Canadian Mountain Holidays

With access to both the Monashees and the Selkirks, Revelstoke is defined by deep snow, big, open alpine and glacier terrain, and tree skiing equal to the best of any other CMH area. Its great size and quick accessibility by vans and helicopters allow us to find good skiing even in inclement weather.

Revelstoke differs from other CMH lodges in that accommodations are at the Regent Inn, set in one of British Columbia’s hottest new winter destinations. In 2008, the newly expanded Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened: this once small-town ski area is now a world-class mountain resort, boasting over 5,000 vertical feet of skiing and an historical annual snowfall of 40 – 60 feet (that’s 1200 – 1800 cm). CMH guests are guaranteed skiing, even on those rare days when the helicopter cannot fly.

A few other reasons why CMH guests love Revelstoke:

• Out-the-door proximity to quaint mountain boutiques, coffee spots, and a variety of fine cuisine restaurants and night clubs;
• Access to the neighbouring health club.
• Complimentary admission to the new Revelstoke Aquatic Centre -- one of B.C.’s finest, offering an indoor hot tub with a ‘lazy river’, a 25 metre lane pool, a waterslide, a sauna and steam room, and an over-the-pool climbing wall.
• Business Center with Full business connection for those who require it: phone, fax, email and internet access with wireless throughout the hotel; cell phone/iPhone/Blackberry coverage; and
• A great selection of other ‘down day’ activities, including Nordic (x-country) skiing; snowmobiling; and the nearby Halcyon Hot Springs.

Although the world is only just beginning to figure it out, in many ways Revelstoke is the snow sport epicenter of North America. Nearby Mt. Fidelity is home to the snowiest weather station in Canada: it receives the country’s highest annual average, 1471 cm (almost 50 feet) of snow, and the peak gets 144 days of snowfall per year, more than anywhere else in the country. The coastal areas have more precipitation, but it often falls as rain or heavy snow and doesn’t pile up with the feathery depth of Revelstoke powder.

Historically, every two decades another recreational user group discovers Revelstoke. Rogers Pass, an hour’s drive into the Selkirks to the east, has been Mecca for backcountry skiers since the fifties. Then, in the seventies, heli-skiers discovered Revelstoke’s snowy phenomenon, and snowmobilers, or ‘sledders’ as the modern incarnation call themselves, discovered the area’s vast and deep powder fields in the nineties. As of 2008, the word Revelstoke is circulating through lift lines and ski area bars around the globe. The next decade will likely see the town become a household name among downhill skiers and change the town forever.

From Bugaboo Dreams by Topher Donahue