Revelstoke - Longest Vertical in North America
And a little comparison to Jackson
My previous post described the drive to Revelstoke from Idaho. It is like visiting another world. Remember the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? The views become magical like the view from the closet when first seeing Narnia.
When turning into the town of Revelstoke it is unlike the typical ski town such as Teton Village (Jackson), Vail, Keystone, Whistler….It is simply a smallish mountain town. There is no hint of a mega ski resort just 5 minutes up the road. No tacky trinket stores, no traffic jams, no fur coats, no garden of Versailles landscaping. Just a medium sized mountain town in the beautiful Canadian Rockies.
Revelstoke exists because of the Canadian railroads. It was a core operations center of the railroad. So I pulled into the train museum to get a flavor for this history. Nice enough, but so disappointing to discover the name Revelstoke comes from a railroad tycoon from England who was instrumental in creating the town. I was primed for a fantasy story about a mountain man with great Revel who stoked the mountain Gods. (Or something like that..) Nope;, just a rich English dude.
After visiting the train museum and buying a few souvenirs it was on to the mountain. When last here in 2017 with son Ryan, the base area looked like the beginnings of Snowbird, but then it ran out of money. Two gondolas, a fancy hotel, one restaurant and a couple small retail shops. It was sterile concrete. The base area has seen some additions but still lacks charm. If you want a beautiful ski village environment this is not it. There is not a cafeteria boot up type place at the base. Everyone boots up in the parking lot. Revelstoke is not the only ski area that does this, but I still dislike it. Makes the beginning of the experience less pleasant. Here is their compromise, a dungeon like locker room where one can pay for storage.
The good news is that parking is close, level and dirt so easy on ski boot soles. Also very laid back on dealing with RV’s. No registration, no fees, just a sign saying where to park. A modest walk to the base area, just the outer ring of “normal” parking.
On a side note, I saw this Earth Roamer rig parked near me. It looked cool so I took a picture and looked for owner to appear.
Interesting guy. Travels with his wife skiing for months and also does a lot of fly fishing in remote places. Lives in Maine, had a successful commercial fishing business with multiple boats. Just sold the business. Price of one these Earth Roamers is 750 to 800K! Must have been a VERY successful fishing business. But no more than a second mountain home I guess. I don’t see that in my future. (Second home or Earth Roamer. Although moving to the mountains might be possible some day.)
What about the skiing you say? Like nowhere else you have ever been is my answer. No hyperbole here, it really is that big and steep. I will compare it to Jackson for context. I know Jackson pretty well as I lived there one season right out of high school and when people think steep and deep Jackson is always at or near the top of the list.
Some stats:
Revelstoke averages 413 inches of snow per season over the last 10 years. Jackson is about the same.
5,620 lift accessed vertical feet. Jackson is 4,139
3,121 acres. Jackson is 2,500 acres.
Single day lift ticket is $139 Canadian. (About 111 US) Jackson is $201. Both mountains are on the Ikon Pass.
Now for some opinions/judgments. First let’s make it clear both these places are epic. No axe to grind, love skiing both places. Here we go, bullet form:
Revy is steep, so is Jackson. Tons of tree skiing at Revy, like Jackson there is a lot exploring to be done.
With only two gondolas at Revy one can easily do top to bottom skiing if you like. Although many seem to ski the top chairs “ripper” and “stoke”. At 1,600 and 2,000 feet this is plenty of skiing in one run. My experience at Jackson is that you really can’t ski laps on the tram. The line gets way too long.
Jackson has better views going up in my opinion. Many cliff faces and open bowls to feast your eyes on. Looking down the mountain they are both spectacular.
The vibe is very different. Revy has a much more laid back feel. You hear foreign languages being spoken often. Kind of European. Jackson is a scene. The place to be if you are a serious skier in the United States.
The town of Revelstoke is a real town. Tourism has not taken over. The town of Jackson Hole has not been a real town for decades. It is all tourism.
Cost of a ski vacation at Revy is significantly less. Ball park, lodging is double or triple at Jackson and typically sold out.
Teton village is way way cooler and interesting than the small village at Revelstoke.
If you fly, Jackson is a lot easier to get to with a major airport close. Flying to Revelstoke typically means flying to Calgary and driving 5 hours, although there is a small plane option at considerable expense. But note that the scenery on the drive is spectacular. Be sure to visit the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise on the way. The building and setting is jaw dropping.
I skied Jackson in 2021. It was during the week on a powder day. It was crowded, too crowded. Revelstoke is not crowded, although the marquee runs do attract a lot of skiers. On my way down the mountain on the lower half there was virtually no one on the runs.
Getting hit
I used to be one of the fastest skiers on the run I was skiing. Not racing fast but faster than pretty much everyone on the run. One of the big advantages of skiing fast is that it is very unlikely you will get hit. Almost always a collision occurs when the faster skier coming from uphill hits the slower skier from behind or the side.
When feeling my oats I occasionally do let them run on a wide groomer but not so much on a narrow run or when it is really steep.
Revelstoke, like Jackson, attracts a lot of really good skiers. Fast skiers. In my day I would carry speed all the way to the bottom, even when it becomes narrow. This day my knee wasn’t feeling so great so I pulled off to the side in the narrow slot at the bottom of the run and watched the freeway of skiers zip past me to the lift. It appeared there was an opening so I went down the final couple hundred yards. It was moderately steep with some moguls so I skied slowly and went all the way across the narrow slope to keep my speed down. After two turns there was suddenly this guy running right into my face. I turned left toward the middle of the slope from the right side and apparently he came from above where I could not see him. I had just enough time to get my hands up so we didn’t hit helmet to helmet.
He apologized in a thick German accent and skied down to the lift. I was not hurt but just stunned this happened to me. In 60 years of skiing this is the only time I have been hit. Still pisses me off months later.
(There was one time when I made a mistake in my twenty’s going too fast and had to pick up a kid as I ran into him from behind. No one was hurt but it shook me up. I have been very careful ever since.)
Backcountry
In a previous posts I have written about safety and backcountry skiing. I believe it is MUCH more likely I could get hurt at a ski area than backcountry skiing. A typical backcounty experience is skiing with 3 to 10 people. In most cases you are skiing in pairs, or alone on a steep section, not all at once down the slope. Very unlikely a collision would or could occur. I don’t ski in avalanche terrain (30 degrees or steeper) unless the conditions are super safe. I will always ski with a guide in backcountry I am not super familiar with and for sure stay off steep slopes.
A crowded ski area is like going down a road with no lanes and essentially no speed limit. Try visiting the first aid area of a ski area some day in the afternoon. You will likely be shocked at the number of injured skiers.
Back to Revelstoke
The amazing part of this place is just how long it is. When skiing to the bottom there is always a point where I think, “You have got to be kidding me. I’m still not at the bottom..” It is really that much longer than anything else you have ever skied.
The natural area is stunning. Go for a snowshoe hike. Better yet, hire a guide and rent some backcountry gear. Rogers Pass is a short drive from town. I have not skied it but am told it is fantastic. Think Teton Pass but without the mass of people scrambling to get first tracks.
If you are an expert skier and enjoy big mountain skiing. Revelstoke is something you want to experience. Trust me.
I love Revy and agree with everything you said. I have skied jackson almost as many times as Revy. I find that Jackson is simply overrated... and most days the powder turns to slush or cement within a few hours due to the eastern and southern aspects. Not so at Revy.
Scott, as usual your writing is very entertaining (and informative, too). We'll see you in Revelstoke this winter!