Steep enough for ya?

What is it with resort names? Rarely do they describe what's really going on. Take Kicking Horse, British Columbia: it kicks, for sure, but Kicking Mountain Goat might be nearer the mark. Steep does not adequately describe what's going on here, and the resort is pretty straightforward about what they've got: if you're a beginner or anything less than a very adventurous intermediate, it's nothing personal, but they don't want you here - there are plenty of more suitable places. Michael Dalzell, the resort's sales & marketing director took a reluctant break from his office to explain it all to me today in the Eagle's Eye restaurant on the peak, shortly before demonstrating what he was talking about on the way down - that's him on the left.
So if you think steep skiing is for you, bring it on. There are places with comparable challenge - Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Chamonix, Alagna, Engelberg, Verbier - but only La Grave shares Kicking Horse's ultra-simple layout. Basically, one gondola rises from 3900ft (1190m) to 7700ft (2450m) without stopping, passing go, or collecting $200. For a few years that was it - head on down via any number of ungroomed bowls, ridgelines and thick forest, perhaps leaving your plan for the day with someone who cared enough to raise the alarm if you were more than a few hours late. There's even a grizzly named Boo fast asleep in the middle of a thicket halfway down the mountain, for Pete's sake, who tends to wake up ravenous when spring arrives a little early.
Things have changed, a bit, with one groomed run 'guaranteed' from the top, a couple of quad chairs for variety, and some really nice ski-in ski-out accommodation, but they can't really kid anyone. Nor should anyone kid themselves or a local guide that they're up to the mark. It's not just the pitch but the length of the drop, and all of this without having to hike more than ten minutes, though there's even more to north and south beyond bounds where the snow (a strong point, generally) is even better. So if you ever thought you really knew how to ride, or you're Scandinavian, get out here, now.

Rocky Mountain High

I have a confession to make: until a week ago, I'd never skied in Canada ('Get out of here!', as the locals would say).
But I've been making up for lost time: 4 resorts later and a trip across the Rockies, west to east, I'm even getting to know the wildlife. The critter count includes one moose, an elk, a coyote which circled our stationary car 3 times (looking hungry), a snowshoe hare and loads of Canadian skiers (when there's a hint of snow in the air, they'll drive for hours to make turns at the weekend), along with a sprinkling of Australians, Kiwis and Brits.
The route so far: Whistler, Jasper (Marmot Basin), Lake Louise and Kicking Horse. Highlights to come in later posts, but for now, a couple of things: what is it with North Americans and coffee? They discuss it in Canada and in the US like it's a matter of life and death, and then they serve you a cup of brown water. Please, go to Italy, just once, even if there isn't much snow there right now, and learn about real coffee.
The other thing: any Europeans going to the trouble of flying all this way should arrange their trip to include more than one resort, if possible, and some off-mountain stuff too. Yes, the snow is frequently great and the lift lines are mostly short, but the resorts are not where the essence of the country resides. You get the full flavour on the move, whether it's on the coast road north of Vancouver, the VIA rail journey across the Rockies, or the Icefields Parkway through some of Canada's most impressive scenery. Some resorts talk of developing their bases and on-mountain facilities to make you feel more at home, but essentially these are still places to ski and board to the max and then leave at the end of the day. A magical exception is the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, which might just be the most perfect winter getaway in the world, never mind the Rockies. You'll have to skin or snowshoe for your turns out there, but even die-hard piste bashers would get the point in these surroundings.

There is a snow god

Chamonix, France: the resort breathes a sigh of relief. La neige est arrivée. Here and in most ski resorts in the French, Swiss and Austrian Alps. And it's just in time, just as we were writing off 2007 as the ski season that wasn't, after 3 long weeks of unseasonably warm weather, cloud-less skies and ever louder cries from the doomsayers about global warming. Temperatures today in Chamonix - 10 below at resort level - are far from warm. Higher up on the slopes the cold is biting. Cold enough to justify a snood? It's never that cold.

As dumps of snow go this one was near perfect, big fat flakes falling mainly overnight and whitewashing trees, mountains and pavements. Skiers and boarders woke this morning to a blue sky day and get-me-to-them-quickly white peaks. Les Grands Montets looked good. Le Tour looked good. Damn even Les Houches looked good. But is this week's snowfall enough to make a real difference? Should the fence-sitters book their ski holiday now? Well, Geneva (ok, so it's not a ski resort, but first impressions count when you step off the plane) hasn't had this much snow in 16 years. Where it matters, up on the hill, the piste conditions are definitely better. Less icy, fewer rocks poking through, and less grass visible. Sub-text (and read knowing I'm a glass half-full kind of person): we still need more. On more exposed slopes the wind has whipped the powder into stiff white waves pushing today's avalanche risk up to "considerable" (3/5). Phat boy skis back in the box, you will have your day (though this year you might have to go to Whistler).

This week's snowfall does at least confirm the difference a day can make, and if things get really desperate we can always join in with these guys…