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Ski Canada - BC

Mount Cain Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Mount Cain Ski Resort

Mount Cain Ratings

Overall: 2.8. Based on 32 votes and 17 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.4

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Mount Cain is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 3.6

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Mount Cain has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.4

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 3.4

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 2.5

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Mount Cain

Public Transport: 2.1

  • There are no buses or taxis to Mount Cain
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 2.9

  • No places to stay in/near Mount Cain
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 2.9

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 1.7

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Mount Cain

Ski in/Ski out: 3.7

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 1.7

  • There are no child care facilities at Mount Cain
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 1.3

  • Mount Cain relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 2.8

  • There are no snow groomers at Mount Cain
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Mount Cain are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.5

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Mount Cain is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 1.6

  • If snow conditions are poor at Mount Cain, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 3.7

  • Mount Cain usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.5

  • The staff at Mount Cain are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Mount Cain are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.2

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 2.5

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 3.2

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.0

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 3.4

  • No intermediate terrain at Mount Cain
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.8

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 1.7

  • Not even a kicker at Mount Cain
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 2.7

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Mount Cain
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 1.7

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Mount Cain has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 2.6

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 2.4

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 2.6

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 1.4

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 2.5

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.6

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.5

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.5

  • Overall, Mount Cain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.6

  • Overall, Mount Cain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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November 14, 2017
jim
It mostly rains and smells like dirty socks.
January 04, 2016
skid
This place is so much fun! Uncrowded slopes, friendly folks and very reasonably priced.
December 24, 2015
Mollydkat
Being a bit old school, I don't really get the reverse negative superlatives or what seems to be a bit of sour grapes in some of the previous reviews. Mount Cain is a great little community run ski hill. Yup, only two T-bars; definitely a step back in time. Just back from an epic 5 days of skiing. Fresh snow every day and lots of it. Best of the season to all the folks that make it happen at Mount Cain.
October 15, 2014
PowSnorkler
Cain sucks! JK used to suck. Seems there's been a change in management or something lately so the fun vibe is definitely back even if last year sucked for snow. Not sure about the sleds but I hate dogs running around a ski hill. Pretty sure we'd just shoot them in Whistler and drag them into the bush for the eagles. The locals are awesome and if you're not a dick to them they're not a dick to you. Accommodation is tough to come by at times but it looks like there's a new lodge going up or something.
April 05, 2013
Dare ik Dee
To another reviewer: Cain sucks, tell your friends. More powder for us. Managment is cool now, they even have a 'director of fun'
February 21, 2013
snowboarder007
As a seasoned rider I have had the privilage to ride at many resorts and Cain is by far my favorite; if the distance was not so far I would love it to be my home mountain. Snow piles through the week so everyone gets a chance at some weekend powder and it has great access to backcountry. The vibe is relaxed and the lack of mega resort allows everyone to remember why they came to a ski hill in the first place, to ride! My first day a Cain was 60cm of new and I talked to the head of the ski patrol of another mountain who said he called in sick to be there. It was an amazing day and so has every day since. It is not a Whistler experience: high ticket prices with long lines and tracked out powder offset by a good nightlife and places for the non skier to shop. But is a real powder hound really looking for that? Outside of North America Cain would be classified as a local club field, a concept that we could use more of for sure. If you plan to backcountry have your beacon and gear, locals have little tolerance for those that don't. Enjoy the ride.
January 17, 2013
scottishshredder
Tried this place a couple of times and it sucks. T-bar only with no chair lift; really hurts. It's really far away, only has a couple of runs that they don't even bother pisting. "Snow" conditions were actually sheet ice. Advise anyone reading this to forget you ever heard of it and head for Whistler, you will have a much better time.
December 23, 2010
mollydkat
Whooee and yahoo to another great season. Just back from 5 days of the best skiing one can ever hope for. Freshies every day, ankle, knee and thigh deep with freezing levels down in the valley. My thanks and season greetings to all the wonderful people that makes Mt. Cain (Mount Cain) rule.
September 13, 2010
Powder hound
Mount Cain rocks, great powder in and out of bounds, unreal ski touring in the back country! Good job to all the volunteers that keep this special place running, this is what skiing should be about, good people and great snow! Keep up the good work!
February 04, 2010
pocketrocket
Don't be fooled by Mount Cain's two measly T-bars, it's what they open up to you that rocks and almost every weekend you can ski powder as the Mt is only open Sat & Sun. Bring your beacon, shovel and probe! I have been skiing Cain for years and I can't remember ever seeing anyone getting a ride down on a stretcher; that's the calibre of skier you will ride with there. It is old school and I love it! Where else will you find powder addicts pulling into the parking lot at 2 or 3 AM Sat morning after a long and sometimes scary drive, pull out the ground sheet and sleeping bag and grab a few hours sleep before the lifts open. You can rent accomodations very cheap, again it's "ski bum" style or you can stay at the bottom in Woss at a "no tell motel" we affectionatelty call the "Woss vegas Hilton", comfy little rooms and good food, dont stay in rm #2. Put your name on the list after beakfast on the Mt for Sat night dinner, have an awsome meal, kick back in the lodge, tell stories of the day and if you are lucky a recording artist may show up with his guitar (or non pro, it's all good). Yes, there are a couple of people who are rude, particularly a lady director I avoid who parades around like and acts like she really does not want you there, but who gives a crap, I have no friends on a powder day anyways hahaha. Ignore those folks, they are just showing their lack of business and local economy knowledge. With the local companies disapearing and all costs on the rise every year Mount Cain becomes more and more dependent on ticket sales. But, you have to give credit where it's due and the overwhelming majority of volunteer staff are better than anywhere I have skied!! Don't judge these incredibly dedicated people because of a couple of clowns that want to "play" business director! I used to keep very quiet about Mount Cain but now, as a business owner myself, I know I need to promote it, or we will lose it in time. So, volunteers, directors, keep "calling a spade a spade" and forget that the paying cutomer dictates and we all lose. The majority of people who drive six hours in horrible conditions to sleep in their car, then are treated like crap by the "elite" usually won't come back. Of course, this is what those who know nothing about simple economics want. Please blow that off, there are only a couple of them and apparantly this is the closest they will ever come to real business & authority. Go experience Cain, you will be happy that in the future you'll be able to spin stories with your friends about having experienced it. No question, this place is for real skiers/boarders and yes, the boarders ride the T-bars all day long and never whine, again, a different calibre of riders. Why would boarders endure the trip to get there, drive four more hours right past a "larger" resort with lots of chair lifts, sleep in freezing weather and ride T-bars all day if the snow and terrain were not stellar? Because they and Cain are hardcore!