Southern Alberta Ski Getaway
Are you looking for the ultimate ski getaway in Alberta? My friend, Rowan, and I spent a few days in February at a fun and not-so-little ski resort in southern Alberta, and I can’t wait to share all about our experience with you from Castle Mountain Ski Resort, a ski-in/ski-out resort just 1.5 hours west of Lethbridge:
Castle Mountain Ski Resort
My pal, Rowan, and I were lucky enough to check it out for a weekend and can’t wait head back there. We like to classify ourselves as “professional mediocre leisure athletes,” we are definitely far from hard core. Rowan and I like to showcase that you don’t have to be great at your hobbies to enjoy them. We always strive to learn and grow, but we are comfortable with the knowledge that we aren’t the best! If you’re new to skiing or snowboarding, know that they are extremely rewarding and so much fun to enjoy with friends. I would recommend that you sign up for a lesson or two which will give you the confidence to explore the hill!
GETTING THERE
If you’re anything like Rowan, you’re going to want a map or GPS to get to Castle Mountain Resort. At a certain point during your drive, you’ll run out of service, so make sure you have a back-up offline map like Sygic (this is free and works on CarPlay). From the North end of Calgary, expect a 3-hour drive. The nearest town is Pincher Creek, and there are many hamlets and communities that you’ll drive through. If you’re coming from YEG, like I did, it is best to do an overnight trip in Calgary as it is about a 6-hour drive from Edmonton to Castle. Make sure to download podcasts as music, especially since you lose service.
ABOUT CASTLE MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT
Castle Mountain Resort opened in 1965 originally with only 2 T-bar lifts, and is now the second largest resort in Alberta. There are 6 lifts, 8 alpine bowls across 2 mountains and more than 94 trails. It is home to one of North America’s only resort based cat skiing operation; the Powder Stagecoach. You can escape to the resort in the summer to enjoy the abundant hiking trails leading to two alpine lakes.
Castle Mountain Resort is in the heart of Castle Provincial Park and Castle Wildland Provincial Park, which was established in 2017. The resort itself holds tons of history; from hosting the 1975 Canada Winter Games alpine events (which brought record snowfall, avalanches and temporary evacuations), to the lodge being destroyed by a fire the following year in 1976. The ski resort still operated after the fire without the day lodge until it was rebuilt. Throughout the years, Castle Mountain Resort switched owners and filed for many expansion approvals & denials; all to lead to what Castle Mountain Resort is today.
The resort has many beginner-friendly trails, as well as expert terrain. I have nothing to comment about the expert terrain, other than it looks nice from the distance! We hung out on the Huckleberry Chair for the most part, and were surprised and intrigued by the general lack of signage. At first it caused us some stress (I like predictability), but then we learned to enjoy the surprise factor, and realized that no matter which way we went, we would be [relatively] okay. Make sure you grab a trail map when you arrive so you can generally plan where you want to spend your day! A friendly reminder that this area gets VERY windy, so dress accordingly!
WHAT TO PACK ON A SKI TRIP TO CASTLE MOUNTAIN RESORT
If you’re a seasoned rider, you can skip this part. If you are new to skiing or snowboarding, read on!
Base layers (wool or synthetic)
Knee-high Ski socks (wool or synthetic, and not too thick)
Warm waterproof gloves or mittens
Neck tube
Thin beanie to wear under rental helmet
Snow pants and jacket — Snow pants WITHOUT rips, at that. If you’ve watched Rowan and I on Instagram, you should know the struggles we both have with snow pants and rips! Oops!
Snow goggles
As for rentals, you’ll end up needing skis (or board), boots, poles (if skiing), and a helmet. You’ll likely leave your shoes in the rental shop, so perhaps wear a pair that you don’t care much about in case they grow legs. A pair of easy slip-on’s are best for places like this!
WHAT SETS CASTLE MOUNTAIN RESORT APART FROM OTHER RESORTS
Castle Mountain Resort is like stepping back to a simpler time in the past, with the resort celebrating their 50-year anniversary back in 2016. The vibe is seriously laid-back and friendly, which you definitely can’t say about many resorts these days. The Huckleberry Chair takes you past an eclectic assortment of privately-owned cottages, ranging from cozy trailer-style to some extravagant mansions.
After all these years, the resort still remains true to its humble roots. Castle isn’t run by any mega-corporation - it has been owned and operated since 1996 by skiers who are driven by adrenaline. With the parking lot being a hop, skip and a jump, with good food & coffee at your fingertips, and the friendliest lift attendants around, you will not be disappointed when you make the trip to Castle. Because the Resort lies on the eastern shoulder of the Continental Divide, you can usually wake up to find a fresh blanket of snow, averaging at 910cm/year; one of the highest snowfalls at ski resorts across Alberta.
With the world finally starting to ramp up again, that means the return of events! Castle is known for their live band nights at the T-bar and various events throughout the season, and they are finally getting back to it! They are hosting live music nights, night skiing, demo days, scavenger hunts and more. They also have snowshoe & fine dining tours. In the summer, they have activities like disc golf, horseback riding and hiking.
Castle Provincial Park
One thing we found accessible about this resort is that they offer Full Mountain Access Lift Tickets, but they also offer Limited Access Lift Tickets; tickets to only specific chairs. You can buy a ticket to the Huckleberry Chair for a full day or 1 single ride, or a full day for the Green Chair. We would have benefited from the Huckleberry pass since we figured out this was our preferred area.
There is no cell service at the resort, so be prepared to disconnect while you’re on the hill. The T-Bar, day lodge, and hotel all have Wi-Fi, so you won’t have to completely go off the grid!
Right from the hill parking lot you have access to backcountry snowmobile and cross-country ski trails. If you do head out into the backcountry, make sure that you are prepared and have read the park regulations.
WHERE TO STAY
The wide array of options offers accommodations for all budgets; hostel, hotel, RV camping, and tons of ski-in/out cabins. If you’re someone that craves a hot tub, I would recommend a cottage! There are tons of properties available for large groups and families, but also for smaller parties as well. The hotel/hostel has a sauna, but it was closed due to the obvious unfortunate state of the world, but hoping it’ll open back up soon!
We stayed in a hotel room, and it was exactly what we needed. Two comfortable beds, an exceptionally clean bathroom, a fridge, table, and TV. I packed my Google Chromecast, which was perfect to catch up on silly reality shows after a long day on the hill. If that’s not an option for you, there are tons of DVD’s and cable TV as well.
While we were there, we couldn’t help but dream of what it would be like to live at Castle Mountain Resort as we saw locals going to and from their homes. Just imagine waking up at the crack of dawn, doing some work and then hitting the ski hill for the rest of the day, and then being able to ski back down to your front door. If you’re looking for a ski-in, ski-out vacation property, this is your spot (and don’t forget to invite us!).
WHERE TO EAT
If you’re staying for a night or two (or more!) the hotel has a good-sized fridge in each room, and I’m sure the cottages have a full kitchen setup. The breakfast options in the day lodge are great and it opens at 8:00am. For lunch you can either head to the T-Bar or the day lodge, and at the T-Bar, I would recommend the burger, house salad (I can’t resist candied pecans), and the pizza (O M G). The day lodge has everything you can expect at a ski hill and then some. You can get boxed “bowls” and charcuterie if you’re not feeling the standard options!
They also have the Sundance Snack Shack outside of the hotel/hostel, which is just a little take-out window for snacks so you don’t need to go inside in the day lodge, but while we were there it was closed.
With no on-hill grocery or liquor store, make sure you have all of your essentials prior to your arrival.
Disclaimer: Our stay was complimentary in exchange for content creation.
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