Vancouver to Vancouver with all the goodies in between... another winter roadtrip!

[Mickus Lambus]

So, we're sitting at the table last night after gorging ourselves on peri-peri chicken and I ask the wife and 10 yr old daughter:
"Where we goin this year for xmas?".

The wife say's:
"What about Canada?"

And I say:
"What about Canada?

And the daughter say's:
"Can you snowboard in Canada?"

And I say:
"Be damned if you can't!"

And everyone choruses:
"LET'S GO TO CANADA!"

Today I booked and paid for return flights, departing Sydney direct to Vancouver, 14 hours in the air!

We have 39 days to absorb as much of BC and surrounds as we can.

Following last year's Roadtrip: LA - SFO - Vegas - San Diego - LA with all the goodies in between http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum...ghlight=mickus I'd have rocks in my head if my first port of call wasn't to this well informed forum to fish for the 'catch of the day'!

Any suggestions for a suitable itinerary?

1. I don't particularly wanna drive more than 6-7 hours in any day.
2. We need to carve as much snow as possible, Beginner to Intermediate runs.
3. We love trail walking, mountain biking, outdoor photography, fresh air, lakes, picnics and big beautiful vistas but realise it's gonna be cold!
4. Happy to stay in different locations for 3 - 7 days at a time but want to move around a bit.
5. We know Canada has more to offer than Beavers and Biebers!

Don't be shy now! I'm open to any suggestions that will stimulate this adventure.

Cheers...
...Mickus

[Lifemagician]

Hi Mickus, and Welcome back.

Not having driven in Canada in the winter, though I have travelled there a lot in the summer, I am not sure if I can be of much use to you. Am wondering though, how much experience you have had driving in the snow, perhaps round Perisher, Smiggin Holes and Thredbo. Having driven with Jindabyne Taxis one ski season, I am not sure that I would voluntarily choose to drive in those conditions again.

I know Canada has a lot to offer, but am not sure how much of that is accessible in winter, or how.

Thanks for the link to your last trip planning exercise, it was an interesting read. I was however, a little disappointed not to find a report in our RoadTrip Field Report forum, to see how it all came out in the washup.

Lifey in Melbourne

[Mickus Lambus]

G'day Lifey,
Thanks for the reply albeit guilt inducing. There are still a number of 'things to do' on my 'things to do list' from our last trip. Amongst filing and editing digital photos, reconciling expenses, saving video to the nas, solving global warming; writing a wrap up of the trip is still there waiting to be finished. It's not that I'm lazy or too busy mowing the lawn but you get back from your roadtrip, deal with the post-holiday depression then board that express train of life again until you can disembark for another holiday. In my defence, I did start writing a wrap up but the novelty wore off. Lifey, you know what? This weekend I'm gonna hit it again!

Driving in the snow and ice:
Having roadtripped through Europe a number of times; central, northern, southern and eastern in winter, the Moroccan Atlas mountains, NZ SI and the Sierras in winter I'm feeling confident I can tackle the Rockies. I never take any risks with the family, always happy to change the schedule to suit the conditions and have chain experience.

Can anyone else who actually has experience winter-tripping BC offer some suggestions for me?

Cheers...
...Mickus

[Mickus Lambus]

Hi All,
We have decided to connect in Vancouver to start our winter road trip in Calgary.
The rough skeleton is as follows:
Day 1- Calgary
Day 2- Drive to Banff (Sunshine Mountain)
Day 9- Drive to Revelstoke (Best Western Plus)
Day 10- Drive to Kamloops (Sun Peaks)
Day 16- Drive to Lilooet (Reynolds)
Day 17- Drive to Whistler (Creekside)
Day 23- Drive to Tofino (Long Beach Lodge)
Day 27- Drive to Courtenay (Kingfisher Oceanside)
Day 32- Drive to Victoria (Pan Pacific)
Day 35- Drive to Vancouver (YWCA)
Day 40- Fly home to defrost.
Can anyone pick any holes in this?
Please don't pull the punches!
...Cheers

[Lifemagician]

The silence is deafening...

Yeah! appears not many skiers here.

Looks good on paper though. Guess the only uncertainty will be the weather, and any holdups that that may cause. I must say, I did love Lilooet. But that was in summer.

Lifey