When researching ski resorts in Alberta to visit over the holidays with my 8-year-old beginner/intermediate skier, I debated travelling to Southwestern Alberta to Castle Mountain Resort. It is clichély and incorrectly known as “Canada’s best-kept secret” because it is off the beaten path and slightly smaller than the ski resorts in Banff and Jasper National Park. The internet provided mixed feedback on whether it was suitable for family skiing, so I had to find out for myself.

Castle Mountain Resort is no secret, but it certainly has some perks. In most ways, it was an excellent choice for a family skiing holiday. However, there are some things to consider if you’re bringing beginner skiers to the hill. This article will provide helpful information about the mountain, terrain, programming, accommodations and food options. I’ll also give my personal review as someone travelling and skiing with a young child.

Castle Mountain Resort and Castle Mountain Provincial Park is in Treaty Territory Seven and is the traditional territory of the Blackfoot People, including the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani First Nations. It is also the homeland of the Métis Nation of Alberta. To this day, Piikani First Nations plays a significant role in managing Castle Mountain Provincial Park.

A guide to your family skiing holiday at Castle Mountain Resort

The Mountain

Snow

Castle Mountain Resort is just on the outskirts of BC’s famous “Powder Highway.” This route in the Kootenay Rockies is known for excessive snowfall, mountain towns, and some of the best ski resorts in North America. While Castle isn’t included on this route per se, it’s definitely at the gateway and benefits from the epic snowfalls. When we visited over the Christmas holidays and compared to the resorts in Alberta, Castle already had a deeper snowbase for this early in the season.

Annual Average Snowfall: 850 cm / 335 in

Because of its location in southern Alberta, Castle Mountain Resort can get a lot of wind. I’ve heard this can result in uncomfortable ski days and ice on the slopes, though I didn’t experience that during our visit.

Terrain

Castle Mountain has varied terrain and a little something for all ages and abilities. At first glance at the trail map, you’ll see mostly blue squares and black diamonds running down the main mountain. Don’t let that deter you from taking a family skiing holiday here, as there are still plenty of runs for beginner and intermediate skiers.

Green Chair: Newbie skiers and riders will enjoy easy and short green runs from the green chair. The Magic Carpet and Bunny Hill are also located here. The green chair is also open for night skiing throughout the year.

Huckleberry Triple Chair: This chair offers a couple of green runs and a few groomed and ungroomed blues. There are opportunities for beginner glade skiing here if you want to try bopping around in the trees. You can purchase discounted lift tickets for the Huckleberry Chair. If your kids aren’t advanced enough for the upper mountain runs, buying lift tickets for just this chair is a practical way to save on your family skiing holiday.

Sundance Triple Chair: This chair leads two-thirds of the way up the mountain and offers blue, black and double-black runs and a couple of cat-track-style green runs that are fun for kids. It also offers good beginner black diamond runs, both groomed and ungroomed!

Tamarack Chair: Advanced and expert skiers will love the offerings off of the red Tamarack Chair. It provides access to Castle Mountain’s black diamond and double-black diamond chute runs, which are accessible from the Skyline Traverse. You can also travel along the north peak for black and blue runs and ride all the way to the bottom of the mountain if you love long and cruisy runs.

Cat-Skiing: Castle Mountain also offers Powder Stagecoach Cat Skiing, one of only a few resort-based cast skiing operations in North America. They only run one group daily, so you’ll have the entire face of powder skiing to yourself. There are about two dozen cat skiing runs and roughly 1800 to 2200 vertical feet of powder to enjoy. Their cat skiing package includes breakfast, avalanche safety gear, guided cat skiing, lunch, apres-ski beverage and photos of your day.

Mountain Stats

Lift Tickets and Passes

Lift tickets at Castle Mountain Ski Resort are priced slightly lower than other Canadian Rocky ski resorts. There are also ways you can save during your family ski trip:

Limited access tickets: Castle Mountain offers limited access and discounted ticket options if you plan on spending all your time off the Huckleberry Chair or Green Chair. Both are good options if you’re skiing with kids or beginners.

Afternoon tickets: Like most resorts, you can save on your lift ticket if you hit the lifts after lunch.

Purchase online:  You can also save 20% when you purchase your lift tickets online at https://www.skicastle.ca/tickets/.

Deals through participating programs: Skiers and snowboarders can save on Castle Mountain Resort lift tickets with their Wonders of Winter Card, Lake Louise Plus Card, Indy Pass and the Grade 4/5 Snow Pass with the Canadian Ski Council. Our junior skier has a Snowstart Kidz Pass, which allowed him to ski at Castle for free three times.

Castle Mountain Full Day Lift Tickets – All Mountain Access

Ski and Snowboard Lessons

Castle Mountain Resort offers group and private ski and snowboard lessons for all ages (starting at age 3) and abilities daily. They also offer multi-day programs for visitors over the holidays and multi-week programs for adults and children who live in the area.

You can also participate in the Intro to the Park Day for children and adults and learn how to freestyle on the terrain park.

Learn more about Castle Mountain Resort snowboarding and skiing lessons at https://www.skicastle.ca/lessons/.

Accommodations

There is a range of accommodation options for those visiting Castle Mountain Resort at the base of the hill and in the nearby communities of Beaver Mines and Pincher Creek.

On-site lodging: For a small resort, Castle Mountain has several on-site accommodation options. We stayed at the Castle Mountain Ski Lodge, which offers no-thrills hotel-style accommodation at an affordable price. Several condo-style and cabin vacation rentals on the mountain can accommodate larger families and groups. These can be booked at skicastle.ca/stay.

On-Site RV Camping: Castle Mountain Resort offers nightly, seasonal, and year-round RV camping lots. There is a significant waiting list for winter RV sites; however, you can park your rig for $30/night in the north parking lot. No services (electricity or water) are available, but you will get access to their washroom and shower facilities. Book at skicastle.ca/camping.

Off-site lodging: Beaver Mines, about 20 minutes away from the resort, has a few bed and breakfasts and vacation home rentals. Pincher Creek is a larger centre with hotel, motel, B and B, and vacation rental accommodations.

Off-site camping: Winter camping is available at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, about 30 minutes from Castle Mountain Resort. The winter camping at Beauvais Lake offers plowed service sites, pit toilets and fire pits. Fifteen sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Food and Drink

There are three options to purchase food and drink at Castle Mountain Resort. There are no grocery or convenience stores on site, so if you want quick snacks or plan on cooking your meals in your accommodation, pick up groceries in Pincher Creek.

Day Lodge: The Day Lodge offers a typical cafeteria and concession-type menu and is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is the only spot on the resort that offers breakfast!

T-Bar Pub & Grub: The T-Bar is a pub-style restaurant that offers casual pub fare, apres ski drinks and beer on tap. They are family-friendly during the day and dinner time and have a small Little Rippers kid’s menu. The T-Bar is open from 11:00 AM to 2:00 AM.

Basecamp Grab N’ Go: Located just outside the Castle Mountain Ski Lodge, Basecamp offers an Asian-inspired menu from a take-out window. It is perfect for taking a hot meal back to your hotel room or cabin or for eating on the way home. Vegan and vegetarian options are available!

Experience and feedback from a skier and parent

Overall, we enjoyed our stay and skiing at Castle Mountain Resort. The snow was great, and it continued to fall while we were there. The runs we went on had good coverage for early-season skiing. The chair lifts are older and slower, but the crowds are thinner (even between Christmas and New Year’s), so the wait times were reasonable.

What I liked:

• Affordable on-site accommodation. The Castle Mountain Ski Lodge is reasonably priced and only slightly more than a hotel in town.
• Fun, family-friendly runs off the Huckleberry Chair. This part of the hill is set up really nicely for families with beginner and intermediate skiers. There is good variety in a small area, and the runs are the right length for little legs. I’d recommend getting the Huckleberry Chair pass if your family doesn’t plan on heading to the top of the mountain.
• Manageable crowds. We went during the busiest time of the year, and the crowds were super manageable. We easily got a cubby in the Day Lodge for our extra gear, and there were plenty of places to sit to eat lunch. Lift lineups were short and quick, with minimal congestion, even on main runs.
• Chill, community vibes. Castle Mountain Resort has laid-back, close-knit community vibes. The staff is friendly and helpful, and I could tell that many of the other patrons were regulars and part of the local community. It felt welcoming and comfortable being there.
• Powered winter camping nearby. We initially wanted to camp at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, a great way to experience the outdoors and save on ski lodging costs. However, the road reports were too questionable for the campervan, so we took the AWD car and stayed at the lodge. I’d love to go back and experience a camping ski holiday.

Things to know before you go:

I didn’t really dislike anything, but there are still things you should consider if you’re planning a family skiing holiday here:

• It’s remote. Castle Mountain Ski Resort is further away from major centres and down a long, winding, rural road. There is no cell phone service on the mountain, including in the village. There are limited services and nowhere to pick up toiletries, snacks or anything left behind, so be sure to fuel and stock up in Pincher Creek or at the Miners Merchantile and Bakery in Beaver Mines (Check their hours first, or you’ll be backtracking).
• Older chair lifts. The chair lifts are older and a little slow. They’re also less comfortable than the larger resorts. This isn’t a deal breaker, but something to know!
• Less beginner terrain. If your family and group are mostly beginners, you’ll be limited to the learner area, Green Chair runs, and the few greens available off the Huckleberry and Sundance Chair. If so, I don’t recommend buying passes for the entire mountain.
• Windy weather. We lucked out and had windless days, but Castle Mountain is known for its windy weather, especially on the upper mountain. Those gusts are coming right off the frozen prairies and can be very uncomfortable. Check the weather, ensure you have warm gear, and watch for any scraped-out or icy patches caused by wind.

Start planning your family skiing trip at https://www.skicastle.ca/