I've been to Jasper once, 28 years ago. Picked up a car early morning in Seattle, drove to Jasper via Blue River (Hwy 5), getting there about 8pm for dinner at a pub with live music. You know how you spend your first day in Canada and there's a cover band doing good versions of Neil Young songs, so you have to stay for an extra beer, getting to your wilderness hostel north east of Jasper at about 10 with no electricity and a bear sighting alert...now that I've grown up a bit, might get to Jasper via a 4hr drive along the Columbia Parkway from Banff
What’s more important, AWD or tyres? One car hire place is advertising an Elantra with winter tyres. It’s just me and my skis would fit inside. Would that be better than chancing a Rav 4 or similar which could end up 2wd anyway? Calgary, Revelstoke return.
That is all you will need on 90% of days. If the weather is really snotty, you stay put anyway and ski pow. Read my first few posts in this thread, the most important tool you possess is the ability to set schedule aside and stay off the roads when it's bad.
My only other trip to Canada, in the ‘80’s we had no experience with snow at all. Bought an old Ford Econovan, fitted it up with a bed and drove from Edmonton to Vancouver, via Banff, side trip to Jasper along the Icefields. Then through the Okanagans to Vancouver. It was late season but we skiied and saw snowy days. Drive back from the USA 6 months later through Montana to Edmonton, drove through more early snow. $20 retreads on the van Sure overthinking things a lot this trip!
Yeah that's severely hampering our attempts to get back. Ski trips aren't the most cheap things to do.
There is a lot of wisdom in this thread. Which I will take on board this Summer in BC. Cant wait. thanks to all the contributors over all those years!.
