| Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is a new ski resort village
located 14 km outside of Golden, British Columbia. It features what
is currently the third highest vertical drop North America, at 4,133 feet it
is only 6 feet shorter than Jackson Hole. In total the resort includes 2,750
acres of skiable lift-served terrain. The resort was named after the nearby
Kicking Horse Canyon and Kicking Horse Pass (further east), discovered in 1858
by John Palliser.
It started life as Whitetooth Ski Area, a smaller facility owned by the town
of Golden, but was bought out and expanded in 1999, to be reopened under the
new name on December 8, 2000. The majority of the skiable area consists of two
large bowls (Crystal Bowl and Bowl Over) that combine about three-quarters of
the way down the mountain into a single flatter area, with a fairly flat ski-out
to the lifts at the bottom. One run, It's a 10, is 10 km long and connects the
runs in the main Bowl areas. In 2001 a new chairlift was added to allow access
to a third bowl (Feuz Bowl), which generally sees less traffic.
The hill is served primarily by a high speed gondola, the Golden Eagle Express,
that rises from the base area to the peak. Two smaller chairlifts also operate
from the base area, a fixed-grip quad (Catamount) and a fixed-grip double (Pioneer
- a relic from Whitetooth days). Another fixed-grip quad (Stairway to Heaven)
serves the upper areas to the north of the gondola, including the third bowl.
Uphill capacity is generally limited, however, and most skiers need to return
to the summit via the gondola at the base of the mountain. The limited terrain
park is compensated by the natural terrain and exceptional backcountry access.
Annual snowfall ranges from 254cm (100") at the bottom of the mountain
to 700cm (275") at the summit. The slopes are well known for the light
and dry snow, dubbed Champagne Powder. The resort is open for skiing from mid
December to mid April, and for mountain biking and sightseeing from late-June
to early-October.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is also the home to a 22 acre Grizzly Bear "Refuge";
two ophaned cubs (Cari & Boo) were taken there in 2003, but one died (Cari)
during the first winter. Boo can often be seen mid-winter from the Gondola,
if he decides to take some exercise, but can be more reliably seen on a 'bear
tour' during the summer months, provided he has not escaped (as he did for several
weeks in 2006).
The resort village is currently being built out at the base of the ski area.
The resort is currently owned by the Dutch company Balast Needam. |
