Chances are, you've never been to Revelstoke, BC. If you have, chances are you stopped at the McDonalds, A&W or Tim's along the Trans Canada and then continued your journey. That's exactly what I did until I was stranded in Revelstoke due to avalanche problems through Rogers Pass. It was the best vacation that was a non vacation that I've ever had.
Revelstoke holds the Canadian record for snowfall in a year. The record happened in 1974 where a whopping 24 meters (or about 75 feet) of snow fell. Word is it's a common place to get stranded when there are avalanche problems. I had just that happen after leaving Vancouver one Sunday against better judgement (and not just my own). After a drive that takes the gold medal in "snow" I finally arrived in Revelstoke. I would have continued but that was simply impossible because the road was closed from Revelstoke to the Alberta border.
There were several hotels along the highway, but I figured WTF, I'd head into the town and see what I could find. I am glad I did. I found myself at the Swiss Chalet Motel. This unassuming little hotel is near central Revelstoke & was a great deal. The room was less than $80 bucks for the night & included breakfast (which you cook yourself). I can't say enough great things about this place either. A great room with a new flat panel TV, wireless internet & my room had a kick ass bathroom in it. The free breakfast is served in a main area where the check-in desk is. It's a full breakfast & the cool part is you get to make it yourself. The hotel has waffle makers, toasters, etc all in the main room. The area also had a TV in this "lounge" which the staff put on The Weather Network. Clearly I wasn't the only guy stranded in this place. If you want more information on this place check out Tripadvisor for the ratings.
After eating, I set out to explore downtown Revelstoke. What an incredibly quaint and cool little town. The city core is filled with a huge variety of ethnic restaurants, pubs & bars. It had what appeared to be a farmers market, along with a variety of interesting and cool little stores there. This is a mountain town along the lines of Jasper or Canmore in terms of amenities. Lots of choices & a place you could easily spend a few days exploring on foot. They even have a theatre (see photo) which plays well known Hollywood fare.
I don't know what the ski hill is like, but word is that it's quite good & has lots of powder. Given that the town is so modern & cosmopolitan, if you board, you might want to make a trip out there. It's about 400ish km's from Calgary and 600 km from Vancouver. Revelstoke is a gem hidden in the mountains and I'm glad I found it. It's a place I'll definitely return to and serendipity just happened to put me there for a few days.
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