 Poster: A snowHead
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I guess I wouldn't think of 10 or even 12 days as particularly long. I agree that the skiing is better than Vancouver and Calgary (although Vancouver is pretty nice). I get that for some 6 days is enough skiing but I don't understand how you couldn't fill 10-12 days with skiing plus other activities. It seems a shame going all that way for such a short time. Whatever floats your boat though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@boarder2020, Im not really interested in other activities although i enjoyed the dog sledding at Sun Peaks and that was after skiing. I would rather spread my holidays out and go different places. I don't only go to Flachau even though I have a flat there. I might want to stay longer if I was retired. I dont really get the 'all that way' point. If i drive to Flachau its 16 hours. I could be in Banff quicker...although my Canadian trips are more usually 2 flights so take longer
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| @boarder2020, Im not really interested in other activities although i enjoyed the dog sledding at Sun Peaks and that was after skiing. I would rather spread my holidays out and go different places. I don't only go to Flachau even though I have a flat there. I might want to stay longer if I was retired. I dont really get the 'all that way' point. If i drive to Flachau its 16 hours. I could be in Banff quicker...although my Canadian trips are more usually 2 flights so take longer |
It is 9hr flight + 2hr transfer so even factoring faffing with luggage easily. Even with the 4hrs transfer to Panorama yes.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@NickyJ, i really liked Panorama. The supermarket is ru bbish though
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| @NickyJ, i really liked Panorama. The supermarket is ru bbish though |
+1. Self-catering was a struggle.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| @TQA, which week did you go. Was that mid Feb as well? |
Last week in Jan we skied Kicking Horse as well for a couple of days although there is plenty in Panorama to kep you going for a week.
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@TQA, how do you find Kicking Horse in comparison to Panorama?
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@NickyJ, Panorama is close to being the perfect resort for a family half-term holiday.
We went there when our kids were about the same age as yours. We liked it so much that we returned for two more trips. A decade later, we have taken our boys to many of the big name resorts on both sides of the Atlantic but Panorama is still the place they most often suggest returning to.
I wouldn't worry about going so far for a week. Once the travelling is over, you forget all about the journey and soon just think about the skiing. Jetlag works in our favour, so you'll be up bright and fresh when the lifts open on the first day. We definitely preferred driving from Calgary rather than taking a transfer bus as it allowed us to break the journey with a few stops in the totally stunning Kootenay National Park, and because we could fill the car up with food in the supermarket at Invermere. However, you should be aware that the road is often covered with compacted snow for much of the journey and the section after Invermere is very steep and winding, so you need to be a confident driver. I wouldn't bother with a car if your flight times mean you won't be travelling in daylight.
Skiing-wise, you will need to ski many of the groomed runs repeatedly. However, your kids won't stay on the groomed runs. Panorama has endless sections of easy bumps and gladed runs, many of which are so straightforward that they are graded blue. The kids will be all over these and you'll probably spend much of your week exploring places like the Sun Bowl and Founders' Ridge, which give an easy introduction to powder and off-piste skiing.
The lifts and runs are likely to be deserted, but check the dates of the Alberta school holidays - as I understand it, that's the only time the resort gets busy. The resort is really easy to navigate, so, if you want to let them, your kids will be able to ski on their own without any risk of them getting lost or in danger. Doing a few laps without Mum and Dad is a real skiing rite of passage.
Its possible that things have changed, but the best feature of Panorama for us was the ski school. Our kids progressed at a much faster pace there than any other place they've ever skied. Unlike most European resorts, you can book classes by the day so you can interleave family skiing with learning. Class sizes were always small (usually 3 kids per instructor) and they pushed the kids really hard in a fun way. The instructors always said, 'If you don't scare yourself at least once a day, you're not really trying', and the kids responded well to being encouraged to find their boundaries in a fun way. Technically, they all soon progressed to double-blacks in their lessons, and they came back with (doubtless exaggerated) tales of cliffs, near-vertical slopes and classmates stuck in trees and in massive snowdrifts. I have honestly never found any ski school with a similar atmosphere. They do have a castle play area hidden in the woods if it all gets a bit overwhelming, though.
The resort itself is very small, safe and largely car free. Many kids much younger than yours wander around freely in the evenings, which adds to the family atmosphere. The few places to eat are all very family oriented, and all resort accommodation is given access to the slopeside outdoor pool and hot tubs.
You and your husband will probably find that you break your piste-only habit in Panorama. The kids won't let you stay on piste, and you will be tempted to slip into some of the flatter tree areas as an experiment. If you're not confident with ungroomed snow, I would recommend getting a lesson, as the resort really opens up once you go off piste. Some of the bowls are really quite easy, and even the Taynton bowl isn't too tricky provided you stick to one of the principal runs like B1st.
Regarding temperature, Panorama is much less prone to bitter cold than Banff as it's much further into the mountains and escapes the frigid prairie air mass. We were never uncomfortably cold there, but the resort is so small that it's easy to get back to your condo/hotel for a few extra layers of clothing and a hot mug of tea. I'm not sure that I'd risk Easter there, though, as the resort isn't particularly high.
Looking back over the years, the very best family holidays of our lives were taken in Panorama. I can't promise that your experience will be as good as ours, but I'd be surprised if it weren't.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Jonny Jones, thanks. We ended up with a 4hr drive to Salen last half term, on a lot of snow as well... don’t want to subject hubby to that again.
Oh it is so tempting.
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| abc wrote: |
| @TQA, how do you find Kicking Horse in comparison to Panorama? |
Very limited UNLESS you get a powder day and you get there early. There are only 2 lifts but the top gondola feeds into two big bowls. We were still laying fresh tracks at 2 pm.
Take your sarnies.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Golden / Kicking Horse is hugely different from Panorama, in terms of what's on offer and the sort of people who would go there.
The OP would be fine in Panorama but would be most unlikely to see the point of Golden (or Revelstoke for that matter).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| TQA wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
| @TQA, how do you find Kicking Horse in comparison to Panorama? |
Very limited UNLESS you get a powder day and you get there early. There are only 2 lifts but the top gondola feeds into two big bowls. We were still laying fresh tracks at 2 pm.
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Actually, I've been to Kicking Horse but haven't done Panorama.
Yes, I found KH limited when it hasn't snowed for a while.
There're soooo many mountains in the area it's hard to choose which one to stay and which one to miss. (no time to do them all)
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| NickyJ wrote: |
Oh it is so tempting. |
Better to regret what you have done, than what you haven't  Go for it!
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FAQ
