Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Canada - BC

John from UNITED STATES writes:

Revelstoke (Revelstoke Mountain Resort) has amazing potential, but it's not there yet. The lift-served terrain is magnificent cruising (with perfect grooming) with some good tree-skiing, but the access to the alpine is extremely limited. To become the resort it claims to be, they need lift access to the alpine, otherwise regardless of the big vertical, they will never be the competition for Whistler they want to be (which I'm sure some people will like). The crowds are small, which from a Whistlerite's perspective is like Nirvana. Most of the glades they claim need thinning. Run design is excellent though, with great fall lines and few of the road/catwalk issues that plague Blackcomb say. Overall though, mountain operations run very well.

Base operations, however, leave a lot to be desired. The day lodge was too small to accommodate even a modest crowd, and the food setup led to severe inefficiencies. With marginal retail and food options, they seemed to be leaving a lot of potential revenue on the table. Facilities at the road level are almost non-existent. (Hopefully this will change with the opening of the condos.)

Overall, the ski 'resort' of Revelstoke Mountain Resort is more like an overgrown day area with unreal potential. It's not quite ready for prime time, but that also makes it a great time to visit.

Revelstoke itself, is a charming town, with great people.

2009-04-14