Revelstoke Mountain Resort Review
Get revved up and get stoked at Revelstoke Mountain Resort! Corny catch phrases aside, Revelstoke ski resort is continuing to transform itself into becoming one of the biggest and best resorts in Canada. Revelstoke Canada has long been known by cat skiers and heli skiers for the legendary Selkirk powder that falls in abundance. Realising the potential for the perfect location where snow dumps, Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened in the season of 2007-08 and development continues to turn this powder paradise into a mega-resort.
Pros and Cons of Revelstoke Canada
Pros
- The Revelstoke Ski Resort has fantastic terrain for advanced riders.
- The relative tranquillity of Revelstoke and the lack of crowds (on non-powder days) is a bonus.
- For powder hounds, Revelstoke has the great advantage that the area offers resort skiing, cat skiing, and heli skiing (with either Selkirk Tangiers or Eagle Pass Heliskiing), so you can mix and match your powder adventure depending upon the conditions, and of course, your budget.
- You can get a lot of vertical in a day. Undertake an intensive pre-season fitness campaign.
- Much of the accommodation in town is modestly priced.
Cons
- Whilst trying to make some improvements in this area, Revelstoke Mountain Resort still isn’t very good for beginners, and it’s not particularly great for family friendliness.
- The ski resort isn’t great for intermediates either, mostly due to inadequate grooming.
- More powder hunters are making Revelstoke home (at least during the winter), so on powder days the locals come out in force.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- Revelstoke scores good volumes of snow, but the jury is still out on the quality of the snow.
- The Ikon Pass provides limited access to Revelstoke, which is serving to increase the crowds somewhat.
Revelstoke Ski Terrain
Revy is big, big, big – big terrain, big pitch, big snowfall and big vertical. Revelstoke ski resort has 3,121 acres (1,263 hectares) of skiable terrain yet only 75 trails, which gives you an idea of the magnitude of the off-piste offerings. The Revelstoke ski hill has the longest vertical in North America at 1,713 metres/ 5,620 feet (104 metres more than
Whistler Blackcomb), so it’s easy for the thighs to get burnt out after two runs! And the gondola and detachable quad chair lifts are super fast so there’s little rest time.
The
Revelstoke skiing terrain is largely below the treeline and consists of super long steep groomers, mellow groomed runs, moguls, glades, and tree skiing. Alpine bowl skiing is available in the North Bowl and a hike-to area above The Stoke chair.
With terrain split stats of 12% beginner, 43% intermediate (which is exaggerated) and 45% advanced/expert, it’s no great surprise that lots of hot skiers and boarders hang out at Revelstoke ski resort. The main niche of the resort is for advanced riders and those who want to progress to backcountry skiing, and the terrain is OK for experts but not as good as at
Kicking Horse. The resort is not as well suited to beginners or low-end intermediates, but this isn’t to say that these groups won’t find some appropriate terrain at Revelstoke ski resort.
Revelstoke Snow
Revy is renowned for getting lots of snow. Some of the Revelstoke heli skiing areas get a whopping 14-18 metres of powder on average per season, and the resort gets an average of 10.5m. The powder at Revelstoke Mountain Resort can be a little heavy, but no one seems to care considering the quantity of powder days.
Where is Revelstoke Canada?
The Revelstoke ski area is 6km southeast of the town of Revelstoke BC, which is 2 hours drive (199km) away from Kelowna International Airport. There are airport shuttles between Kelowna and Revelstoke, and there are shuttles between the town of Revelstoke and Revelstoke Mountain Resort, but having a rental car is rather handy.
Revelstoke Canada is a key stop on the
BC Powder Highway considering the proliferation of heli skiing, cat skiing and other backcountry options in the area.
Revelstoke Hotels and Accommodation
The base area of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort has grown somewhat in recent years to become a small village. Core to the village are the three buildings of the large
Sutton Place Revelstoke. This hotel provides upscale condo accommodation that is fully ski-in ski-out.
Most of the
Revelstoke accommodation is located downtown or out on or near Highway 1 where there is variety to suit all budgets. In addition to Revelstoke hotels, the town has lodges, motels, and B&Bs.
The culture of the town is quickly transforming to that of a vibrant ski town, rather than the sleepy country town it once was.
To search for accommodation at Revelstoke Mountain or in town, check out the
Revelstoke Accommodation Listings.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort Facilities
The Revelstoke ski resort village is still in its infancy with only a couple of restaurants, a bar, a retail shop, a ski and snowboard rental shop, and snowsports school. Nevertheless the facilities are more than adequate to cover the needs of those on a ski or snowboard trip, and downtown Revelstoke has lots of shops, restaurants and bars.
Despite its label as being a mountain for hard-core skiers and snowboarders, Revelstoke Resort has been trying hard in recent years to attract families and beginners. The area in front of the Sutton Place Hotel has a magic carpet and learner’s slope. The family friendly “evolution” has also included the addition of a child care centre and a good ski school program.
Revelstoke Heli Skiing
Revelstoke BC is a major epicentre of heli skiing due to the abundance of powder and the diversity of terrain.
Eagle Pass is the best Revelstoke heli skiing operation.
Eagle Pass Heliskiing is a boutique operation that only offers small group heli skiing in either single day format, or multi-day packages with lodge accommodation. This is an excellent heliski outfit for experts.
Revelstoke Cat Skiing
The Revelstoke Mountain Resort no longer offers cat skiing within the small area adjacent to the ski resort, but for day cat skiing you can check out Great Northern Snowcat Skiing (transport from Revelstoke provided).
Great Northern Snowcat Skiing also offers 3 and 4 day trips, staying in their lodge at Trout Lake. This Revelstoke cat skiing can cater well to a range of ability levels.
Another Revelstoke cat skiing operation is
Mustang Powder, which has huge terrain and infinite fresh deep powder on offer. You may need to pack your snorkel! This highly reputable cat skiing company provides multi-day trips of 3, 4 or 5 days duration, with luxury accommodation, but your chances of finding availability are pretty slim!
Alternatively
Chatter Creek Cat Skiing is 125km northeast of Revelstoke BC. They offer multi-day cat skiing, but spots here are also hard to come by.