We are planning a family holiday to Canada for Xmas next year, really fancy the cold snowy log cabin idea for Xmas, what and where would you suggest oakster
We are planning a family holiday to Canada for Xmas next year, really fancy the cold snowy log cabin idea for Xmas, what and where would you suggest oakster
I was in Toronto last week Dave, it wasn't cold - you're going to experience much colder than that!! Are you working at the ski resort up there?
Yes working at Blue Mountain and staying here, start Wednesday. It's a lovely place but think will take time to adapt. Toronto wasn't particularly cold but this place bit further up north has just suddenly picked up rapidly. Not quite a cold wet Tuesday night in Stoke, yet though. You have to seriously wrap up warm.
We are planning a family holiday to Canada for Xmas next year, really fancy the cold snowy log cabin idea for Xmas, what and where would you suggest oakster
1st- Jasper 2nd - Banff 3rd - Whistler
Any decent travel companies to deal with or the normal UK ones
We are planning a family holiday to Canada for Xmas next year, really fancy the cold snowy log cabin idea for Xmas, what and where would you suggest oakster
Are you thinking a multi destination road trip style thing NLA or to fly in to one place and then base yourself there? I live in The Rockies near Banff (1 hour West of Calgary) - absolutely tons to do round here in the winter but can get get quite cold this time of year. You also have Whistler - just up the road from Vancouver - which is not as cold.
For the log cabin style winter experience - we have near us an amazing lodge in the wilderness - really spectacular but talking secluded (no cell phone coverage etc). You could fly to Calgary - rent a car & hole up there.
Alternatively you could stay here in Canmore, Banff or Lake Louise - lots of different accommodations - loads of great pubs, restaurants & stuff to do after a day outside.
Prices should be good as the British pound is so strong at the moment - Christmas does get busy as we have two big cities on our doorstep and everyone comes out here. Really though for winter activities there's everything you could want - skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice climbing, dog sledding etc etc etc
Let me know and I can help - know lots of people out here....
I went skiing @ Lake Louise years ago. Went to get on the shuttle one morning and they said the lifts wouldn't start running until the temperature got over -40. That was a cold day.
I went skiing @ Lake Louise years ago. Went to get on the shuttle one morning and they said the lifts wouldn't start running until the temperature got over -40. That was a cold day.
Ha! Yes it can get a bit nippy - but then a Chinook will blow through and the temperature goes up 20 degrees in a couple of hours - it's also bone dry because of the altitude - so it's crisp cold vs. damp cold. I don't find it too cold anymore but been here 10 years. We have a season pass for Lake Louise this year - great ski hill, my favourite!
We are planning a family holiday to Canada for Xmas next year, really fancy the cold snowy log cabin idea for Xmas, what and where would you suggest oakster
Are you thinking a multi destination road trip style thing NLA or to fly in to one place and then base yourself there? I live in The Rockies near Banff (1 hour West of Calgary) - absolutely tons to do round here in the winter but can get get quite cold this time of year. You also have Whistler - just up the road from Vancouver - which is not as cold.
For the log cabin style winter experience - we have near us an amazing lodge in the wilderness - really spectacular but talking secluded (no cell phone coverage etc). You could fly to Calgary - rent a car & hole up there.
Alternatively you could stay here in Canmore, Banff or Lake Louise - lots of different accommodations - loads of great pubs, restaurants & stuff to do after a day outside.
Prices should be good as the British pound is so strong at the moment - Christmas does get busy as we have two big cities on our doorstep and everyone comes out here. Really though for winter activities there's everything you could want - skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice climbing, dog sledding etc etc etc
Let me know and I can help - know lots of people out here....
Brilliant answer,
We want something not as secluded although it is tempting,
Somewhere that there's stuff for the family to do, 15yr old 6yr old and 2.5 yr old, plenty of snow, not looking for a hotel more of the cabin style self-catering.
We would hire a big car to get around in, want it to be a holiday based on scenery and experience more than day to day different activities, main thing for me is snow, mountains, (don't have to be next to them but not too far away) and making sure we can replicate the family Xmas day but in our own cabin wilderness
Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated, I want to live in Banff wow, I think Banff wins as destination choice I bet Xmas is amazing there
Let me put some thought into it - I have an 11yr old & an 8yr old so I know the kids will have a blast. Banff is right in the mountains, you would rent a car at Calgary airport & be here in 90 minutes. Self catering is easy - lots of places to buy good food & booze too in Canmore (20 minutes East of Banff where I am) and Banff itself.
It's great here. I've only been here a week and haven't travelled a great deal yet but Toronto is probably going to be the least impressive thing about Canada and it's still a nice city
Speaking of the Icefield Parkway between Banff and Jasper, if you get the chance to drive it NLA, do so. One of the most spectacular roads you're likely to drive.
Personally I prefer Jasper to Banff as it is a bit quieter, but Oakster is probably right to recommend things more down in his neck of the woods at Christmas. Banff is the larger of the two main towns in the National Park and because it is closer to a major city (Calgary) more of the touristy stuff stays open in winter. Japser is a bit more remote (3 to 4 hours from Edmonton) but there are lots of nice places to stay , including a couple of places where you can rent log cabins and you might find it's a little bit cheaper than Banff. Banff is a bit more disneyfied if you know what I mean, but still a very nice place to visit. If you do it make sure you go to Lake Louise as well, or you could go there on your drive between Jasper and Banff.
Dunno if it's the kind of thing you'd want to do but you could do a bit of a loop and fly into Edmonton, drive to Japser, stay there for a few nights and then down to Banff/Canmore (which is also very nice and maybe cheaper as it is just outside the national park) and fly home from Calgary or vice versa.
You're a bit more limited for flights between Edmonton and the UK in the winter, but Iceland Air fly all year round with a change in Reykjavik or you might be able to save a few pennies by doing the UK to Iceland leg with a Ryan Air or similar. West Jet are supposed to be opening up a direct route to Gatwick starting next spring. I know a lot of people use Air Transat to fly Gatwick to Calgary for a cheaper deal.
I am open to all information mate and the more I can gain from those there the better, will definitely drive that road as I want this to be a full on experience of what beauty the world has to offer
Do you know of any jobs local to where you are or anything at all?
Ive got a job but it's seasonal and no snow falling here we've got no reasonable enough hours, less then part time.
From speaking to Canadians, I've got no faith that snow and low enough temperatures will be heading this way.
Dave - there are 4 ski resorts within an hours drive of me here in Alberta. I think there are always opportunities. Do a search for Nakiska, Norquay, Sunshine Village & Lake Louise.
Oh man, tougher jobs market in Alberta than in recent years with the oil price being low and oil companies laying people off. That said there may still be stuff in retail and service industries. I don't know of anything specific but I'll ask around. You could try the British Expats in Edmonton Facebook group, lots of people in all sorts of trades on there, they might now more than me.
It's a El Nino year which is supposed to mean a mild winter over here but a colder one in eastern North America so the snow may be coming your way. We've had hardly any snow here though, just the one moderate sized dump.
Speaking of the Icefield Parkway between Banff and Jasper, if you get the chance to drive it NLA, do so. One of the most spectacular roads you're likely to drive.
Personally I prefer Jasper to Banff as it is a bit quieter, but Oakster is probably right to recommend things more down in his neck of the woods at Christmas. Banff is the larger of the two main towns in the National Park and because it is closer to a major city (Calgary) more of the touristy stuff stays open in winter. Japser is a bit more remote (3 to 4 hours from Edmonton) but there are lots of nice places to stay , including a couple of places where you can rent log cabins and you might find it's a little bit cheaper than Banff. Banff is a bit more disneyfied if you know what I mean, but still a very nice place to visit. If you do it make sure you go to Lake Louise as well, or you could go there on your drive between Jasper and Banff.
Dunno if it's the kind of thing you'd want to do but you could do a bit of a loop and fly into Edmonton, drive to Japser, stay there for a few nights and then down to Banff/Canmore (which is also very nice and maybe cheaper as it is just outside the national park) and fly home from Calgary or vice versa.
You're a bit more limited for flights between Edmonton and the UK in the winter, but Iceland Air fly all year round with a change in Reykjavik or you might be able to save a few pennies by doing the UK to Iceland leg with a Ryan Air or similar. West Jet are supposed to be opening up a direct route to Gatwick starting next spring. I know a lot of people use Air Transat to fly Gatwick to Calgary for a cheaper deal.
my mrs and son flew Air Transat to Calgary in August. They said it was fine and a lot better value than Air Canada and BA.
Had a pretty good start to the year here in Whistler, I was up snowboarding before work yesterday and it was absolutely dumping snow up top. The forecasters reckon by the end of these 3-4 storm systems coming through, we could have had as much as 2 metres of snow!!! Just hope the freezing level keeps low.
Speaking of the Icefield Parkway between Banff and Jasper, if you get the chance to drive it NLA, do so. One of the most spectacular roads you're likely to drive.
Personally I prefer Jasper to Banff as it is a bit quieter, but Oakster is probably right to recommend things more down in his neck of the woods at Christmas. Banff is the larger of the two main towns in the National Park and because it is closer to a major city (Calgary) more of the touristy stuff stays open in winter. Japser is a bit more remote (3 to 4 hours from Edmonton) but there are lots of nice places to stay , including a couple of places where you can rent log cabins and you might find it's a little bit cheaper than Banff. Banff is a bit more disneyfied if you know what I mean, but still a very nice place to visit. If you do it make sure you go to Lake Louise as well, or you could go there on your drive between Jasper and Banff.
Dunno if it's the kind of thing you'd want to do but you could do a bit of a loop and fly into Edmonton, drive to Japser, stay there for a few nights and then down to Banff/Canmore (which is also very nice and maybe cheaper as it is just outside the national park) and fly home from Calgary or vice versa.
You're a bit more limited for flights between Edmonton and the UK in the winter, but Iceland Air fly all year round with a change in Reykjavik or you might be able to save a few pennies by doing the UK to Iceland leg with a Ryan Air or similar. West Jet are supposed to be opening up a direct route to Gatwick starting next spring. I know a lot of people use Air Transat to fly Gatwick to Calgary for a cheaper deal.
my mrs and son flew Air Transat to Calgary in August. They said it was fine and a lot better value than Air Canada and BA.
Some great advice from @Oakster and @Exiled_Addick the Rockies are truly amazing and the people there are lovely too.
Just to add a couple of things:-
There's also WOW airline now. They only go to Toronto or Montreal but both cities are nice places to visit. Wow advertises one way for £99, although there is a catch, you have a mid-way stop in Iceland for a couple of hours. Also like the budget airlines including Air Transat, there's a menu of additional costs to reserve seats etc. etc.
My favourite place in Eastern Canada is Quebec City, it's a bit like being in a European town in Canada.
As a thought - there are worse things to do than flying into Eastern Canada and taking the train all the way across to the Rockies. Internal flights can be expensive, the cheaper options for internal flights are usually West Jet and Porter.
Another thought is to fly into Vancouver and take the train ride through the Rockies and approach Banff from the West.
Sorry got distracted while typing and forgot to mention:-
Flying into or out of Vancouver would give the chance to spend some time in a beautiful city and part of the world. No offence to any Calgarians on here, Calgary is nice enough but there isn't much for tourists other than the view of the Rockies in the distance, although a couple of hours south of Calgary is the Dinosaur Provincial Park which is kind of magical.
Comments
2nd - Banff
3rd - Whistler
Toronto wasn't particularly cold but this place bit further up north has just suddenly picked up rapidly. Not quite a cold wet Tuesday night in Stoke, yet though. You have to seriously wrap up warm.
For the log cabin style winter experience - we have near us an amazing lodge in the wilderness - really spectacular but talking secluded (no cell phone coverage etc). You could fly to Calgary - rent a car & hole up there.
http://mountengadine.com
Alternatively you could stay here in Canmore, Banff or Lake Louise - lots of different accommodations - loads of great pubs, restaurants & stuff to do after a day outside.
Prices should be good as the British pound is so strong at the moment - Christmas does get busy as we have two big cities on our doorstep and everyone comes out here. Really though for winter activities there's everything you could want - skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice climbing, dog sledding etc etc etc
Let me know and I can help - know lots of people out here....
We want something not as secluded although it is tempting,
Somewhere that there's stuff for the family to do, 15yr old 6yr old and 2.5 yr old, plenty of snow, not looking for a hotel more of the cabin style self-catering.
We would hire a big car to get around in, want it to be a holiday based on scenery and experience more than day to day different activities, main thing for me is snow, mountains, (don't have to be next to them but not too far away) and making sure we can replicate the family Xmas day but in our own cabin wilderness
Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated, I want to live in Banff wow, I think Banff wins as destination choice I bet Xmas is amazing there
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/grizzly-attacks-climber-along-icefields-parkway-in-banff-national-park
Personally I prefer Jasper to Banff as it is a bit quieter, but Oakster is probably right to recommend things more down in his neck of the woods at Christmas. Banff is the larger of the two main towns in the National Park and because it is closer to a major city (Calgary) more of the touristy stuff stays open in winter. Japser is a bit more remote (3 to 4 hours from Edmonton) but there are lots of nice places to stay , including a couple of places where you can rent log cabins and you might find it's a little bit cheaper than Banff. Banff is a bit more disneyfied if you know what I mean, but still a very nice place to visit. If you do it make sure you go to Lake Louise as well, or you could go there on your drive between Jasper and Banff.
Dunno if it's the kind of thing you'd want to do but you could do a bit of a loop and fly into Edmonton, drive to Japser, stay there for a few nights and then down to Banff/Canmore (which is also very nice and maybe cheaper as it is just outside the national park) and fly home from Calgary or vice versa.
You're a bit more limited for flights between Edmonton and the UK in the winter, but Iceland Air fly all year round with a change in Reykjavik or you might be able to save a few pennies by doing the UK to Iceland leg with a Ryan Air or similar. West Jet are supposed to be opening up a direct route to Gatwick starting next spring. I know a lot of people use Air Transat to fly Gatwick to Calgary for a cheaper deal.
Do you know of any jobs local to where you are or anything at all?
Ive got a job but it's seasonal and no snow falling here we've got no reasonable enough hours, less then part time.
From speaking to Canadians, I've got no faith that snow and low enough temperatures will be heading this way.
Panorama & Fernie as well.
i.e. http://winter.banffnorquay.com/your-mountain/employment/
It's a El Nino year which is supposed to mean a mild winter over here but a colder one in eastern North America so the snow may be coming your way. We've had hardly any snow here though, just the one moderate sized dump.
Just to add a couple of things:-
There's also WOW airline now. They only go to Toronto or Montreal but both cities are nice places to visit. Wow advertises one way for £99, although there is a catch, you have a mid-way stop in Iceland for a couple of hours. Also like the budget airlines including Air Transat, there's a menu of additional costs to reserve seats etc. etc.
My favourite place in Eastern Canada is Quebec City, it's a bit like being in a European town in Canada.
As a thought - there are worse things to do than flying into Eastern Canada and taking the train all the way across to the Rockies. Internal flights can be expensive, the cheaper options for internal flights are usually West Jet and Porter.
Another thought is to fly into Vancouver and take the train ride through the Rockies and approach Banff from the West.
Flying into or out of Vancouver would give the chance to spend some time in a beautiful city and part of the world. No offence to any Calgarians on here, Calgary is nice enough but there isn't much for tourists other than the view of the Rockies in the distance, although a couple of hours south of Calgary is the Dinosaur Provincial Park which is kind of magical.