With rain in the forecast and hot springs calling our names a short distance north, we didn’t spend a ton of time exploring Kimberley Alpine Resort. While it seems like a great place to spend time on the hill with your family, it didn’t have the same variety of steeps and chutes like Fernie, where we had come from, did.
Looking west out of town towards the ski hill.
Kimberley is cited as “North America’s Largest Gladed Terrain” and this was evident as we explored. Tyson and I aren’t huge tree skiers, as we tend to go too fast and get too out of control but there are definitely some fun “gladed” runs throughout the mountain. There are also some really fun long and flowy groomers, which would make for an ideal day on the mountain with your family. It’s easy to dip in and out of the thick glades so if you’re just getting into tree skiing, it’s a great place to practice.
Groomers for the win!
We noticed at both Kimberley and Fernie, the trees and forests are thick and dark and it’s unlike tree skiing we’ve experienced back home in Colorado. The smell of the forest overcomes your senses and it’s crazy what the dense trees do with the light.
While the resort is fun and has a quiet and laidback feel to it, the town of Kimberley has that small mountain town charm that resonates perfectly with the resort up the road. It would be the perfect place to escape to with the family for a holiday or gathering. With the camper we don’t research lodging much but just looking at the area from the lift, there seems to be a ton of ski-accessible condos and homes. Unlike many other resorts, they seem economical and affordable but still give you that on-hill feel.
The quiet downtown of Kimberley.
Kimberley reminds me a lot of Ski Cooper, which is the resort I grew up skiing just 45 minutes from my house in Colorado. My parents would let us go up there alone and we’d always meet up with friends there on the weekend. The terrain wasn’t overly dangerous and the people were friendly and helpful. There’s a certain sense of community at Ski Cooper and I felt that at Kimberley. While it’s not the most extreme terrain we’ve explored, we enjoyed the feeling of the resort, not to mention the close proximity to Whitefish, MT and Fernie, B.C.
Hank loves heading into the base area after a long day of napping.
With the MAX Pass, you receive 5 days of skiing at all 39 participating resorts! They even have options like add-on passes, which is what we did for our Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus. For more information, visit the MAX Pass website.
