Peak Experiences on the Powder Highway
Kicking Horse – Champagne powder
Take the Trans-Canada highway two hours east and you’ll arrive in the outdoors mecca of Golden, B.C. Unlike the touristy Banff, Alberta, 90 minutes away to the east, Golden retains its rough edges and authentic mountain-town flavour. It offers many options for affordable lodging and dining.
The dramatic wall of the Purcell Mountains rises to the west of Golden, home to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Served by a gondola and three chairlifts, Kicking Horse is another mountain with big vertical: 4,133 feet from a top elevation of 8,033 feet.
Kicking Horse doesn’t always get the huge dumps of Revelstoke, but being farther east makes the snow lighter. And the many chutes and cliffs collect wind-driven snow, making some drops thigh-deep after even modest dumps the night before.
Beyond the lift-served terrain, a short hike takes skiers to the top of the Terminator Peak (7,900 feet) with more incredible chutes and bowls.
Kicking Horse also offers one of the very best top-of-the-mountain dining experiences you’ll ever find. Step off the Golden Eagle Gondola and step into the cozy Eagle’s Eye, at 7,705 feet, the highest restaurant in Canada.