AW Travel Blog

We skied the whole day today at Silver Star in British Columbia, Canada and we had perfect blue skies, no wind and only one or two people on any run we went on - unmatched skiing conditions. This day has officially gone down as my skiing day highlight. WOW. It was hard to get my head around skiing beside, behind and in front of accommodation and private houses but that’s what we did. For the first half a day, we only saw 12 people in total on the runs I was skiing - unbelievable. I have been ruined for life for skiing anywhere else in the world.  This place really is the best!

Silver Star Resort is located on a plateau of the Okanagan Highland and you can buy a dual liftpass which alllows you to ski both Silver Star and Big White.  Want a break from skiing then choose another winter activity like ice skating, snow shoeing, tubing, or snowmobiling.

We woke up to a beautiful blue sky and perfect snow. We longingly watched the skiers fly past as we ate our breakfast before we hopped into our mini van for the 90 minute transfer to Silver Star. Upon my first glimpse of Silver Star, I fell in love with this place - the multi coloured buildings are so eye catching.

After checking in we walked a few footsteps in the main village to have a look around. We had to be careful of the skiers going past, as ALL of this resort is a ski area it seems, including the main street. This place has the most amazing buzz in the air - I love it. It’s smaller than Big White but has everything you need from a small supermarket, to amazing pasteries at Bugaboos, to a tasty variety of cafes and restaurants. Just remember that the Nacho servings are HUGE if you have any!

This afternoon we decided to book ourselves on a snowmobiling tour and then ski all of tomorrow. What an awesome decision that was!! We headed out into the back country areas of the mountain for three hours with a stop at a log cabin for some warmth. We saw snow ghost, after snow ghost, pristine untouched snow, and outstanding views.

I would say this was a highlight of my trip but every day seems to be a new highlight – this whole country is a highlight for me!!

I woke early to the sound of the snow plows heading up the mountain - what a perfect alarm clock at a ski resort. After a hearty breakfast and purchasing a bright pink crash helmet we headed up the mountain for a full day skiing. We paid for ski lessons in the morning and then used the expertise of the mountain hosts in the afternoon. All these guys (and girls) are awesome and so knowledgeable.

We skied all over the mountain on green to black runs, in and out of the trees, on runs with hardly anyone else in sight - bliss, just bliss. In the afternoon it started snowing again but that just made the skiing even more of an adventure.

At the end of the day, is was a novelty, to ski to the door of our resort, unclip our skis and head inside. I love the convenience of ski-in/ski-out and being able to watch my friends ski straight past our accommodation – and stop to allow us to take goofy reindeer photos!

This place is perfect for everyone – there are singles, families, couples, older couples, locals…a real mix.

In the evening we decided to try ‘tubing’ – what a hoot!  Flying down a mountain attached to three friends in an inner tub screaming my head off was so much funnnn!!!

But in -17 degrees with a -11 degree wind chill…it was cold!  There was also ice hockey and ice skating on offer as well.  This place is AWESOME!

We were up bright eyes and bushy tailed (well beady eyes and bushed tails!) at 4.30am this morning for our transfer from Banff to Calgary. All our drivers have been really friendly and chatty but I was quietly relieved when this driver discretely turned off the bus lights 10 minutes after the journey began to let us continue sleeping.

A coffee at Calgary airport helped to make the time more civilized and we boarded our plane. There was a snow storm brewing so after de-icing the plane we jetted off to Kelowna on a brand new Air Canada plane.

We arrived to snow which got thicker and thicker as we made our way up to Big White. We arrived to a truly winter wonderland and snow so dry and powdery that we struggled to compact it to make snow balls. The brave ones in the group (mostly the males) fitted up for skis and snowboards and they were off up the mountain…

while the rest of us made the most of our time and went exploring through the shops and sightseeing at the clock tower.

Early evening, in -11 degrees with a -10 degree wind chill, we decided it would be a ‘good idea’ to try out the hot tub on our deck. It was freeezzzinng and two ladies ponytails froze. Te he he. What an experience! It’s the first time I have worn a beanie in a hot tub!!!!!

By then we were amped so made our way down to dinner, followed by drinks and a very late night. This place has awesome Apres ski options…..

Ow, my head but WOW, the room, WOW, the hotel (Fairmont Banff Springs), wow wow the spa!!! The others in my group were up early but after some discussing beforehand it was decided I was best to stay at the hotel and rest up today. The bump on my head is very impressive!

So as soon as they left I decided to adventure around the hotel and have a nosey at some of the rooms. WOW, this castle is fascinating. An armour room, ball room, nooks and crannies everywhere to explore, spiral staircases, historic photos on the walls - and a large gingerbread house replica of the hotel. This place is outstanding.

I booked myself into the spa centre for the afternoon - ahhh - Bliss pure bliss. So this is how the other half live! Springs, steam rooms, lounger chairs with fruit and fresh juices and muffins to choose from. Do I ever have to leave?

Am I in a dream? I have seen the pictures but nothing prepared me for the breathtaking view out the window of Lake Louise this morning. They are preparing to open the ice skating rink on the lake so I woke to the sound of activity.

I did a tour of the Chateau this morning. This is a must do in my humble opinion. It was 2 hours long and fascinating, from the details of why the doors all have their own hand painted flowers to the sneaky peek views into the conference rooms. What a fascinating hotel. This place is not just about the room I booked but the history and character of the hotel.

We even managed to book in a slot to walk the resident Labrador dog, Sonny to take for a walk. It’s all these touches I think that I will remember for a long time to come.

In the afternoon we headed up to Lake Louise for an afternoon of skiing. The womans downhill racing is on here in a few weeks and there are a load of very professional skiers around. Just a tad intimidating as they fly past on the downhill run!!! But it was fascinating to watch.

Unfortunately at the very end of the day I managed to have a massive fall – now I own a pink crash helmet as a result. I didn’t realize my head could hurt that much.

We travelled from Lake Louise to Banff that evening but much of this was a blur due to the sudden candy floss in my head. Now, where is my bed…???

We were up early to catch the first ski shuttle to Marmot Basin which took 20 minutes from our Jasper hotel. This was our first day of skiing and what a day it was! This mountain is heaven, just heaven. I had been told about powder snow but WOW!! It was so light and soft that we couldn’t even make proper snow balls as they kept falling apart. There was not the sound of ice to be heard (a far cry from the skiing in NZ I have experienced!) They had received the highest snowfall for the month of November in a decade, three days before we arrived. Double WOW!!!

We had a snow host with us for the morning who told us all about the history of the mountain, a overview of the terrain and then guided us on the runs most applicable for our level of skiing. He also gave us some ski tips - very much needed by me as the last time I skied was eight years ago.  It was like riding a bike though and after a few minutes I was skiing like a pro – well maybe not quite that well!!

It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to ski between trees and on my first day in Canada, I got to do it and It was even better than I’d imagined.  The snow is so soft, it sounds like we are skiing on polystyrene balls!  Tt was a beautiful day with soft powder snow and blue skies and only ever one or two other people on the run I was skiing. I have never experienced skiing like this before.

I had been told Canada would ruin me forever as the snow is so light and that estimation is correct. It’s WELL worth the money to go over to Canada to experience the snow and the mountain conditions. This place is outstanding, totally outstanding.

After lunch we made our way to Lake Louise via the Icefields Parkway. It was a bit of a hairy journey as the road only re-opened after being closed for two days and there was still a high danger warning due to slips on the road.  However our transfer driver was outstanding and relaxed us immediately and drove us there safely with no issues. 

Driving through this Parkway, in the dark, felt like we were on another planet – the shadows from the mountains were imposing, the sound of ice cracking was eerie and the full moon casting it’s light over everything was an awesome sight.  It was -27 degrees as we were driving through so there was a lot of black ice on the road so we sat holding our breath a number of times as the sound under the car tires was silence until we gripped ashphelt again.  We even took the time to stop and step outside the car to experience the silence.  Sureal, totally surreal. 

Three hours later we glimpsed our first view of the Chateau Lake Louise.  Oh…my…goodness!!!!  It was even more impressive than I had seen in the photos and pictures.  I’m looking forward to catching my first sight of the Lake in the morning….

I had a blissful nights sleep due to the rocking of the train and woke to the most spectacular mountain views imaginable. High mountain peaks, laden with snow and “snow ghosts’ everywhere (trees so covered in snow they look like white ghosts). Breakfast was a feast with preserves, orange juice, tea and coffee on offer and three menu options to choose from, and there was a load of food too. The Canadian portion sizes are similar to the USA I’m quickly realizing.

I spent my morning looking at the stunning scenery from the luxury of the dome car or the private comfort of my room. We had to stop a number of times along the way for the express trains with cargo which have right of way, which allowed us time to take photos without the movement of the train. At around 11am we stopped at a little town called Clearwater which has a general store and not much else but we all enjoyed hopping out into snow for the first time and had a few snowball fights for good measure -how old are we again?? We even got our conductor in on the act!

Oh dear, it’s 1.30pm and we have been advised to get ready to disembark - who would have thought I wouldn’t want to hop off a train.  This journey has been like travelling through a fairytale – the cabin, the staff, the train, the scenery, the wildlife - WOW, WOW, WOW.  I had no idea how stunning Canada was – this is like my dreams on steroids!

We roll into Jasper and disembark, where my next adventure begins…

Here I am in Vancouver and about to board the train for an overnight journey through the Canadian Rockies. I checked in at the VIA Rail check in desk, after being advised in advance before leaving home that I can only take an overnight bag with essentials on board, as my main luggage travels in their own cabin! I had some time before departure, so headed to the VIA Rail lounge to relax, before boarding the shiney silver train (after taking a photo of the Canada flag of course!).

I had no idea how fabulous this train is! There are four distinct accommodation options and I got a two berth cabin, with its own wash basin and toilet, all to myself.

Once the train departed I went up to the dome carriage for canapés and champagne as I travelled out of Vancouver…very flash!

The views were fascinating and the length of the cargo trains were phenomenal (182 carriages was the longest cargo train I counted.  Sheesh!)

Returning to my cabin I discovered the two seats had been transformed into a very comfortable bed, complete with towels, water bottles and chocolates. There were a load of hand towels, bath towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner etc as well. I really didn’t need to pack this in my overnight bag. I was even able to charge my camera onboard as well.

I was rocked to sleep by the rhythm of the train as it made its way through the night…

Leaving South Luangwa National Park behind we fly back to Johannesburg, but we have time for one more African experience before heading home. Our half day Soweto tour was very interesting and our guide was really good. The tour focuses a lot on the student uprising that took place in Soweto and we spent a lot of time at the Hector Peterson Memorial Museum, it was really interesting and we could have stayed for longer. So if you have some time in Johannesburg then make the time to visit Soweto, as we found the tour very worthwhile.Our afternoon was spent at a massive shopping centre directly across the road from the hotel, time to pick up those last minute gifts.