Hello All!
As my profile says, I ended up going with Revelstoke and I'm now happily into my second season here. Some of the arguments for why not to choose Revy have some truth to them, but others not so much. Revy has definetly some of the sickest terrain inbounds. If you watched the FWT footage from Day 1 of the comp (not qualifier), that's the stuff I ski everyday, but I don't take some of the lines they did (Drew Tabke's line is a goal for this season!). There are plenty of cliffs all around, but if you're searching for sending it, North Bowl and Gracias Ridge as well as Three Bears are what you're looking for.
I mentioned I was trying ot get out of the trees, but I'm from the east, and the trees there are shite compared to here. Good warm up laps are Vertigo/Seperate Reality to Tasty Glades for a Stoke lap, or the entirety of the Ripper can be epic even on lighter snow days, as we generally have SW winds that blow snow into North and Greely Bowls as well as the Ripper. Pillow lines are not hugely abundant, but indivual pillows are everywhere for sending it off.
Mid mountain gets a lot of hate, but if you ever ski Kill the Banker or Conifers of Gnarnia on a pow day, you'll have the biggest snow-induced boner of your life. This is the area where the pillows really build up, and as awesome as a lot of skiers/snowboarders are here, a lot of these lines get avoided and are yours for the taking, just watch for sink holes in Gnarnia. Also there are some ok cliffs in these areas.
As for alpine, well, you have to hike, but if you are in any sort of shape at all, sub peak takes 10-15 minutes at most, while the Drop In hike is closer to 5 for Greely access. This takes you to some fun lines and if you're up to it, some gnar gnar shit. Kamikaze is off the back side and is steep and fast with a choke up top not too far past the cornice. It's get wind affected a lot so be cautious and ask patrol before dropping in. Seriously. If you've had any trouble skiing anywhere else on the mountain, you are not ready for it.
Slackcountry is sick too, with a lot of options for gnar lines without skinning (Doors 1-4, Brown Shorts, Thumbs Up, etc). Bring avy gear as these are prone to sliding, as proven last year when Door 4 went with a snowboarder who survived a 24 minute burial. Southside is also very nice with easy access to the cat ski area, but don't go past the cat track at the bottom, that'll cost you a night and/or a grand for rescue. South is also great for BC jumps, out of bounds only, no jumps allowed inbounds.
The town of Revelstoke is pretty sweet, pretty decent bar scene, typical ski town folk from all reaches of the globe. Everyone is here for the same reason. The Regent for twonie tuesdays, powder jugs at the Last Drop (if it snows 10cm pitchers are 10$), etc. There is a sweet community pool with slide, diving board, climbing wall, hot tub, sauna, steam room, etc. There are activities available like badminton and drop in curling. A bunch of ski shops to help with any gear issues. Rent is reasonable, but not cheap unless you come early. Last year I was in a 6 bedroom house with a bunch of friends paying 250$ a month, now I'm in a 3 bedroom apt with 3 others paying 550$, so it's what you can get if you show up late. There is a shuttle, it costs 2$ a ride now, used to be free. A lot of businesses offer discounted passes if you work for them. I work 2 days a week as a lifty and get a free pass, free shuttle, and prodeals on a bunch of stuff. Good setup.
I won't go bashing KH because I haven't done a full season there, so I can't fully appreciate everything that it has to offer. All I can say is Revelstoke is the sickest resort I've ever skied, and it will be very hard to say goodbye. I hope you can appreciate the info here and good luck to anyone choosing to live the ski bum life. It is a lot of fun.
