Marmot Basin in Jasper, Alberta is well known to those who love skiing out West. A relatively small mountain, it packs a lot of punch. There are many good reasons to make the 3 and a half hour drive from Edmonton, (and of course the original journey to Edmonton in the first place).
If you love trees, this is a must-mountain. Marmot has huge pine forests that they have left mostly intact for your glade-skiing pleasure. When the snow piles up, you can literally float through the forests. And the second best thing, besides the trees, you wont have much else to dodge. Because of the amount of terrain and the remote location, you won’t find heavy crowding. That said, you may encounter a herd of mountain goats, but they won’t steal your line.
Right next to Jasper National Park, if there is a ski hill in the world were you are most likely to see some incredible wildlife, and not of the over 35 variety trying to pick you up at the bar, Marmot Basin is it. Just driving in to the ski hill alone, you will most definitely see some elk, deer or mountain goats. Maybe even a bear or moose. Winter is actually low season around here since hordes of tourists come to see the wildlife instead of their snowy stomping ground.
Jasper is a really friendly place to hang out. It’s very laid back and the people in town take the town pretty seriously. They want to maintain it’s peaceful beauty and keep it full of locals and not transients. Delicious, cozy, home cooking abounds.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can camp for cheap near the ski hill and there are amenities open in the winter. Hookups for RVs are available but we camped in our tent for about $10. It gets a bit chilly at night, so be prepared to cuddle.
In addition to the incredible glades, there are huge open bowls and some great steep chutes to play in. For the more intermediate skier, Marmot has the typical range of slopes all set within a very natural looking environment. It’s a good place to get in some amazing skiing without demolishing the rest of your year’s ski budget.
And maybe if you are lucky, and the skies clear, after a huge dump of snow of course, you may even see some Northern Lights. Apparently it is very auspicious to conceive a child under the Aurora Borealis….
Just make sure, that when you head back to Edmonton, you fill up the gas tank before you go. There is one long stretch of empty highway ahead of you. You’ll spot wildlife but not gas stations.
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