Pass Powderkeg Ski Area — Attraction in Alberta

We purchased the Learn-To-Turn package for each of our four children and ourselves. We had originally planned to go the weekends immediately before and after Christmas. Unfortunately, several family members became ill just before our first weekend. Natalie, the customer service contact, was very accommodating and understanding and patient as we worked together to reschedule our lessons for more suitable weekends when we weren't sick.

We've now completed all of our lessons. It was amazing to see how much each of our us progressed in such a short time. Only 2 weekends! Our whole family was able to use the lower T-bar by the end of the 3rd lesson. All of us, except our 6 year old, have been up the upper T-bar to at least make it down Easy Street.

The instructors were all excellent. They were patient and maintained a very positive attitude despite our struggles. We felt very comfortable leaving our 6 and 9 year olds with various instructors over the days we were taking lessons. They were excellent with our children. They were able to quickly figure out where each of them were at and teach them at their level, sometimes multiple skill levels with one instructor, not ideal, but they managed the situation very well. The reason for this was because our children and ourselves progressed at different speeds. The instructors with the children would wait with them at the end of the lesson until we could check in after our lessons. They would give us an evaluation regarding where our children could/should be skiing on the mountain.

The deals at the end of the lessons, a "free" season pass, and 25% off rentals for the rest of the season are great value as well.

One great thing about PPK is that they do not have chairlifts, only T-bars. These are fairly easy to use, and we don't feel concerned at all about the safety of our children (falling off or being run over by one of the chairs accidentally... we've seen videos...). Plus, we can monitor the kids on the bunny hill, with a full view of the hill, and we can see the kids coming down from the top of the lower T-bar region from inside the ski lodge! So when we are feeling tired and beat up and need a break, we can hang out and rest and watch them rip around!

PPK is an amazing hill for anyone new to snow sports, young families, and even more...

What a great ski hill! Runs are awesome! Staff are very friendly and helpful. Views are magnificent. The only downside is the food. The fries, chicken and poutine we had were...well, barely edible. I am not a food snob but it would be unfair of me to say nothing. Fries should not be hard to make. Why not work on that a bit and perfect them, become famous for the best fries in the area...something to aim for. We’ll definitely be back but we’ll be packing...

Great learner ski hill perfect for families. We made the mistake of not pre-booking tickets at a bigger hill and found Powderkeg by accident. Our girls learned how to ski in one day here, great beginner terrain and it was free! (We stuck to the bunny hill didn't go up higher.) The staff is very good, they are helpful and enthusiastic and ensure everyone is having a great time. Definitely a little gem in the Crowsnest area. Awesome first ski day...