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TRAVEL INFORMATION
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE INFORMATION
Arrival and Departure Airport:
You should fly into and depart from Calgary International Airport (airport abbreviation: YYC). Please plan to arrive by 7pm on the arrival day and schedule your return flight home after 5pm.
Pick-up information: Our tour begins at Calgary International Airport. We will be waiting for you in the baggage claim area (if you arrive on a domestic flight) or after you pass immigration (if you arrive on an international flight) with a sign saying `Access Trips`. Please ensure that your flight arrives no later than 7pm, we will depart the airport at 8pm on arrival day so that we have enough time to get to Banff by early evening. In the event that we have only one van-load of clients, all clients will need to wait at the airport until our departure to Banff at 8pm, so please be sure to bring a book if you have an early arrival!
Drop-off information: Guests will be dropped at Calgary International Airport on the final day following a full day on the mountain. To ensure that we have plenty of time to get you to Calgary on time for your flight, please only book flights that leave after 5pm.
Please note: If you would like to be picked up or dropped off on a different day or to somewhere other than the airport, please contact us at customer_service@accesstrips.com.
Airlines and Checking Equipment: If you intend to bring your own equipment, please check with your airline regarding policies for checking and transporting sports gear and equipment before you book your flight. This includes inquiring as to weight, charges and liability.
Flights: We do not book flights for our clients. Please contact your local travel agent for information on bookings flights for this trip. For a list of the airlines that service Calgary, please see: http://www.yyc.com/Default.aspx?cid=51&lang=1. For information about Cranbrook flights, please see: http://www.cranbrookairport.com/index.htm .
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Travel Insurance: Medical insurance, including emergency evacuation coverage, is compulsory for all our trips. Please do not attend any of our trips without purchasing appropriate insurance coverage and providing the details to Access Trips. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance that includes cancellation protection so that you will be covered in the event that you are unable to attend our trip (due to injury, illness or other unforeseen circumstances). We do not provide travel insurance for our clients. Please contact your local travel agent to purchase travel insurance. Additional details are on our website at: http://www.accesstrips.com/company/insurance/
Passports & Visas: All countries require a valid passport (with a minimum of 6 months validity). Citizens of some countries will also require a visa. To learn more about visa and entry requirements for Canada, please check out the Canadian Embassy website at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/offices/missions.html or consult your local travel agent. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documentation.
Age: Most of our trips do not have any age restrictions. The majority of our clients are between the ages of 28 and 50, but we also have many clients who are older and younger than this. Please contact us with any questions.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Emergency Contact: If you need to contact Access Trips in an emergency, you can reach us at the following:
Email: customer_service@accesstrips.com
Mobile-phone: +1 (415) 260-7270
Dialing within North America: 1 (650) 492-4778
Dialing outside of North America: +1 (650) 492-4778
If you do not receive an immediate answer when calling the above numbers, please leave us a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Health requirements: Please carefully review the health information section of the following webpage for up-to-date health information, including information on the quality of medical care, the availability of medications and the necessity for vaccinations in the destination country: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html. We strongly recommend that you visit a travel doctor before embarking on international travel. You are responsible for ensuring that you receive any necessary vaccinations before embarking on your trip with us.
Fitness requirements: The majority of our trips are open to people who are beginners in our target sports. Nevertheless, you should have a reasonable level of fitness before attending any of our trips and you should enjoy physical activity and the outdoors. During the majority of our trips you will be able to take a rest if you find that you are over-exerting yourself, but in order to maximize your enjoyment of our tours you should ensure that you are in reasonable shape.
Safety & Security: To maximize your safety during our tours you should exercise common sense and caution at all times. We recommend that you always stick to set travel arrangements, and avoid unknown areas. We also recommend that you wear minimal jewelry and that you keep valuable items safely stored. Always keep a copy of your passport, airline tickets, travelers checks and credit card numbers separate from where you keep the originals. For information on safety and security in Canada, please review the safety and security section of the following webpage: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html
Climate, Currency, and Electricity
Climate: The first snow in Banff typically falls in November bringing an early winter with cold temperatures but typically not extreme winter conditions. Daytime temperatures in the Banff-Lake Louise resorts average around -12C (6F) in the winter months. Banff is known for a warm weather phenomenon called a Chinook, where warm winds produce spring like temperatures in a matter of hours, sometimes lasting for days or even weeks. In the upper elevations at the resorts, average winter snowfall is about 9m (30ft).
In Golden, you'll find the great powder snow in the winter that Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is famous for! Average snowfall is around 6.5m (21ft). Average temperatures measure between a high of -6.0°C/21.2°F and a low of -14.4°C/6.1°F
Currency: The Canadian dollar (sign: $; code: CAD) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies.
Banking: Most merchants accept credit cards. Visa and MasterCard are the most popular, followed by American Express. Be aware that most cards charge a transaction fee for foreign currency transactions.
ATM: ATM's are widely available. Networks include Plus/Visa and Cirrus/Master Card. Transaction fees may apply.
It is recommended to notify your bank or card issuer that you intend to travel abroad so that no block will be put on the usage of your credit or ATM cards.
Electricity: Canada's electrical supply and electrical outlets (sockets, wall plugs) are the same as those of the United States.
The electrical supply is 110 Volts and 60 Hertz
WHAT TO TAKE
Equipment: To maximize your enjoyment and performance during our trip, we recommend you bring your own equipment and especially your own snowboard boots. If you are unable to bring your own equipment, however, we have high quality boards and boots available for rent. Please email us at info@accesstrips.com for information about our rental equipment.
What to bring: Many of our trips require us to move our base several times, so we recommend that you pack as lightly as possible. There will not always be someone available to help you carry your bags so you should only bring as much as you can carry on your own.
We suggest that you bring the following items:
Clothing & Equipment
* snowboard & bindings
* snowboard boots
* snowboard pants and warm jacket
* gloves, goggles & warm hat
* helmet
* avalanche transceiver (if you have your own)
* casual winter clothes - jeans, pants, warm sweaters etc
* toiletries
* money belt
* sunscreen
* first-aid kit (should contain lip balm, aspirin, band aids, a cream for sore muscles (e.g. deep heat), extra prescription drugs you may be taking)
Documents & Money
* passport (with photocopies)
* travel insurance (with photocopies)
* airline tickets (with photocopies)
* Credit and/or debit card and/or travelers checks and/or cash
* Any entry visas or vaccination certificates required
Spending Money
* Meals: Breakfast is included. For meals not included in the trip price, you should budget around CND $5-$15 for lunches (depending on whether you make your own lunch or buy it on the mountain) and CND $8-$20+ for dinners, depending on whether you want to eat in very simple restaurants or in more expensive ones.
* Other expenses: Aside from meals, there are no required additional expenses for this trip, but you might like to take spending money for such things as souvenir shopping, nightlife and internet cafes.
* Tipping: A 15-20% tip for meals is standard in Canada.
USEFUL LINKS
Country Information: For additional information about traveling in Canada check out http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html OR http://www.travelcanada.ca/tc_redesign/app/
Currency Exchange: For the latest currency exchange information check out http://finance.yahoo.com/currency
FINAL NOTE
The information contained in this document is provided in good faith. Due to the nature of travel, details in this document may change. You should thus use the above information as an indication only and not as a contractual obligation on the part of Access Trips.
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