Southern Alberta Ski-In Ski-Out Accommodation
In January 2023, my friend Rowan (@rowanexplores) and I went down to Southern Alberta to stay at the ski-in/ski-out accommodations at Castle Mountain Resort, and we had a blast! Here is all you need to know about your next stay at Castle Mountain Resort:
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YOUR NEXT SOUTHERN ALBERTA SKI-IN SKI-OUT ACCOMMODATION:
Thank-you to Castle Mountain Resort for this amazing hosted stay. Click here to read about our stay at Castle Mountain Resort in 2022.
Getting to Castle Mountain Ski Resort
No matter where you’re coming from, you’ll want to drive towards Beaver Mines, Alberta before heading south. We drove from Edmonton to Calgary the night prior, then drove 2.5 hours from Calgary to Castle Mountain Resort the following morning, while Rowan drove to Pincher Creek on the Thursday night, and then to Castle Friday morning. There is no cell service at the resort, so be prepared to disconnect while you’re on the hill. The T-Bar, day lodge, and hotel all have Wi-Fi, so you won’t have to completely go off the grid! Quick Tip - Download your map beforehand!
You can click here to find my Google Maps route from Calgary to Castle Mountain Resort.
About Castle Mountain Resort
Castle Mountain Ski Resort opened in 1965 originally with only 2 T-bar lifts, and is now the second largest resort in Alberta. There are 6 lifts, 8 alpine bowls across 2 mountains and more than 94 trails. Did you know that it is home to one of North America’s only resort based cat skiing operation; the Powder Stagecoach - this is definitely something that is on my radar, I’m just not too sure my skills can handle it yet! We are already talking about returning in the 2023/2024 Ski Season, so maybe I can have a goal to work towards. Would you try cat skiing?
Interested in exploring in the summer? There are tons of hiking trails and alpine lakes galore for you to explore! Castle Mountain Resort is in the heart of Castle Provincial Park and Castle Wildland Provincial Park, which was established in 2017. The resort itself holds tons of history; from hosting the 1975 Canada Winter Games alpine events (which brought record snowfall, avalanches and temporary evacuations), to the lodge being destroyed by a fire the following year in 1976. The ski resort still operated after the fire without the day lodge until it was rebuilt. Throughout the years, Castle Mountain Resort switched owners and filed for many expansion approvals & denials; all to lead to what Castle Mountain Resort is today.
The resort has many beginner-friendly trails, as well as expert terrain. This trip, we brought along Rowan’s husband George & daughter Stevie, and my Fiance Evan. The boys braved the expert terrain by riding the Chutes, but given the conditions this winter across the globe, they enjoyed themselves but know they didn’t experience Castle Mountains full potential! Last year, we were grateful for the amount of powder we received, and this trip, let’s just say there was a lack thereof. As we did last trip, we stuck around on the Huckleberry Chair for the most part. I did brave the Red Chair (once) but those Southern Alberta winds are something else. Make sure you grab a trail map when you arrive so you can generally plan where you want to spend your day!
Southern Alberta Ski-In/Ski-Out Accommodations
This was a first for me, and I fell in-love. Funny that the place we stayed in is actually ‘For Sale’ - anyone want to pool all of our money together? But seriously, this place is perfect for families, groups of friends, work retreats - you name it! Castle Mountain Resort offers accommodations for all budgets; hostel, hotel, RV camping, and tons of ski-in/out cabins. Last year we stayed at the hotel (which has a sauna!), and this year we were in a AirBnb-style condo. Although I do say ski-in, ski-out, it is *slightly* uphill to get to the chairlift, but it’s a very short walk, and I did watch a few people go right from their rooms (aka my Fiance).
The property we stayed at is called Castle Keep Riverside. It features two separate entrances, a MASSIVE mud-room (or shall I say… snow room), 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, 2 bathrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, dining room, and epic mountain views. The property also features 5 futons, so could sleep up to 14 people! It comes with an XBOX w/ Netflix, board games and books, and even a deck of cards if you happen to forget anything at home. This was the perfect home-away-from-home, and we loved it so much that we chose to bring take-out back to our condo from the T-Bar!
What should I pack for ski days?
If you’re a seasoned rider, you can skip this part. If you are new to skiing or snowboarding, read on! (All products are linked to my favourites)
Knee-high Ski socks (wool or synthetic, and not too thick)
Thin beanie to wear under rental helmet
Snow pants and jacket
As for rentals, you’ll end up needing skis (or board), boots, poles (if skiing), and a helmet. You’ll likely leave your shoes in the rental shop, so perhaps wear a pair that you don’t care much about in case they grow legs. A pair of easy slip-on’s are best for places like this!
“Happiness is first tracks in fresh snow”
The T-Bar at Castle Mountain Resort
During our stay Rocky Mountain Fever performed at the T-Bar Pub & Grub on Friday, and their first ever open mic night on Saturday. If you go to the hill, make sure you check out any events happening. On the first night, we decided to order 3 pizzas from the T-Bar Pub and bring them back to our condo while we played games but Rowan and I still made sure to make our way down to T-Bar so we could catch a bit of the show! I’m glad we went early, because the place was packed, but we managed to scoop up the last table available. For the second night, we all ate at the T-Bar. Some of our favourite items were the Nachos, the Braised Beef Brisket sandwich and the Shotgun Pizza!
If you stay in a condo, you will likely have a fully-equipped kitchen so you can cook all your own meals if you wish!
Why you should choose Castle Mountain Resort for your next trip
Castle Mountain Resort is like stepping back to a simpler time in the past, with the resort celebrating their 50-year anniversary back in 2016. The vibe is seriously laid-back and friendly, which you definitely can’t say about many resorts these days. The Huckleberry Chair takes you past an eclectic assortment of privately-owned cottages, ranging from cozy trailer-style to some extravagant mansions. Prior to going, Evan and I watched this 13 year old video showcasing Castle and it gives you a pretty good idea of the feel of the resort - you can watch it here!
After all these years, the resort still remains true to its humble roots. Castle isn’t run by any mega-corporation - it has been owned and operated since 1996 by skiers who are driven by adrenaline. One of our favourite employees at Castle is Marie; a liftie who gives everyone a hug and tells them to have a safe ride prior to going up. Evan and George LOVED it, and happened to catch it on video, which I’ll be sharing over on my Instagram page! With the parking lot right at the base of the chairlifts, good food & coffee at your fingertips, and the friendliest lift attendants around, you will not be disappointed when you make the trip to Castle. Because the Resort lies on the eastern shoulder of the Continental Divide, you can usually wake up to find a fresh blanket of snow, averaging at 910cm/year; one of the highest snowfalls at ski resorts across Alberta. Fun fact: on a clear, blue-bird day, you can see the town of Whitefish, Montana from the top of Red Chair.
There were tons of fun events happening throughout the weekend at Castle Mountain Resort, but what we enjoyed the most was Demo Day on Saturday. Rowan and I dangerously tried out a new snowboard and skis… and of course, now we want to get new gear - funny how that works hey?! In the summer, Castle has activities like disc golf, horseback riding and hiking.
One thing we found accessible about this resort is that they offer Full Mountain Access Lift Tickets, but they also offer Limited Access Lift Tickets; tickets to only specific chairs. You can buy a ticket to the Huckleberry Chair for a full day or 1 single ride, or a full day for the Green Chair. We would have benefited from the Huckleberry pass since we figured out this was our preferred area.
There is no cell service at the resort, so be prepared to disconnect while you’re on the hill. The T-Bar, day lodge, and hotel all have Wi-Fi, so you won’t have to completely go off the grid! We also had Wi-Fi specific to our condo.
Right from the hill parking lot you have access to backcountry snowmobile and cross-country ski trails. If you do head out into the backcountry, make sure that you are prepared and have read the park regulations.
Have you skied at Castle before? Thank-you for reading this week’s blog post featuring the Ski-in, Ski-Out accommodations at Castle Mountain Resort