Our intrepid powder ski team wannabes have a serious decision to make each winter. Will we brave the windswept passes of the Coquihalla highway to get to the B.C. Interior? Or will we play roulette with the Kelowna airport snow and fog closures? Either way it means traveling a day in advance, or risking forfeit of a prepaid powder resort booking. Not to mention the joys of face shots, days of puking snow, and dodging trees and cliffs. All good fun.
Choosing Door B
Choosing door B, here’s what the airport looked like between noon and 1 p.m. when we were scheduled to land. It was just a tad icy and foggy and snowy. Not wanting to run out of fuel over the mountains (which we understand), the pilot chose to carry on, rather than circle around for a second landing attempt. Then we were in Calgary.
The 600-Mile Detour
Calgary’s a nice place but it is a good 600 miles from our resort destination. Fortunately, we’re still able to rent an SUV, and travel to the designated pickup point by midnight. The last stretch by logging road was a bit tight. We had to share a one lane track with a stubborn moose. To be fair, the snow banks were as high as his antlers, but he was slow, as well as immune to horns and shouting. Finally, after 20 minutes or so, he wore out and pulled over. The snowcats were all asleep, but a couple of ski-doos were used to bounce us up to the resort.
The Verdict: Rent a Car
Would we fly again? I don’t think so. Maybe it’s the thought of airplanes with too little fuel to circle an airport. Maybe it was the airlines in Calgary saying sorry, there are no flights to Kelowna this afternoon. Or maybe it was the midnight moose chase.
So when the airport is all fogged up, renting a rugged SUV is the way to go. Moose proof.
When weather grounds your flight, a rental SUV gets you there – fog, snow, moose and all.