Revelstoke Hostels

Revelstoke has to be the best-kept secret -- it's slowly becoming more popular -- in the Canadian Rockies, and it's great for snowboarding. Unlike other ski areas around the Rockies, Revelstoke (or Revy, as it is known around the ski/snowboarding world) is not a part of a national park, which means snowmobiling is legal! So snowmobiles travel from far and wide to tackle these powder-filled mountains. This also means cat skiing is also available and can take you away from the crowds of the mountain (a busy day sees a thousand people, an extremely small amount compared to other mountains of this size). If you want fresh tracks with only ten or twenty other people, cat skiing is a great option.

For hardcore riders, there is also heli skiing -- you and a handful of friends can tackle some terrain that is notorious in the snowboarding world and ride mountains where only professionals and riding movies are filmed! But this of course comes at a cost. Prices vary through the peak season and the end of the season. Revelstoke mountain is only a ten-minute drive from town. There are a number of cheap buses that run periodically during the day, but just start walking and you will be picked up by another powder hound heading to or from the mountain.

The mountain holds so much more; with one gondola to the top and only two chair lifts, it may not look like much on paper. But this mountain boasts the longest run in North America. A leg-crumbling fifteen kilometers from top to bottom, with one green run and one blue run, this mountain is not for the faint-hearted. With more than three thousand acres of rideable terrain, this mountain is a must on any true skier/snowboarder's list. The town is small and you can tell it all has the same interest. Small, fun bars are full in the evening, but if it is snowing outside people, tend to get some rest because they have all those acres to cover the next day. There are a number of cheap hotels and you can also stay at a hostel in Revelstoke.