Ski Hill Closed For Season

13th March 2008

Starting January 10th, 2008
Night skiing will available on evenings from
Thursday - Saturdays until resort closure.

LAST night of night skiing is on Saturday, March 15th.

So are they closing the hill on Sunday the 16th March or has someone decided that there are no more Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays in March between the 15th and the 30th! Any visitors who have booked a vacation and are expecting night skiing will be bitterly disappointed and probably WILL NOT RETURN TO KIMBERLEY.

12th March 2008

2 inches of fresh snow on a good base mean we still have great conditions here. The resort is now very quiet and lift lines non existent on weekdays

10th March

Having travelled around other resorts for the last couple of weeks its clear that Kimberley has as good if not better snow conditions than most resorts in the Eastern BC, Alberta region.

16th February

Well the Starlight Showdown Rail Jam was not quite the crowd puller of last years Jump Competition. Like most onlookers  I found it quite boring and did not even bother to take my camera out of its bag. Everyone I spoke to said that a Jumps competition is much more thrilling and entertaining. During the day the hill showed its lack of lift capacity once more. We were on one of the first lifts up an managed to track some virgin powder on Easter. By the time we got back down to the Easter Chair (no more than 5 or 6 minutes) there were already long line ups so we cut across to Tamarack Chair. 3 runs later and that was also maxed out with big lines!

15th February

Alberta weekend and already the hill is getting busy. Long lines on Easter Chair and Tamarack kept slowing down and stopping i guess its showing its age!

14th February

Happy Valentines!

7th February

Another great day with lots of new snow. Easter face in great condition it appears from the Alberta Snow reports that we have a better snow base than Marmott, Norquay, Sunshine and Nakiska

6th February

Must have been a very windy night. tree debris everywhere but another great day in fresh powder.

5th February

Further to the snowboard incident we spoke to a senior RCR representative today. The board which ran loose on Sunday had been rented from the hill ski store. We were advised that RCR no longer fit safety leashes to snowboards and they believe that snowboard manufacturers should be fitting some type of braking system to snowboards. The representative did NOT KNOW of the safety sign regarding leashes.

4th February

Another great Kimberley Ski day. More details on the loose board. It turns out there have been at least TWO snowboards running loose on the hill in the last couple of weeks. RCR have a sign which clearly states that snowboard leashes are required but this does not seem to be enforced by anyone. Could this make them liable if someone were to be injured by a runaway board?

3rd February

Busy again and we have a report of a young lady from Alberta removing her snowboard because she had taken the wrong trail. The board had NO leash Guess what! The snow board took off on its own. Luckily it hit a tree and not a person. we will get more details on this one

2nd February

Another busy day by Kimberley standards. Plenty of bodies on front side 

1st February

Just a couple of inches again last night but it resulted in another great day on the hill. Both Easter Face and Upshot were in great condition even though the forecast snow failed to arrive again, The stump is still protruding on Moe's run. Also spotted were two boarders lying down on the bridge while taking or making cell phone calls. 

Rail Park Now Open

31st January

The Stump is still there, there has been no attempt to remove it.

30th January

The BIG DUMP missed us again. A couple of inches of fresh powder on the hill which was all skied out by lunch. A snowboarder hit this stump today. Luckily the only damage done was to his board. The stump is located towards the top of Moe's Run and is on the right hand side of the run. Aprox 3 inches in diameter and the remains of a sapling cut down by RCR the stump protrudes about 8 or 9 inches above the groomed run and would do serious injury if anyone was to land on it. I imagine this could result in a claim against RCR for negligence if a serious accident were to occur.

Rail Park still closed

29th January

Kimberley is set to lose some of its disabled facilities. Sunshine Chalet the ONLY chalet on the ski hill with disabled facilities is in the process of removing its facilities and converting the disabled accommodation into family rooms. Already removed is the hot tub hoist and the other facilities in both the chalet and the apartment will be removed this year. Reason? Apparently lack of use. Sunshine Chalet has had NO bookings from disabled skiers in the two years it has been in operation. Just goes to prove the old saying " Use It Or Lose It".

Rail Park Was closed.

28th January

Well the big dump missed us but we got a few inches and conditions were good

27th January

Another busy day on the hill. Quite a few coaches at the hill . Snow is holding up well and a big dump is forecast for tonight.

26th January

A busy day considering RCR say lift ticket sales are down. Conditions are still reasonably good considering the cold temps we have had, a little hard in places but not a problem. The bridge is still a joke!

3rd January

Its snowing but no more than an inch overnight.  Lift lines again and some crazy people about. More lifts and snow needed. The bridge is ridiculous, icy and very very busy. Also need another way down to resort base.

2nd January

Another mad day with lots of bodies about.

1st January

Happy New Year!

Quieter this morning. Bridge is icy and front side got crowded after lunch.

31st December

Crazy busy so we are gave it a miss in the day. Went up for the torchlight descent but it was cancelled.

30th December

Very busy day again with long lift and ticket lines. Snow is looking thin on groomed runs. We will miss tomorrow except for torchlight descent.

27th December

Much busier today probably an overlap of both Xmas and New Year vacationers. 10 - 15 minutes line up on North Star this afternoon. Powder is now skied out.  Main is icy and the bridge is exceptionally busy and very icy indeed. We could do with some more snow.

26th December

Cold and sunny with about an inch of fresh snow overnight. Again no lines and empty runs everywhere. More grooming done today. Night skiing begins tonight. Bridge is still icy and busy.

25th December

A cold sunny day. Kimberley Resort is very quiet. No big lines for lifts or tickets. Runs and glades can only be described as empty except for the bridge. icy and full of skiers.

21st December

A cold sunny day with fabulous views of the Rockies so we decided to check out the closed runs on the other side of the mountain. Lots of waist deep powder and from what we could see no real reason for R.C.R. not have opened the Tamarack and Easter chair lifts. we can only assume the reason is purely financial!

20th December

Another great days skiing with 2- 3" of fresh powder on un groomed areas. Mainly sunny with a few light snow flurries. Groomed trails are in good condition with good snow cover and no bare patches. Bridge is still icy though

19th December

Another good day off piste  with around 2 - 4 inches of fresh powder but, the trails which have been bashed (Main) are showing bare patches. The bridge back to base is icy on again.

18th December

Opening weekend saw only trails on the front of the mountain open. We can only assume that this was a money saving attempt by operators RCR as snow coverage on the runs without snow canons was excellent with over 12 inches of powder on Schoolhouse, Dreadnaught and Rosa trails. No Terrain Park though so rumours were correct.  The residents free ski day on Sunday was also poorly attended  compared to last year. Possibly caused by the cuts being made by RCR !

15th December 2007

The 2007 - 2008 season kicks off in Kimberley today December 15th and its Snowing!! I for one am looking forward to another great season of superb Purcell Champagne Powder!!

8th December 2007

Although not yet confirmed or denied by RCR we are reliably informed that there will be no Terrain park this winter. If this is true it will be another major blow to Kimberley  becoming recognised as a major ski destination. More information as we get it!        

1st December 2007

Bad news for all skiers and local businesses as RCR admit they will close the ski hill on March 30th 2008. RCRs support for local businesses and accommodation providers in Kimberley appears to be non existent!

15th November 2007

Unconfirmed report that RCR  will close the ski hill on March 30th 2008. We have emailed RCR and await their confirmation or denial.

30th October 2007

RCR inform us that there has been further tree thinning this summer opening yet more of the hill. No new lifts though so that is a bit of a let down. With only one lift to access the mountain from the front side it is sure to cause delays and long lift lines during the busy holidays such as Christmas, New Year and Alberta Family Week.

As the season progresses we will bring you daily snow reports.

 Daily Lift Ticket Prices have now been and set normal season prices are

Kimberley Night Skiing Days & Hours of Operation:
Dec 26, 2007 - Mar 8, 2008
Thursdays - Saturdays
5:30pm - 9:00pm

Additional Nights:
Dec 26, 2007 - Jan 5, 2008 (nightly)
Feb. 17, 2008
5:30-9:00pm
 

 Looking for a great place to stay Sunshine Chalet which is located just 150 yards from the main lift are now offering a choice of European Style catered chalet accommodation or plain and simple bed and breakfast. With 4 en suite rooms available all with their own balconies, plus scrumptious plate loads of wonderful food you are sure to have a great vacation.

Rocky's Ride & Glide are offering limited sponsorship to local riders. If you think you have what it takes call in and see Rocky at Rocky's Ride & Glide the specialist ski, board and bike shop.