BC mountain towns or Banff 2012/13?
Replies: 9 - Last Post: Jul 11, 2012 7:54 AM Last Post By: roremc
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BC mountain towns or Banff 2012/13?
G'day, i'm 24 and going to BC next winter for the season and am after advice of where to live. I have been reading up on all previous posts and still can't make up my mind. I won't be working and will be living off my savings for the season. Hence Whistler is out due to its cost rent. I am considering Banff, however it sounds close to as expensive as Whistler for accommodation. Plus there may be an issue of finding accommodation if i do not have a job as you may be required to have one to reside within the national park. The type of accommodation i would be looking for is just a room in a share house. Which leads me to my most likely option of just picking one of the smaller mountain towns for the season. Does anyone have any tips, pros, cons for best mountain for boarding (i am an average boarder nothing flash) vs rent (cost and availability) vs night life in the towns of Rossland (red mountain) Revelstoke, Nelson (White water) or Fernie or any other suggested small town i haven't come across yet? A mate is telling me to go to Rossland because he loved it when he went there 10 years ago, another lad i know went there last season for a look and wasn't a fan.Cheers,
Zac
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Don't worry about the working to live in Banff thing. Its a joke. Never enforced! Banff IMO is cheaper than Whistler. Keep in mind the GST in Alberta is 5% not like 12% in BC.In Banff its easy to get to other resorts if you don't have a car. There are shuttles each day to Sunshine, Lake Louise, Norquay, Nakiska and Kicking Horse (at a cost of course!)
Rossland, Nelson and Revi all have great hills. Nightlife will be limited though compared to Banff or Whistler.If you put nightlife aside I would hit Revi. If you want a balance check out Banff.
When are you coming? The resorts in Alberta and BC have varied seasons so your timing may come into your final decision.
Oh and Banff is Alberta BTW. Some here will get mad if you don't make the distinction! : )
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Cheers for the tips mate, I was thinking of heading over about mid December, but I am thinking that may be a bit too late. When do the resorts around Banff usually open and when is it worth coming with decent snow. I am sure that it changes year to year depending on the weather but there must be some sort of rule of thumb?? I'm not that ignorant about the distinction between BC and Banff, probably should try better not to come across that way. haha. Ah yeh also, when does Revi usually get goin as well??3
December is not a bad time to come. You don't have to worry about a job so thats a great start.Banff resorts open early November but don't hit 100% until December. The best months for snow are Feb, March and April. Although because its stays cold as littlechilds said the snow is very reliable. Some resorts like Fernie can get warm spells which means it can rain all the way to the top in Jan/Feb.
Revi opens early December and is at 100% by the new year. They have a shorter season so its only good until the end of March. Having said that the snow Banff gets in 6 months revi gets more of it and gets it in 4 months so they have powder galore and if you get powder during the week you will be loving it. Nightlife is the only realy problem with Revi and its also hard to get to other hills unless you buying a car.
These are general rules. I have seen Lake Louise open in early November with a thin strip of man made and I have also ridden some super steeps in mid November because they have crazy amounts of snow. Once you get past the early season snow is not an issue in either place.
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I had the most brilliant time working a summer in Banff, but I really struggled to find a place. You need to rememebr that there are not all thay many proprties in proportion to the number of workers passing through for seasons.Many will get accommodation through work but there are still many that won't.
Haivng said that, there is quite often plaes floating around if you keep your eyes peeled in the weekly papers and bulliten boards, but you may be paying a pretty penny.
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Well i guess i will just head to Banff and play it by ear, if i can't find a place to stay for the season i'l just pack up my bat and ball and head to Revi7
Hi! Just joining in as I am also planning to head to Banff for the winter season this year. I have a visa and am planning to work, but have some savings as a cushion. My worry, like yours, is finding somewhere to live. It seems to be much harder to find info/adverts about season accommodation in Banff than many other ski resorts! Have you found anything yet? Perhaps we can share links and tips?9
Hayley don't sweat it too much. Show up and have enough cash to get you through a month in a hostel. Doubt it would take that long to find something. THousands of people do it each season in Banff and I have only heard of a handful that have left early. That usually has more to do with the cold than the housing/job situation.
