £597 all in. London > NY > Denver > London.
So I might be better off financially exploring the Colorada ski areas. What areas would you recommend? Whats Crested Butte like?
Ive had a look at the historical snowfall charts and they all seem to average around 100-120 cms upper slopes for that time of year. Are you guaranteed snow over xmas or can it be sketchy? |
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| #8 Re: US / Canada trip 29/04/2008 @ 13:25:31 |
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| In reply to post #7 ... |
Its just a matter of "searching" for flights and prices .
An option I would look at If I was in NY would be to go up to Toronto and see what prices to Calgary are with AirCanada, Westjet etc etc. |
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| #7 Re: US / Canada trip 29/04/2008 @ 08:32:43 |
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Is it cheaper to fly to Calgary from NY and then drive to Fernie...Big Mountain, or travel after new year when prices fall.
Guppy  |
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| #6 Re: US / Canada trip 28/04/2008 @ 12:34:29 |
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| In reply to post #5 ... |
We are booked up for 4 nights at Whitefish as part of our road trip next Feb/March.
As Mike says driving between Fernie and Whitefish is a relatively short and easy drive. |
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| #5 Re: US / Canada trip 28/04/2008 @ 00:44:20 |
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| In reply to post #4 ... |
Getting between Whitefish Mountain Resort (Big Mountain) and Fernie or Kicking Horse is not a problem.
Getting to Kalispell is not a problem.
Going via New York is.
Spent two winters at Whitefish and two at Kicking Horse and highly recommend both.
Think you might have to do the NY trip another time, or tie the NY trip in with an easier connection. eg Salt Lake City or Denver. |
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MIKE RICHARDS
Passing on the Passion for Powder since 2002
CSIA (Canada) Level 2 Ski Instructor
PSIA (United States) Level 2 Ski Instructor
Canadian Avalanche Association Level 1 - Ski Operations |
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| #4 Re: US / Canada trip 26/04/2008 @ 23:42:44 |
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| Opodo, lastminute and ebookers also do multi-stop trips, worth shopping around because the price can vary massively between sites. |
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| #3 Re: US / Canada trip 25/04/2008 @ 20:42:20 |
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| In reply to post #2 ... |
QUOTE (BCFan - 25/04/2008 @ 20:18:29) The added thing about booking in the one transaction is that you can produce documentation saying that you are doing a round trip internationally in case of problems carrying your equipment on the internal flights.
And it stops you having to reclaim and recheck your gear when you just want to transit an airport, which I assume you would do on the way back.
Usually cheaper to book it all in as one international fare, so I second BCFan's comments. |
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www.naturalfreeride.com
Surf, Kite and Snow Holidays.
Snowboard Kashmir | Warren Smith Ski Academy - Japan
There are those who make it happen...There are those who watch it happen...And those who wonder what happened !!
You Choose. |
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| #2 Re: US / Canada trip 25/04/2008 @ 20:18:29 |
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| In reply to post #1 ... |
Scott, how are you organising the flights? Have you booked as a multi-trip e.g. via Expedia. We went to Heavenly and San Francisco last month. What we did was book multi-trip via Expedia - i.e. one transaction; Flew from Glasgow -> London -> San Francisco -> Reno on the way out, then we flew just from Reno back to San Fran (with United Express), spent 6 days in San Fran and then flew back to Glasgow via London. Flights were no dearer than flying to Orlando with B.A. (i.e. about £500). I was pleasantly surprised.
The added thing about booking in the one transaction is that you can produce documentation saying that you are doing a round trip internationally in case of problems carrying your equipment on the internal flights. That said, we had absolutely no problems except for splitting us all up on the flights (particularly bad on a San Fran 11 hour flight!). :-) |
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| #1 US / Canada trip 25/04/2008 @ 19:59:22 |
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Im in the early stages of planning a trip over the xmas period.
Plan is fly to New York where I will spend 3 days with a mate, then fly on to Kalispell and head for Big Mountain. After this I was thinking about flying or driving up to Canada for a week in either Fernie or Kicking Horse.
The problem Ive come up against is inland flights in the US. My proposed flight from NY to Kalispell costs more than it does to fly from London to NY!! I thought it would be a lot cheaper.
I guess what Im looking for is advice from people that do these sort of trips regularly cos this is my first trip to that side of the world.
What airline is best? Ie cheap cheap cheap!
Also if anyone has suggestions for accomodation in these resorts it would be much appreciated.
I would consider other ski areas if they are cheaper to get to than Big Mountain
PS. I am travelling alone.
Many thanks,
Scott. |
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