My Canadian ski bum tour’s next stop after RED Mountain was Revelstoke. It’s a four hour drive north. On drive day, it was snowy and icy all the way. Twice I had to stop and knock off ice in my wheel wells. There isn’t much in the way of food options in January along the route. It’s beautiful, meandering along 142 mile long Arrow Lakes, which have steep hillsides. Luckily I like driving in the snow!
An added twist was that at the end of the lakes, the road ends and one must take a ferry to reach the road on the other side! This seemed so bizarre to me. For the first time in my life I was taking a ferry to go skiing.
I reached the town about 2:30 p.m., and checked in at Monashee Lodge. Just before town there’s a recommended restaurant called the Big Eddy Pub. Everyone loves it. I paid a visit. As soon as I opened the car door at the lodge, the sound of big mountain skiing came to my ears! A helicopter’s thump thump thump!
The town of Revelstoke has lots of late 19th Century architecture character plus hotels, restaurants and stores. It is a fully three-season outdoor recreation powerhouse. The Columbia River and Upper Arrowhead Lake, plus numerous creeks and streams, offer swimming, fishing, sailboarding, kayaking and powerboating. The mountains, which reach over 11,000ft, contain a few national parks such as Revelstoke and Glacier. So there is hiking, backpacking, camping, alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, sky diving and paragliding. The town also has an active arts and music scene. Something for everybody! They even have a local curling club.
I came for the skiing at the infamous Revelstoke Mountain Resort, with the largest vertical drop in North America. In fact, I never could ski all the way down. I opted to ride the lower Revelation Gondola back to the base. The base is just outside of downtown, 10-15 minutes from town center. The legendary terrain did not disappoint. And I got lucky with plenty of fresh snow! It was so snowy and sometimes foggy that I never saw the views! Revelstoke has plenty of bowls and tree skiing. My advice is never ski in those areas alone! They might never find you, if you get lost!
The base is pretty spartan. It’s got a lodge and essential services, like a coffee shop, ski retail, ski repair and rentals. It was snowing magically. I met a lot of people from all over – France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Quebec, Belgium, and more – but no Americans. I even encountered people on the lift who know my sailboat racing friends in Marblehead, Massachusetts!
Cabin Fever Chronicles - Getting Outdoors with Rod 