The Ultimate Kicking Horse Ski Guide

Four enormous alpine bowls and scores of chutes lure skiers and snowboarders who like it steep, deep and incredibly scenic to KHMR.

Why it’s legendary

One look at the Kicking Horse trail map is all it takes to see why it’s on the bucket lists of so many expert skiers and snowboarders.

Steep in-bound chutes funnel into a stunning quartet of alpine bowls that, together with the lower tree-lined runs, produce a 1,260-metre vertical drop, the second-largest in British Columbia and fourth-largest in North America. One look at the resort’s surroundings, meanwhile, explains why it lures so many alpine scenery fans – six national parks cluster around the ski area, which is nestled between the Purcell and the Rocky Mountains near the lively, welcoming ski town of Golden. And just when (and where) you least expect it, the Eagle’s Eye restaurant, Canada’s loftiest dining experience, serves up spectacular views with some locally raised bison carpaccio and a glass of British Columbian chardonnay.

Who will love it

Expert powderhounds adore Kicking Horse for all the aforementioned reasons, as well as for the seven metres of snow it receives each year. The guiding and educational programs offered by the resort’s innovative Big Mountain Centre also ensure that guests make the most of their visits, thoroughly and safely. Instruction ranges from backcountry avalanche training and other snow-safety topics to the latest in ski and ride techniques. A Big Mountain private guide, for instance, will not only show guests the terrain’s best-kept secrets, but will also help them improve their skills. For lucky visitors who have a day of heli or cat-skiing planned, a day-long prep course will take them to similar inbounds terrain and teach them how to handle very long runs through very deep powder.

Three things you must do

1. Kicking Horse is internationally renowned as a gateway to the backcountry, but there are plenty of backcountry-style runs inside the resort’s avalanche-controlled and patrolled boundaries. A string of double-black-diamond chutes spill down the south ridge of 2382-metre Terminator Peak, but several can only be reached by popping off your boards and hiking up and over the summit. The route is well travelled, and ropes and ladders are provided where the going gets steep. In short, this is the best kind of ammunition for après-ski one-upmanship.

2. Dine at Eagle’s Eye, 2347 metres up, atop CPR Ridge. This fine-dining eatery features panoramic windows, stylish decor and a menu that favours both local ingredients and wines. It’s open for lunch every day, and for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights and on holidays. After nightfall, the Golden Eagle Express gondola whisks guests back to the village.

Eagles Eye Kicking Horse — Dine-in at the spectacularly placed Eagles Eye. Make sure you’ve got a spot for the epic sunset.

3. Dawn Patrol is a half-day guided morning tour that gets you on the slopes a full hour before the lifts open to everyone else. Mix the inimitable light of daybreak with first tracks through feathery powder, and you’ve got a morning you’ll never forget.

Local secrets you should know

At the top of the Stairway to Heaven chair, which stops just short of the 2448-metre summit of Blue Heaven, a metal staircase continues the climb to… where, exactly? It’s not at all obvious where these stairs lead, but the lift and peak both offer a clue: the chutes that spill off the ridge at the top of the stairs are indeed heaven for experts. Still, Kicking Horse isn’t all about chutes and bowls. The Pioneer Chair stops before reaching the bowls, instead, providing easy and immediate access to a string of intermediate groomed runs.

Off the slopes

The sublime views at Kicking Horse are all about elevation, but you don’t have to ski or snowboard to take them in. Gondola sightseeing tours include a return ride, as do lunch and dinner reservations at the Eagle’s Eye. It’s a real win-win situation. Add a spa visit to the equation, and it’s a win-win-win. Relax in the Winston Lodge’s sauna or hot tub, or sip tea in the library or by the fireplace – before or after your hot-stone massage, facial or premium pedicure.

Best après-ski hotspots

Look back on your alpine exploits, literally, from the mountain-facing patio at Peaks Grill. Sip a local microbrew while dining on salads, burgers and pasta in the alpine sunshine. A 15-minute drive or shuttle ride east of the resort, Golden is a ski town with style, where you can enjoy cosmopolitan après options such as the Whitetooth Mountain Bistro and the Rockwater Grill and Bar.

Skiers will love

Big Mountain Clinics

This five-day course from the Big Mountain Centre is all about mastering steep-and-deep snow, reading the terrain to get the most out of every descent, and learning the basics of backcountry safety.

Snowboarders will love

Free Snow Host Tours

If you want the inside scoop on where to ride without paying a penny, local volunteers meet guests in the plaza twice daily to reveal the best groomers Kicking Horse has to offer. Available from 10 AM – 1 PM every day, these guides are located at the Mountain Tours sign in the Gondola Plaza.

Recommended places to stay

Budget

Dreamcatcher Hostel

This friendly, meticulously maintained property in downtown Golden offers dorm beds, private rooms and larger private family rooms, as well as freebies such as parking and wi-fi.

Address: 528 9 Avenue North

Midrange

Glacier Mountaineer Lodge

Located at the base of the gondola, this convenient option offers king and queen guest rooms as well as fully-equipped one, two and three-bedroom suites.

Address: 1549 Kicking Horse Trail, Golden

The Glacier Mountaineer Lodge looks straight out of a fairy tale.

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Family

Aspens at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

Ski down to the day lodge from these townhouse-style units with full kitchens, in-room laundry, equipment storage, fireplaces and spacious decks with hot tubs.

Address: 1549 Kicking Horse Trail, Golden

Luxury

Eagle’s Eye Suites

Set above their namesake restaurant, these two expansive suites include 24-hour butler service, breakfast and dinner for two, and first tracks every morning. In short, this is special-occasion material.

Address: 1500 Kicking Horse Trail, Golden

If you’re planning on visiting the Great White North, Canada, then check out our ultimate travel guide to get your plans moving.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.