Quiet, ultra-efficient, and crazy fun to drive, electric vehicles, or EVs, are becoming a common sight at our ski resorts and Nordic clubs throughout the Kootenays.
Get ready to explore the future of travel, with an EV Powder Highway Road Trip with stops at the Fernie Alpine Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort, and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
Most EVs now boast a range of over 300-km, meaning ski families can happily travel between all Powder Highway resorts, and most perceived EV ‘hassles’ are in reality bonuses. There are many charging stations installed across the Kootenays; 1,870-km of connected electric vehicle travel.
FERNIE ALPINE RESORT
After a day of Fernie face-shots, a stop at Jaffray for coffee and snacks at the First Perk Coffee House and Eatery is a must on the road-trip west towards Kimberley. Twenty to forty minutes at the supercharger is sufficient to top off any EV for the trip to Kimberley. A perfect window to grab a coffee and snack.
KIMBERLEY ALPINE RESORT
Kimberley offers two – level 2 chargers – which allows for more time to top-up while enjoying your dinner or an apres-ski stop at the Burrito Grill or Deer Park Diner or Pedal and Tap or The Shed or Stonefire Pizzeria in Kimberley’s Platzl (downtown centre/pedestrian mall). EV drivers can also plug into the wall at their hotel or condo, to trickle-charge overnight and while they carve up Kimberley Alpine Resort’s legendary groomers.
Heading North, a coffee stop in the Upper Columbia is mandatory en route to Golden from Kimberley. Invermere and Radium Hot Springs offer multiple EV charge options, including one of Tesla’s newest Supercharger installations, with 8 fast-charge stations that include universal level 2 charge ports for all EVs, all within easy walking distance of three iconic coffee shops.
KICKING HORSE MOUNTAIN RESORT
We opt for a DC fast-charge in Radium Hot Springs, with time for coffee and road snacks at the Bighorn Cafe. This leaves us with plenty of range to hit Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for a few days. For the trip home, we charge up at Golden’s convenient DC supercharger while we savour mouthwatering taco plates at Reposados in downtown Golden.
The icing on the EV Powder Highway cake? A family of four stopping between resorts for coffee and treats while fast charging still costs less than the gasoline for an old-school vehicle.
While no vehicle is zero-impact, EV battery components can be recycled over and over again, and are powered by increasingly renewable energy. Ford, Chevy, Tesla and trend-setting Rivian all have EV trucks on the horizon. In an EV your family can stop and truly enjoy the in-between wonders of the Powder Highway, save money, and minimize the impacts of your ski tracks on the planet.
