February 06, 2005
Back from Kicking Horse
Well I survived... between the drive across the Trans-Canada Highway, Rogers Pass, the water slide at the hotel and the steepest terrain I've ever ridden, I was sure that this road trip might be my last. Having said that, it was one of the most spectacular road trips that I've ever gone on.
Trying to cram 12 hours of driving and two full days of boarding into 2 days proved to be a massive logistical exercise. I had to pick the car up on Monday morning, drive up to Big White then load the van up. Then after work, we drove 3 hours to Revelstoke where we stayed the night. At the crack of dawn, we ended up leaving for Golden across Rogers Pass, rising up to 1300m, then dropping back down to 500m. The road is often shut because of avalanches, fog, snow storms.That's one sketchy piece of road.
By the time we did reach the base of Kicking Horse, everyone was really excited. From the carpark, you could see the immense potential of this hill. After getting our tickets, we were soon on the long gondola up to the top and we weren't disappointed. 4000 vertical feet later, and we're standing on the ridge of 2 massive bowls and a view out across the Rockies. With clear blue skies, it looked like we were standing in Heaven.
Before arriving, we had heard rumours about Kicking Horse, "the steepest, gnarliest terrain you'll ever ride". Nothing we saw or rode over the two days did anything to dispel those rumours. In fact, we are in the process of adding to Kicking Horse's reputation. It is in fact the steepest, gnarliest terrain I've ever ridden. Another thing we noticed was the level of riding was so impressive. There was one guy on telemarks who was riding moguls, then on the groomed part started riding switch. On bloody Telemarks!!!
The nightlife in Golden is nothing to write home about. We were the only patrons in the entire pub (of which there are 2 in Golden). I felt sorry for Martini (yes her real name) the bar girl who had the honourable charge of kicking us out at closing time. Needless to say we were in no mood (or state of mind) to move on.
After the copious amounts of Kokanee and miscellaneous dietry habits of the night before, the gondola ride up the next morning was a bit smelly. Being stuck in an enclosed space with 7 people letting rip makes for a very long 20 minute ride to the summit.
One final note to all road trip planners: if you have the choice between two places to stay, and one has a waterslide.... you don't REALLY need to think about which place you're going to stay at, do you?