Canada bound!!

Anyone else off to Canada for a year? I’m going in October, don’t know anyone else out there though. Just hoping to pick up some kind of work in a ski resort, as I’ve heard can be done from a lot of people.
Anyone have any tips or advice? 🙂

Where in Canada are you going?

If the Rockies, then you are spoilt for choice. I have no advice for you other than to try to catch an NHL game or two… but only if you cheer for Montreal, Toronto, or Winnipeg.

If the East, then make sure you spend time in Montreal (one of the greatest cities on the planet), and try some of the smaller ski resorts of the Laurentians and/or Easter Townships, such as Mont Tremblant, Mont Orford, Mont Sutton, or Mont Ste Anne.

Cheers. I’ve booked my flight for Calgary, but I’m feeling like i should change it to Vancouver. Everyone I’ve spoken to says you need to go to Whistler!

Def gonna try see an ice hockey game, I guess the flames and the canucks are the two teams I’m most likely to see 🙂 .

Whistler and Vancouver are fantastic places. Actually just got back.

You need to bear in mind that it is expensive and the exchange rate is currently shit. So any savings you are taking over will not go as far as you would like.

Email me if you want more specific info on either Whistler or Van.

One word more, though:

If you are planning on landing in Calgary, I would keep the flight. Then either hop on VIA Rail for a magnificent train ride through the mountains, or rent a car and take one of the most amazing drives of your life.

Landing in Calgary and driving to Vancouver will give you experience of both, and a more thorough experience.

Funny enough, I’ve never been to Whistler, but I really don’t think you can go wrong anywhere in the Canadian Rockies.

or rent a car and take one of the most amazing drives of your life.

Landing in Calgary and driving to Vancouver will give you experience of both, and a more thorough experience

+1. I have done this. it is amazing. Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Golden, Kamloops etc.

Might be a bit snowy between October & April though…

Yup we drove from Calgary to Vancouver too, spent a week or two in Montreal/quebec and then flew to Calgary, drove to Vancouver stopping off at various places and then flew home from Vancouver. Best holiday I’ve had tbh.. bloody loved Canada.

Done the drive too, stunning, was lots of snow and that was in July!!

pushed a cheap buggy with a 2 year old sleeping in it wearing crocs up grouse grinde. many strange looks i assured them m scottish and not to worry.

just a taster[/url]

Apart from your ugly mug our pics are identical 😉

Did you go to lake moraine, on the way down from Lake Louise we took a canoe out with a 2 year old was a great day.
I just loved Banff.

we did go to Lake Moraine but couldn’t get parked 🙁

stayed in Canmore 6 nights, Calgary 2 nights (wedding), Kamloops 1 night, Vancouver 3 nights & Lake Louise 1 night on the way back to Calgary airport. Not impressed with the Lake Louise Inn (economy section). I did like Banff, and Calgary downtown was sort of nice – better than I was expecting

booked the flights before deciding to go to Van, with hindsight would have booked the return flight from Van & got an extra night there. Fabulous city, I’d move there at the drop of a hat

ooh, lucky OP!

We flew into Calgary anf home from Van.

Was a great 17 days for use. Drove right round up to Jasper then back down. Stayed with friends in 100 mile house and Vancouver. Route 24 across to 100 mile is the best road i have ever driven, stunning.

Thanks for the reply’s people. That drive sounds good but I don’t have a full driving licence at the moment! Still learning. Does anyone know if i can do my driving test over in Canada when not being a Canadian citizen and on a visa?
Also would there be a good train or bus route from Calgary over to Van that would be worth doing?

Still got my Flight booked for Calgary, more ski resorts seem to be around Vancouver though.

Vancouver and Whistler are immense, loved them both. I haven’t been to anywhere else in Canada so can’t comment on that.
Train ride through the mountains sounds amazing.

I would absolutely love to move to Vancouver, the Mrs won’t go for it though.

or rent a car and take one of the most amazing drives of your life.

Seeing the Rockies appear as if from nowhere as you round a corner is breathtaking.

I’m looking at moving out to Canada after I graduate next year. Vancouver is probably going to be the destination as my current flat mate lives there but Whistler might be on the cards if I can get a job there. Any advice on what Visa’s and stuff you need?

I live in Calgary, this place is vast, the train is expensive, get your licence over here to give you more freedom{they would make you surrender yout British one anyway}, Whistler is a lot bigger resort than all the others I’ve been to so would probably be more fun{more going on}other than that you could live in Banff and work at Sunshine or Lake Louise, a lot of the other resorts are in smaller towns

you are going to have a fantastic time, just post if you want to know anything

Thanks deserter .

Thing is I’m not sure yet what city I should fly into, out of Calgary and Vancouver. Which city and surrounding are (ski resorts) would be best for finding a job on the spot do you know?

People have suggested I stay flying into Calgary and driving to Van. Don’t have a full driving licence though… hopefully I’ll get the test done before I leave!

I’m in Whistler at the minute, been here since 15th August and it is awesome! Really great fun atmosphere in the village and the riding and scenery are incredible – riding in the UK seems so pointless after being here for a while 😆

Current accomodation ends on 15th Oct. I’ve got a working holiday visa and hoping to stay out here for a bit longer so I can try and fail to snowboard, but it’s really hard to find a job at the minute. Have applied for so many and only had one interview (for a job I didn’t get because someone else had more work experience apparently). Seems like not a lot of people want to hire in new blood, and some of the places I’ve been in to ask about jobs seem very cliquey and people can look down their nose at you. Most of the bike shops have terrible attitudes here, even if you’re paying them loads of money for a fork service!!

Advice, work hard and bring as much money as you possibly can, everything is so expensive here. Over $5 + tip for a pint which isn’t even a proper UK sized pint, and I’m spending over $100 a week on food shopping – back home I would probably spend about £30 a week! Oh and if you’re into photography then bring all your kit as there are resort photographer jobs going but you need a proper camera kit with flashes, filters and stuff. Wish I’d known this before coming out here as the company were quite keen on me til they found out I’ve got no kit with me!

dunno if yer open to life in the kootenays….

off the hook mtb riding and some of the best powder on the planet:

http://www.skiwhitewater.com/employment.php

great town, too.

I’ve applied to white water already! 🙂 . A few weeks ago though and never heard back from them, along with about 20 other ski areas.

Interesting Tom, I’m heading out on Oct 12th! I thought finding jobs there would be easier. What kind of jobs are you after? I’m a trained ski tech and boot fitter, I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to find work in any rental or retail store.
Also I’m a ski instructor, thought there would be a few jobs going for that?!

In that case you should be sorted then, I don’t have any skills like that so jobs are a bit more limited for me. I’ve been applying for any old jobs – dishwasher, bar staff, general labour etc. The interview I had was for a video editor job (similar to what I was doing before moving out here) but as I said they were looking for someone with more than a years’ experience.. but they may have something for me mid-November. I picked a kind of odd time to come out for jobs as it’s between bike and ski season now so not much about, but if I came any later I’d have missed out on the awesome dry dusty trails!

if you can’t drive then fly to Calgary & train to Vancouver, although it won’t be cheap; Vancouver has the “Skytrain” which is like the Newcastle Metro – fast frequent and reasonably priced, so you should be able to get around pretty well, but nowhere near as extensive as the London Underground

sorry I haven’t replied I forgot about this thread

Calgary would be better imo for finding a job straight off the plane as its a pretty booming town job market wise, then you could nip upto Banff etc to case it out etc once you have a bed and stuff

ski shops in Calgary
Ski Cellar[/url]
Abominable Ski[/url]
Techno Sport
also there’s Sportchek which is like JJB but does loads of ski stuff and Mountain Equipment Coop which is like decathlon, and Source snowboards if that takes your fancy

Are you going with BUNAC?

I flew to Vancouver via the BUNAC scheme after graduating in 2002.

I had a good time in Vancouver for a few weeks before catching the Greyhound to Banff. After working at the Inns of Banff hotel for a couple of weeks I landed a job at Mount Norquay (10 minute bus ride from Banff Avenue) working the lifts. Easy job with a 2.5 hour break each day to go snowboarding and two full days off per week. I utilised my free season pass to go to Sunshine Village (30 minutes on the bus) and Lake Louise (45 minutes on the bus).

I can’t remember all of the resorts that my pass was valid for, but I definitely used it at the awesome Kicking Horse at Fernie and a couple of the other BC Interior ones too.

Banff is a great town, I had a great time there and met some good people. I’m glad I based myself there rather than living in staff accommodation at Sunshine or Louise.

Whistler is incredible (arguably the best resort anywhere) and I spent three weeks there towards the end of the season living with some friends that were seasonaires there, but it’s definitely not got the same sort of atmosphere or sense of community that Banff has as it only really exists to service the resort.

You’ll have a brilliant time wherever you go though…wish we had Tim Horton’s over here!

I second the advice re: Mountain Equipment Co-Op too…great chain with a branch in Vancouver (amongst others too). The Westbeach store on West and 4th in Kitsilano (Vancouver) is worth a look too.
The Source is a great shop (branch in Canmore – next town over from Banff too). Within Banff Rude Boys is the best snowboard shop, there were a couple of others too (Showcase being the one in the main Cascade Mall). I went back in 2006, sure it’s changed a bit since then shopwise.

Some good bars too especially Tommy’s, Rose & Crown and the Magpie & Stump. There was a decent range of international beers at the St. James Gate (irish pub) including the most expensive pint of Boddingtons that you’re ever likely to find! Wild Bill’s was a good bar too, we saw some decent punk/hardcore bands there too along with a very good AC/DC covers act.

Rest assured you’re going to the best place on earth. Enjoy! (said through gritted teeth ;-))

BUNAC is a waste of money now since you can apply for the visa direct to the Canadian high commission. BUNAC costs about £250 + visa costs on top of that, really not worth it.