Flight Centre’s Hayley Gore jets off to slice through the snowy slopes of Western Canada. Grab a seat next to the fire as Hayley details her vacation adventure down the Powder Highway to Fernie, Panorama, Kicking Horse and Revelstoke. From pints to parties and hot tubs to cold dogs Hayley does it all. Hey Hayley, we’ve got our lift passes, let’s go!

Our powder highway journey began with a flight with Westjet from Toronto to Calgary. Once we arrived in Calgary we met the rest of the group and boarded our minivan. With luxurious reclining leather seats, a flat screen TV and DVD player, this van (provided by Pure Travel Group) was not an ordinary van groups usually travel in – it was spectacular!

The scenery on the Powder Highway was magnificent. It was my first experience of a snow fall and I found it like a beautiful dream to see the small towns and rolling green mountain peaks covered with snow.

Our first stop was at the Fernie Alpine Resort. We stayed at the Timberline lodges in an amazing two bedroom suite filled with all the latest luxuries a person could ask for. One of the best things about the Timberline lodges is the short walk to the bottom of the ski hill.

The first night in Fernie, we caught a taxi for a short ride into town. It was delightful to stroll along the snow covered roads in town. We warmed ourselves over a pint or two at the local pub. The next day in Fernie, we all went skiing. Everyone in my group was experienced skiers so I decided to have a lesson. I found the lesson very helpful, but, at the end I was still a nervous skier.

On from Fernie, we visited the charming village of Panorama. In Panorama, we stayed at the Panorama Mountain Village which is situated at the bottom of the ski run; right in the heart of the village. Unfortunately, due to a small injury, I didn’t get to ski that day. However, I still had a wonderful day! First, I visited Solspa for a deep tissue back massage which was just what I needed! Then, I got to go out to the snow dog camp where I met the snow dogs and got to see how everything works. I have to say, it was definitely a highlight of my journey to meet the dogs. After meeting the dogs, I spent the rest of the afternoon using the heated pool and relaxing.

I was glad to see a large range of activities are available in Panorama if you aren’t a skier or if (knock on wood) you are injured. Besides skiing, Panorama offers day spas, snow dog sled riding, horse drawn vehicle rides, cook outs , snow shoeing, snowmobile programs, hot springs buses and into town buses. The other resorts offer similar activities. So, there is plenty to do in Panorama and other resorts if you are a non-skier.

Our next stop was Kicking Horse. In Kicking Horse, we stayed at the Vegabond Lodge. This lodge was a fantastic experience; very friendly and welcoming. In the morning, the owners spoilt us with the most delicious home cooked breakfast! Due to me being a nervous skier, I found Kicking Horse the best and most enjoyable. I had a wonderful day out on the mountain. I found the best lessons and guides to be at Kicking Horse. The instructor at Kicking Horse went through different techniques and I felt a lot more comfortable and happy by the end of the day; enough to try some different, steeper runs. I highly recommend any beginner take a lesson, as it makes a huge difference to your confidence and gives you more options of runs to ski on.

After Kicking Horse, we went to Revelstoke. Now, Revelstoke was by far, the most amazing accommodation of the journey. We stayed at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort in a lavish two bedroom suite. Located at the bottom of the ski run, our suite had brand new furnishings including flat screen TVs, DVD players, iPod station, full kitchen, washing machine and dryer. Each bedroom had its own full bathroom and flat screen TV. The living area had a larger flat screen TV and a full dinning table with chairs. It was an absolutely gorgeous two bedroom apartment and I would have loved to have stayed there longer!

I found that Revelstoke doesn’t really cater for beginners as it is a more advanced ski hill. I would recommend Revelstoke to people who are experienced skiers after a challenge. I only skied one ski run at Revelstoke and then went into town to enjoy the Sandman Inn hot tub (Revelstoke Mountain Resort is in the process of getting a hot tub and offered guests to use their sister property in the town).

The last day, we drove from Revelstoke to Kelowna to catch our flight home to Toronto with Westjet.

Overall, I found this trip to be a hugely rewarding experience for me. Being from Australia and new to this country, I am extremely thankful that I got to experience the exquisite accommodation, breathtaking ski mountains and scenery with a wonderful group of people.

Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada is highlighted on the Flight Centre Travel Map.

Looking for more information on travelling to Calgary and hitting the powdery slopes of British Columbia’s Powder Highway including Fernie, Panorama, Revelstoke, and Kicking Horse? Contact Hayley Gore, an International Travel Consultant with Flight Centre based at 2088 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario who can be reached at 1 866 388 4297.

Tags: Adventures, BC, British Columbia, dogs, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Panorama, Revelstoke, ski, sleds, vacation
Categories: Activities, Destinations

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 5:51 pm and is filed under Activities, Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.