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Kicking Horse resort snow
Lat Long: 51.30° N 117.05° W
Ski Canada - BC

Kicking Horse Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Kicking Horse at 1848 m altitude

Issued: 11 am 13 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Kicking Horse: 0.4 cm on Wed 13th  (after 9 PM)

Visitor reviews for Kicking Horse Ski Resort

Kicking Horse Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 87 votes and 68 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.2

  • 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
  • Kicking Horse is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.6

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

Off-piste: 4.6

  • 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: 4.6

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

Access: 3.4

  • 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 Kicking Horse

Public Transport: 2.9

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

Accommodation: 4.1

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

Cheap Rooms: 3.4

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

Luxury Hotels: 3.8

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Kicking Horse

Ski in/Ski out: 4.5

  • 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: 3.6

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

Snowmaking: 2.7

  • Kicking Horse relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.4

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

Shelter: 3.7

  • 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
  • Kicking Horse is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 3.1

  • If snow conditions are poor at Kicking Horse, 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: 4.2

  • Kicking Horse 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 Kicking Horse are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Kicking Horse are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.6

  • 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: 3.9

  • 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: 4.4

  • 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: 3.1

  • 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: 3.7

  • No intermediate terrain at Kicking Horse
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.9

  • 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: 1.8

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

Cross-country: 4.5

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

Luge/Toboggan: 2.2

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

Mountain Dining: 3.9

  • 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: 3.7

  • 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: 3.4

  • 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: 2.2

  • 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: 2.8

  • 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: 3.3

  • 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: 3.5

  • 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, Kicking Horse 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): 4.0

  • Overall, Kicking Horse 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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January 20, 2016
I'veskiedeverywhereman.
This is possibly the most spectacular place I've skied. While you may have to wait half an hour on a busy weekend, the protected and spacious gondola ride takes you up 4000 feet and then a huge amount of terrain is yours for the taking! And this year the whole mountain is well covered and in excellent shape. You are dropped at the top of the mountain and the views are incredible. The only folks who may not love the terrain are beginners who go to the top and get vertigo. Kicking Horse has the most aggressive terrain of almost any resort in North America. And go have a drink/ beer at the Eagle's Eye, at 7800 feet, definitely one of the best bars to sit at, anywhere. If you have lots of time, do a day in Revy too... If you ski tour, you may never leave. Welcome!
January 03, 2016
Jack the ripper
Here is the real deal about Kicking Horse from a long time local: If you want a place to take the family, a terrain park, a vibrant apres-ski and plenty of good grooming go spend your money somewhere else. Kicking Horse is a lift accessed mountain not a resort. The alpine terrain is top notch, the snowfall is adequate, not the deepest, but it also rarely rains here. Expert and advanced skiers will be blown away by the off-piste skiing, intermediates and beginners will bore of the limited groomed terrain. The lifts do not have enough uphill capacity when it is busy, but when it is quiet bagging 3700' of vertical in a 12 min gondola ride is awesome. Yes, you do have to ski to the bottom when the lower mountain conditions are bad to go back to the top because there is no mid station, but that will probably never change. Bottom line: if you have never skied in BC before go to Whistler, it is fun for the whole family. If you are sick of the mega resorts and want a real unique ski experience try Kicking Horse.
December 06, 2015
Shelagh
Wow, after a very mediocre season last year Kickie is off to a great start with over 300 cm snowfall already this season! Everybody and their dog was here last weekend for opening day so the line-ups were long (please RCR send us some lifts!), but today was even better pow than last weekend after 22 cm new in last few days, stellar conditions and NO line-ups! El Niño seems about to bless us with another spectacular season and it's barely December! Yeee-haw!
April 10, 2015
Chris
As a beginner to skiing and snowboarding this year, Kicking Horse was very challenging for me; in the best possible way. If you are willing to push yourself and commit to the challenge, the terrain offered here allows you to improve your skills and confidence to exceptional levels quickly. The level of talent in the people skiing/boarding here is exceptional. And from when I have been hearing, they are not disappointed with the terrain. A full run to the bottom and the hike to T2 is worth every step. I feel like this is the kind of mountain that could mislead you if you only came up for a weekend, there is so much area to explore and the next dump of snow will arrive at some point, and when it does it will blow your mind. A better lift system to access this terrain would be great, but I also think it would open the door to people who might over-estimate their ability; the hike makes you think twice! Something from the mid-mountain would have been great this year, especially, though. As for the night life, there are a few options. If you are the type of person that makes your own party, you can have an absolute blast on the mountain. Locals are fantastic, laid back, friendly and really helpful. As I said, I'm a beginner and I don't have a lot of experience elsewhere. I do know that despite the unfortunate snow conditions this year, lift system and "lack of night life" (as some have put it) I have had a fantastic season and I think I'll have a hard time finding another resort that will compare. Next year, Whitewall.
March 01, 2015
DKong
Kicking Horse is a great hill when they have fresh snow but when they don't it's not really worth the 3 hr drive. And that's their biggest problem! When it snows the hoards from Calgary show up and since they only have one gondola to take you to the top the line ups can easily be 45 min to an hour. Once you're finally at the top you have to ski all the way to the base unless you cycle Stairway to Heaven chair, which gets boring after a few runs and inevitably you'll head into Fuse bowl for some fun, which is great, but now you're forced to ski the cruddy runs to the base and stand in the gondola line up again! Bottom line is they need chairlifts servicing the top half of the mountain in all the bowls!
January 02, 2015
Brian
Dec 29-30, 2015. Love Kicking Horse. The two days we skied we found the lower mountain was very cold and sketchy on snow conditions but the upper area was great and much warmer and the view on those clear days was simply breathtaking! Very little for line ups. I guess people saw the -20 forecast and were scared away. Made for lots of uninterrupted runs. Can't wait to return with hopes of powder days.
December 22, 2014
JP SKI
Good snow in the upper bowl. It is unfortunate KH received rain on the lower portion of mountain. It is noticeable and increases the obvious need of a mid station lift. The terrain remains the best advanced progressive skiing comparable to Jackson Hole, Alta, Snowbird.
December 14, 2014
Kirk Mclellan
I would like to point out as of yesterday December 12/14 there was not 99cm of snow on the lower portion of the Mtn. I would be surprised if there was 9cm. Dirt, rocks and sticks dispersed among ice would be the best description of lower 1/3 of Mtn. Top was nice but limited sking as only one bowl open.
January 31, 2014
KH Skier
I absolutely love the terrain at Kicking Horse, but the management this year is terrible. You can see that no one is actively managing basic cleanup at the end of each ski day. Over christmas holiday the same garbage sat outside the day-lodge window for a week. And more importantly the grooming is appalling. Don't get me wrong, I don't ski the Horse for the groomers but it's surprising how much I notice that they are gone. RCR needs to step up and get some full time management at the resort.
January 17, 2014
Laura
Kicking Horse is an awesome resort. For those that say there is no advanced terrain, you clearly don't know the mountain well enough. There are so many hidden chutes and runs available for the thrill seekers. Groomer are just that - groomers, but super fun to givr' at high speeds. For those complaining there are no kickers, seriously? Again, natural features are all over the mountain, like pride rock. Try stomping that. Kicking Horse has numerous ridges and enough terrain to satisfy anyone from beginner to novice. Take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. With a great attitude and willingness to explore, Kicking Horse may just be your next unforgettable adventure.