Kicking Horse — Last Mountain Standing

Two weeks ago, following what was already a dry early season in British Columbia, a tropical storm made its way inland from the Coast and released a deluge upon the southern part of the province for five days.

In strictly technical terms, we call these storms “pineapple express’.” Rarely do they last this long, and usually they taper off with massive amounts of snow as the cold sets back in. This time however, not much skiing survived. Except in two places: Whistler and Kicking Horse.

Unbeknownst to most, Kicking Horse has stellar mid-winter conditions in the alpine right now. About half the mountain is plastered in stuck-on, supportive snow, and it’s game on.

Though the resort is recommending downloading from Catamount chair down, there is enough snow to ski out, and small amounts are trickling in and improving it daily.

If you’re in the Kootenays and want to ski the alpine from the cushy comfort of a lift, this is where it’s at right now. Be warned that the lower mountain is not for the feint of heart, but the chutes and bowls are in amazing early season shape.

Here’s what it looked like this week: