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Kicking Horse Resort
Kicking Horse Resort
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Horse is across the Rocky Mountain Trench in the Rocky Mountains.
History
Location: Nearest city: Coordinates: British Columbia, Canada Golden 51°17′21″N 117°03′31″W / 51.28917°N 117.05861°W / 51.28917; -117.05861 (Kicking Horse Mountain Resort)Coordinates: 51°17′21″N 117°03′31″W / 51.28917°N 117.05861°W / 51.28917; -117.05861 (Kicking Horse Mountain Resort) 2,450 m (8,033 ft)[1] 1,190 m (3,900 ft)[1] 11.14 km² (2,750 acres)[1] 106[1] (Beginner 20%, Intermediate 20%, Advanced 45%, Expert 15%) "It’s A Ten" (10km long) 1 gondola, 3 chairlifts, 1 surface lift 1 7 m (23 ft)/year KickingHorseResort.com
Top elevation: Base elevation: Skiable area: Runs:
It started life as Whitetooth Ski Area, a smaller facility owned by the town of Golden, but was bought out and expanded in 1999, to be reopened under the new name on December 8, 2000. The majority of the skiable area consists of two large bowls (Crystal Bowl and Bowl Over) that combine about three-quarters of the way down the mountain into a single flatter area, with a fairly flat ski-out to the lifts at the bottom. One run, It’s a 10, is 10 km long and connects the runs in the main Bowl areas. In 2002 a new chairlift (Stairway to Heaven) was added to allow access to a third bowl (Feuz Bowl), which generally sees less traffic.
Lifts
The hill is served primarily by a high speed gondola, the Golden Eagle Express, that rises from the base area to the peak. Two smaller chairlifts also operate from the base area, a fixed-grip quad (Catamount) and a fixed-grip double (Pioneer - a relic from Whitetooth days). Another fixed-grip quad (Stairway to Heaven) serves the upper areas to the north of the gondola, including the third bowl. Uphill capacity is generally limited, however, and most skiers need to return to the summit via the gondola at the base of the mountain. The limited terrain park is compensated by the natural terrain and exceptional backcountry access.
Longest run: Lift system: Terrain parks: Snowfall: Web site:
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (KHMR) is a new ski resort village located 14 km outside of Golden, British Columbia. It features what is currently the fourth highest vertical drop North America, at 4,133 feet (1,260 m)[1]. It is only 6 feet (1.8 m) shorter than Jackson Hole. In total the resort includes 2,750 acres (11.1 km2)[1] of skiable lift-served terrain. The resort was named after the nearby Kicking Horse River and Kicking Horse Pass, although the resort is in the Selkirk Mountains while the Kicking
Winter Activities
Kicking Horse is frequented by skiers, snowboarders and telemarkers. Annual snowfall ranges from 254cm (100") at the bottom of the mountain to 700cm (275") at the summit. The total in boundary ski area is 2,750 Acres[2]. The slopes are well known for the light and dry snow, dubbed
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Name Golden Eagle Express Stairway to Heaven Catamount Pioneer Pony Express Total Runs Beginner Intermediate Advanced Expert Champagne Powder. The resort is open for skiing from mid December to mid April[3], and for mountain biking and sightseeing from late-June to early-October. Type Gondola 4 person fixed grip 4 person fixed grip 2 person fixed grip Surface lift Capacity (per hr) 1,200 1,000 1,200 1,500 600
Kicking Horse Resort
Make Year Built
Leither Poma 2000 Leither Poma 2002 Leither Poma 2000
106 20% 20% 45% 15% thirty minutes to well over an hour, depending on fitness.
Ski Terrain
The gondola accesses CPR Ridge, Crystal Bowl and Bowl Over. Crystal Bowl is large and open, providing intermediate skiing and is the easiest way down from the gondola. Bowl Over is also open but much steeper and often has more moguls than Crystal Bowl. In 2007, a trail was made to allow for advanced intermediate skiing into Bowl Over. CPR ridge is situated between the two bowls. One side of the ridge, the Crystal Bowl side, provides some of the 75 inbound chutes available at Kicking Horse. These chutes range from advanced to expert skiing. The other side of CPR Ridge is a series of glades. Stairway to Heaven is a fixed chair lift that is situated at the bottom of Crystal Bowl and accesses White Wall, Feuz Bowl and Redemption Ridge. White Wall is a quick hike right of the chair and is rated expert skiing for some rock bands and large cornices. Feuz Bowl is advanced skiing, quite similar to CPR ridge. Stairway to Heaven follows Redemption Ridge. On one side are chutes into Feuz Bowl and the other side is a series of glades back into Crystal Bowl. Terminator Ridge and Terminator Peak are situated on the left side of Bowl Over. On the left side of Terminator Ridge the slackcountry can be accessed. On the right side a few steep, narrow, expert chutes come back into Bowl Over. Accessing Terminator Ridge is difficult and the hike is anywhere from
Backcountry Access
Kicking Horse has exceptional backcountry access. South of the resort, Super Bowl can be accessed by hiking up Terminator Ridge[4]. North of the resort, Rudi’s Bowl and many other backcountry assets are accessible [5].
Summer Activities
Grizzly Bear Refuge
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is also the home to a 22 acres (89,000 m2) acre Grizzly Bear "Refuge"[3]; two orphaned cubs (Cari & Boo) were taken there in 2003, but one (Cari) died during her first winter hibernation due to a twisted intestine. Boo can often be seen mid-winter from the Gondola, if he decides to take some exercise, but can be more reliably seen on a ’bear tour’ during the summer months, provided he has not escaped (as he did for several weeks in 2006).
Mountain Biking
Kicking Horse is open during the summer for downhill mountain biking accessed by the gondola. Kicking horse provides the longest descent in Canada for mountain biking[3].
Upcoming Development
Chairlifts are planned for access of bowls on either side of the current ski area boundary. In total 9 lifts will be built under the current
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
master plan by build out. This will expand the skiable area to 4,000 acres. The mountain village accommodation is rapidly expanding. This year most development will be done on ’softening’ Kicking Horse. Kicking Horse has been known for its advanced terrain and wants to become a more rounded resort. The new master plan launched in August 2008, is aimed at creating a year round resort including an 18 hole golf course. [6]
Kicking Horse Resort
Lodge, Vagabond Lodge and Highland Lodge are a very short walk from the Gondola offering a unique mountain experience and are still considered ski-in and ski-out. There are many townhouses and cabins available for rent on the mountain.
References
[1] ^ Doyle, Mike. "Kicking Horse Resort". http://skiing.about.com/od/ skiresortscanada/p/kickinghorse.htm. [2] http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/ media/press_details.asp?pr=7&ID=78 [3] ^ Kicking Horse Mountain Ski Resort, British Columbia [4] A Guide to Backcountry Skiing Golden BC - South [5] A Guide to Backcountry Skiing Golden BC - North [6] Kicking Horse Mountain Resort new Draft Master Plan http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/ media/press_details.asp?pr=5&ID=94
Resort Village, Accommodation and Dining
The resort village is currently being built out at the base of the ski area. The resort is currently owned by Ballast Nedham, a Dutch infrastructure company that also built the Confederation Bridge in Prince Edward Island. The Eagle’s Eye Restaurant is at the top of the gondola where it achieves the "most elevated dining experience in Canada". At the base there is a coffee shop, sushi restaurant and a daylodge. The resort provides lodges, hotels, townhouses and cabins. Two hotels, Mountaineer and Glacier, are located right at the base of the mountain. Three lodges, Copper Horse
External links
• Official page
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicking_Horse_Resort" Categories: Columbia Valley, Ski areas and resorts in British Columbia, Snow tubing areas in British Columbia This page was last modified on 20 April 2009, at 02:25 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
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