Bear Creek Mountain Resort

Setting out in the snow

This weekend, Tim and I were finally able to enjoy the freezing weather by spending the the day at Bear Creek Mountain Resort . At only one and half hours drive away from us, we could not believe that we had been there sooner!

Bear Creek Mountain Resort

We arrived at midday just in time for lunch. We ate at the Mountain Eatery which is a beautiful open style cafeteria overlooking the slopes, with huge stone fireplaces. Knowing that we were about to do a massive workout loaded up on carbs to get our energy. I got a big, juicy hamburger and Tim munched down some rather large Chicken Tenderloins and Fries accompanied by some Sierra Mist (rather appropriately named given the setting!). Getting a little jittery, we stopped into the bar at The Grille and downed some liquid confidence in the form of Butterscotch Schnapps.

Cheers!

We then purchased four hour lift tickets at $54.00 each and snowboard and boot hire at $36.00 each. Based on the resorts I have visited previously, I found BCMR to be very reasonably priced. Also, both of our boots were brand new, and the boards were in excellent condition. This is a big plus, as anyone who has experienced shoddy rentals will tell you. 

Once we got all our gear on we were ready to hit the slopes. But as we got onto the snow it hit me that it had been three years since I had last snowboarded. I couldn't even remember how to do falling leaf (the first move you learn). I was very panicked and almost wanted to go back home. 

Luckily that is when we spotted the magic carpet. This is just a conveyor belt that takes you "up" an almost horizontal hill. In other words it's for people who have zero experience. 

Tim was only too happy to humour me and my panic attack. He didn't even complain while we very slowly ascended about 2 feet. As soon as I started strapping my feet into my board, I felt like my training was coming back to me. I jumped up and did falling leaf all the way down, not even hesitating to avoid all the clumsy beginners along the way. 

With this confidence boost, we agreed I was ready for Ski lift E. This would take us to a short green run (for beginner) called Drifter. I got in line with my snowboard in hand only to be told that it is compulsory to wear your board on the ski lift! I had completely forgotten about that. I strapped one foot in and awkwardly lined up with a board hanging off one foot. When we were the next in line we had to hurriedly follow the chair the people in front of us were catching, as the chairs don't stop. Since I had the board strapped to my foot it was very hard to hurry. I almost fell off just trying to get to the lift. 

Trail Map

Once we mounted the lift we enjoyed the beautiful view from above and were having a lovely time. It wasn't until we spotted the sign saying "Prepare to dismount" that I got nervous again. We had to get off this moving lift with the board strapped to one foot. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to quickly jump onto my board and place my non tied foot into in like a skate board and land very gracefully without falling. I whooped into the air yelling, I didn't fall!! The people around me just kinda stared but I was jubilant, I had this!

The Chair Lift

We boarded down with no falls until I reached the bottom where I only semi stacked it. Having such a great run, we felt ready to progress to the bigger Green run: Broadway. So we went over to B lift and got in line. This was one of the things we loved about BCMR, the short lines. Talking to some people on the lift, we were informed that the day's lines were considered long. These lines were nothing compared to what we have to deal with at Thredbo, Australia or heaven forbid the crazy lines at Queenstown, New Zealand!

Broadway was a lovely run and quite long for a green level. It was also nice and wide, but with some challenges to keep things interesting. What you don't realise the first time you go down it is that you need to initially pick up some speed to make it across a flat section at the top. We were just warming up and going very slowly the first time when we reached the plateau. We had to hop and scoot across a bit sheepishly while all the pros blitzed past. 

After doing this slope several times we decided we were ready for a blue run (intermediate level) and went down Kodak. It was so much more of a challenge but a lot of fun! 

After two hours boarding, I was really starting to feel it, and I really needed a break. My Fitbit had also gone off announcing that I had already reached my target of 10,000 steps for the day. We went back to the café for some coffee and biscuits. It was the perfect stop and gave us the energy we needed. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent on Kodak and finally at Cascade Park. Once I started to get tired I found that I was falling more. Also, as it got later and darker the slopes were getting icier. Once it gets icy it is harder to stay in control and hurts a LOT more if you fall, since the ground is so hard. When our four hours were up I was definitely ready to call it a day!

Bear Creek Mountain Resort

Today I woke up so sore, but it really was so much fun. Next time I would love to stay at the resort since it looks so beautiful. The nearby towns are also idyllic in the snow and make for a beautiful drive. I would love to explore some of the lovely stores and eateries that we drove past. 

So all in all, we are looking forward to going back soon.