Notch your Kimberley winter trifecta
Ski day, night and nordic options in "Cheers" of BC
Kimberley, BC For a small town along southeastern BC’s famed Powder Highway, Kimberley punches well above its weight for adventures on snow, making for an ideal winter trifecta.
“You haven’t experienced anything like Kimberley,” explains Angela Symes, owner of Black Dog Ski and Cycle. “Kimberley" is the ‘Cheers’ TV show of BC: around here, everyone knows your name. You can’t come here and not experience the true sense of a snow sports community, where people are really living the life.”
“We are not a drive-thru community, Kimberley is a destination that you come to because you want to be here. Every visit comes with a genuine experience.”
Ready to jump into a town where everybody knows your name?
Score a Kimberley Trifecta
Here's your visit, laid out.
1. Ski the longest night ski run in the country
The run Buckhorn, lit for night skiing, is a mile long off the summit of Northstar Mountain (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until March 11) at Kimberley Alpine Resort.
2. Go cross-country skiing at the nation’s second-largest Nordic ski network
Literally connected to the ski resort, you can ski 30 kilometres of groomed, double-track trails by day, and 6.5 km of lit, groomed single track by night.
Pro tip: skiing sunset at the Kimberley Nordic Centre is almost dangerous, given within seconds of being on the trail you are meet with killer views of the Rockies and the famed Fisher Peak, so distracting I almost bailed taking in the awe!
3. Ski Kimberley Alpine Resort by day
Of course, the gem of it all is an impressive downhill experience across its 69 runs you can ski or ride all day, connected to a proper on-mountain village with all the fixings.
Where to take those turns? Here are three tips, for those seeking to optimize your time on the mountain.
Three Kimberley top runs
Natural half pipe: for snowboarders and freestyle skiers, rip the run Vortex.
Love the trees? Get the run Fuzzy in for some funky good vibes in the glades.
Looking for a beauty blue cruiser? Give Buckhorn a rip to get those legs in gear. It's not only a great cruiser - but with over 1.5 kilometers of white magic to shred, those legs will feel the burn.
Symes supports the Kimberley trifecta in getting those snow seekers fortunate enough to make their way here, fixing them up with ski demos and all the downhill and nordic ski equipment they could need.
“Doc, I actually challenge you to make it a four factor experience in Kimberley, given the 50km of fat biking trails, and our e-bike rental options,” says Symes.
Day or Night; Kimberley Alpine Resort
“Sure it's great to be on the slopes skiing through the day, but night skiing here comes with its own charm,” explains Kimberley’s ski cross coach Todd Larson.
“The night skiing includes our nightlife après-ski.”
My visit was timed perfectly to check out the Thursday night ski race series, their Rec Rut Runners Adult Races.
This meant mid-week’s game in the village was enhanced considerably, with lots of lively chatter at the Stemwinder Bar and Grill, live music, an 8:30pm close to the kitchen and walking out with a few new friends.
Visit Kimberley for a winter trifecta
an adventure-rich, community-driven mountain town
Kimberley takes its night skiing very seriously: no other mountain I know closes down for an hour between the day and night, so the hill can be freshly groomed just for those ready to shred under some impressive night lights.
“You gotta do it all when you are at Kimberley,” explains Larson. “Making the trifecta happen with some daytime downhill, afternoon work out on the Nordic tracks and hitting the slopes at night is easy given it's all right here.”
And Larson’s right, even if you are staying in town as opposed to on the mountain, you are five minutes from downtown. The free Peak to Platzl Winter Shuttle runs up to the ski hill around twice an hour, through April 6.
When you go
In town you will find Kimberley’s famed Platzl downtown core, home to shops including the Black Dog and a collection of other fiercely independent stores stocked full of local offerings.
Getting here
Driving times and directions:
4.5h from Calgary to Kimberley via Crowsnest Hwy to Hwy 22
Under four hours from Spokane, WA via US-95S
Where to stay the crew at Tourism Kimberley can help you score the perfect basecamp here.
Stay on mountain at Kimberley or book in town to stay at the Larix Hotel, for its outdoor barrel sauna and its complimentary shuttle service to and from the Canadian Rockies International Airport (less than 20 mins away).
Kimberley winter activities discover more on the Kimberley Trifecta all laid out on the resort’s trail map here.
Let us know what you find, in your social media posts please tag @kimberleyalpineresort and @tourismkimberley