Once upon a time in a land far, far, away (well, not really too far away) there was a wonderful ski resort where you never found lift lines. It had wonderful terrain and a funky town at its base full of friendly people and gourmet restaurants. And to make this Ski Shangrila even better, they put in a new lift that increased their skiable terrain by 40% AND added in-area daily cat skiing. NO way you say? Such a place cannot exist. But it DOES!
Join us on our 3rd tour to:
RED MOUNTAIN, B.C. CANADA
NEW YEAR’S 2015-16
Air, Lift passes, 7 nights 4 star luxury lodging
From $1169 double occupancy
Single occupancy add $429. Ask us to find you a room mate if you prefer.
Dec. 28, 2015 –Jan. 4, 2016
Red Mountain and Rossland are a perfect match for a perfect New Year’s ski week.
Morningstar has done two tours to Red Mountain. Our first was a huge Y2K New Year’s trip, where 116 skiers joined us to celebrate the end of the world in style at Red. The end of the world did not happen, but a great ski week did. Everyone loved the skiing at Red and the funky cool town of Rossland, where Red is located. Because it was great fun, we did another tour there a number of years later. The incubus for this year’s trip occurred on the bus ride at the end of our Big White Canada New Year’s trip last season. Chore, one of Skiman’s old partners in crime, handed me a Ski magazine and told him to read an article therein. My eyes popped when it was revealed that Red Mountain had expanded its terrain by 40% and had added a whole new mountain to its resort. Further, it had begun to offer snow cat skiing in bounds where you could just pay as you go, ten bucks a ride, no guide required. I was jazzed and my little Skiman brain started scheming. I knew right then that I had found our New Year’s trip for 2015-16. All I needed to do was find the deals on air and the perfect hotel. Upon returning from our epic Europe ski tours in Italy, I started working on the possibilities for a Red Mountain tour. It took a bit of work and time to get it exactly right, but we succeeded and can offer you a fantastic tour to this great resort for a truly fantastic price. Read all about the details below.
THE HOTEL: In a word: the BEST in Rossland! The Prestige Hotel is part of a luxury chain in Canada. We stayed in one of their hotels for our Whitewater tour four years ago in Nelson, B.C. and it was one of the best lodges we ever used. The hotel is the same one we used 15 years ago. It was great back then, but it has since been bought by the Prestige chain and
completely remodeled. It has all the amenities you could want. It is located in the heart of Rossland, right next to the shops, restaurants, and bars. It is a short, free, 5 minute bus ride from the slopes. Perfect!
The Air: This is always the component that makes a tour possible or not. Some of the fares are crazy anymore. We were elated to work out some great air for a fantastic price. The times are perfect, the connections are perfect, and the cost is super for the holiday travel period.
We are holding this air space:
10 seats from Los Angeles on Alaska Air included in base cost
10 seats from Tucson on Delta, air supplement Tucson $99 over base cost
10 seats from Phoenix on Delta, air supplement Phx $82 over base cost
All air leaves late morning and flys into/ out of Spokane, WA. All air returns Jan. 4 from Spokane with flights departing late afternoon and back at decent hours. Yeah! No early “get up and leave” times at the end of the trip to make our flights!
We can also organize air from anywhere else on a per-request basis. But the sooner you ask us to get air for you, the better your chance of getting a decent fare. If you wait until a month before the tour leaves, given that it is the holiday season, your chances are slim to none of finding something palatable.
NOTE: To keep our locked in fares, we have to have 10 flyers in each departure city block. If we fall below 10, there is a chance that the air fare could adjust up a bit. We need to have all of the slots accounted for and deposited on before the end of September.
The skiing: Red Mountain is an uncrowded gem of a resort. You can check out the stats on their site. It has amazing expert terrain, some of the best in Canada or the U.S., and with the addition of an entire mountain opened up by the new lift that services mostly intermediate skiing, there is plenty for all levels of skiers. There were never lift lines at Red in the past. The additional lift will make things even better.
BONUS: We will do an optional day trip to Whitewater Ski Resort, an hour away. Whitewater is fantastic and you won’t want to miss this day. We will organize a charter bus for that trip.
BONUS FOR EXPERTS: SNOW CAT SKIING! At Red, you can pay 10 bucks a ride and get as many runs as you can handle with no guide required.
BONUS FOR EXPERTS, PART 2: We are going to take advantage of a fantastic snow cat operation that runs right from Red Mountain, called Big
Red Cats. They offer guided snow cat skiing in the backcountry near Red. We are planning on reserving an entire cat for just our group and go rip it up together! By doing our own cat, we will be able to save you some money and offer a great ski day at the same time. Win/Win… Details on this forthcoming down the road as the trip builds.
Getting to/from Spokane/Rossland: We will charter a private bus just for our group. It is a short 2.5 hour drive. We will not know the exact price per person until we have the final count of tour participants. But ball park @ $49 each way.
Depositing/ Payment schedule/ Cancellation penalties: First deposit: Due upon signup. $350 per person, NON-REFUNDABLE. Second deposit: Oct.24 This is a critical one as we will need to finalize on air and a good portion of the lodging. The amount of this deposit will be the cost of your group air ticket including air taxes +$150. Final deposit: DUE NOVEMBER 15. This will be the remaining balance due on the package plus any extras ordered (lift passes, activities, etc.)
Payment Methods: Check is best. Make out to Morningstar Ski and mail to 21080 Oriole Lane Bend, OR 97701
If you prefer using a credit card, use Paypal as per our site. Caveat/warning: Using Paypal will incur a 3% surcharge fee charged by Paypal. Any amount you want to charge on Paypal will require you to add 3% on top of the amount you are paying Morningstar.
- What is NOT included in the package:
*The air taxes are not included because they can fluctuate up until time of final purchase in October. They will be @ $ 60 in total, no biggie.
*The charter bus to/from Spokane/ Red Mountain is not included. The final cost will be determined once we know the final passenger count. It will be @ $49 per person each way. NOTE: We will acquire all your passport information way in advance of this trip so that we can pre-clear all of our passengers for entry into Canada, which will greatly expedite our border crossing. Please SEE NOTE below about past criminal records.
*Lift passes over and above the included 3 day pass not included. Additional days can be purchased in advance thru us for a substantial savings.
*Optional day tour to ski Whitewater, details t.b.a.
Cancellation penalties: Initial deposit is non-refundable, no exceptions. After 2nd deposit is made: Initial deposit forfeited plus any penalties charged by our wholesalers/ providers/ lodge managers/ bus companies/ air lines. After final payment is made: All unrecoverable funds and initial deposit are forfeit, amount to be determined by Morningstar Ski Tours
BUY TRIP INSURANCE! Buy trip insurance, especially if you are leaving the country! I never leave the U.S. without it. It not only protects you if you have to cancel before the trip leaves due to an injury or illness, but it also provides great on-trip benefits: trip delays, messed up flights, lost bags, medical treatment (REMEMBER: your health insurance may not be valid in Canada! Check on that, please), medical evacuation. It also protects your deposited monies, should you have to cancel due to health or illness before the trip leaves. The insurance is not expensive considering the peace of mind it provides. We offer great policies from a reliable company. Example: If you are 55 years old, you can cover this entire trip package price for $72 a person from us. The price varies depending on your age, but it is easy for us to give you a quote. Whether from us or wherever, get a policy and sleep better.
Current PASSPORT required to enter Canada: You must have a passport that is valid and not expiring any time near the dates of this trip. If you don’t have one, you need to get one and it can easily be done in time for this trip.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Criminal records? Canada is very picky about checking every entrants past at their border entry points. Be advised: If you have any DUI convictions in your past or any other felony convictions (no matter how long ago it was) you can be denied entry into Canada and you can be forced to return to the States immediately. IF YOU FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY, we strongly recommend you contact a Canadian consulate to clear things up and to ascertain that you will be granted entry into Canada. We have had people sent back on several occasions in the past. It is definitely a major drag when this happens. You lose your holiday and all of your money. Don’t let this happen and do as directed above before committing to this trip.
Come and join Skiman & Deb for some New Year’s fun in Canada!
