In this resort review, I’ll discuss the five aspects of a resort that distinguish good and great resorts. These include conditions, terrain, resort quality, and location. I have a comprehensive list linked here if you are wondering what you should wear: snowboarding or skiing. I consider myself an amateur snowboarder, so remember that during this review. I explored all of these resorts with my best friend Malachi, a skier; any feedback given on the resort is what we have collectively decided about the resort.
Conditions
Malachi and I were only going to be in Revelstoke for three days; we were fortunate with the weather. On the first day, we got about 6 inches of fresh snow (15cm), which was refreshing after not having good snow for the last three days of our trip. We steadily watched the weather forecasts and noticed that Revelstoke was supposed to have the best snow in Canada. On the second day, we got about a foot and a half of fresh snow (45cm), which was incredible. The snow was light and fluffy, which just made it that much better. On the third day, we got about four inches of snow and a bluebird day. These are some of the best conditions I have ever skied. Did we get lucky, maybe? We have heard from talking to the locals that this is common. There was very high avalanche danger, and tree wells were a concern in the side country.
Resort Quality
This resort is set up differently than most resorts I have been to. You park at the bottom and take a lovely gondola ride to the mid-mountain. If you are a beginner skier or snowboarder, you can take many moderately complex runs to get down the mountain. If you are a more advanced skier or snowboarder, you can take a second gondola ride to the top to explore some advanced runs. The quality of the gondola is outstanding, and you can tell that everything here is taken care of well. The snow was so good we didn’t have time to go to any of the shops or the lodge.
Terrain
The terrain at Revelstoke is out of this world. Revelstoke is a playground for advanced riders with endless possibilities. The side hits are all phenomenal. The terrain has a little bit of everything, skiers and riders can choose exactly what they want to ride with the pristine conditions. With lots of backcountry you will never get bored and you will never explore all of the resort. Every single run is a blast and you will want to ski here all day every day. Ski patrol is constantly opening up roped off areas based on avalanche danger, just when you think you have explored it all there is more. I can’t put Revelstoke’s terrain into words, it’s just beautiful.
Location
The location of Revelstoke is exactly what I look for when going to a ski town for the weekend. The locals are overly friendly and lots of fun to talk to. The food is surprisingly good for the size of the town. The housing is mostly clean and affordable if you book in advance. My favorite part about Revelstoke is how isolated it can get. If you get a huge storm, all of the roads surrounding Revelstoke close and you are snowed in to one of the best resorts in Canada. It will just be you and the locals skiing the best snow of your life. If you don’t know where to ski, most of the locals are so friendly that they will either show you where to ski or point you in the right direction.
Final Take
If you are a boarder/skier that wants an extreme mountain with endless possibilities, this should be your first choice. This was hands down my favorite resort in Canada for all of the reasons I listed. Trying to describe the atmosphere at Revelstoke is impossible, you just have to go there.