Moosealini from UNITED KINGDOM writes:
We went to Kimberley with Inghams and we had a fantastic 2 weeks! This was our first time in Canada, so we can only really compare it with the Alps (and Scotland of course). We have been skiing in the 3 Valleys for the last 10 years, introducing all 3 of our children to skiing during that time.
There was 7 of us altogether: 4 adults and 3 kids spread over 3 generations of the same family. We hired a 7-seater independently of Inghams so that the party could split between the transfer bus and the car. This is simply because we only wanted the car 'in-resort', and it would not fit all the people and all the kit! We did this based on other reviews, so thank you for that.
Kimberley is an old mining town (gold, silver zinc and iron) ...but the mining is all finished now. They came up with the Bavarian theme in the seventies to attract more tourists. A Calgarian oil baron is developing first class golf courses and accommodation in the 'Kimberley Alpine Resort'. So the primary seasonal attraction seems to be the summer activities.
The Hill:
Pros - Good snow record and plenty of wide flat runs that are excellent when freshly groomed. It is mostly quiet, and queues should only form on Saturdays. There are lots of runs to choose from with a fair variety of difficulty, although mostly suiting intermediates. There are no mountain restaurants to siphon your cash, but there is a facility at the top for eating packed lunch and getting a coffee for a voluntary contribution. There is night skiing 3 times a week, which is well lit and fun. Kimberley does not attract the nutters, so it is the safest place I have been to for family skiing. The quality of the ski instuctors is very high and they are friendly too. Ski instruction is also much more flexible than we have experienced in France. For a 3 day course, you get 3 one day tickets that can be used to suit yourself.
Cons - Kimberley has fairly limited variety for absolute beginners and experts, especially if you are there for more than a week. Advanced skiers can cover the hill in 3 or 4 days, but you'll want to go back and do some of the runs again. Investment is required to upgrade the lifts, especially on the back side of the hill. Only the North Star Express comes off the wire to load, so it can travel at 5m/sec. The other 2 chairs (Easter and Tamarack) are old and don't come off the wire. They are running as fast as they dare, but travel is still only 1-2m/sec. I wouldn't say that they need more than the 3 chairlifts because the layout of the hill allows for it. Signposting has apparently been improved recently, but they don't have the European 'piste marker' system. So if thick cloud does come in, it would be easy to get lost! There is a bit of a bottle-neck coming over the bridge down to the base area. Another minor thing is the 80s style paper lift passes that stick back to back over a metal hanger ...WTF?
Accommodation:
Pros - We stayed at the Trickle Creek Aparthotel, and overall it is fab. The Trickle Creek and the Polaris Lodge are right there at the bottom of the hill. You can walk out of the ski locker room and hit the lift attendent with a snowball. The beginner area is even closer (carpet and T-bar). The rooms are comfortable and it is great being able to go for a swim and hot-tub outdoors. The rooms have a large American fridge freezer and full size - cookers, microwaves and dishwashers. Daily house-keeping helps to keep it tidy, and re-supplies tea, coffee, toiletries and dishwasher tabs. There is a very usable lauderette in the Trickle Creek at only $1 per wash. Free internet in the room (not WIFI) is very handy, so well worth taking the laptop.
Cons - The single elevator gets quite busy, so it could do with a second one. There is not much storage space/shelves in the 4 person rooms for all the bits and bobs skiers need. The resort is well placed for the skiing, but not so much for the town supermarkets etc. It is too far to walk, so you either need a hire car (recommended) or there is a wee community bus that buzzes up and down.
Travel:
It was an 8 hour flight (Manc-Calgary) and 4 hour drive/transfer to get to Kimberley, but through some pretty spectacular scenery. The transfer bus did not stop at any other resorts, so it was door to door with a comfort stop in Radium Hot Springs. We also hired a car at Calgary airport (erentals.com) and it turned out to be well worth the extra few hundred pounds. We did the excursions that Inghams offered for a fraction of the cost, which almost paid for the car hire! We could drive to the bigger supermarket at the bottom end of town. We also went to the big Wal-Mart in Cranbrook (20 minutes drive), plus the Trickle Creek has underground parking with elevator access. Fernie and Panorama are both about 100 minutes drive. There is also a resort in Idaho (Sand Point, Schweitzer mountain) that is about 2 hours away. The natural hot springs are also well worth a half day trip. The nearest 'free access' springs at 'White Swan' were about 70 minutes drive north.
Inghams are really good, and the pre-bookable ski packs are extremely good value. With 3 kids all skiing for free and taking lessons for peanuts, we were quids in compared to France. The ski/snowboard lessons are inter-changeable and unfortunately we seem to have lost our eldest to the 'dark side'.
Overall, I would recommend Kimberley to those with kids looking for a 'small and friendly' family ski resort. Everyone else should go to Fernie. But whatever you do, spend that extra few hundred quid on a hire car!
Check out our holiday video montage(s) on youtube.com/moosealini
2010-02-19 |
