Before arriving at Castle Mountain, the Ski Mountain team had been skiing for three weeks with excellent riding at Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Rogers Pass, Red Mountain, Fernie, and Whitewater.  And with the snow not having being kind to this part of Canada, and a flight back to the UK to catch the next day, to be honest we weren't expecting too much.

However, when we arrived in the Castle Mountain car park, we were almost instantly inspired and excited about the place.  Unlike many of the other resorts in this guide, Castle is run more like a family or club ski field and the atmosphere resulting from that is immediately obvious.  We were welcomed in and shown around the hill by Darrel who really made the day for us.  Darrel has been there for over 30 years and you can tell that he's passionate about the place and is full of ideas for improving and expanding, with a cat skiing operation planned for next season.

The skiing at Castle caters really well for the full range of abilities with some fantastic intermediate skiing over on the new Huckleberry chair (Mount Haig).  Directly in front of the Day Lodge, the Green Chair provides an excellent beginners area, while the two main chairs (backed up by a long t-bar to help clear crowds) on the main mountain give access to a surprising amount of runs and terrain.

A traverse in either direction from the top of the Tamarack chair brings you to a big selection of steeper and deeper goods, with the Chutes being unmissable on the right day.