Snowfall Lodge, British Columbia | Trip Info Page

Snowfall Lodge in British Colubmia

Snowfall Lodge, British Columbia

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Welcome to the Snowfall Lodge Trip Information Page!  

This page serves as a reference for your trip and should help you plan your trip with us as well as provide us with the information that we need from you.

To start, please fill out our form:

📝 International Trip Information Form

Accommodation

  • There are nine guest bedrooms: one with a double bed and the rest with two twin beds. 
  • All bedding, duvets and pillows are provided. 
  • Guide and Staff accommodation is separate.
  • There are electrical outlets to charge devices.
  • The lodge is heated by propane.

Food

  • All Blackbird BC Lodge trips, including Snowfall Lodge, are fully catered.  All food for the week is provided, with the exception of specialty bars and energy chews - if these are important to you, make sure to bring your own supply!  Our guides typically just roll with the lunch food provided as it is quite good!
  • Food Restrictions - Make sure to advise the guides and lodge of any food restrictions you might have well before the trip!  It is difficult for the cook to pivot the menu without significant notice before the trip.

Sauna, Showers and Bathrooms

  • Sauna.  Snowfall Lodge has a wood-fired cedar sauna in a separate building. 
  • Showers.  The sauna building has two shower stalls and a large change room. You can warm up and clean up after a big day skiing.
  • Bathrooms.  There is an indoor pee toilet for women and an outside area to pee for men.  There are two outhouses for solid human waste.  There is running water and a sink inside for hand washing - cleanliness is key in this intimate environment!

Amenities

  • NO Wi-Fi.  The Lodge has no internet for guests.  Snowfall lodge has satellite internet for weather updates and emergency response only.  It doesn't not have enough bandwidth to support guest usage and therefore we cannot supply anyone with Wi-Fi access during the trip.
  • Drying Room.  Snowfall Lodge has a dedicated drying room with a propane heater.  It has a dedicated boot and glove drier as well as racks for hanging jackets and other gear to dry.
  • Dining Room.  The lodge is equipped with a large room for relaxing, sharing meals, and even has yoga mats with plenty of room to stretch.

Typical Logistics for Snowfall Lodge

The closest major town to Snowfall Lodge is Revelstoke, BC. The staging area is roughly 2 hours south of Revelstoke near Beaton, BC.

  1. Fly into Kelowna International Airport (YLW).  We recommend coming in a day or more early to make sure that travel delays don’t prevent you or your skis/board from making it into the lodge!  We’ve had some very sleepless nights waiting for luggage on some of these trips!!
  2. Rent a car.  There are multiple options at YLW.  4x4 or AWD is highly recommended.
  3. Drive to Revelstoke.  It takes about 2:40 with good roads. Much longer if its snowing!  You can also get a public shuttle from YLW to Revy, but there are no car rental options in Revelstoke, so unless you’ve arranged a private shuttle (same company) to staging, you’ll be out of luck. 
    Kelowna to Revelstoke Directions
    Kelowna to Revelstoke Directions.
  4.  Drive to the Staging Area in Beaton.  This takes about 2 hours and involves a ferry ride, so YOU MUST BE ON TIME!  See the Ferry Schedule.  There is no cell service once you are 20 minutes north of the Shelter Bay Ferry Terminal.  The Galena Bay Terminal has service, but only immediately at the terminal.  
    Revelstoke to Snowfall Lodge Staging Area Directions
     Directions from Revelstoke to Snowfall Lodge Staging Area
  5. Have an awesome week at Snowfall Lodge!  Fly back to the staging area.
  6. Drive to Kelowna Airport (YLW) or Hotel.  This takes about 3.5 hours if you catch the ferry right away.  If you leave the staging area 30 minutes before the ferry departs and don’t dilly-dally with good roads, you should make the ferry (see schedule link above).  It is possible to catch a plane out of YLW after 6pm, but it is very easy for delays to make this impossible. Plan accordingly with flights and hotels at Kelowna.
    Directions from Snowfall Lodge Staging to Kelowna YLW.

The Helicopter Staging Area.  The staging area is 6 km from Beaton on the Fish River FSR. It takes about 2 hours to get from Revelstoke to Beaton, including the ferry ride from Shelter Bay to Galena. The normal exchange for Snowfall Lodge is 9 am PST time. You are responsible for your own transportation to the helicopter staging area. 

Shuttle transportation.  Public and private shuttles can be arranged from Kelowna to Revelstoke, Revelstoke to Revelstoke Mountain Resort and Revelstoke to Staging (private only).  Revelstoke Transfers has excellent drivers and customer service and a fleet of vehicles, including an AWD Transit Van that holds 10 passengers + Ski Luggage.  This can be a great option to get to and from staging if you can organize enough people to make it cost effective. 

Packing List

Download the Full Snowfall Lodge BC Packing List Here
Guests are limited to 55lbs!  This includes Skis/Board, poles, backcountry gear, clothes you’re not wearing, alcohol and anything else you’re not wearing on your body into the lodge.  You’ll fly in with ski/board boots on, helmet and goggles as well as your normal layering.
Make sure your gear is fully functional and in good condition!  We won't be able to make a trip to the hardware store or gear shop, so make sure you bring some repair items specific to your kit.  Extra screws for split boards, a spare buckle for your boots, make sure you don’t have any gear that is on the verge of failure!
Snowfall Lodge has glaciated terrain - Pack a Harness & locking carabiner!  The lodge does have spare harnesses but they are old school BOD style harnesses and you’ll be much happier with your own sleek ski mountaineering harness.  Harnesses will only be necessary when visibility and snowpack stability allows us to travel in the alpine, so there is a chance that they will not get used.
Bring powder skis!  You won’t need anything less than 110mm underfoot and a nice, modern rockered powder ski will be the tool for the job. You will only need to bring one pair of skis - we won’t have room for multiple pairs of skis per guest! 
Ski Crampons - May or May Not be needed.  Mid-winter trips will most likely not need ski crampons.  You can bring them and your guide can let you know whether or not to fly in with them a week or two before your trip based on conditions.
Lodge Necessities.  
Bring a shower kit - bring a small bottle of Dr Bronners or travel sized shampoo and soap and a towel. 
Footwear - the lodge is equipped with crocs and an assortment of snow boots, which accommodate most people well.  You can bring a light set of hut booties if it can fit it under your weight limit. 
Dishes/Silverware - NOT NEEDED.  The lodge is equipped with all of this, so no need to bring eating utensils.
Ear Plugs.  Might be a necessity if there are snorers at the lodge.
Pee Bottle.  This can be nice to avoid walking up and down the stairs to the outside or opening the pee toilet door in the middle of the night.
Cash for Lodge Staff Tips.  Canadian staff is happy to accept Canadian or US Cash, but it's difficult to tip the Canadians electronically.  Plan to bring cash from the US or hit up an ATM before flying into the Lodge.

Revelstoke - Places of Interest

Revelstoke Hotels
Revelstoke Restaurants

Kelowna - Recommended Hotels