Happy 2019.  It has been a great couple weeks leading up to New Years for snow and looks like it is not going to be stopping.  Around Christmas we had about a metre of snow over a 7 day period.  Then a few days later another 30 cms.  Obviously the conditions are pretty sweet.  January is a great time for skiing here as the crowds disappear.  Kicking Horse had a record day for skiers a few days ago with over 3500 and no complaints about lift lines.  Things kept moving nicely. 
We had a great Christmas with family.  3 year old Grandson Waylon is moved from skiing to snowboarding.  What fun to see the future of the sport. 
Video is of Waylon with his dad Shane helping out. 
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After a sketchy start to the season for snow, it has come on with gangbusters in the week.  As of today we have had about a metre(yard) of new snow in the past week and it is coming down hard now.  Just what we needed to get through the Christmas rush.  Unfortunately I am not able to enjoy the powder.  December 13th I went for tumble and ended up breaking my collarbone.  I will be out of action for at least a month to 6 weeks according to the early prognosis.  I am not a happy camper.  What's the expression about "playing hard"?  It could have been worse. 
We are gearing up for a family Christmas and will be closed until December 26th.  We are looking forward to having our family and especially our two grandchildren spend some quality time with us.
If you are looking for a special winter getaway, give us a call here at Vagabond 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca 
Enjoy the holiday. 

nWe are into the final few days before Kicking Horse Resort and Vagabond Lodge opens for another winter season. December 7 is the big day. 
The big news regarding Kicking Horse is the addition to the resort of some new terrain.  Click here for a link to their news release regarding the new terrain. 
It is an area that I usually go into once a year.  I have always gone with a experienced guide since it is not patrolled or has any avalanche control up to this year.  Now with it being under the controlled area of the resort it will be monitored and controlled for avalanches.  
It will still involve some hiking to get there so it is not going to be for everyone. 
You don't need to be a skier to enjoy our area.  Snowshoeing is out our back door at Vagabond and it is so nice to go for a walk in the wood.  Video shows what the experience is like.  
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We wanted to finish off our summer season with a special day and we did.  After a pretty dismal September for weather with snow, rain and cold we were waiting for a nice day.  We had  a couple of things on our "list to do" before getting ready for winter.  One was to take our kayaks to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park which is a short drive from Vagabond.  As you can see from the video it was an amazing day.  Reminder that Vagabond is taking reservations for the upcoming winter and the 2018-19 summer season. Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or emailken@vagabondlodge.ca to book your stay. 

They made it official this week.  Kicking Horse Resort has added some new terrain to their controlled area. It will be for now only accessible by doing some walking/climbing but the long term plan is to add a lift to the area. Some of it is more the extreme variety which is called Ozone but Rudi's bowl is more intermediate with some tree skiing.  I am not sure how many extra people will actually take advantage of this.  The Ozone part has always been something the more extreme skiers have wanted to do and now they will.  It is has been a closed off area in Feuz bowl.  I have attached a new trail map photo to give you an idea.  It is all good for the resort and becomes the 5th largest resort in North America in terms of vertical.  Here is a link to a news release regarding new changes for this upcoming winter. 

So much  for a nice autumn here.  We went right from a hot smokey summer to winter in a matter of minutes it seemed.
We got barely above 10C for the entire September with snow early in the higher elevations and now it is coming down to the base level of Kicking Horse Resort.  Over the past few days we received well over 15 cms aroundVagabond and unless we get some really warm weather it will likely stay.  Or at least some of it.   The early snowfall certainly bodes well for an early opening but you can never tell.
It was a great to go for a walk in the woods to check out our snowshoe trail with Patrick from Selkirk Sports.  It gives you a bit of a taste of what it is like in our "neck of the woods. " 
Reminder the 10% Early Bird savings at Vagabond ends at the end of October.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email me atken@vagabondlodge.ca to book your stay. 

What a fabulous spot in our backyard.  Lake O'Hara is a gem in Yoho National Park and Yoho is loaded with gems.  I managed to get 6 bus tickets for a day trip.  In order to get these tickets is like winning a lottery or at least getting tickets on-line for your favourite music group.  I had to go on-line at 8am back on April 22 to try and buy the day tickets. I pressed the button at the right time and won.  And within seconds the entire summer is sold out.  It is not the greatest system to get to see this place(you can walk 14 km one way).  
Along with some neighbours we had an absolutely fabulous day. It had been raining and snowing off and on for the week prior and when we got up to Lake O'Hara the skies cleared with all sorts of new snow.  Breathtaking to say the least. If you are interested in this trip for next summer, we can organize a guide who has access to  priority tickets for the bus.  It will cost about $400 for a guide for the day and must be booked at least a month prior in most cases.  But it is an option for people who have Lake O'Hara on the bucket list. 
Vagabond is closed as of September 28 and will be reopening for the ski season in December.  Our 10% Early Bird discount is in effect until October 31. Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email ken@vagabondlodge.ca to book your stay. 

Crazy weather.  It is awesome weather to put out  all the fires in our province out but not much for having fun.  Although it is pretty interesting going to the top of the mountain and check out the snow coverage.  It is not uncommon for early snowfalls but it has been pretty continuous for the past week and it really looks like the start of winter.  I don't believe it is but it certainly looks like it. 
Mother nature is the best marketing tool Kicking Horse can get.  

Ok, I love the snow but maybe not quite yet.  The weather has gone from one extreme to another and we had some snow on our bike ride yesterday.  
Vagabond will be closing for a few weeks starting September 28th and then reopening for the ski season about December 8th depending on when the resort opens. If you are looking for a great getaway this winter give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email ken@vagabondlodge.ca and book your stay. 

It doesn't get much better than this.  Along with  Patrick, the owner of Selkirk Sports  here at Kicking Horse we went on a fabulous adventure a few days ago.  We road our cube ebikes down a old rail bed and on a forestry road for about 20 kms. After stashing our bikes in the woods, we  hiked for about an hour  to one of my favourite spots in our area, Gorman Lake.  Then to add to our day, someone had brought a canoe up to the lake a few years ago and left it for anyone who wanted to use it.  And we did exactly that.  It had a hole in the front so it was better for one at a time. Outstanding.  In the past we have driven up to the small parking area and then hiked up but the road is very very poor.  The ebikes are actually as fast if not faster than driving and a lot more fun.  Especially coming back down when you can certainly go faster than in a car.  Overall it took us about 5 hours for the round trip and that included about 1 hour for some repairs we had to do on a bike.  One of the best days I have had.  There were only a few other people on the trail and no-one else at the lake.