Kicking Horse Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kicking Horse Mountain Resort |
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Top of the gondola at Kicking Horse
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 Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Location in British Columbia
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Location in Canada
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| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest city | Golden |
| Coordinates | 51°17′21″N 117°03′31″W / 51.28917°N 117.05861°W |
| Vertical | 1,315 m (4,314 ft) |
| Top elevation | 2,505 m (8,033 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,190 m (3,900 ft) |
| Skiable area | 3,486 acres (14.1 km2) |
| Runs | 129 20% easiest 20% more difficult 45% most difficult 15% Expert |
| Longest run | "It's A Ten" (10km long) |
| Lift system | 1 gondola, 3 chairlifts, 1 surface lift |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowfall | 7.5 m (24.6 ft)/year |
| Website | KickingHorseResort.com |
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (KHMR) is an exciting ski resort in British Columbia, Canada. It's located about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) west of the town of Golden. This resort is famous for its huge ski area.
It has over 120 trails for skiing and snowboarding. The skiable area is more than 3,486 acres (14.1 square kilometers). Kicking Horse also boasts a massive vertical drop of 1,315 meters (4,314 feet). This makes it one of the largest vertical drops in North America. The resort gets its name from the nearby Kicking Horse River and Kicking Horse Pass. It sits on the eastern side of the Purcell Mountains. From here, you can see the beautiful Rocky Mountain Trench. The resort is also close to Glacier National Park and Yoho National Park.
Contents
Discovering Kicking Horse History
From Whitetooth to Kicking Horse
Before it was Kicking Horse, the resort was called Whitetooth Ski Area. It was a smaller place owned by the town of Golden. Whitetooth first opened in 1986. It had one chairlift, called Pioneer Chair, and three ski runs.
Over the years, more runs and glades were added. Glades are ski trails through trees. Whitetooth became very popular with skiers. Especially on "Powder Fridays," because the hill was closed Monday through Thursday. This meant any new snow during the week was untouched.
A New Beginning for the Resort
In the late 1990s, people worried about Whitetooth's future. They wondered if it could afford to replace its old chairlift. In 1996, the mayor of Golden, Fred Demmon, looked for investors. He wanted to improve Whitetooth.
A company called Ballast Nedam decided to buy Whitetooth. The community voted, and 92.8 percent said yes to the sale in 1997. Ballast Nedam then created a big plan for the resort. This plan was approved in 1999.
Building the New Resort
Construction on the expanded resort began in the summer of 2000. It reopened on December 8, 2000, with a new name: Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The resort now had the Eagle Eye Gondola and the Catamount chairlift.
Most of the ski area has four large bowls. These are Crystal Bowl, Bowl Over, Feuz Bowl, and Super Bowl. They all connect lower down the mountain. One very long run, "It's a 10," is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) long. It's a green run, meaning it's easy.
In 2002, a new chairlift called Stairway to Heaven was added. This opened up Feuz Bowl, which usually has fewer skiers. In 2010, Super Bowl was added, making the resort even bigger. In 2018, the Ozone area became part of the ski area. This added 600 acres (2.4 square kilometers) and raised the top elevation to over 2,500 meters (8,200 feet).
In 2011, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies bought Kicking Horse. They are the current owners.
Exploring Kicking Horse Lifts
The main way to get up the mountain is the Golden Eagle Express gondola. It takes you from the base all the way to the peak. There are also two smaller chairlifts at the base. These are the Catamount, a four-person chair, and the Pioneer, a two-person chair. The Pioneer is an older lift from the Whitetooth days.
Another chairlift, Stairway to Heaven, serves the upper parts of the mountain. This includes Feuz Bowl. Sometimes, it can be hard to get up the mountain quickly because the lifts have limited capacity. Many skiers need to use the gondola to get back to the top. Kicking Horse also has a small terrain park. The natural terrain and backcountry access make up for the park's size.
Kicking Horse Lift System
| Name | Type | Capacity (per hr) | Make | Year Built |
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| Golden Eagle Express | Gondola | 1,200 | Poma | 2000 |
| Stairway to Heaven | 4 person fixed grip | 1,000 | Leither Poma | 2002 |
| Catamount | 4 person fixed grip | 1,200 | Poma | 2000 |
| Pioneer | 2 person fixed grip | 1,500 | Riblet | 1986 |
| Jelly Bean Express | Surface lift | 600 |
Winter Fun at Kicking Horse
Kicking Horse is a popular spot for many winter sports. People come here to ski, snowboard, snowskate, and telemark.
The resort gets a lot of snow every year. The average snowfall is about 7.3 meters (24 feet) at mid-mountain. The snow is known for being light and dry. People often call it "Champagne Powder." The resort is open for skiing from mid-December to mid-April.
Understanding Ski Terrain
The gondola takes you to CPR Ridge, Crystal Bowl, and Bowl Over. Crystal Bowl is a large, open area. It's great for intermediate skiers. It's also the easiest way down from the gondola. Bowl Over is also open but much steeper. It often has more moguls, which are bumps on the snow.
CPR Ridge is between these two bowls. On one side, the Crystal Bowl side, you'll find some of the 75 chutes available at Kicking Horse. Chutes are narrow, steep runs. They range from advanced to expert level. The other side of CPR Ridge has many glades, which are trails through trees.
Stairway to Heaven is a chairlift that takes you to White Wall, Feuz Bowl, and Redemption Ridge. White Wall is a short hike from the chair. It's rated for expert skiers because of rocks and large cornices. Cornices are overhanging snow formations. Feuz Bowl is for advanced skiing, similar to CPR Ridge. Stairway to Heaven follows Redemption Ridge. On one side are chutes into Feuz Bowl. On the other side are glades back into Crystal Bowl.
Terminator Ridge and Terminator Peak are next to Bowl Over. You can reach Super Bowl from the south side of Terminator Ridge. On the north side, there are steep, narrow, expert chutes that lead back into Bowl Over. The hike to the top of Terminator Ridge takes about 15 to 30 minutes.
Ski Terrain Breakdown
| Total Runs | 137 including all inbound chutes |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 20% |
| Intermediate | 20% |
| Advanced | 45% |
| Expert | 15% |
Backcountry Adventures
Kicking Horse offers amazing access to backcountry skiing. Backcountry means skiing outside the marked resort boundaries. South of the resort, you can reach Super Bowl by hiking up Terminator Ridge. North of the resort, Rudi's Bowl and other backcountry areas are also accessible.
Summer Fun at Kicking Horse
Mountain Biking Thrills
Kicking Horse is also open in the summer for downhill mountain biking. You can take the gondola up the mountain with your bike. Kicking Horse has the second-longest mountain biking descent in Canada. Only Whistler has a longer one.
Meet Boo the Grizzly Bear
There's a special fenced area at the resort for a grizzly bear named "Boo." You can see Boo's refuge from the gondola. In the summer, there's a center where you can learn about Boo. You can get there by taking the Catamount chairlift.
