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SteveS 
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Post subject: Banff / Whistler split
 Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 09:57 AM
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First post: Mar 29, 2009
Total posts: 5
Location: UK, Ireland, Germany - wherever the Army sends me!
Status: Offline
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OK, bare with me as this may seem like a strange plan. My friend and I are planning two weeks in Canada in late March. I desperately want to go to Whistler, he is set on Banff having been there last year, so I'm thinking of splitting our time, and spending a week at each resort.
Has anybody done something similar and can you offer any advice. I realise we'll lose a day of snow time having to move, and that it may incur some extra travel costs, but I'm just feeling out possibilities at this stage. Any suggestions on operators, flights and places to stay would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.
Steve. |
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ace_mcgraw
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Post subject: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 10:16 AM
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First post: Feb 20, 2007
Total posts: 4912
Location: That snowboarding hotbed, Norfolk
Status: Offline
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| Well I'm very biased towards Whistler cos I lived out there for 9 months, but its defo doable to do both in one holiday. Long drive though - 800kms between them, and bearing in mind the possible weather it could be a nightmare. We drove from Whistler to Kelowna in a day - that's about half way and it was a hell of a long day! |
_________________
Nice Photos  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ace_mcgraw/
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corie1906
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Post subject: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 02:05 PM
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First post: Apr 28, 2009
Total posts: 1029
Status: Offline
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| You could fly to Calgary airport from Vancouver airport and Banff is about an hours drive from there, Vancouver to Whistler is about an hour and half drive/two hours away. I'm sure it's Westjet that do hourly flights to Calgary from Van airport, if you dont mind adding additional flight costs to your holiday you could do it that way. If your driving into Banff via a hire car you have to pay for every day your there whether you use the car or not, which is quite expensive so remember to add that cost to your holiday, also additional daily parking for a hire car as most hotels don't offer free parking. |
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nickmotture
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Post subject: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 02:38 PM
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First post: Jan 09, 2006
Total posts: 10415
Location: Washington DC USA
Status: Offline
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rob_vet69
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Post subject: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 03:05 PM
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First post: Jan 06, 2011
Total posts: 473
Location: Teeside
Status: Offline
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Internal flight is your easiest option, but see above for costs!
Between 2 of you, you're cheaper to hire a car - though it'll be a hard slog. I drove Vancouver to Lake Louise last year - you can do it in a day but you're looking at around 12 hours (not taking road conditions into account either - and Banff is a further 40mins-ish up the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise.)
Another option would be to break the journey up and do a couple of days in either Kelowna (and do Big White, Sun Peaks etc.) or Revelstoke (about 2/3rds of way) - we ended up doing the latter. Either way I'd probably look at tacking a couple of extra days onto your holiday... |
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corie1906
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Post subject: Re: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 10, 2011 - 05:35 PM
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First post: Apr 28, 2009
Total posts: 1029
Status: Offline
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nickmotture wrote:
Internal flights in Canada are extortionate, from Calgary to Vancouver is only about 2 hours flight but costs about 400 dollars return. My friend lives in CV and is from Calgary and does it all the time.
I agree they aren't cheap, but you've got to put it in perspective. At the Exchange rate I paid last time that would work out to £263 inc luggage. The last flights to innsbruck I bought from Manchester were £254 and the flight is an hour and 20 minutes. Seems to be roughly the same, 2 days driving in what could be horrendous conditions or pay through the nose for flights. Tough decision. |
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ColdComfort
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Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 12, 2011 - 01:45 AM
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First post: Dec 03, 2009
Total posts: 1310
Location: Vancity
Status: Offline
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Waste of time and money tbh, There is no easy / cheap way to do it ! Flights are $350 - $500 PP depending on when you fly, Westjet do hourly flights, and you gotta pay for transfers too which are about 300K, timewise what Nikki says, And your also gonna pay a sh1t load more to fly from the UK to Calgary and then back from Vancouver ( or the other way around ) + Driving is 10 hours plus and the roads thru the rockies are pretty gnarly and prone to closure in heavy snow, not a drive to be rushed !
They are both seriously awesome resorts, and neither of you will be unhappy making a compromise. If you want to do some touring hit banff and they goto Revi / Kicking horse / Fernie etc for a day trip or 2 for better POW options, or if you more into Park, Pipe and partying just hit Whistler.
What month are you going ? As that for me makes a difference on what resort i would recommend more - but of course its all down the time of year, Whistler is predicted another La Nina year this year, which affects the coastal range more than the prairies so i would factor that into your decision if you like POW. |
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ace_mcgraw
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Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Banff / Whistler split
Posted: Oct 12, 2011 - 09:45 AM
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First post: Feb 20, 2007
Total posts: 4912
Location: That snowboarding hotbed, Norfolk
Status: Offline
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| As CC above says, to do more than one resort go to Banff and then hit revel, kicking hourse, Fernie, or for something a bit different head to whistler but do a bit of time in Van hitting Grouse / Seymour / Cypress |
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Nice Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/ace_mcgraw/
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ciaren
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Post subject:
Posted: Oct 12, 2011 - 07:08 PM
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First post: Jul 26, 2011
Total posts: 53
Location: swindon
Status: Offline
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| threaten to castrate him, tell him your going to whistler or else. tis what i would do |
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glassbubble
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Post subject:
Posted: Oct 12, 2011 - 08:23 PM
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First post: Sep 28, 2011
Total posts: 16
Status: Offline
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another suggestion is to look at flying into cranbrook from either vancouver or calgary and using it as a base.
from here you can go west to rossland (red mountain) and Nelson (whitewater) , or north to invermere (panorama) , banff (sunshine etc.) , lake lousie , golden (kicking horse) , or east to fernie and castle mountain , or south to kallispell usa (whitefish), also not forgetting kimberley near cranbrook itself.
i think rentawreck.ca still operate for cheap car hire and there are many cheap motels super-8 etc.
the only real killer drive is cranbrook to golden , but that can easily be broken up with a lay over in banff. |
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ColdComfort
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Post subject:
Posted: Oct 13, 2011 - 02:17 AM
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First post: Dec 03, 2009
Total posts: 1310
Location: Vancity
Status: Offline
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Last time i looked at flying YVR to Cranbrook it was $700+ only certain carriers operate it. rentawreck aren't as cheap as the name emplies either specially if your paying GBP.
Not trying to be overly negative on this, I travel a lot on the west side of Canada in winter as i like to go where the snow is best, and its great ! but and it costs a LOT of money and often takes a LOT of time and risk. Only way to get ahead is air miles if u got em over here and be very flexible with your times ! For the OP it might even be cheaper to look at booking 2 seperate package holidays from the UK to here ! |
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glassbubble
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Post subject:
Posted: Oct 13, 2011 - 08:38 AM
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First post: Sep 28, 2011
Total posts: 16
Status: Offline
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when i booked london to cranbrook rather than just to van/cal , the additional cost of the calgary/vancouver to cranbrook leg was roughly half the price of buying a seperate internal flight. (this may have changed , i hope not , but its worth looking at to see if its still the same).
how do rentawreck compare with the big boys (avis etc.) now , as the last time i used them they were a good deal cheaper, then again the rentawreck was a chryseler neon (never understood why they would name a car after an inert gas) with a huge crack down the windscreen  |
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SteveS
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Post subject:
Posted: Oct 16, 2011 - 10:37 AM
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First post: Mar 29, 2009
Total posts: 5
Location: UK, Ireland, Germany - wherever the Army sends me!
Status: Offline
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| Guys thanks for all of the input. I think I've bitten the bullet and settled on Banff, we'll just split time there between Lake Louise and Sunshine. |
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Hest
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Post subject:
Posted: Dec 01, 2011 - 08:12 PM
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First post: Nov 02, 2005
Total posts: 46
Location: vernon bc
Status: Offline
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| just to let u know bud if u change your mind flights at the mo from van to calgary at the end of march 195 dollars one way |
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moo
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Post subject:
Posted: Dec 01, 2011 - 08:23 PM
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First post: Nov 24, 2004
Total posts: 326
Location: No longer Whistler
Status: Offline
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ciaren wrote:
threaten to castrate him, tell him your going to whistler or else. tis what i would do
What he said! Seriously if you do have to do both don't go to Whistler first otherwise you will think the 2nd week of your holiday is crap compared to the first! |
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