Ski Safaris
Rockies Loop

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"Explore a fantastic collection of resorts all within easy driving distance of each other - this Ski Safari combines the best of Alberta and British Columbia!"

Our expert Rupert Hatfield

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Resorts & Cities:

Driving Times:

 Calgary Calgary airport - Banff 1 1/2hrs
 Banff Banff - Lake Louise 45mins
 Lake Louise Lake Louise - Kicking Horse 1 1/2hrs  
 Kicking Horse Kicking Horse - Revelstoke 2hrs  
 Revelstoke Kicking Horse - Panorama 1 1/2hrs 
 Panorama Panorama - Fernie 2hrs 
 Fernie Fernie - Whitefish 2hrs 
 Whitefish Fernie - Castle 1hr 
 Castle Castle - Calgary 3hrs

The Rockies Loop enables you combine several resorts in to one trip – the more time you have, the more resorts you can ski. One of the great things about this trip is that the distance between the resorts are relatively short - under 2 hours. This means that you do not have to lose any ski time as it is easy to get to the next resort after a day on the mountain.

The adventure starts in Calgary, where you pick up a 4x4 car and hit the open road…

You can choose to start the Safari in either direction but traveling to Banff is possible the easiest option as the drive time is shortest. But equally if you have more than one driver then the opposite direction also works well, the distance to the first resort is just longer. Another option would be to stay the first night at Calgary airport and head out early the next day (I personally would rather get to a resort on arrival day so you can be in the mountain first thing the next day).

As a general rule you will want to spend a minimum of 3 nights at one resort. Any less than this and the trip becomes tiring and you will feel like you're constantly packing and unpacking - remember it's a holiday! On a 14 night trip you will be looking at around 4 resorts but you can add more or do less – it is your trip!

There is no set or standard trip and we will tailor-make the trip depending on your requirements and the type of skiers you are.


The resorts:

The main classic resorts that make up the skeleton of the trip are Banff, Lake Louise, Kicking Horse, Panorama and Fernie.  Then there is a selection of other resorts that can be added in either as a stop over or as a day visit from another resort.

Jasper: The drive across the Iceland parkway is among the most beautiful drives in the world. The resort of Marmot Basin is small but extremely friendly with skiing aimed more at the intermediate skier.

Revelstoke: New kid on the block – big Mountain experience, lots of snow and huge development plans.

Kimberley: Small resort, great for families and intermediate skiers. On the same ski pass as Fernie – an easy drive away for the day.

Whitefish (Montana): We have added an America resort to the collection, a 2 hour drive across the border from Fernie. It is a relatively unknown resort in the UK but definitely worth a visit – varied ski terrain, excellent snow record and quiet slopes.

Castle Mountain:  An undiscovered gem – skiing as it should be – small and unpretentious but great advanced ski area. It is a short drive away from Fernie and can be easily skied on a day's visit.

Nakiska:  If you are dead keen and you have an hour or so to spare on the way back to the airport from Banff then you could stop for your final slide of the trip…


Tried and tested trips:

The Original:  Banff, Lake Louise, Kicking Horse, Panorama and Fernie

The hunt for powder: Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Fernie

The adventurous:  Castle Mountain, Fernie, Whitefish, Revelstoke and Kicking Horse

The family trip: Banff, Lake Louise, Panorama, Kimberly and Fernie.

The Honeymoon Classic 1: The Fairmont Rockies Safari – Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper – fly into Calgary and out of Edmonton or visa versa.

The Honeymoon Classic 2: Look at including the following properties – Emerald Lake Lodge near to Lake Louise, Baker Creek Chalets near to Lake Louise, Eagle Eye Suites on top of Kicking Horse Mountain, Athabasca Cottage in the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.


Accommodation choices:

There are lots of options available ranging from budget to high end, hotel,self catering or B&B. Once we have established your budget for the trip we will choose properties to fit the budget. The majority of the resorts have ski in / ski out accommodation, some do not.  It is often cheaper to stay in town and drive to the area.


Heli-skiing and Cat-skiing:

Another great thing about the Rockies loop is there are several day heli and cat-skiing operators:

Cat skiing: Fernie Wilderness Adventures out of Fernie and Revelstoke Cat Skiing out of Revelstoke Mountain Resort

Heli-skiing: Purcell out of Golden (Kicking Horse), Selkirk out of Revelstoke and RK out of Panorama


Price Guide:


A sample price for this 14 night ski safari including accommodation, direct flights and hire of a 4x4 is £1,459 for 2 adults, £1,299 for 4 adults.

 Click here to request a quotation tailored to your particular requirements, or please call us on 01273 224 060.

Rockies Loop

 Click map to enlarge

 

Sunshine Village 
Banff Sunshine Village

 



Sunshine Inn 
Sunshine Inn

 

 

Fairmont
Fairmont Chateau
Lake Louise 


 

 Kicking Horse
Kicking Horse



 

Panorama 
Panorama



 


Fernie Alpine Lodge 
Fernie Alpine Lodge

 

 


The air holidays and flights shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 4488. ATOL Protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in United Kingdom. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For futher information, visit the ATOL web site at www.atol.org.uk. For holidays that do not include flights, you are protected by Tour Operator Failure Cover Insurance.