We have finally gotten some heat.  The first of this summer with temperatures around 30C which is as hot as we want.  And one of the best things to do is to find some water and that is not an issue here. 
We have both the Kicking Horse River and the Columbia river running through or by the town of Golden which is just a 10 minute drive away. 
On a hot day, there is nothing better than a float down the Columbia River.  A group of us did this trip a few days ago.  We need to have cars at both ends to do a shuttle after getting off the river.   Our trip was about 4 hours and allows time to go into some of the lakes that are formed this time of the year with the water level very high.  Not much paddling is needed.  Just sit back and relax. 
There are a couple of companies in our area that rent kayaks and canoes as well as stand up paddle boards and they will do a shuttle for you.  
It is a great way to enjoy our playground here at Vagabond. 
​

It has been a slow melt this spring to say the least.  We are probably a month behind as far as the snow disappearing from the upper elevations which means hiking is limited to lower trails and they are not always the most scenic. 
But finally I was able to do one of my favourite ridge hikes here at Kicking Horse Resort up to Terminator peak. And the views are always stunning. 
We have had a lot of rain and cooler weather throughout the spring and even fresh snow not long ago at the top of the mountains. 
But having said that, I will enjoy this compared to last year when we had a heat dome in June with temperatures unheard of and then followed by forest fires throughout the province.  That meant smoke and that is not fun. 
​This is just fine. Video is from my hike a few days ago to Terminator peak. 

We have an amazing playground in our backyard here at Vagabond Lodge.  One of my favourite spots is Takakkaw falls in Yoho National Park.  
Over the past few years we have made it a tradition to ride our bikes the 14km up from the turnoff off hiway#1 to the falls before they open the road to car traffic.  Once that happens it is way to busy to ride bikes as it is a narrow road.  Plus going there prior to the road opening makes it a very special experience.  We try and do it a few days  before they open for the summer and then in the fall just after they close the road.  During the summer there are hundreds of people daily.  We saw  six other people who were doing the same as us.  
Friend Patrick and I did the ride just two days before they opened the road and it was magical as usual with the falls at full force with all the runoff from a few days of rain.  We were lucky and managed to sneak there and back without getting too wet. 
​Well worth the effort. 

You never know what is just around the corner in our backyard here at Vagabond.  Along with friends we went on our first bike ride of the season of any significance.  One of our favourites and is to take a forestry road to Canyon Creek.  It is about an half hour ride on our ebikes to a view point that overlooks a stunning canyon.  And we are in for a treat as we came across two black bears and our favourite...mountain goats.  They have a spot at the edge of the canyon that has a mineral in the soil that apparently attracts them.  Every so often if you are lucky they are there licking the mineral out of the soil and this day we were lucky. They are so stunning to see relatively close up. We gave them enough distance not to disturb them.  
Vagabond is open for the summer again soon.  Book direct from our website and we can show you the route to this lookout.  You may be as fortunate as we were. 

Yes skiing is over for another winter at Vagabond Lodge.  Kicking Horse Resort had its final day yesterday April 17th.  And it ended in good style.  We didn't get much for fresh snow over the past couple weeks but the weather stayed exceptionally cold despite the time of year which meant the conditions were winter like, rather than spring skiing which I am not that fond of anyways. 
Along with friend Patrick we did pretty well daily trips to the top of the mountain and did some exploring out of bounds where we found pretty well fresh tracks daily.  Friends Ken and Tom joined us the final couple days.  90% of the skiing was great with the bottom 10% sometimes a challenge as the lower elevation snow was icy.  But it was all worth while. 
Vagabond is now closed until June when we reopen for the summer with hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and more available on our doorsteps. Book direct at Vagabond Lodge or give us a call 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca.  We had some fun this winter and now looking forward to a summer of adventure.  Final video of this winter for our last couple days.  

Another winter season is coming to a close this weekend at Vagabond Lodge at Kicking Horse Resort.  Final day is April 17th.  It has been a surprisedly pretty good season for guests.  With overseas visitors' travelling again, we have had a good share of Germans, Brits and even some Australians.  And we also have had a good number of Americans coming to take advantage of our great conditions this winter.  And we have had good conditions and still do.  The video is from this week.  We have been going daily off-resort and still finding some good conditions especially at the top.  Nearing the bottom of the runs it can be a bit more challenging depending on whether it faces east or north but only for maybe the bottom 10%.  The top 90% has been outstanding and it has been staying cold with temperatures at the top -15C yesterday with a cold wind.  I could use some nice spring skiing weather but that doesn't look like it will happen. 
Vagabond will be closed until June when both the resort and Vagabond will reopen for the summer with a lot of great stuff to do. 
​We are taking booking for both this summer and next winter.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 

After a week or so of a dry spell and some warmer weather we are back to winter conditions.  It is still snowing and Kicking Horse is reporting about 20 cms in the past couple of days.  The snow is a welcome relief after skiing some hard packed stuff the past week.  The knees don't like that too much.  
Yesterday I went with friends Ken and Mathew for our usual off-piste  hike and it was so nice to ski soft stuff again although underneath is a firm layer of solid snow.  Once it warms up a bit, it will be even better but it was fun just the same. 
We have our final guests of the season coming  this week although the resort is open until April 17th.  The bulk of our clients are from either the US or overseas and they book well in advance. 
We are looking forward to a break and will be open again this summer starting in June.  You can book direct for the best rate from our website www.vagabondlodge.ca

When you think spring skiing, most think warm temperatures, slushy snow and sitting on the patio with a beer.  Skiing is secondary.  But not here. 
It is officially spring here and spring means more great soft snow.   We may get a day or two of spring skiing, but generally not.  When you get 4 thousand vertical you can get a little of everything.  It can be winter skiing at the top with nice fluffy snow, then you may go through a hard packed section and then soft spring skiing at the bottom. You certainly need to be prepared for a little of everything this time of the year.  And if you know where to go, it can be amazing until the end which is April 17th this season.
Along with friend Patrick we continue to explore in our area and continue to find some great powder. It seems even on a day when there is no new snow, wind sometimes helps and blows in the snow and covers up the previous days tracks. 
​Lately the top and middle sections have been outstanding with a few challenges as we get closer to the bottom when the  temperature changes have either created a crust over night or made it pretty heavy.  But as long as the knees hang in there, we will continue to do what we are doing.  Video is from March 20 and as you see it was pretty sweet. 
We are taking bookings for next winter.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.  You can also book direct from our website.  

After close to a week without any new snow, it is back.  The weather certainly is changing as March brings a mixed bag.  It is  getting warmer with temperatures above 0C during the day.  We have had a few days of snow which has really helped.  The coverage is so amazing this winter but we get spoiled if we don't have powder everyday.  
Vagabond is open for a couple more weeks with the resort closing on April 17th which is the latest closing date we have had I believe.  
Vagabond will close about April 5th and then enjoy the last couple weeks of ski season and get things organized to reopen for the summer in June. 
We are taking bookings for next winter all ready and if you want the best price, book direct from our website or give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 
Enjoy the video. Along with friends, Patrick, Ken and Marvin we did more exploring off-piste yesterday and this is what we found.  

We got a great treat.  The forecast was calling for maybe 1cm of snow yesterday.  Instead we got over 30cm with snow starting early morning and basically snowed all day.  Friend Patrick and I decided to head to our favourite powder hunting grounds.  It was a challenge getting there because we needed to boot hike for about 30 minutes or so and we were a couple of the first to do the hike.  Plenty of snow to step through which is tiring.  
Visibility was very marginal at the top and at a few places completely a white-out.  But once we got down off the top and into the tree line it was magical with knee deep powder. One of our best days this winter.