Iain Bishop wrote:
Hi,

I'm off to Canada at the end of March for 2 weeks. I'm renting a car and
going to go to some of the following resorts: Banff, Big White, Kicking
Horse, Red Mountain, Whistler, Whitewater.
From what my little book about world resorts tells me it sounds like they're
all amazing and basically offer what I want, which is, in order of priority:
1. Best chance of fresh powder
All off them have a good chance, but late March in Whistler can be wet
and heavy, so for good powder I'd say Banff & KH


2. Uncrowded slopes and no liftlines
Compared to Europe they will all be uncrowded. Maybe avoid KH at
weekends though, it can be busy I'm told, and Whistler sees a lot of
traffic from Vancouver at the weekend too.

3. Varied slopes, plenty of off-piste exploration options
Red & Whitewater are pretty small, only a coupld of lifts. Excellent
variety and great skiing if you walk a bit, but if you want variety then
the others, particularly Whistler or Banff would be better.

4. Cheap motels close by
KH has lots (in Golden), Whistler is not cheap but there are thousands
of condos which offer good rates at the last minute (just booked a place
for next week, sleeps 6 for $250 CDN.) Banff has lots of hotels, not as
expensive as Whistler. There are a few cheap-ish motels in Rossland
(Red) and Nelson is a great place to stay for skiing at Whitewater -
check out the Heritage Inn.


Does anyone know if any of these would be more suitable for me than the
others? Have I missed any other resorts out that I should also consider?
As you can see, there is no simple answer... Rent a car and do a tour!
I've booked flights and have left booking accomodation to the last
minute, currently Whistler has the best snow and the best chance of
poder for early next week so that's my first booking.

You might want to consider Fernie too.