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Castle Mountain Resort resort snow
Lat Long: 49.32° N 114.41° W
Ski Canada - Alberta

Castle Mountain Resort Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Castle Mountain Resort Ski Resort

Castle Mountain Resort Ratings

Overall: 3.3. Based on 102 votes and 100 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.8

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Castle Mountain Resort is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.4

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Castle Mountain Resort has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.3

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.2

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.1

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Castle Mountain Resort

Public Transport: 2.1

  • There are no buses or taxis to Castle Mountain Resort
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 3.5

  • No places to stay in/near Castle Mountain Resort
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.7

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 2.1

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Castle Mountain Resort

Ski in/Ski out: 4.3

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.1

  • There are no child care facilities at Castle Mountain Resort
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 1.9

  • Castle Mountain Resort relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.5

  • There are no snow groomers at Castle Mountain Resort
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Castle Mountain Resort are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.1

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Castle Mountain Resort is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.6

  • If snow conditions are poor at Castle Mountain Resort, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.1

  • Castle Mountain Resort usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.3

  • The staff at Castle Mountain Resort are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Castle Mountain Resort are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.7

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 3.6

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.3

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 3.9

  • No intermediate terrain at Castle Mountain Resort
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.7

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 3.0

  • Not even a kicker at Castle Mountain Resort
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.2

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Castle Mountain Resort
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 1.2

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Castle Mountain Resort has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 2.5

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 2.5

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 2.9

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 1.4

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 2.0

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.7

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.6

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.8

  • Overall, Castle Mountain Resort is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.7

  • Overall, Castle Mountain Resort is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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December 16, 2008
Eric $
From Lethbridge. Castle Mountain Resort is one of the best mountains in the area for sure and close to home. No lift lines. Some of the best riding I've had has been at Castle Mountain Resort. The wind gets a little testy at times but a great mountain all round.
December 12, 2008
Travis
This mountain at Castle Mountain Resort is the best in the northwestern rockies. The only other mountain that compares to The Castle (Castle Mountain Resort) is Jackson Hole for lightness of snow and the quality of expert terrain. Another added bonus with the terrain is lack of crowds. Alberta's best kept secret, oops, shhhh. Keep it that way.
March 27, 2008
John
I ski Fernie because it is 35kms from my house. However, I frequently ski most of the big mountain resorts in the southern Canadian Rockies & northern USA. In my opinion Castle is the very best mountain you will find in the area. The lifts are ancient and visibility is a problem (and a gift since "Wind Sift”cleans out tracks in a matter of minutes). Castle, with nearly 2,000 acres & usually small crowds, is truly an expert's mountain, with few diamond runs, less than 45 degrees (the steepest - Lone Star - being 54) & with straight line verticals of more the 2,000 feet. It operates on a co-op principle with 1,000 shareholders who can own no more than 1/1000th of the resort. I can't say enough about this place. Try it out. John
January 23, 2008
peter from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Good snow conditions compared to Fernie. Plenty of fresh lines still days after snow. Longer drive from Fernie than expected-1.5 hrs in good road conditions. No crowds on day we were there. Good atmosphere but few amenities at base. One powder day would be awesome.
January 04, 2008
mex
Castle on a powder day is unbeatable. No other resort can compare with the long fall lines and steep pitches. No wonder Ski Canada rated the resort last year as the best free-ride terrain in Canada and previously rated it as having the best quality powder (cold smoke). The word is out however, as the crowds are even showing up midweek on powder days. Mainly staff from other resorts who are skipping work with the knowledge that a big pow day at Castle is like no other. It is still possible to have fresh tracks all day provided you know the mountain.
November 29, 2006
Cory
Great Mountain. Steep with just enough wind that you always get fresh tracks. And dumps, the only way I could it would be, they get enough snow you need to ride with a snorkle sometimes.... I highly recommend Castle Mountain, just be wise on the day you pick, the wind can also be pretty cold!
March 30, 2006
Stew
Great hill, no question ... no crowds?? I've been there on a Wed/Thurs when lift lines have been absolutely crazy. After a big storm that mountain is shredded in no time. The secret is out and it's only going to get busier with the expansion.
March 29, 2006
josh
Matt, I think that Kevin was referring to the fact that there are lots of traverses there. It's just a little easier to get around on skis. We are always waiting for my bro because of the traverses. The runs make no difference what you're on. I've moved from Lethbridge to Calgary and I still find myself going there, I can't get away..
February 11, 2006
matt/calgary
I just wanted to say that I disagree with buddy saying that Castle Mountain is a skiers mountain.. I went their on my board and had a life changing experience. ;) the chutes on the south side are what I now live for ( as well as the trees, my other love.) so yea.. I disagree with him and I say if you're out on the snow then you're doing it right!!
March 18, 2005
Kevin Finn
A skiers mountain with with lots of steeps, long fall line pitches, great glades, big snowfalls and no liftlines. Check out the Chutes, Drifter and Northern Exposure. Community at the base is a bit short on amenities but long on friendly people. The hostel is a bargain -- new and clean with cooking facilities. This place is a gem. Quiet and laid-back but with some of the best skiing in North America and no crowds.