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BANFF
I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in
Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. |
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#2
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"Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. If you are planning to ski more than 3 days, get the Safeway Sunshine-Marmot card. That gives you 30% off your lift ticket prices at Marmot basin in Jasper and Sunshine, plus it comes with a great coupon book for some really great room rates (50-55 Cdn Sun-Thurs) in Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Personally, i would spend the dough and rent a car from Calgary, its a nice 1-1/2 hr drive to Banff/Canmore and a world famous drive to Jasper on Hwy 93 (Icefields Scenic Pky) About 220k on mountain roads. The only drawback with the card is that it doesn't give you a deal at Lake Louise. You also have the option of driving to Golden BC for a day or so at Kicking Horse resort. In January, they have what they call "Jasper in January" where all prices are reduced a further 30%.. Best snow is after X-mas, especially in Mar-April. I would check condition prior to booking. Marmot tends to exaggerate their conditions a bit Hope this helps. |
#3
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stuart wrote:
"Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. If you are planning to ski more than 3 days, get the Safeway Sunshine-Marmot card. That gives you 30% off your lift ticket prices at Marmot basin in Jasper and Sunshine, plus it comes with a great coupon book for some really great room rates (50-55 Cdn Sun-Thurs) in Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Personally, i would spend the dough and rent a car from Calgary, its a nice 1-1/2 hr drive to Banff/Canmore and a world famous drive to Jasper on Hwy 93 (Icefields Scenic Pky) About 220k on mountain roads. The only drawback with the card is that it doesn't give you a deal at Lake Louise. You also have the option of driving to Golden BC for a day or so at Kicking Horse resort. In January, they have what they call "Jasper in January" where all prices are reduced a further 30%.. Best snow is after X-mas, especially in Mar-April. I would check condition prior to booking. Marmot tends to exaggerate their conditions a bit Hope this helps. All good advice from Stuart... I'd add that If you're on the budget and traveling alone, you can get a bus deal from the Calgary airport; If you have 2 people, the car will probably break even and 3 or more it should be less $ to rent. Unless you stay right at Sunshine, you'll be using the ski bus to get the resorts anyway (included in lift passes) so you won't *really* need a car. Even if staying up on the mountain above the town of Banff, there's a little trolley that runs up and down to get you to restaurants and nightlife. Or just walk down - it's a good stretch of the legs for the next day. In 3 trips I've drove twice and bussed once; cars seem convenient, but the busses drop you right at the gondola lines and if you're late driving, you can park way out and have quite a walk. A great place, and we're going again this year in mid-Feb. Hope to get to Kicking Horse this time... have fun... -- Brent Harsh - KD4PBO /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign: Say bharsh at ncroadrunner \ / NO to HTML in email and news. ------------------------X------------------------------- Cary, NC, USA / \ Read my mail with fixed fonts. |
#4
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Brent Harsh wrote in message m... stuart wrote: "Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. If you are planning to ski more than 3 days, get the Safeway Sunshine-Marmot card. That gives you 30% off your lift ticket prices at Marmot basin in Jasper and Sunshine, plus it comes with a great coupon book for some really great room rates (50-55 Cdn Sun-Thurs) in Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Personally, i would spend the dough and rent a car from Calgary, its a nice 1-1/2 hr drive to Banff/Canmore and a world famous drive to Jasper on Hwy 93 (Icefields Scenic Pky) About 220k on mountain roads. The only drawback with the card is that it doesn't give you a deal at Lake Louise. You also have the option of driving to Golden BC for a day or so at Kicking Horse resort. In January, they have what they call "Jasper in January" where all prices are reduced a further 30%.. Best snow is after X-mas, especially in Mar-April. I would check condition prior to booking. Marmot tends to exaggerate their conditions a bit Hope this helps. All good advice from Stuart... I'd add that If you're on the budget and traveling alone, you can get a bus deal from the Calgary airport; If you have 2 people, the car will probably break even and 3 or more it should be less $ to rent. Unless you stay right at Sunshine, you'll be using the ski bus to get the resorts anyway (included in lift passes) so you won't *really* need a car. Even if staying up on the mountain above the town of Banff, there's a little trolley that runs up and down to get you to restaurants and nightlife. Or just walk down - it's a good stretch of the legs for the next day. In 3 trips I've drove twice and bussed once; cars seem convenient, but the busses drop you right at the gondola lines and if you're late driving, you can park way out and have quite a walk. A great place, and we're going again this year in mid-Feb. Hope to get to Kicking Horse this time... have fun... Thats a good point to add. The bus services in the area are amazingly good and plentiful. In fact, if our visitor wants a side trip to Jasper, there's a bus for that too. I prefer Marmot, with the new terrain, and NO lift lines. -- Brent Harsh - KD4PBO /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign: Say bharsh at ncroadrunner \ / NO to HTML in email and news. ------------------------X------------------------------- Cary, NC, USA / \ Read my mail with fixed fonts. |
#5
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Banff is an ok place to visit however it is very commercialized these days.
Your better bet would be to consider Kimberley, British Columbia. You can fly directly into the Cranbrook airport via a Calgary or Vancouver connection and then rent a car or take a transfer to get you the 25 miles to the resort area. There are about 70 trails with a perfect mix of beginner, intermediate and expert runs. The best thing about Kimberley though is the fact that it has not become one of those areas where cost routinely surpasses value. The town itself possesses a strong Bavarian theme and life moves at a nice and relaxing pace. I work with a group of developers in the area who have been building some amazing 2 and 3 bedroom chalets that are right on the ski hill (complete with a hot tub on the balcony of each unit). The great thing about accomodations in Kimberley is that with the exception of Christmas time, it is possible to get into high end accomodations for a fraction of what the higher traffic areas would cost you. Get in touch with me and I can help you figure out the logistics of planning a trip to this undiscovered gem of a town. Shawn Ross Hotel Alternative / Imperial Suites 888-270-0802 - Office 403-714-3623 - Cell "stuart" wrote in message news:gb84f.31355$ir4.29176@edtnps90... Brent Harsh wrote in message m... stuart wrote: "Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. If you are planning to ski more than 3 days, get the Safeway Sunshine-Marmot card. That gives you 30% off your lift ticket prices at Marmot basin in Jasper and Sunshine, plus it comes with a great coupon book for some really great room rates (50-55 Cdn Sun-Thurs) in Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Personally, i would spend the dough and rent a car from Calgary, its a nice 1-1/2 hr drive to Banff/Canmore and a world famous drive to Jasper on Hwy 93 (Icefields Scenic Pky) About 220k on mountain roads. The only drawback with the card is that it doesn't give you a deal at Lake Louise. You also have the option of driving to Golden BC for a day or so at Kicking Horse resort. In January, they have what they call "Jasper in January" where all prices are reduced a further 30%.. Best snow is after X-mas, especially in Mar-April. I would check condition prior to booking. Marmot tends to exaggerate their conditions a bit Hope this helps. All good advice from Stuart... I'd add that If you're on the budget and traveling alone, you can get a bus deal from the Calgary airport; If you have 2 people, the car will probably break even and 3 or more it should be less $ to rent. Unless you stay right at Sunshine, you'll be using the ski bus to get the resorts anyway (included in lift passes) so you won't *really* need a car. Even if staying up on the mountain above the town of Banff, there's a little trolley that runs up and down to get you to restaurants and nightlife. Or just walk down - it's a good stretch of the legs for the next day. In 3 trips I've drove twice and bussed once; cars seem convenient, but the busses drop you right at the gondola lines and if you're late driving, you can park way out and have quite a walk. A great place, and we're going again this year in mid-Feb. Hope to get to Kicking Horse this time... have fun... Thats a good point to add. The bus services in the area are amazingly good and plentiful. In fact, if our visitor wants a side trip to Jasper, there's a bus for that too. I prefer Marmot, with the new terrain, and NO lift lines. -- Brent Harsh - KD4PBO /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign: Say bharsh at ncroadrunner \ / NO to HTML in email and news. ------------------------X------------------------------- Cary, NC, USA / \ Read my mail with fixed fonts. |
#6
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Hey Shawn, never been there myself. How far a drive are you from Salmon Arm? "Shawn Ross" wrote in message news:RMS5f.252233$tl2.247774@pd7tw3no... Banff is an ok place to visit however it is very commercialized these days. Your better bet would be to consider Kimberley, British Columbia. You can fly directly into the Cranbrook airport via a Calgary or Vancouver connection and then rent a car or take a transfer to get you the 25 miles to the resort area. There are about 70 trails with a perfect mix of beginner, intermediate and expert runs. The best thing about Kimberley though is the fact that it has not become one of those areas where cost routinely surpasses value. The town itself possesses a strong Bavarian theme and life moves at a nice and relaxing pace. I work with a group of developers in the area who have been building some amazing 2 and 3 bedroom chalets that are right on the ski hill (complete with a hot tub on the balcony of each unit). The great thing about accomodations in Kimberley is that with the exception of Christmas time, it is possible to get into high end accomodations for a fraction of what the higher traffic areas would cost you. Get in touch with me and I can help you figure out the logistics of planning a trip to this undiscovered gem of a town. Shawn Ross Hotel Alternative / Imperial Suites 888-270-0802 - Office 403-714-3623 - Cell "stuart" wrote in message news:gb84f.31355$ir4.29176@edtnps90... Brent Harsh wrote in message m... stuart wrote: "Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. If you are planning to ski more than 3 days, get the Safeway Sunshine-Marmot card. That gives you 30% off your lift ticket prices at Marmot basin in Jasper and Sunshine, plus it comes with a great coupon book for some really great room rates (50-55 Cdn Sun-Thurs) in Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Personally, i would spend the dough and rent a car from Calgary, its a nice 1-1/2 hr drive to Banff/Canmore and a world famous drive to Jasper on Hwy 93 (Icefields Scenic Pky) About 220k on mountain roads. The only drawback with the card is that it doesn't give you a deal at Lake Louise. You also have the option of driving to Golden BC for a day or so at Kicking Horse resort. In January, they have what they call "Jasper in January" where all prices are reduced a further 30%.. Best snow is after X-mas, especially in Mar-April. I would check condition prior to booking. Marmot tends to exaggerate their conditions a bit Hope this helps. All good advice from Stuart... I'd add that If you're on the budget and traveling alone, you can get a bus deal from the Calgary airport; If you have 2 people, the car will probably break even and 3 or more it should be less $ to rent. Unless you stay right at Sunshine, you'll be using the ski bus to get the resorts anyway (included in lift passes) so you won't *really* need a car. Even if staying up on the mountain above the town of Banff, there's a little trolley that runs up and down to get you to restaurants and nightlife. Or just walk down - it's a good stretch of the legs for the next day. In 3 trips I've drove twice and bussed once; cars seem convenient, but the busses drop you right at the gondola lines and if you're late driving, you can park way out and have quite a walk. A great place, and we're going again this year in mid-Feb. Hope to get to Kicking Horse this time... have fun... Thats a good point to add. The bus services in the area are amazingly good and plentiful. In fact, if our visitor wants a side trip to Jasper, there's a bus for that too. I prefer Marmot, with the new terrain, and NO lift lines. -- Brent Harsh - KD4PBO /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign: Say bharsh at ncroadrunner \ / NO to HTML in email and news. ------------------------X------------------------------- Cary, NC, USA / \ Read my mail with fixed fonts. |
#7
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It would be about a 5 hour drive. Basically you would head up through
Revelstoke and then down through Golden and Radium. Kimberley itself is only a stone's throw from the US border. "stuart" wrote in message news:TZU5f.28496$yS6.18289@clgrps12... Hey Shawn, never been there myself. How far a drive are you from Salmon Arm? "Shawn Ross" wrote in message news:RMS5f.252233$tl2.247774@pd7tw3no... Banff is an ok place to visit however it is very commercialized these days. Your better bet would be to consider Kimberley, British Columbia. You can fly directly into the Cranbrook airport via a Calgary or Vancouver connection and then rent a car or take a transfer to get you the 25 miles to the resort area. There are about 70 trails with a perfect mix of beginner, intermediate and expert runs. The best thing about Kimberley though is the fact that it has not become one of those areas where cost routinely surpasses value. The town itself possesses a strong Bavarian theme and life moves at a nice and relaxing pace. I work with a group of developers in the area who have been building some amazing 2 and 3 bedroom chalets that are right on the ski hill (complete with a hot tub on the balcony of each unit). The great thing about accomodations in Kimberley is that with the exception of Christmas time, it is possible to get into high end accomodations for a fraction of what the higher traffic areas would cost you. Get in touch with me and I can help you figure out the logistics of planning a trip to this undiscovered gem of a town. Shawn Ross Hotel Alternative / Imperial Suites 888-270-0802 - Office 403-714-3623 - Cell "stuart" wrote in message news:gb84f.31355$ir4.29176@edtnps90... Brent Harsh wrote in message m... stuart wrote: "Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. If you are planning to ski more than 3 days, get the Safeway Sunshine-Marmot card. That gives you 30% off your lift ticket prices at Marmot basin in Jasper and Sunshine, plus it comes with a great coupon book for some really great room rates (50-55 Cdn Sun-Thurs) in Banff, Canmore and Jasper. Personally, i would spend the dough and rent a car from Calgary, its a nice 1-1/2 hr drive to Banff/Canmore and a world famous drive to Jasper on Hwy 93 (Icefields Scenic Pky) About 220k on mountain roads. The only drawback with the card is that it doesn't give you a deal at Lake Louise. You also have the option of driving to Golden BC for a day or so at Kicking Horse resort. In January, they have what they call "Jasper in January" where all prices are reduced a further 30%.. Best snow is after X-mas, especially in Mar-April. I would check condition prior to booking. Marmot tends to exaggerate their conditions a bit Hope this helps. All good advice from Stuart... I'd add that If you're on the budget and traveling alone, you can get a bus deal from the Calgary airport; If you have 2 people, the car will probably break even and 3 or more it should be less $ to rent. Unless you stay right at Sunshine, you'll be using the ski bus to get the resorts anyway (included in lift passes) so you won't *really* need a car. Even if staying up on the mountain above the town of Banff, there's a little trolley that runs up and down to get you to restaurants and nightlife. Or just walk down - it's a good stretch of the legs for the next day. In 3 trips I've drove twice and bussed once; cars seem convenient, but the busses drop you right at the gondola lines and if you're late driving, you can park way out and have quite a walk. A great place, and we're going again this year in mid-Feb. Hope to get to Kicking Horse this time... have fun... Thats a good point to add. The bus services in the area are amazingly good and plentiful. In fact, if our visitor wants a side trip to Jasper, there's a bus for that too. I prefer Marmot, with the new terrain, and NO lift lines. -- Brent Harsh - KD4PBO /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign: Say bharsh at ncroadrunner \ / NO to HTML in email and news. ------------------------X------------------------------- Cary, NC, USA / \ Read my mail with fixed fonts. |
#8
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Hey, I know what you're talking about.
If you are looking for cheap accomodations, check out the youth hostel ran by "hostelling international"? There is one in Lake Louise, I recommend it, and another on in Banff (not as close to Banf Downtown as I'd like it but it does the trick). Down side is that you're sharing a room with others but if you're on a budget, why not? I didn't mind it. I had a bed, a bathroom, and a great ski hill (or 3). Renting a car is a bit of a luxury. In the past I took a bus there from the Calgary airport. I know Brewsters runs a bus there, but so does grayhound or greyhound. Prices are reasonable, and it saves you getting a car for a week. There were busses (verify that there still are) that ran from Banff and Lake Lousie to the ski resorts.. check out a few pics from my trip there. I loved it there, and go back whenever I get a chance. http://www.jacksnest.com/ski/index.htm Happy skiing! "Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. |
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