ski kImberleY

What a difference a day makes! Blue skies and horrendous conditions. It rained during the night and pretty much the whole mountain turned to ice and ice balls. So bad in fact that there were skiers leaving the hill at 10am. Still the views from the top were well worth the terrible ride down! Lets pray for more snow.

March 16th

A nice day and considering we have had very little snow the conditions are pretty much perfect. The groomers have really done a great job on what's available.

March 13th

Beerfest Saturday brings blue skies but a cold wind. Unfortunately it rained lower down last night making the lower runs crusty and icy early on. As the day progressed and it warmed up lower runs became very slushy and lumpy.

At base the beer fest got under way and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

March 12th

A good 10cm of snow fell last night and even though lower down the snow became wet and heavy it continued to snow till lunch. We had a great day as the hill was very quiet early on and we were up at just after 9am. Hit main first which was in superb condition. Me and a buddy boarded while the other skied. When we got back to the base there was no lift line so we went straight back up and put fresh tracks on Rung, cut across and did the same to Downshot. No one at the Tamarack lift It was just a perfect morning. Lunchtime the snow falling was very wet so we called it a day with big smiles all round!

March 8th

Still no sign of any new snow. Hopefully we may get some tonight or tomorrow

March 6th

Another very warm day and very busy on the front side. The base is now deteriorating rapidly with lots of small rocks and other objects like roots and stumps showing through. Icy patches everywhere and slushy lower down in the afternoon. The groomers are doing a great job keeping the groomed runs even in these warm and dry conditions and conditions here are much better than Panorama. Not been to Fernie but I think they are suffering too. I've been told this is the driest warmest BC winter for 125 years. If that's right it accounts for the lack of snow.

Feb 26th

Well as you may have noticed I have not done a lot of news postings this season. Snow falls can only be described as grim. No big dumps and conditions are more like European than Canadian with no champagne powder and hard packed snow everywhere. The groomers are doing a great job on the snow we have but the base at the top of the mountain is only 140cm or so and there are now bare patches and rocks showing just about everywhere. The lack of good brush cutting is also a problem with sticks bushes and even young trees showing through and causing the closure of a number of what are normally good runs.

There have also been a number of incidents with runaway snowboards. The resort have chosen NOT TO implement a leash law consequently snowboards can and do run loose. THEY ARE DEADLY and I am sure the resort could be held responsible if a skier was hit by a loose board especially one that has been rented from the resort rental shop. There are no brakes on a snowboard so leashes should ALWAYS be used

Feb 15th

Not so busy today but still warm and conditions are still ok but not brilliant as more and more rocks and stumps appear.

Feb 14th

Very warm and busy. Lift breakdowns and pre released snowboards plague the weekend. If the snowboard that hit the base of the North Star Quad had hit a person it would have seriously injured them! When will the management realise they need to enforce a leash policy like most other resorts. It's not an expensive item to purchase and a leash policy is very easy to enforce. No Leash No Ride should be the order of the day

 Feb 13th

Busy but Nowhere near as busy as usual the car park is not even full. Lift lines of up to 20 minutes are the order of the day. The hill needs more lifts or visitors won't come back!!

Feb 12th

Usually much busier than this and there are a lot of empty rooms here and plenty of cheap special deals available for this holiday weekend. Temperatures are well above normal and this could seriously effect the snow base though I understand Fernie is suffering more than us.

Feb 11th

A little busier today as the Alberta visitors begin to arrive though it does not seem as busy as usual for this weekend

Feb 10th

If you visit Kimberley ski hill please let us know what you think of the positioning of the new conference centre which is being built on the old drop off car park.

Feb 9th

Heading into Alberta Family Weekend and Kimberley could do with a big dump of snow

Feb 8th

Kimberley probably now has more on hill accommodation than most other resorts in BC. Unfortunately the lift system and on hill visitor facilities are in our opinion somewhat lacking! This could be the reason that the ski hill is not making money. To be truthful the ski hill could do with a lot of improvements including new lifts. The base area is now somewhat congested and not very pretty .

Feb 4th

Another Busy day on front side with lots of schoolchildren around

Feb 3rd

Very warm today and busy again with lots of schoolchildren around. Quite a lot of small rocks coming through now so you need to be careful. They still have not realised the congestion they are causing by only having entry to the North Star lift from the left as you descend!!

Feb 2nd

A  busy day with lots of schoolchildren on the hill. I don't understand why you can now only access the quad lift from the hotel side! It means to get to the lift without walking everyone now has to come down the left hand side making it VERY CONGESTED. I will be surprised if there is not a collision on this section very soon

Feb 1st

What a crazy way to run a ski hill. Firstly you can no longer ski back to the car park. Everyone now has to cross a road with heavy construction traffic going back and forth while ducking in and out of the cars dropping off and picking up skiers at the bottom of the steps. The drop off point has gone and no one took account of the fact that most people are lazy and do not want to walk.

Also for some crazy reason there is now only one side you can access the main lift from. That forces all the skiers wanting to re access the lift to come down one side of the hill doubling the amount of people on that stretch. Effectively the resort have now extended the unfriendly narrow bridge area to the bottom of the hill. Are they trying to drive everyone away?

Jan 31st

A sprinkling of fresh snow still falling but visibility is very poor. The hill is very busy so I am heading for an early hot tub!

Jan 30th

Very busy today with a couple of inches of the fresh stuff falling bringing out locals as well as the weekend visitors. Visibility closed in this afternoon bringing an early end to the competition

Jan 29th

A little busier today probably due to the competition being held over the weekend. No lift hanging around in lift lines though that will probably change at the weekend

Jan 28th

A few bare patches and rocks coming through now so we could do with some new snow. No crowds though so still plenty of good skiing.

Jan 27th

Another Quiet Day

Jan 26th

Front side remains the best option till we get more snow an Rosa is in very good condition

Jan 25th

2 - 3inches of the fresh white stuff fails to attract many locals and we have the hill pretty much to ourselves once again.

Jan 24th

Another quiet day. Tamarack does not appear to have had the brush cut before the start of the season yet again!

Jan 23rd

Weekend means skiers from Alberta plus locals but still no lift lines or crowds. Snow remains good but we are sure missing some powder. The new traffic system with the construction of the conference centre means you have to be careful crossing the road back to the car park as lots of drivers are stopping at the bottom of the steps now that the pick up / drop off area has gone.

Jan 22nd

A  little sun brought out a few more skiers but still no lift lines or crowded slopes. Conditions remain good.

Jan 21st

Low cloud and fog cause flat light conditions but snow remains good wit no crowds

January 20th

Another quiet day on the hill. Except for the icy bridge snow conditions on the rest of the hill remain good with no lift lines or crowds.

A New Year

January 2010 has seen mixed weather including bitterly cold temps, rain and fog but although conditions on the hill remain good there are lots of complaints about the way the hill is both looking and being run. No new lifts or runs but a substantial increase in the cost of skiing, food, beverages and the numbers of properties for sale. The base of the hill is fast becoming closed in and unattractive. the new paralympic and conference centre has been located in probably the worst position on the hill. It will dominate the view as you approach the ski hill car park and block views of the ski hill as well as stopping skiers being able to ski back to the car park and the revenue it is likely to bring in will probably be disappointing for local businesses with the main benefactor being RCR. Where will the Spring Splash Crash Zone now be located? Or is that another item RCR have decided to discontinue?

 There are far too many condos  and homes to rent for the available visitors and most remain empty for most of the season. The lack of rental income means lots of owners are not keeping their properties maintained to a good standard and many are now looking very tired with flaking paint being apparent at Copper Springs and Dewdney Way..

Kimberley Ridge has been affected by the construction of the new Mountain Spirit complex with views of the ski hill from most of the condos now completely blocked out.

Stemwinder Drive which is the prestige address for Kimberley Alpine Resort has 6 of the 20 homes already up for sale   ( including a home which was on the market 2 years ago for $1.2 million now available at the bargain price of $700,00) with others due to follow as more owners realise that until there is investment in the ski hill revenues and property values will continue to fall. Construction on the Dreamcatcher chalets has come to a halt which we presume is due to lack of sales. All this while ski hill operators RCR continue to increase prices while reducing facilities. The free ski guiding service has been discontinued, the Tiger pass for under 5's doubles in price from $10 to $20, free breakfasts are discontinued at the now renamed Trickle Creek hotel and the Stemwinder bar is closed for 3 days a week

Another problem is the fact that Kimberley Town Council have deemed that out of town property owners should pay twice the tax of locals for the privilege of subsidising locals

Unless RCR start investing in facilities property prices and income are likely  to continue to plummet and all in all  it's probably NOT the best property investment resort at the present time.

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Fri 3rd

15 inches of the white stuff landed on the hill overnight with much bigger stashes in places. It was an epic morning. By mid afternoon temps had increased and the snow got heavier and chopped up lower down. Still some great stashes off the Easter lift though and its snowing lightly again tonight as I write this. Only two days to go now.

Thurs 2nd

Warmer today and the snow has softened enough to get rid of most of the icy lumps below. Easter Glades, The Face and Upshot were all in great condition.

Wed 1st

Another few inches of the fresh stuff. We hit Rosa first but front side was nothing like yesterday so, over the back and through the trees between Tamarack and All Over. Fresh, fresh, fresh and all untracked as was Upshot though that was a little crusty underneath. Then it was time for Easter Glades and the Face. Again virtually untracked and in superb condition. No lines No bodies. Kimberley a great place to ski.

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Tues 31st

Warmer today and a little bit of the fresh stuff sure improves things. We hit  the glades then Rosa and Boundary where white stuff was untracked. A great day. The resort operators have picked up the grooming too and for the last few days between 17 and 21 runs have been groomed. A big improvement over the 11.

Mon 30th

Another cold day with hard packed conditions and some icy patches. The resort is now almost deserted. Base is excellent but we now have less than a week till the resort closes for the season.

Sun 29th

Quieter today. The busses have all gone and most Albertans are heading home. Conditions are hard packed and with a cold wind blowing its icy in places

Sat 28th

A busy day with a number of coaches from Alberta, Saskatchewan and south of the border but most runs are still empty and no lift lines. Conditions were much better today. The snow pack is softer and good up high and slushy from the bridge down. 17 runs groomed overnight much improved.

Fri 27th

11 runs groomed today. Conditions still hard.

Thurs 26th

Well now I can see what they are complaining about. Conditions today are hard and the un groomed runs have lots of icy ruts and lumps on them. Only 11 runs were groomed today not good.

Wed 25th

I had an interesting conversation with an American visitor while riding the lift today. He has been coming to Kimberley as part of a large group for the last 10 years but told me the group will not be returning as they feel Kimberley is no longer a "Family Resort". This intrigued me so I asked a few more visiting skiers for their opinions and sure enough everyone was of the opinion that the resort no longer values its clients highly enough. Some of the reasons given were:

Lifts close too early (4.00pm)

Grooming not up to standard needed ( only 13 runs groomed today)

Nothing for  the kids to do when the lifts close (toboggans, sleds and tubes are banned from the slopes)

Lack of choice for rental equipment and limited on  hill facilities (No On Mountain restaurant, only one store selling ski equipment, only one ski hire facility which has no foot measuring facility for children).

I am sure the problems listed are real but they could also be solved easily. Not normally using many groomed runs I had not noticed this problem but  I will keep an eye on the grooming from now on and put in my own report every day as I have to agree that as Kimberley has over 80 runs of which 37 are either Green or Blue then if only 13 runs are being groomed then that is really not good enough especially when you consider that the operators also run Fernie a resort with 110 runs where over half are groomed on a daily basis.

Tues 24th

Colder today and the runs are now hard packed and icy. The operators need to do more grooming as many of the runs now have rain soaked icy lumps on them. Instead RCR have started closing quite a number of runs. With only just over a week before the resort closes its not good!

Mon 23rd March

Very warm today and suddenly we are in to Spring conditions as things get really soft and slushy lower down

Sun 22nd March

More of the same with light snow and showers. Snow pack is holding up well

Sat 21st

Light snow flurries for most of the day with light rain showers in the town. quite busy as its spring break so lots of kids and Albertans in town.

Fri 20th

Took a day off today but I understand not much has changed since yesterday except quite a few Albertans have hit town

Thurs 19th March

Not had much chance to post anything over the last couple of weeks as I have been so busy guiding a group of Brits around.. Since I last posted we have had some really good snowfall and conditions here are perfect! Empty runs and fabulous snow. Check out some of the new pics in our Gallery

Sat 7th March

Light snow and lots of skiers around. Most of the fresh is now tracked out and the rest will be before the Albertans head for home tomorrow.

Friday 6th March

Between 6" & 9" of powder dropped overnight. That together with blue skies brought out half of Kimberley today. The news must have got out in Alberta to as there were plenty of Alberta trucks in the car park by lunch time. Looks like its gonna be a busy weekend

Thurs 5th

Woke up to fresh snow falling and its been snowing all day now. Visibility was poor in places and a total white out the second time we hit Antons (Easter Face). Conditions here are great. When Fernie got the rain at the beginning of the week we got a couple of inches of fresh powder. Base is in great condition and if the snow keeps falling things can only get better.

Wed 4th March

Colder today with clear skies. No fresh but still some untracked stashes to be found off Easter chair

Tues 3rd March

A good quantity of fresh snow all over the hill and all runs from Easter Chair access are excellent. Check out the pics taken in the glades today in my gallery.

Mon 2nd March

Poor visibility and snow falling with rain in the city. the hill is in excellent condition with very few skiers around.

Sun 1st March 09

A light dusting of snow today. Nothing spectacular but it all helps keep conditions good. Easter Face (now called Antons) is in great shape with some huge fluffy covered moguls. Just right for freeing up those knees!

Sat 28th

Cloudier and colder today visibility a bit flat in places. There are still a few caches of untracked but they will probably be skied out by locals tomorrow.

27th Feb

A partly cloudy day with no new snow but excellent powder and packed powder conditions.

26th Feb

Up to 8 inches of fresh powder in places with 4 inches on the lower slopes. Quite a few locals out so I suspect half the businesses in Kimberley are closed today. Excellent day with loads of places to put fresh tracks in. We didn't get either the rain or high winds that hit Fernie and the other resorts around here. Quite a few locals talking about the fact that RCR have sold back the majority interest in Lake Louise to Charlie Lock (its former owner). Perhaps they have similar plans for here and Fernie!

25th Feb

A couple more inches of the fresh stuff  and no one around. Empty runs everywhere! I love this place.

24th Feb

Another few inches deposited overnight, a great wake up call. We are up early and back late. another great Kimberley day.

23d Feb

Got back from our Montana trip yesterday and woke this morning to fresh snow. a good welcome home. Resort is pretty much deserted as most of the Albertans and Sesquats have now gone home.

We were surprised to see that RCR (the resort operators) have decided to rename a few runs. Probably gives them the opportunity to claim new runs opening without having to actually invest much money. Top of Dean right has now been renamed Anton Blue and Easter Face Anton Black or something just as stupid. We will continue to call them what they are. Easter Face and Dean Right.

22nd Feb

Just back from a great trip to Big Mountain Montana. Some massive investment has taken place there over the last two years and its a good place to visit.

4th Feb 09

Another blue sky day with warm temps. Groomed runs are in excellent condition. Hardly a skier to be seen once you get away from Main. Another great Kimberley day

3rd Feb 09

Blue skies and warmer temps almost spring like! Even with the influx of disabled athletes for the races the resort is still virtually deserted. No lift lines and empty runs away from main. Kimberley The Place To Ski!

2nd Feb 09

About an inch of snow overnight Back to empty runs with no lift lines on the back of the mountain. Some disabled athletes around now and practice for the races starts tomorrow. Still quite cold and some  icy patches on front side but mostly good.

1tst Feb 09

A cold Sunday with lots of Albertans and locals out and about. Quite hard and icy on main but the back of the mountain is still good with some untracked fresh snow through the trees.

31st Jan 09

Saturday brought light snow and quite a busy day with lines soon building on North Star. Quite a number of Albertans around  there are also a few disabled skiers on the slopes. A good day but cold.

30th Jan 09

Blue skies and slightly warmer temperatures bring forth another great Kimberley ski day. Most runs are now packed powder but there is still some untracked to be found in amongst the trees. A few Albertans turning up for the weekend make small lines at Main (more to do with people chatting instead of moving rather than crowds). I used the singles line and usually rode the quad lift alone! Same with Easter

29th Jan 09

A partly cloudy day which was quite busy (in Kimberley terms) as its the last day to use a guest free pass issued to season ticket holders. No lift lines anywhere though and no busy runs. Another great Kimberley day.

28th Jan 09

Well we woke up to 4-5inches of fresh Purcell Champagne powder and blue skies so an early start was called for. We made the 4th chair out of base and scooted off via Eureka  to Easter chair. From Easter we headed across to Upshot and picked up the Tamarack chair. No lift lines anywhere even though the car park was half full of local vehicles. Unusually we decided to spend the afternoon on front side and found untracked powder still. Another great day in Kimberley.

27th January 09

Light snow with cold temperatures. Very quiet on the hill again

26th Jan 09

Blue skies and cold temperatures. Good hard packed conditions all over the mountain now. Not even many locals out today its a Very quiet day stunning views out across the valley to the Rockys makes you glad to be alive! I just love this place.

25th Jan 09

A return to Blue Skies with the cold temps brought out very few skiers today. Normally Sunday is the busiest day of the week but we experienced no lift lines anywhere. In fact there were even more empty than occupied tables in the Stemwinder bar! Junior races (or training) taking place on Rosa.

24th Jan 09

Greasy Rail Jam day saw cold temps but no big crowds. All runs quiet once again except for Rosa (Junior Race Training)?

23rd Jan 09

A bitterly cold day saw the start of the Ladies Ski Clinic 5 week sessions. With quiet slopes except for the junior racers on Rosa I braved to cold for a couple of hours before retreating to a nice log fire!

 22nd Jan 09

Warm in the sun but very cold in the shade. Clear blue skies and some great skiing. Busier today with a bus load of  junior racers from Fernie. Most people seemed to be staying on front side though the Rail Park was empty again as were most of the runs off Easter and Tamarack chairlifts. Lots of amazing scenery around the mountain.

21st Jan 09

Another quiet day on the hill. good skiing, blue skies and no lift lines..

20th Jan 09

More of the same with poorish visibility low down and blue skies higher up. Snow remains in great    shape above Easter Chair. . The views of the Rockies from the top are spectacular This was a vie of Main at around 11.30.

19th Jan 09

Well everyone has gone home and we have the hill to ourselves again. Blue skies and great snow up above Easter chair, no lift lines empty runs in fact a skiers paradise.  RCR were checking lift passes at Tamerack chair  which  seems a liitle funny as there is hardly anyone using that lift at the  moment, I could understand checks at weekends but midweek seems it would cost more for staff  wages than they would gain.

18th Jan 09

Another good day in Kimberley. Snow holding up well, Blue skies above what more could you want. This picture was taken at Pine Flats on the way back to Tamarack Chair

17th Jan 09

Busy day for Kimberley with quite a few Albertan trucks in the car park and lots of locals out . Poor visibility lower down but blue skies higher up. Excellent conditions above Easter chair

16th Jan 09

Low cloud means poor visibility over most of the hill. Conditions are not as good as yesterday with ice on a number of runs including main which could be described as an iceberg in places lower down . Relatively busy with quite a few Albertan trucks in the car park. The weekend must be approaching.

15th Jan 09