I am new to the forum and would like some help planning for our family ski trip next year. We intend to be in British Columbia for the whole of February looking to ski for 2/3 weeks and visit Sun peaks and Silverstar, we will hire a car and do some touring around Banff and Victoria island. We will need a 2 bedroom apartment for my wife and i plus our 2 university age siblings at the ski resorts and prefer ski in/out if possible. We live in Adelaide and have skied Whistler and Sun peaks previously we are strong intermediate level so not after steep and deep. Can anyone recommend a travel agent in Adelaide who knows the areas we intend to visit. thanks for your help and input.
I book a heap myself but also use an agent for some things that they can get wholesale that the public don't have access to. I use Travelplan and have so for years, have found them great and always get good rates. Use the net and cost out as much as you can then hit an agent and ask them for a quote..... cherry pick what you like.
I do all my own planning and bookings www.topofthemiuntain.ca is the biggest/best for accommodation at SP but also try alluradirect if you want to deal directly be aware the Presidents Week occurs from around 14fh Febrary so pricing for accommodation in that week will be peak, so try to plan your dates away from that to avoid crowds and high pricing
Feel free to have a scroll through my last trip report where we did a lot a similar things to your ideas https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/gareth-and-nikkis-epic-canadian-venture.83300/
When some serious weather pounded BC this week, flights were disrupted and some from Australia were canceled. Some posters here had were impressed with the way Travelplan worked hard to get them booked on new flights. Travel agents are not as thick on the ground as they used to be, but those that survive have done so by providing superior service, and access to bulk pricing you wont see as a punter online.
another good agent is @Ski Holidays Sue she is based in Canada for the season so really knows the low down.
I was one of those. Booked through Travelplan and when my outbound Air Canada flight from Brisbane was cancelled at short notice (due to an on-board tragic death) I rang Travelpan at 7.30am that Sunday and got hold of someone within 10 minutes. He moved heaven and earth to get us on a different flight out of Sydney that same day. I tried calling Air Canada direct and was informed that the wait time was in excess of 1 hour. So even though you may pay a little extra with a travel agent, I am happy to go with them for this very reason: dealing with emergencies.
Thanks for all your information have contacted travel plan and skimax to start the ball rolling. Quick question can you book flights for February next year now or wait until the March this year .
Not sure what to do, planning on skiing for about 21 days in Feb next year should we buy skis here in oz or Vancouver as opposed to hiring in the 3 resorts we will visit thanks for any suggestions
pros and cons renting means you dont have to cart them on planes They wont be as nice as something you buy You wate time sitting in rental shops You get different chiices when renting Outlay for 21 days rent would be similar to a purchase cost Range and price is likely to be better in Canada February means they are likely to be on end of season sales No additional cost for your next holiday
Add - if you buy in resort you can demo a few skis before you choose. Price in Canadian resorts is not likely to be much higher than off hill, although range may be smaller.
I second buying skis and demoing them first (really important as what feels right for one person may seem terrible to another). Don’t forget you’ll need to buy a ski bag too in order to transport them on the plane! I find ones with wheels are best. There are a number of threads on this forum devoted to ski bags - just do a search.
If it's a pow day and you're stuck in rentals when lifts open... Will you be renting a vehicle? Much easier to do the between resorts travel without skis if its via shuttles, but pretty easy in an SUV.
We will be renting a vehicle would anyone suggest a ski shop we could demo some equipment in whistler or sun peaks , not sure yet which will be our first destination to buy 2 pairs of all mountain skis we are both strong intermediate prefer groomers as we have retired not looking for deep and steep. thanks
There are any number of ski shops and ski hires in Whistler village. Shop around. I take my own so can’t recommend sorry.
What type of skis are you looking at ? Different shops carry different brands.......Shops like Jardines take the rental demo fee off the purchase.
In Whistler I like Comor sports down near the Olympic Rings, I’m pretty sure they aren’t owned by the corporation so have decent deals. lots of the shops are owned and I don’t think the savings were as good. we had a really good experience with them, I brought my daughter skis there 3 years ago, they did make a mistake on the binding and really tried to fix it. We decided to head back to Whistler a year late and they replaced the binding no fuss. Fast forward two years my daughter took the skis in there and they brought them back of her (deal they have on kids skis) for 50% of the value, they bumped this up a little because of the original issue. No fuss no questions and they even found the original receipt on their toll system. The three times I’ve been there they had skies on sale so she got a great deal on a set of line pandora. they also have a shop in Vancouver.
