Canada 2025 - 16 days below freezing...

[drron]

I really didn't like Poutine in Canada but there was a poutine place in Launceston and I enjoyed their versions. However it didn't survive Covid.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Maybe I should change the title to 16 days in Canada, an AFFer discussion on Poutine...?

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 3:

Another stunning morning met us as the sunlight flooded in and again the hum of seaplane engines signalled the start of the day. I was up early and took full advantage of a (still) empty pool for some laps, and a (finally) empty hot tub to start the day. I also used the steam room briefly before heading up to shower and pack. I mentioned earlier I'd pivoted from a Turo booking to using a rental company called Northirn Overland. These guys convert standard trucks (utes) to campers for summer, then in winter strip the camping gear, add snow tyres and rent them as winterised trucks. They also offer a pick up and drop off service within Vancouver and surrounds which made life so easy.

At 9am the owner dropped us the car off which was in perfect nick aside from a chipped/cracked windscreen that occurred on the previous rental. He told us if anything further happenned to the windscreen not to worry as it needed to be replaced anyway. This was quite lucky as we did cop another chip further into the journey.

We loaded the car up and asked the valet if it could be set aside while we grabbed some breakfast with which they had no issue. After another great breakfast the biggest challenge of the trip so far faced me... remembering how to drive a left hand drive car on the right side of the road. I've done it for years so the muscle memory didn't take long to come back, though I frequently had to remind myself to the keep the driver to the left of the lane.

We got out of downtown, across the Lions Gate Bridge before stopping at Park Royal in West Van for some essentials. After this we got on the 99 North towards Squamish and Whistler. The familiarity and beauty of this stretch of road brought on a warm comfort, until I remembered how crazy some Canadian drivers are after having multiple people overtake us at 40-50km/h over the speed limit.

We stopped in at Shannon Falls on the drive up for a quick look, the waterfall a trickle of what it is in spring/summer but stunning nonetheless.

Before jumping back on the 99 to head to what was one of my favourite beers breweries, Backcountry Brewing, to catch up with another friend over pizza for lunch. 6 years does funny things to your tastebuds however, and after raving about the Widowmaker, a 6.4% Hazy IPA, to my partner for years, my first sip was nothing but being regret as the intensity of the hops hit me like a freight train. Over the course of the trip the palate warmed to the more hoppy beers of Canadian craft breweries but my own preference has definitely changed since leaving as mid 20 something and returning in my 30s...

After lunch we jumped back on the 99 to finish the trip north, only to have a Volvo fly past us at 150+km/h. Fortunately the RCMP did catch up with this guy and they did not look pleased. We arrived into Whistler around 2:30pm and headed straight to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

The valet and bell staff were quick to greet us and help unload the car while we went inside to check in. Again a big conference meant a bit of a wait wait at check in. Unfortunately the whole check in experience left a lot to be desired. Beyond being an ALL Gold member, we also booked this through a virtuoso agent (Prince of Travel) which entitled us to a few benefits (breakfast, $100 property credit), none of which were explained at check in. We were also given 2 x non-alcoholic drink vouchers which we didn't question until later in the stay. After we checked in we did get a top floor room at least, though the same category as booked. However upon entering there was a rollaway bed made up. We were very confused by this and immediately requested it be taken away, which did happen about half an hour later. A few pics of the room and welcome amenity below:





And the view from our lead in room category (Deluxe View Room).

After the rollaway was removed we had room to unpack and changed into swimmers to check out the pools. We whiled away the late afternoon between the heated pool, spas and sauna.


This is also where the title of the trip gets its name from. As the sun set that afternoon the temperatures dipped below 0, and that would be the last time we saw that, as for the next 2 weeks it was constantly below, and often very well below freezing!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 3 (part 2):

After returning to the room we changed and took a wander through the village.
The only night 1 Whistler plan was to meet up a with a close mate at Brandys, a cool little bar under The Keg to watch his Vancouver Canucks play over a few beers and bites. After catching up and watching the Canucks win we walked back to the Upper Village (the base of Blackcomb Mountain) where the Fairmont is located.

We hadn't had a proper dinner so perused the room service menu to make use of the dining credit and ordered some late night snacks and dessert.


That toastie was fantastic and dipping it into the thick rich tomato soup elevated it to another level. The Sundae was also an absolute winner! After this we got the skis and snowboard out of the bag to prepare for our first day on snow.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 4:

Our first day on snow started with a light snowfall and average visibility. We had a quick breakfast before changing into ski gear and heading down to the ski valet at the bottom of the Fairmont. The service here left quite a bit to be desired really, with the most of the staff seemingly more interested in discussing last nights parties than serving staff. I somewhat expected this as it's obviously very difficult to attract more tenured and experienced staff in ultra expensive ski fields but you would expect supervisors would be making more of an effort to ensure guests were promptly looked after. (I know this sounds entitled but the ski valet service we expected here was delivered, and then some, in Red Mountain at a far more affordable hotel). Rant aside one very convenient amenity was the Whistler Blackcomb desk adjacent to the ski valet. The girls here were lovely and quickly issued our pre-purchased lift tickets.

Hot tip - if you intend on skiing WB, we purchased our 2 day tickets well ahead of time which were valid for any 2 days (with some blackouts) and saved probably 50% over the $300CAD a day window price.

We headed up and skiied a couple of runs on Blackcomb before the better half started to get pretty intense pain from her ski boots. We had this issue in Japan last year but the 'fix' was done on the last day and obviously was not enough to relieve what was causing the pain. That being said I was also in new boots so only managed 1 more run before my feet got sore and I called it a day at 1.

Came back down to find someone much happier than they were skiing...

This part of the ski valet I will give a positive review to as the staff here did interact with enthusiasm to greet people as they came down, offer water and hot chocolate and take care of the skis. Though heading back inside to swap back into shoes the experience was again pretty bad having to actively approach people talking amongst themselves at the desk to get our stuff.

We changed for lunch and went back into the main village to eat at Earls. Again, chain dining done really well. A Caesar (not for me, I think clamato is a disgusting concept) and some sushi to start.


Followed by a club sandwich and cajun chicken with one of the all time great potato salads. Though I will admit calling this medley of warm potatoes, mayo and bacon a salad is a huge stretch, even for North Americans.

Following lunch we did a bit of shopping as the snowfall started to get heavier before making our way back to the hotel and parking up on a sofa at the Mallard Lounge for some afternoon drinks.

A beautiful spot, and if you're a gin lover the singature G&T comes highly recommended. Our server here was fantastic, which continued a theme of hit and miss service. After being able to use the digital welcome drink vouchers in Vancouver, we tried to here and she informed us that they did not yet accept them, but did let us know we should have received physical ones on check in. This is where the check in experience continued to lack as we were given non-alcoholic ones. I ran back to the room to collect those and took them to the front desk to exchange them, which the supervisor was all too happy to do and did express his apologies for our less than ideal check in, further confirming our virtuoso benefits as well.

We retired to the room to add some extra layers as the temperatures continued to dip before heading back out to Caramba for dinner. I'd describe it as upscale casual Italian in a lively restaurant. The food and service were both really good, starting with meatballs and housemade ricotta with sourdough. A winning combo with some extra bread to dip in that marinara sauce.

Followed by a seafood linguine and chicken & nduja fettucine.

After dinner we headed back to bed as the snow kept coming down in anticipation of a good day on the slopes tomorrow.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 5:

Finally some snow had fallen! We awoke to white blanketting everything we could see.

We set off for another breakfast in no hurry as we waited for the eager pow chasers who had lined up from before 7am to clear. Being day 2 on snow we weren't super fussed on chasing deep pow, especially given it was really only about 10-15cms of heavy coastal snow over some very firm ice.

The view from breakfast was stunning and following this we headed back to the ski valet to encounter the same, now familiar, laissez-faire service before heading up the gondola. Unfortunately the boot pain was worse today so my fiance only did a couple of runs before retreating back to the room. I managed a few more however between the high winds, low vis and big crowds it wasn't exactly the best day on Blackcomb.

Inukshuk and not much else to see from the top of Seventh Heaven.
Only about 3/4 of the way down did the visibility improve.

Following my top to bottom lap I also headed back to warm up. The afternoons agenda really only had 1 thing on it... Sort out the bloody ski boots. We investigated a few of the shops in the upper village and were told to ask for Jeremy at CanSki. He was on lunch when we first got there so we went into the main village and had lunch and some drinks ourselves on the patio at GLC. This was really fun as it's a pretty cool place to hang out, while not being as over the top 'clubby' as Longhorn Saloon opposite it.



If you go here we can 100% recommend the butter chicken poutine in the middle above. Though it is pretty much a meal in itself and we struggled to finish everything on the table.

After lunch we went back to CanSki were Jeremy was assisting a customer but told us he'd see us when she was done if we were happy to wait. We were more than happy to wait... After 10 minutes he sat down and properly took the time to assess not only her feet but explain that the boots were maybe not the best fit, but he'd do what he can. I retired to the room to complete some work and an hour or so later for $80 + a tip all issues have been seemingly sorted. This was a huge relief as earlier in the day my partner swore she'd never ski again, but by the end of the trip she was having more fun and lasting longer on snow than me.

Our final night in Whistler was spent at Harajuku Izakaya which is a fun japanese restaurant near the main village. The interior is super funky Edo Japan themed, and they also have a really good ramen restaurant next door and small japanese grocery store. Given it was chinese new year they were handing out red packets to all customers which seemed to all be jugs of some sort. We had a big drive the next day so I didn't plan on drinking much but when the jug turned up free that kind of changed...

The thing was huge and probably filled 5 glasses. The food there is very good and it was heaving on this Friday night with the town filling up with a lot of people from Van and Seattle chasing the first fresh snow in weeks.

The food was top notch and I got to catch up with a few Japanese friends who worked there. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to start packing for the journey to Revelstoke in the morning.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Given the next day we left Whistler I'll drop my thoughts on the Fairmont Chateau Whistler in here.

Unlike the consistent service at the Fairmont Waterfront, the service here was really hit and miss and is the biggest thing that stands out to us. The check in experience was strange, and certainly didn't go in depth on our benefits as a Virtuoso Booking or ALL Gold member (Also the agent sent an automated text after check in and had my name wrong). This was compounded by being given non-alcoholic drink vouchers and the rollaway bed being in our room. The ski valet service was also generally lacklustre and not the pre-emptive service you expect from a resort of this calibre. That being said the server we had in the Mallard Lounge was fabulous, the breakfast staff were warm and prompt and the valet and bell staff were a highlight of the trip, going out of their way to ensure our vehicle was delivered promptly and assisting with luggage. They themselves ended up going down to the ski valet to retrieve our skis and board on checkout after waiting for the ski valet staff to not do it...

The room was generously sized, certainly bigger than I expected, and has been renovated in the last few years. The bathroom was also large and for the being a lead in room type these both impressed.

Breakfast was the only meal we had in house (other than in room dining snacks) and was a generous buffet affair which was good quality and never overly busy. Only dissapointing thing was all coffee being from a machine but that's more a North America problem.

The pools and spa's here are somewhat unrivalled in Whistler, with 3 hot tubs, a lap pool, a heated pool and multiple saunas and steam rooms. They were often busy but we always found a quiet spot and being here at night with the snow falling was pretty magical.

Would I stay here again? Yes, definitely, especially if we could get another 3rd night free rate like we did on this booking. That being said the Four Seasons next door would be on my radar, and for those looking for a bit better value and proximity to the main village - The Westin, Hilton and both Pan Pacifics would probably offer a better option.

 

[NoName]

Shame to hear about the negatives you experienced. We didn’t seem to have those issues other than the ski valet being inefficient on pickup each morning. The whole shop/valet didn’t seem to be run as well as it could have with people seemingly running around everywhere at times.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Shame to hear about the negatives you experienced. We didn’t seem to have those issues other than the ski valet being inefficient on pickup each morning. The whole shop/valet didn’t seem to be run as well as it could have with people seemingly running around everywhere at times.

Yeah I'd agree, maybe it's more a personal thing given that I did seasons and partied/rode a lot etc... but still tried to hold myself to the level of service whatever hotel I was working for expected, rather than gossiping to friends when there were guests to be served. The joint rentals/valet area is also a little chaotic and could be better delineated between zones but this is likely a space issue more than anything.

 

[Seat0B]

I'm loving that you are bringing Japan to North American skiing - sushi and izakaya!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

I'm loving that you are bringing Japan to North American skiing - sushi and izakaya!

Only just getting started on that front. The best ramen I've had outside of Japan features later!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 6:

We had an early start with a huge drive ahead of us to Revelstoke. More snow had fallen overnight and the temps were down around -8 to -10.

We packed the room and all the ski gear sans skis/board and boots and headed down to the lobby. Had called to have the car brought around and it was warming up when we got there, and the bell staff also had gone and retrieved the rest of our hardgoods. We loaded the Tacoma up and set off initially north, stopping for fuel and coffee at Green Lake before passing through Pemberton and starting the stunning climb over the Duffey.


It snowed on and off throughout the climb over towards Lillooet providing a beautiful morning. This was the day I was most glad we had chosen the vehicle we did as the compact snow and cold temperatures meant the road was less than ideal.


After cresting the pass we descended down into Lillooet briefly stopping over Seton Lake for a quick view stop.


A stark contrast from the last time I stopped here in Summer 2018 when it was 34 degrees! On that visit though I did find a cute bakery in town so we stopped there for some breakfast.

Before continuing our journey through the more arid parts east of the coast mountains and towards Cache Creek.

From here we joined the Trans Canada Highway to Kamloops where we stopped for Popeyes for lunch. Great fried chicken, awful mac and cheese and huge serving sizes. We continued beyond there towards Revelstoke but Google Maps told us to take a pretty severe detour. We never really worked out why but I suspect it was just a combination of intermittent roadwork stoppages. The detour likely added 45 minutes to our trip and we arrived into Revy just as the sun was setting.


The sole reason for the early start and mad dash to get here was to catch my beloved Revelstoke Grizzlies play this evening. After checking in and changing we headed to the River City Pub to catch up with a friend who we had seen the last 2 years in Niseko. 2 pints and some Nachos later and we were off to the Forum.


Unfortunately the Grizzlies went down 5-4 to a very good Princeton Posse side who topped the league in the regular season. Otherwise a great night with beers still being $5 a highlight. The poutine here is also excellent though inflation had hit that market, now $16, but still more than worth it!

After the hockey we returned to our digs, the newly opened Basecamp Suites Revelstoke, right in the heart of downtown. These apartments are brand new and our 1 bedroom was spacious, with the washer/dryer a very welcome inclusion. We called it a night pretty early excited for our first day at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

 

[Quickstatus]

I was a ski bum for the better part of 5 years, and following alternating seasons in Perisher

Must have skied past one another in those years at P.

Our routine:
Blue Cow train arrive there at 0740
Cowpoo for morning coffee/hot chocolate
Summit chair to Excelerator/Rock garden or kamikaze when open. Rinse and repeat via Ridfe quad until the crowds arrive, then ski over to (Un)- pleasant valley, Happy Valley, Sun Valley Tbar, then Eyre TBar until about 1200pm then Olympic when open, Leichhardt Tbar then over the top of Front Valley to Telemark TBar and then Perisher Manor for lunch.

Bail out after lunch.
Rinse and repeat.

Some variations which take in Guthega and North P depending on snow conditions.
After lunch

Following TR....