When we talk about powder, we almost need to use a different metric of measurement if we’re talking about Revelstoke Mountain Resort.
Year after year, season after season, the B.C. mountain seems to get blessed by more snow than just about any other resort on the continent.
So when we say there’s been a lot of snow this season at Revelstoke, it’s understandable if some skiers and snowboarders roll their eyes and say, “Well, yeah … that’s obvious.”
But even by Revelstoke’s normal standards, the 2019-’20 season has been spectacular. In fact, it’s quite possible that by season’s end Revelstoke will have seen its snowiest season ever.
“We’re on track to have a record-breaking year. If we have a strong March, yeah, it could be a record-breaking season,” said Carly Moran, the communications manager at Revelstoke. “The season’s been awesome. It’s been an incredible season.”
All of this talk about breaking records is actually completely quantifiable. Revelstoke keeps a Historical Snowfall Tracker up on its website for the public to compare, and the 2019-’20 season total is currently sitting at 911 cm. Since its opening in 2007, only the 2017-’18 season had more snow on Feb. 26 – that year, Revelstoke had been hit by 959 cm up to this point.
The fact is, most resorts in the Rockies don’t get anywhere near 900 cm in a full season, so whether or not Revelstoke does manage to break its own previous record this year, there’s still a tonne of powder stashes all over the mountain.
“We had a really good start to the season and it kind of just kept getting better and better,” Moran said. “We had our second-snowiest January, as well, so it just kept building off Christmas and that’s helped the momentum keep going all season.”
The snow certainly hasn’t been the only thing to celebrate at Revelstoke this year. The season kicked off with the opening of the Stellar Chair, a fixed-grip quad that has opened up new beginner and intermediate terrain.
Revelstoke has always been famous for its high-alpine bowls, knee-deep powder and massive gladed terrain, but the new area below Stellar Chair is designed to help newcomers improve their skills so they’ll be able to take on the more challenging areas of the mountain eventually.
The new chair also helps disperse skiers and snowboarders around the mountain and provides access to the Ripper Chair.
“It’s a great family zone and will become the hub for our snow school, eventually,” Moran said.
And while the snow and terrain is reason enough for most skiers and snowboarders to make the drive down the Trans-Canada to Revelstoke, it’s also worth noting the B.C. resort has packed its March schedule with events you won’t find anywhere else in the Rockies.
On March 7 and 8, they’ll be throwing their annual King & Queen of the Mountain competition, where skiers and riders compete on a freeriding slope one day – complete with custom feature – and in the terrain park on a slopestyle course the next day.
March 8 will also see Revelstoke host the She Patrol Women’s Mentoring Day in conjunction with International Women’s Day, and the resort’s female ski patrollers will be giving girls between the ages of 12 and 18 the chance to learn about what a day in the industry is actually like – including using dogs for avalanche rescue, toboggan-handling and more.
Finally, there’s the Stoked Slalom on March 28-29, which is one of the biggest and most fun banked slalom races of the year in the Rockies.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
