Anyone Ride Forrester,Invermere lately???

[orion]

Have some buddies coming out from Toronto to do some sledding and will be renting them sleds from Toby Creek in Panorama. Called them the other day and asked what snow conditions are like and they said that Forrester was good just got a few feet, and Brewer Creek was closed because of high avalanche risk.

Just looking for info from someone that is not trying to sell sled tours.


Thanks for the input.


Cheers

Chris

 

[NoSecondChances]

..... and they said that Forrester was good just got a few feet, .....

Here's a quote from the 25th. Hope this about sums up the "few feet" they got *cough*bullsh_t*cough*. Sounds like they had the same conversation with this guy:

Re: Forster

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Thanks for the recomendations guys...
Went to Paradise (just dad and I) on Friday to see what it was like before we brought the newbie...
Trail up was very good and buttery, but you can't even ride up top!
The guides suggested if we want to climb, to go on the hills they blasted.

Haha he said that there would be no rocks because it was all covered by avy debree.
Thanks, Benjamin Franlin, but that slope would be hard as concrete, so we just left.

For those thinking to go to "Paradise" to actually ride, I'd think twice.

Also, the staff at the Toby Creek office actually charged us full jam for 3 sleds to go up... $45 at 2 in the afternoon, when he knew full well it's a sh*** ride once you get up!

Not impressed...

 

[pano-dude]

Here's a quote from the 25th. Hope this about sums up the "few feet" they got *cough*bullsh_t*cough*. Sounds like they had the same conversation with this guy:

Re: Forster

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the recomendations guys...
Went to Paradise (just dad and I) on Friday to see what it was like before we brought the newbie...
Trail up was very good and buttery, but you can't even ride up top!
The guides suggested if we want to climb, to go on the hills they blasted.

Haha he said that there would be no rocks because it was all covered by avy debree.
Thanks, Benjamin Franlin, but that slope would be hard as concrete, so we just left.

For those thinking to go to "Paradise" to actually ride, I'd think twice.

Also, the staff at the Toby Creek office actually charged us full jam for 3 sleds to go up... $45 at 2 in the afternoon, when he knew full well it's a sh*** ride once you get up!

Not impressed...

what do you expect? you rode the trail, pay up.... it costs $ to run the groomer. Your issue if you didn't spend some time up there.

Paradise is no different than most of BC's lack of snow( check on the golden conditions from the weekend). With the conditions they way they are of course they are gonna tell you to stick to the trail or the controlled slopes. How good would it be if they said rip it up anywhere and you got burried???? LIABILITY!!!

It is a respectable BUSINESS( everyone in the tourism industry is hurting, every $45 counts) that has safety in mind for anyone who goes into their tenured areas. Many times they have had to search for riders who get lost or broke down.

 

[pano-dude]

Have some buddies coming out from Toronto to do some sledding and will be renting them sleds from Toby Creek in Panorama. Called them the other day and asked what snow conditions are like and they said that Forrester was good just got a few feet, and Brewer Creek was closed because of high avalanche risk.

Just looking for info from someone that is not trying to sell sled tours.


Thanks for the input.


Cheers

Chris

It's snowing right now, forecast is for snow off and on for the rest of the week.

Forester got some snow over the weekend, 6 inches in the meadows.... probably more in the back end but I wouldn't want to be going up there.

We dug some pits in another location( Rockies side of the valley) and the snow is bad. Big hoar frost on top, 18" of ok snow, 18" of loose sugar on the bottom.

Paradise is great for newbies, families and snowboarding/skiing.

 

[Knizer8hun]

what do you expect? you rode the trail, pay up.... it costs $ to run the groomer. Your issue if you didn't spend some time up there.

Paradise is no different than most of BC's lack of snow( check on the golden conditions from the weekend). With the conditions they way they are of course they are gonna tell you to stick to the trail or the controlled slopes. How good would it be if they said rip it up anywhere and you got burried???? LIABILITY!!!

It is a respectable BUSINESS( everyone in the tourism industry is hurting, every $45 counts) that has safety in mind for anyone who goes into their tenured areas. Many times they have had to search for riders who get lost or broke down.

Good spot, and yes nice trail.
My point was... I was told that they didn't charge trail fee's. Because it's a guide spot, they just "let" the public use the trail, but get the coin from their business; this is the impression I went there with. Maybe it's because I'm 17, and as cheap as Ozone Dave(kidding). To continue on... One of the guy's in the Toby Creek shop talked to us like we were 6, going to a go kart place... maybe he meant well... But said, "So uhh... yeah if you guys are going up, it'll be $45. Good riding once you're up there" when he knew full well it was a waste of time. When we got up there, we went behind the cabin to see if we could find ANYTHING, and a guide hustle's up to us, and says "if you're looking to climb, go on this face. We just blasted it, so all the avy debree you'll be on top of will keep you seperated from the rocks." No, Toby Creek isn't Mother Nature, but give me a break.

We just laughed, said no thanks, and went back to the trucks.
I believe the "times are tough" part, because this guy was concerned about his 45 bucks... not whether we had a good time, or if we'd come back and give this guy business. His APV oil is 20 bucks more than what I can get it for here... just an example. That place is a dive. And on that note, enough if this "market" "times are tough" cliche. There must have been 30 panthers and others rentals that came down as we loaded up. 30 x what.... $400 a day to rent these things? I'm sure they, and most other's are doing just fine. But hey, I'm a 17 year old with nothing on his mind other than the girls at school, right?

 

[pano-dude]

Good spot, and yes nice trail.
My point was... I was told that they didn't charge trail fee's. Because it's a guide spot, they just "let" the public use the trail, but get the coin from their business; this is the impression I went there with. Maybe it's because I'm 17, and as cheap as Ozone Dave(kidding). To continue on... One of the guy's in the Toby Creek shop talked to us like we were 6, going to a go kart place... maybe he meant well... But said, "So uhh... yeah if you guys are going up, it'll be $45. Good riding once you're up there" when he knew full well it was a waste of time. When we got up there, we went behind the cabin to see if we could find ANYTHING, and a guide hustle's up to us, and says "if you're looking to climb, go on this face. We just blasted it, so all the avy debree you'll be on top of will keep you seperated from the rocks." No, Toby Creek isn't Mother Nature, but give me a break.

We just laughed, said no thanks, and went back to the trucks.
I believe the "times are tough" part, because this guy was concerned about his 45 bucks... not whether we had a good time, or if we'd come back and give this guy business. His APV oil is 20 bucks more than what I can get it for here... just an example. That place is a dive. And on that note, enough if this "market" "times are tough" cliche. There must have been 30 panthers and others rentals that came down as we loaded up. 30 x what.... $400 a day to rent these things? I'm sure they, and most other's are doing just fine. But hey, I'm a 17 year old with nothing on his mind other than the girls at school, right?

At 17 you have no clue. When you grow up and start paying for your own sled/insurance/ fuel/rent etc. you will understand the real expenses of life.

Here's a math problem for you to do in class. 30 panthers at $6000=$180,000 another $30,000 for insurance, guide wages, mortgage on the property( most expensive real estate in this area) and many more fees to run a business like this. How many $400 days does it take to pay for this and then how many more to make a profit???? The season is Dec.- April.

Trust me nobody is doing fine this year in the tourism industry. Everybody is struggling. My employer is loosing $5,000-10,000 in revenue a day compared to last year.

 

[NoSecondChances]

what do you expect? you rode the trail, pay up.... it costs $ to run the groomer. Your issue if you didn't spend some time up there.

Paradise is no different than most of BC's lack of snow( check on the golden conditions from the weekend). With the conditions they way they are of course they are gonna tell you to stick to the trail or the controlled slopes. How good would it be if they said rip it up anywhere and you got burried???? LIABILITY!!!

It is a respectable BUSINESS( everyone in the tourism industry is hurting, every $45 counts) that has safety in mind for anyone who goes into their tenured areas. Many times they have had to search for riders who get lost or broke down.

My quote was more in relation to snow conditions, yes everywhere sucks and I didn't mean to bag on the Toby Creek guys, I understand the liability issues and its good that they get in what they can and I have no problem with them having a business and making a profit. But snow conditions are like fish stories.....divide what someone tells you by about 2/3 and you'll be pretty close to what it actually is. Telling someone that they just had 3 feet hit the ground when in reality its not quite there.....

I spoke to someone who was up Forester the day before this was posted and said that they might have had 12" of fresh over the week and maybe 6" blown in over the last few days. Hard to believe that one area got 3' and no one else got more than 12". Maybe it happened or maybe they meant Forester has 3' total, I don't know.

Apologies if you felt offended, wasn't the intention.

 

[Knizer8hun]

I didn't say a 400 dollar day, PanoDude, I said 400 a sled, times the 30 or more sleds that come down.
Just some rough math, but they grossed about 12k that particular Saturday, sleds alone. Not to mention the majority of those riders were wearing rented gear... it'll go on.

Lets say they have 120 days to do their business, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and knock down their rentals of the average day to.... 15 sleds a day. Now we're at $6000 x 120 days will give us almost 3/4 of a mill. But that's just to rent the sleds, I have NO CLUE how much they would make from customers who hire a guide for the day....

So less insurance, and the fleet of lets go with... 45 sleds at... 10 a piece? 480 000 right there, so you're right, you're going to need to make money some how, but they're not losing money, or that place wouldn't be standing.

My point was plain and simple... I was just a little shocked of having to pay a fee, after I was told in snowandmud.... where you got my original post from, that they won't charge you... nothing was mentioned about parking in their lot either.

I just won't be riding there again, and won't suggest it either. Times just might be tough for some; again, I'm a thick-skulled school kid
...but I think it's safe to say Invermere wouldn't be on a map if it wasn't for all the granola's from Southern Alberta, subtract me, of course; I don't drive a Subaru, or a Jetta.

 

[Knizer8hun]

For the guy wondering about snow condition.... I would say the foot is correct.
They hadn't had snow recently, or the highways would have been super sloppy in that direction.

NO snow was evident in Paradise, that's for sure. It honestly felt like riding in Cataract Creek haha.

 

[pano-dude]

My quote was more in relation to snow conditions, yes everywhere sucks and I didn't mean to bag on the Toby Creek guys, I understand the liability issues and its good that they get in what they can and I have no problem with them having a business and making a profit. But snow conditions are like fish stories.....divide what someone tells you by about 2/3 and you'll be pretty close to what it actually is. Telling someone that they just had 3 feet hit the ground when in reality its not quite there.....

I spoke to someone who was up Forester the day before this was posted and said that they might have had 12" of fresh over the week and maybe 6" blown in over the last few days. Hard to believe that one area got 3' and no one else got more than 12". Maybe it happened or maybe they meant Forester has 3' total, I don't know.

Apologies if you felt offended, wasn't the intention.

not your fault... you're just posting info from someone else.
I agree on the fish/snow tales comparison.

There was 3+ feet of fresh two weeks ago.

I have issues with people who wrongly criticize about someone's business on a public forum. It's a small industry and one guys comments can sway people from enjoying a great experience.

 

[pano-dude]

I didn't say a 400 dollar day, PanoDude, I said 400 a sled, times the 30 or more sleds that come down.
Just some rough math, but they grossed about 12k that particular Saturday, sleds alone. Not to mention the majority of those riders were wearing rented gear... it'll go on.

Lets say they have 120 days to do their business, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and knock down their rentals of the average day to.... 15 sleds a day. Now we're at $6000 x 120 days will give us almost 3/4 of a mill. But that's just to rent the sleds, I have NO CLUE how much they would make from customers who hire a guide for the day....

So less insurance, and the fleet of lets go with... 45 sleds at... 10 a piece? 480 000 right there, so you're right, you're going to need to make money some how, but they're not losing money, or that place wouldn't be standing.

My point was plain and simple... I was just a little shocked of having to pay a fee, after I was told in snowandmud.... where you got my original post from, that they won't charge you... nothing was mentioned about parking in their lot either.

I just won't be riding there again, and won't suggest it either. Times just might be tough for some; again, I'm a thick-skulled school kid
...but I think it's safe to say Invermere wouldn't be on a map if it wasn't for all the granola's from Southern Alberta, subtract me, of course; I don't drive a Subaru, or a Jetta.

You were misinformed on the trail fees for sure, anywhere the trails are groomed you will pay a fee regardless if it is a tenured area or a club doing the work.

 

[Knizer8hun]

I'm not at all trying to stop people from going to this guy's spot.
I told you, they have a nice operation, and for the third time now, he told is it's good riding up top, just so we'd buy his passes to go up, just to be stumped with no where to ride for a couple guys who have never been there before.

I'll tell you this, with 4 more feet of snow to cover the 30 ton rocks, that bowl would be a riot.
It's not there right now, and that has nothing to do with Toby.
They're not "weather", but he told us it was good.... it was anything but.

My original post really wasn't anything harsh at all. This a big argument now because you're looking for a reaction out of a grade 12. Sorry to insult you, I wasn't trying to... I was telling people who were considering riding this spot that's it woul dnot be worth it if you're goign to try and climb, or powder ride through some trees.

 

[andrew900]

i was in forester last weekend and it was pretty good (being a local to the spot i've seen better) but we had a blast up there, as for snow the was maybe 6 feet total and it was snowing pretty hard when we left. the avalanches are still dangerous here, but just play in the meadows and u will have lots of fun

 

[pano-dude]

I'm not at all trying to stop people from going to this guy's spot.
I told you, they have a nice operation, and for the third time now, he told is it's good riding up top, just so we'd buy his passes to go up, just to be stumped with no where to ride for a couple guys who have never been there before.

I'll tell you this, with 4 more feet of snow to cover the 30 ton rocks, that bowl would be a riot.
It's not there right now, and that has nothing to do with Toby.
They're not "weather", but he told us it was good.... it was anything but.

My original post really wasn't anything harsh at all. This a big argument now because you're looking for a reaction out of a grade 12. Sorry to insult you, I wasn't trying to... I was telling people who were considering riding this spot that's it woul dnot be worth it if you're goign to try and climb, or powder ride through some trees.

If you would have posted this update first it would have been informative.

Your original post stated the place was a "dive" and you were complaining because you could not climb any hills.

I was not trying to get a reaction or stir the pot but to let you know if you rant you need to have a good reason and there is usually a reason for the way things are the way they are, and why things cost what they do.

I can understand you being disapointed in the conditions and not being able to ride the good stuff. How do you think I feel..... living here and having no snow.

 

[Knizer8hun]

Haha if I were YOU, I'd continue on to Golden.....

BTW though... by dive, I was reffering to how the riding was... the area around the cabin. Not the business itself.

 

[cballs]

any fresh in forrester?

 

[wilsonck]

ttt, any new condition reports? It seems no one is getting snow.

 

[markowinnipeg]

Was snowing really good last weekend about 2 feet of fresh in the meadows. could not see jack so did not venture to far from our beer.

 

[andrew900]

i was thinking of going there tomorow(sat) but i think i will go to pharnham glacier and play around there. let it snow, let it snow!!

 

[DaveB]

I quit going to Radium 7 or so yrs ago when some skier/bunny lover fanatic loosened all the lug nuts on my truck rear wheel at night. Also wasn't fun trying to buy fuel with the same folks working at the gas station. Oh and nearly got in a fight while eating supper. And I'm not a "wear your sled colors to town" guy either. I find that whole area unfreindly and pretentious. Too bad, since riding the Bugaboos was pretty cool.

Edit: oh ya....we lost a wheel on the truck....good thing not on a curvy steep road.