Castle Mountain

Castle Mountain was saved from bankruptcy by a group of local families, and if I knew where they all lived, I’d pop round and give them all a pat on the back. This tiny resort, only 2 ½ hours from Calgary, is rough. The car park's potholed, the chair lifts will snap your legs in half if you don’t time it right, there’s only one pub, only one place to stay and there’s only one thing to do - SNOWBOARD. Castle is the kind of place that snowboarders who are pissed off with overcrowded and overpriced resorts dream of. If you’re in the area and it’s just snowed, get in your car and head to Castle. Development work has begun, however, on Haig Ridge to add six new beginner & intermediate pistes, and the whole resort is set to benefit from some t.l.c over the next couple of years. In typical fashion, though, there’ll be no fancy golf courses or heated seats, as they strive to keep things small and friendly.