Dry-land Training

Where is all the snow!? I rode my bike by the Alpine Resort sign today (in shorts) on a beautiful bluebird day. There doesn't seem to be any precipitation not to mention freezing conditions to promote fluffy white stuff falling from the sky.  With these unseasonably dry conditions I have decided to try and make the best of it and get out on my bike, hit the gym, and put in some serious running sessions on the track.

Vanier Track with the Glacier in the background!

Before moving to the Comox Valley, I have somewhat avoided the track.  I spent a few years slogging it out on the track at UBC. Actually, the University didn't even have a real track and we used the one that was in Richmond. The Minoru Athletic Centre catered to us but we had to bus out there every T, TH, and S for the majority of the year. Well, now I have come full circle and once again I see the benefits of calculated pacing. Coincidentally, just this spring, the Vanier track was re-surfaced to become a nice flat and fast rubberized tarmac.  No lines are painted yet but I just stick to the inside lane anyway. Luckily I have a few friends that keep me honest by putting in solid work at the track weekly (sometimes daily).

Vince working on his quad strength

Les showing us how 8x800m should be done (fast)

Sun Peaks Resort Review

Stats:

Vertical: 882m (2894ft)
Skiable Acres: 3678
Highest elevation 2152m (7060ft)
Runs: 124
Inbound Chutes: 13 (glades)
Avg Snowfall Base:
Avg Snofall Alpine: 197cm
Lifts: 7 - 3 high speed quads, 3 fixed quads and t-bar
Cross Country Trails: 30km groomed
Time Driving to hill: 25 minutes (14km)
The score is based on these quality points out of 10.

Terrain:  6.0 - I originally thought I would give it sub par, a 5 or less, but I had a look at the map again and decided that it was larger than I thought. There is time to get lost on the hill and many secret pockets to explore. The downfall is that 60-70% of the hill is too damn flat (for my liking) there are many long traverses to just waste time riding out. 

Snow Pack: 5.0 - Yearly averages are in the Sub 150cm range. There website only states annual accumulated snowfall (of 559cm) and doesn't even post avg base level.  This year was an anomaly because they already had 150cm by late December. On the lower hill there are many bushes, logs and stumps showing through on the open runs. Ideally these would become fluffy pillows to drop off, but there is not enough snow for that. 

Snow Management: 4.0 - This low score to me means that there is LOTS of management; groomers on every run. Everything is groomed flat and that is needed due to the pancake status of the hill. 

Lift Access: 6.5 - A variety of lifts ranging from low speed to high speed. One large downfall was the lowest lift (Burfield) took 24minutes from bottom to top! This was 2.5x what I expect a lift to take low OR high speed. It was windy and cold and took too long to get another run in at the end of the day. 

Day Lodge & Amenities: 8.5 - This size of the village is huge! There are tons of coffee shops, pubs and restaurants around the area. The options are endless.
Cross country Trails:  7.5 - 30km of groomed trails around the Morrisey ridge loop with some decent hills to boot.
Ticket Price: 7.5 - $76 Adult full day, $1099 Adult season.
Distance to Town: 6.5 - It is 58km winding road that takes around 1hr to drive the distance. I gave an extra 1.5 bonus point because Sun Peaks is now a municipality itself!
Quality of town: 6.0 - I particularly like small valley towns and neither the Sun Peaks municipality or the city of Kamloops fills this void. They both have everything a person would need, but the vibe isn't quite there for me. Good for families and small groups!
Accomodation: 8.0 - The resort and surrounding town of Sun Peaks has plenty of places to sleep including an on-hill hostel! Kamloops has everything you would need in price range for sleeping.

Overall: 65.5 points

 

 

 

 

Alpine Resort Review

I have decided to focus on some Alpine and Nordic skiing.  First  of all, I'm not that good at it but I want to get better.  I have recently completed a little road trip through a handful of BC ski resorts and wanted to get a total sensory experience of a resort. I have ranked my exposure to each resort and nearby town.
This ranking is completely my point of view; I will review the overall ability of a ski resort to cater to my every need. I have judged these resorts on an unbiased very selfish and biased scale as I'm a self described powder hound/glades hungry typical skier. I don't want to see crowded out groomed ski runs or scraped dry mogul fields; I want steep and deep powder glades hidden from the masses of tourists (which is hypocritical because I'm in essence a tourist!).  My preference is that I want an easy-going pub and lounge area on the day lodge instead of a 5-star dressed up restaurant. I want to be able to get to the nearby town within a few minutes not an hour+ drive. Here are my outlines of grading based on a ten point scale;

Terrain: A zero is flat with no ability to ride through trees, a 10 is steep and gladed out trees with not too many tuck-outs or traverses.

Snow Pack: Checking the overall base and mid-mountain snow, but overall quality of snow, wet vs. dry.

Snow management: Is every run groomed, is or are there some open rough open country.

Lift Access: fixed-gear low speed old chairs or high-speed/gondola new engineering marvels.

Day Lodge & Amenities: Mid mountain lodges easy access, base of hill pubs with relaxed atmosphere.
Cross Country Trails: First, do they have some, are they groomed, quality of trails.

Price of ticket: lower price is better. This is comparing day pass vs. seasonpass in alpine and nordic.

Distance to Town: What is the drive to the nearest town. I don't want to be needing to drive a few hours to home or hotel.

Quality of town:  What is the town's vibe and feel.  Pubs, restaurants, cool coffee shops...

Accomodation: Are there places to stay or rent in the area.


Please see following Mountain Resorts Review:

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Silver Star Resort
Sun Peaks Resort
Fernie Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort