If you know snow, you know Revelstoke.
Steph and I have been going to Revelstoke for years and it’s always been a highlight, and maybe the highlight, of our ski season. Revelstoke is a skier’s mountain filled with huge terrain and endless snow. But, if you haven’t heard of Revelstoke, this might be your last chance to experience the original feels before it explodes in popularity. We may not be coming back after next year (never say never though).
If you’ve skied long enough, you’ll hear old timers reminisce wistfully about the good ol’ days when you could just walk up to the lift even on a powder day. And if you wished you could experience the same kind of magic before it’s too late, the time is now to hit up Revelstoke.
Revelstoke is blowing up
Historically, Revelstoke was kind of a poorly-kept secret, but still a secret. Being many hours away from the nearest major city and with a reputation of extremely difficult terrain meant that most skiers skipped the mountain in favor of other better known resorts like nearby Lake Louise or Banff Sunshine, but this year something changed.
For reasons such as Revelstoke recently winning awards for the best powder snow in the world (deservedly, imo) and poor snow at other resorts, as well as geopolitical issues, Revelstoke has been showing up on a lot of radars. This year, during an otherwise normal powder day, there were hours-long lineups that snaked all the way back to the parking lot (below). This was unheard of even a couple of years ago.
But the crowd size doesn’t change the fact that Revelstoke is seriously one of the best resorts in the world. It’s like nothing else on the planet in terms of expert terrain, deep, deep snowfall, (usually) low crowds, and the best tree skiing in the world. Other ski resorts have some of this, but Revelstoke has it all. If you’ve never been or even if you have, you owe it to yourself to book a trip here asap.
Why you should go to Revelstoke
If you like big mountain lines, great powder, and well spaced glades, Revelstoke is the place to be. It’s got the most vertical in North America and tons of space per skier. If you want to drop cliffs from 5ft to 50ft, go steep and deep in a giant bowl of pow, or do a 45º tree run, you’ll find it here.
Outside of Whistler, Revelstoke seems to get the most snow in BC, and some of the most in North America. You can also just come here to watch the talent on display, as some of the best riders around come to Revelstoke, including for the Natural Selection Tour and other freeride events.
Skiing at Revelstoke
Like it’s spiritual sibling Kicking Horse, Revelstoke is mainly access via one gondola. If that gondola goes down, the entire mountain is shut down. Furthermore, the vast majority of Revy’s terrain is accessed via one main lift, which can cause huge lineups or if it breaks, can close half the mountain.
Revelstoke is majority expert and advanced runs. Officially it’s designed as 45% expert, but even the blue runs at Revy are both pitchy and tend to be filled with experts that go way too fast. I would rate a lot of the blue runs at Revy to be equal to black diamond runs elsewhere.
However, there’s a whole beginner area called Stellar that caters to those newer to skiing. It also happens to be a great area even if you’re not a beginner. There’s been mini-powder days where Steph and I will lap the stellar chair because it’s all fresh untracked lines while the rest of the mountain is waiting in line for the main Stoke chair.
If you love tree runs, you owe it to yourself to try the glades of glory (above), especially after a big storm. The powder pillows and tree spacing make it the best designated glade run in North America, at least at any resort we’ve been to (which is a lot of them).
The north bowl (below) is not to be missed, but of course that’s where you’ll head first, so not much needs to be said about that area.
Revelstoke apres and on mountain eats
Like most serious mountains in BC, there isn’t much of an apres scene at Revy. The same is true for on mountain dining, with Mackenzie Outpost really being your only option. Luckily, Mackenzie Outpost happens to be a great eatery that sells reasonably priced & fantastic smash burgers, bags of fries, and local beer on tap. They also, strangely, sell $175 bottles of champagne.
If you’re early you can snag a spot inside, but most of the time the seating will be outside in the cold. On sunny days there are beach chairs set up outside near the french fry sculpture made out of skis and snowboards.
We love enjoying a giant bag of crispy, perfectly cooked fries and taking in the stunning views of the Monashee mountains. If you’re very lucky, you might get a pine marten begging for a fry or two.
Where to stay in Revelstoke
There is one ski-in ski-out hotel at the base of the village but honestly it’s expensive and you’ll end up going to town as the on mountain dining is pretty limited. If you don’t love waking up early to fight for parking, this might be a good choice.
Airbnb is a better option for most people. If you are searching on Airbnb, the location to look for is Mackenzie Village. It’s a new build masterplan community with underground parking and modern condos, many featuring private hot tubs. Mackenzie Village is only a 5 minute drive from the parking lot at Revelstoke (and has bus/shuttle service as well), so it’s an ideal location even if you like to sleep in.
Revelstoke village base
Revelstoke only opened 20 years ago and consequently, its village is very underdeveloped. There’s not much more than the usual ski rentals and service, guest services, and a basic restaurant or two. Your best bet is to stick to town, where things are more lively.
Where to eat in Revelstoke
There are a lot of great restaurants in Revelstoke, these are three of our faves:
The Taco Club
For whatever reason, combining skiing and Mexican food has always hit. The taco club has a great vibe, legit food, and a decent drink selection. It’s unfortunately a little on the pricier side, but you can’t beat tacos after a long day on the hill.
La Baguette
La Baguette is a cafe/restaurant/bar that specializes in sourdough, espresso, and pretty much every local beer in Revy on tap. The bakery part does both takeaway and eat in and if you choose to eat in, there’s a warm and cozy inviting space with a fire place, couches, booths, local art on the walls, and huge windows to let in the light. There’s a huge amount of viennoiserie, or what you might think of as croissant pastries, and they are all amazing. They also do breakfast platters, wraps and sandwiches, and really, there is no wrong order here. It’s such a cozy space and we’ve spent many hours here, working remote and enjoying the vibes.
Kawakubo
Like Mexican, there’s something about combining a long day of skiing and sushi, or in Steph’s case, a whole order of prawn tempura for herself only. Revelstoke has always attracted a lot of Japanese ski bums and many end up opening up shop here. One created an amazing ski wax business and another opened Kawakubo, which is a very authentic, very old school Japanese restaurant serving sushi and sake. It’s the kind of place where the menu looks 1990s basic but the daily specials can include otoro and chutoro.
Revelstoke parking
The parking at Revelstoke used to be pretty easy and free. While it’s still free (for now)., these days it’s taken to filling up fast, especially on weekends. Your best bet is to show up before 9am on most days or 8:30am on weekends to get a reasonable spot. There is one paved lot and one semi paved lot and one very unpaved lot.
If you have a high tolerance for mud and dirt, the unpaved lot is the best bet. There’s very little walking as you can just ski the 100ft down to the gondola. The downside is that you definitely need to ski down to it rather than download, and that can be an issue depending on snow coverage that day.
Facts
- Avg 415″ of snowfall per year (Compare to 400″ for Whistler or 550″ for Alta)
- Longest run: 9.5miles (15.2km, it’s a green run though)
- 3121 acres of skiiable terrain (Compare to 8171 acres for Whistler or 2614 acres for Alta)
- 13 lifts
- Base elevation: 1680ft
- Summit: 7677ft (you need to do a 15min bootpack to reach this)
- Vertical drop: 5620ft (highest in North America, if you do the bootpack)
- On the Ikon pass
Things to do
If you or someone in your group doesn’t love skiing, Revelstoke is a whole town filled with art, gift shops, a distillery, and many cute bakeries.
That’s it, I hope you make it out before it becomes crazy.
-Mike