Choosing The Right Ski Vacation

Crafting the ideal ski vacation has as much to do with knowing yourself as it does knowing your options. While we generally like to suggest that any day on skis is a pretty great day, the reality is that lofty expectations or finding yourself too far beyond your comfort zone can ruin an otherwise positive experience. It’s tragic, really. Choosing the right ski vacation for yourself and your crew doesn’t have to be a gamble. Know before you go.

Heli Skiing
We are obviously biased, but what could be better than soaring above the trees, landing on snowy peaks and slashing your way through blower cold smoke with only a handful of other lucky ducks? Heli skiing is picnic lunches in the alpine, remote lodges and gourmet dining between lap after lap of fresh powder for days on end. For many, it’s the dream. For some, however, we’ll admit that heli skiing could be a bit of a nightmare. The pace is quick without the kind of downtime offered by the chairlift lines and mid-mountain cafés at many resorts, and there are no easy groomers in the backcountry. What to expect: long days and tired legs, a wide variety of terrain in deep snow, incredible photos, fresh tracks and huge, pow eating grins.

Cat Skiing
Like heli skiing, cat skiing is great because it offers the promise of untouched backcountry terrain without the crowds and chaos of most resorts. It tends to be a bit less expensive than heli skiing, and is often more accessible as a day trip. The pace is similar, however, with the expectation that participants will have some experience skiing off piste, in the trees and through deep snow. Many operations work out of remote lodges with all-inclusive multi-day packages. What to expect: low alpine or treeline skiing, groups of about 10 guests per machine, long days with little rest, fresh tracks and Instagram memories to last a lifetime.

Resorts
There is something to be said for staying in-bounds, renting a chalet, dropping the kids off at group lessons and taking a day off mid-week to do some shopping and sightseeing. Larger resorts are often small towns unto themselves, complete with tourist attractions and a vibrant nightlife, so they work well for groups with a wider variety of skill and interest levels when it comes to skiing. What to expect: lift lines, peak season pricing at hotels and restaurants, family-friendly activities and lots of other options in the event that skiing conditions are less than prime.

Ski Touring
This is a completely different beast as far as ski vacations go. Hut to hut tours and traverses offer a level of solitude and escape that simply can’t be achieved any other way. Unplugging and disconnecting from the hum of daily life and shuffling up into the alpine with a handful of ski buddies can be pure bliss. It can also be a recipe for blisters, aches, pains and a world of fatigue if you’re not carefully prepared. Backcountry travel is not for the faint of heart. Days can be pushy and long, with the majority of the time spent ascending as opposed to descending. The journey IS the destination. What to expect: rustic accommodations, long days exposed to the elements, lots of sweating, fresh tracks on the way back down, wilderness as far as the eye can see, peace, quiet and a real sense of personal accomplishment.

Of course, if they all look great, why choose just one? Most popular ski destinations in British Columbia offer a taste of everything, with cat and heli ski options handy to the resort and next-door ski touring in what many refer to as the ‘slackcountry’ just beyond the boundary line. Look within, do your research and create the right ski vacation for YOU.