Conditions this past weekend, December 12-14 2014, Â at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort were all time, sort of. The warm pineapple express that brought rain to the tops of most resorts in BC brought a foot of blower powder to the alpine bowls while also decimating the bottom of the mountain. It was hard to complain about the ice and dirt at the bottom when you have what may be one of the top ten days of the season up top, where it counts. And just to cap it off, we were given mild temps and blue skies.
Friday saw virtually no crowds with CPR North, Bowl Over, and Redemption South all skiing amazingly. Supportive snow that stuck to everything gave what few skiers made it up the confidence to ski hard as fast, like it was mid season. Skiing out to the bottom of the hill was what separated the men from the boys; jumping dirt patches, drifting ice and finding that one patch of snow that would enable you to stop. It was so bad it actually became fun. Saturday saw Fuez Bowl open to sick conditions and once again, little crowds. No secret spots were needed all weekend as there were no one to battle for stashes. All aspects were skiing great but since then things have stiffened up on the north from winds and on the south from solar. There are still zones to open up on the hill (Whitewall, Terminator, Super Bowl, T2) so be sure to get your timing right to crack some rope lines and score some freshies.
Be aware of the skiing from the top of Pioneer Chair down. Cat tracks and down loading are recommended by the hill but I say ignore your bases and jib the dirt. Death before download! Don’t be turned off by the view when you roll into the parking lot, skiing the upper mountain is worth every dollar. Kicking Horse is now open for full time operations.
