×
×
SNOW CONDITIONS »
cm
cm
OVERNIGHT
48 HOURS
cm
cm
24 HOURS
7 DAY
WEATHER »
UPPER MOUNTAIN
° C
° C
HIGH
LOW
LOWER MOUNTAIN
° C
° C
HIGH
LOW
RUNS »
     
/
57
GROOMED
     
/
137
OPEN
LIFT STATUS »
/
5
OPEN
GOLDEN EAGLE EXPRESS:
STAIRWAY:
BUY LIFT TICKETS
WEATHER FORECAST »
SUN
HIGH -14 °C
LOW -23 °C
MON
HIGH -10 °C
LOW -18 °C
TUE
HIGH -10 °C
LOW -14 °C

×
MOUNTAIN CAMS »
STAIRWAY
TERMINATOR
EAGLES EYE
SNOW PLOT
BASE
CATAMOUNT
×
CM
in the last 24 hours
×
Notification Alert
1 (800) 258-7669
  
  
BLOG | JOBS | HOURS | CONTACT US
SAFETY & RISK AWARENESS
WEB CAMS
EAGLES EYE
 
 

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

Champagne Powder Capital of Canada™

Reservations: 1 (866) SKI-KICK
Email: information@skircr.com

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
PO Box 839, 1500 Kicking Horse Trail, Golden, BC V0A 1H0

Open in Google Maps
  • PLAN & PURCHASE
    • Close
    • GETTING HERE
      Getting to KHMR
      By Car
      International Travelers
      Hours of Operation
      Resort Guide
      PURCHASE
      Lift Tickets
      Winter Season Passes
      Snow School Lessons
      Rentals & Repairs
      Daycare
      RCR Rockies Card
      Epic Pass
      Gift Cards
      LODGING
      View All Lodging
      Hot Deals & Packages
      Eagle's Eye Suites
      Package Booking Code
      Last Minute Deals Signup
      Resort Map
      GROUPS
      Weddings
      Large Groups
      Corporate
      School
      WINTER
      SUMMER
      WINTER
      SUMMER
    • Close
  • DISCOVER
    • Close
    • DISCOVER KHMR
      Why Kicking Horse?
      Real Estate
      Resort Map
      About Golden
      Epic Pass Member
      Complimentary Mountain Tours
      THE VILLAGE
      Restaurants
      Shopping & Amenities
      Lodging
      Repair Shop
      Day Care Services
      Hours of Operation
      MOUNTAIN INFO
      Snow Report
      Lift Status
      Lift Tickets
      Trail Map
      On Mountain Dining
      Mountain Safety
      Controlled Recreation Area
      WINTER
      SUMMER
      WINTER
      SUMMER
    • Close
  • THE MOUNTAIN
    • Close
    • CAMERAS & MAPS
      Mountain Cams
      Video Gallery
      Photo Gallery
      Trail Map
      Resort Map
      TERRAIN REPORT
      Snow Report
      Weather
      Advanced Weather Data
      Grooming Report
      Lift Status
      Bowl Status
      Mountain Stats
      PURCHASE
      Hot Deals & Packages
      Winter Season Passes
      Lift Tickets
      Ski & Snowboard Rentals
      WINTER
      SUMMER
      WINTER
      SUMMER
    • Close
  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Close
    • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
      All Events
      Weekly Activities
      Event Results
      Freeride World Tour 2023
      ACTIVITIES
      Winter Activites
      Snow School
      ACTIVITIES
      Heli Skiing
      Cross Country Skiing
      Tubing
      Snowshoeing
      Ice Skating
      Snowmobiling
      WINTER
      SUMMER
      WINTER
      SUMMER
    • Close
FREEQUOTE
Writer, photographer and broadcaster Crai S Bower cycles in the Magdalen Islands, wanders Sable Island sand dunes and paddles about Lake Kipawa for more than 30 publications including Delta Sky, Explore and The Province. Follow his Canadian travel obsession on Instagram @CanadaFiles

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Glistens High Above Golden

Monday, 23 September 2019 by Crai Bower

Don’t stare at the Kicking Horse trail map for too long. The diamond glare might hurt your eyes as in 39 black diamonds to go with 60, yes 6-0, double-black runs. It’s no surprise the very same topography that defines this mountain provides what most consider the best backcountry fodder in the world. There’s really no other way to put it, the Horse’s badassedness resides in a corral all its own.

Like everyone I know who’s skied here I still vividly remember my first time. I was heading to the backcountry out of Golden for a few days so I figured I’d warm-up at Kicking Horse, ease my legs into my boots before tackling the challenging stuff deep in the Purcell Range. I hadn’t bothered to look at the trail map, figuring one interior B.C. ski area was pretty much like any other Powder Highway stop. After my first 4,000-plus foot vertical descent I suddenly felt like that kid who hadn’t bothered to study for a test only to enter class and discover it was the final exam. (Come to think of it I was that kid!)

My saving grace on the mountain was the justification that cutting down blue Sluiceway and Cloud Nine all day would preserve my lactic acid for what was to come. In other words, I had a ready to excuse take it easy. “Let’s stick to the bowls and gullies,” I suggested to my partner, an outstanding skier who doubles as a Seattle architect. “There’s no reason to pop onto the ridgelines given where we’re heading.”

He readily agreed.

I didn’t harbor the same excuse the next time I pulled into Golden and, truth be told (again!), my previous backcountry foray had paled in comparison to the “warm up” terrain anyway. On that day I’d peeked at all the chutes just below Eagle’s Eye Restaurant off CPR Ridge with a ready excuse to avoid them. Not so this trip. It was time to see what all the hype was about, the chatter about the regular Freeski IFSA Nationals held here and the 100+ diamond runs that glitter like the studs in David Beckham’s ears.

It may sound strange but CPR Ridge reminds me a little of the coral reef in Indonesia. Though individually named, the chutes are so abundant they’re just listed as 49-64 on the trail map. What recalls diving in Komodo National Park is their diversity, not simply this ladder or that gap.  One could spend the day floating around down “Spurline,” “Iron Horse” or, my favorite, “Craigellachie” and never get bored.

The mundane does not actually exist anywhere at Kicking Horse, one of those rare resorts where you can ski every terrain type on a single run, an unanticipated virtue, at least by me, of skiing a hill top-to-bottom on a regular basis. I’d sum it up this way, to steal a cliché and turn a few stomachs: Kicking Horse is a little bit backcountry and a little bit rock and roll.

“Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

Words by Crai Bower
Photos by Felix Dallaire & Nick Nault

Read more
  • Published in Uncategorized, Winter
No Comments

Recent Posts

  • Triple Dip: Why You Want to Make It to Kicking Horse This Winter

    They call it the jet stream—a narrow band of wi...
  • Spring – Summer Boo Update

        Before spring turned into summer,...
  • New season, new systems

    New season, new systems! How to smooth out your...
  • Biking Trail Map

    KHMR_bikemap_2021...
  • Thank You for a Great Winter!

    Hello Everyone! We have come to the end of our ...

 News & Press Releases

 Archives

Business Hours

28Saturday
CurrentlyOpen 1
PARTNERS
SIGNUP FOR THE LATEST NEWS & RESORT SPECIALS
From Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
SIGN UP
CONTACT US
Reservations:
1 (800) 258-7669

information@skircr.com

1500 Kicking Horse Trail,
Golden, BC V0A 1H0

ABOUT RCR

About RCR
Media Inquiries
Job Postings
Donations
Partners
INFORMATION

Contact Us
Experience Survey
Hours of Operation
Winter Member Benefits
Frequently Asked Questions
Waivers
Summit Fund
Utility Services
Rent Charge
HOW TO ORDER

Online Store
By Phone
Installment Plan
LEGAL & POLICY INFORMATION

Accommodation Policy
Pass Upgrade Policy
Refund Policy
Privacy Policy
CONTACT US JOBS PRIVACY POLICY SAFETY TERMS AND CONDITIONS PRESS RELEASES UTILITIES
TOP