I had visions of an epic start to my Canada week as Castle had received 162cm. over the past week. Unfortunately the final storm last Friday was high density and accompanied by strong winds. It rained just a few hundred feet up the hill (vs. half the vertical at Fernie), so all the off trail skiing both north and south was still good.
The other reason there was little fresh powder is that the Calgary day-trippers have discovered Castle. There were about 1,000 people skiing Sunday and the upper Tamarack chair had 10-15 minute lift lines all day. The locals said I was lucky not to be there Saturday, when 2,050 people (an all-time record according to management) showed up and the line was 30-45 minutes.
Castle is supposedly still empty midweek. The only non-local skier I met was from Montana. And skier density is still minimal, particularly on the sustained south side fall lines.
The south chutes were also a pleasant place to ski due to weather. It was -9F when we arrived at 9AM, not what SoCal skiers are used to. I wore 3 sets of long underwear, gloves liners and a face mask and kept my hood on all day. Fortunately it was sunny with little wind and warmed up to the teens at the base and probably low single digits on top.
Castle's terrain and sustained fall lines remain outstanding even when there isn't powder. It is the mark of a favored ski area when you still have a great day when conditions are far below expectations.
I have pictures from the week, but it may be awhile before I can post them.
The other reason there was little fresh powder is that the Calgary day-trippers have discovered Castle. There were about 1,000 people skiing Sunday and the upper Tamarack chair had 10-15 minute lift lines all day. The locals said I was lucky not to be there Saturday, when 2,050 people (an all-time record according to management) showed up and the line was 30-45 minutes.
Castle is supposedly still empty midweek. The only non-local skier I met was from Montana. And skier density is still minimal, particularly on the sustained south side fall lines.
The south chutes were also a pleasant place to ski due to weather. It was -9F when we arrived at 9AM, not what SoCal skiers are used to. I wore 3 sets of long underwear, gloves liners and a face mask and kept my hood on all day. Fortunately it was sunny with little wind and warmed up to the teens at the base and probably low single digits on top.
Castle's terrain and sustained fall lines remain outstanding even when there isn't powder. It is the mark of a favored ski area when you still have a great day when conditions are far below expectations.
I have pictures from the week, but it may be awhile before I can post them.
