Best ski hill for beginner snowboarder?

[bootsnixon]

Taking the family to Canmore in a couple weeks. Have only snowboarded twice so pretty green. My daughter is also a novice. Wondering what hill you guys recommend? Don't need a ton of area and probably my biggest gripe with boarding is flats. I'm just not good/confidant enough to carry speed across level areas so would like to avoid that. I imagine I would struggle with the ski-out at Sunshine so lean away from there and have been to Nakiska last year so it would not be my first choice for this trip either. Am considering Louise or Norquay? Thoughts?

[bootsnixon]

Oops, I'm in the tech forum. How do I move this to Off Topic?

[peter12]

Man, I miss Wintergreen.

[Flames0910]

I'd say Norquay is probably a decent option for ya. If you're going to be in Canmore for a couple weeks and are fairly new to the sport, save yourself some driving and start there. You can always head out to Louise for a day or two if you get bored of the terrain or want a change of scenery.

If you do end up at Louise don't do Saddleback (backside from the top of the world lift) as it's got a long runout. Most of the front-side especially the main lift or the gondola are both straightforward / beginner friendly. Ptarmigan / Larch would be good options too.

Don't forget your mask and distancing for the lift lines. Louise is also requiring reservations but other than weekends they don't fill up too often.

[cam_wmh]

COP, Norquay, Nakiska.

[browna]

Originally Posted by peter12

Man, I miss Wintergreen.

Lyon Mountain before that.

Fortress was good as well for intermediate skiers, and the backside and far side had some nice long runs, though the lodge was a sorry excuse (and you could stay in rooms in the lodge, dorm style for 3 bunks to a room and common bathrooms).even for the early 90s.

Norquay I think still has night skiing, which really is a throwback to the 80s.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by browna

Lyon Mountain before that.

Fortress was good as well for intermediate skiers, and the backside and far side had some nice long runs, though the lodge was a sorry excuse (and you could stay in rooms in the lodge, dorm style for 3 bunks to a room and common bathrooms).even for the early 90s.

Norquay I think still has night skiing, which really is a throwback to the 80s.

Fortress brings back memories I haven't thought about in a long time. I was on their Skimeisters team for a few years. That lodge was great. Just walk out the door and put on your skis. I remember waxing up the cafeteria trays and taking them out on the ski runs at night!

I thought it was a great mountain for good skiers too. The runs off the Canadian chair were great mogul runs. Perfect fall line, and a good length to do it in one shot with a good leg burn by the end and no lines. I always felt like I got more hours of hard skiing in, in a day than anywhere else. There was a good OB hike up area as well, that if I remember right wasn't prohibited, just ski at your own risk.

[undercoverbrother]

COP, if you can board/ski that you can do anything.

My kids learnt on Canyon in Red Deer, which was a good little hill for what it was.

[delayedreflex]

I'd actually recommend Sunshine over Louise for beginners, as I think there is a larger variety of green runs (Strawberry and Wolverine chairs in particular, though there are also green runs off of Angel/Teepee Town, Standish and Wawa). You don't have to take the ski-out down if that makes you nervous - you can ride the gondola back down to the parking lot.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by delayedreflex

I'd actually recommend Sunshine over Louise for beginners, as I think there is a larger variety of green runs (Strawberry and Wolverine chairs in particular, though there are also green runs off of Angel/Teepee Town, Standish and Wawa). You don't have to take the ski-out down if that makes you nervous - you can ride the gondola back down to the parking lot.

Are you a skier? Because for a beginner snowboarder Sunshine is awful as you can encounter too many flats, which are discouraging and exhausting.

[undercoverbrother]

if you are new going to Sunshine or Lake Louise is straight up a waste, unless you can ski/board blue runs.

Do not go to those hills for greens, it is a waste of money.

COP or Nakiska is the better cost affective option, IMO.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

if you are new going to Sunshine or Lake Louise is straight up a waste, unless you can ski/board blue runs.

Do not go to those hills for greens, it is a waste of money.

COP or Nakiska is the better cost affective option, IMO.

COP is the best for learning, but he's staying in Canmore with his family, so no point in going there. Nakiska wouldn't be the worst.

If he's not price sensitive, Lake Louise is actually super awesome for learning because you can just post up on Wiwaxy and make a lot of progress on each run since the run is so long. It's also so wide that you never feel rushed or like you're in anybody's way. It also has the most breathtaking views, but obviously you pay for the privilege to be there so wouldn't blame him at all to choose a smaller hill.

[alan21]

Nakiska's main run is a pretty gentle decline and nice and wide open.
That's where I learned back in the day and that's where I'm taking my kids to learn as well.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Are you a skier? Because for a beginner snowboarder Sunshine is awful as you can encounter too many flats, which are discouraging and exhausting.

Agreed. Sunshine is a great hill to learn if you are a skiier. Nice wide open runs and good flats to get used to skiing when no one around.

If you're a snowboarder? Prepare to be tired out and fed up by lunchtime. My one snowboarding buddy who has been boarding for 2 decades straight up says the same thing to his newbie buddies to avoid Sunshine.

[delayedreflex]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Are you a skier? Because for a beginner snowboarder Sunshine is awful as you can encounter too many flats, which are discouraging and exhausting.

Haha good point, yes I only ski so never really thought about how much of a PITA the flat sections would be for snowboarders - I should have realized that avoiding flats was even written in the OP

[bootsnixon]

Thanks for all the advice. We're going to go to Norquay! Hope it's warmed up in the next week and a half. A funny thing about boarding, I find it easier on a steeper incline as it's pretty easy to hold an edge and you don't always need to do a correct turn and can just do one of those janky reverse direction turns if it gets a little hairy. It's those really gentle hills I hate (and flats). I'm not on edge and just kinda sliding down the hill with my board floating around and I'm waiting for it to grab an edge and hurl me to the ground.

Also, another shout out to Canyon!

[troutman]

Originally Posted by peter12

Man, I miss Wintergreen.

Pigeon Mountain


On the trail of Alberta's lost ski hills
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...lost-ski-hills

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Fortress brings back memories I haven't thought about in a long time. I was on their Skimeisters team for a few years. That lodge was great. Just walk out the door and put on your skis. I remember waxing up the cafeteria trays and taking them out on the ski runs at night!

I thought it was a great mountain for good skiers too. The runs off the Canadian chair were great mogul runs. Perfect fall line, and a good length to do it in one shot with a good leg burn by the end and no lines. I always felt like I got more hours of hard skiing in, in a day than anywhere else. There was a good OB hike up area as well, that if I remember right wasn't prohibited, just ski at your own risk.

Funny, neat story.

I too grew up at Fortress. So many memories; the wall, devils gulch, jumping off the far side chair.. etc; The tragic loss of life, of those 4 Western Canada high kids..


Anyway, as I've gotten older, I've been frequenting Japan annually. Of note, was a trip in '17 where me and some buddies stayed at Moiwa Lodge, near Niseko. So one evening, me and a my pals, are having pints in the lil pub within the lodge. We're chatting up the owners, a husband & wife. We start chatting more with the husband, who perks up hearing I grew up in Calgary. (my pals were from MB, and moved in their 20's). Turns out, he spent a season or two at Fortress, as part of some ski team he was on. Reminisced some with him.

He loved skiing then, and he shares it's what he returned to after his career, and bought this lodge. I ask what he did, and he shares he played cricket professionally, which was somewhat lost on us Canadian lads.

https://twitter.com/dirk_nannes

One of my other buds makes pow-sticks, and if you visit his lodge, will find one as a memento, right in the middle of the main timber wall.