Great Canadian Heli-Skiing in British Columbia is now offering a Platinum Heli-Skiing Season Pass for CDN $100,000, or about $80,000 US, making it quite literally the world's most expensive lift ticket. The Platinum Pass from GCH offers unlimited "vertical access" to the world's best deep powder skiing in the heart of British Columbia's Purcell and Selkirk mountain ranges.
The pass absolutely guarantees the holder a seat on one of GCH's A-Star B2 helicopters - forget about ski lifts or gondolas in this extreme terrain - every single day of the heli-skiing season, from December 26 to March 28, overriding all other bookings. The $80,000 also gets you a personal "powder concierge" to keep you up to date on conditions and forecasts and advise you on getting the ultimate heli-skiing experience.
Those skiing in Whistler this winter will have a new to ski both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The Peak 2 Peak gondola will offer an eleven-minute trip that spans the two mountains. The gondola will link 8,171 acres of terrain into one continuous lift system so that skiers and riders can move across the valley to the best snow and weather in each area.Each gondola cabin can hold 28 people and can transport 4,100 people per hour. Two of the 28 gondolas will have glass bottoms allowing a birds eye view of the Fitzsimmons Valley below. The gondola will also be open during the summer months. Whistler Blackcomb's Unlimited Adult Seasons Pass is available for $1879. The Peak 2 Peak gondola opens on December 12.
British Columbia's waterfront condo market is booming but I hadn't considered that the ample waterfront space might also be a spot for luxury yachts. The Vancouver Sun reports on the proposed mega-yacht marina which is scheduled for Victoria in 2009. The planned $20-million, 48-berth marina at Songhees would attract larger yachts ranging from 65 to 140 feet long and is designed to offer a permanent place for these larger yachts. The marina will be located at the entrance to the Victoria Harbour and will consist of two symmetrical one-story buildings that will sit at either side of a 46-slip marina. The architecture of the buildings will mimic the look of a yacht setting out to sea, with sweeping bows, squared off sterns, and solid stainless steel rigging. From above, the view of the rooflines will look like a stylized yacht propeller. In addition to the Yacht Club facilities, the marina buildings will also include a public restaurant and lounge, the Harbour Heritage Coffee House, as well as a supplier of marine provisions and a yachting concierge marine management center.
You may never have heard of Kelowna, British Columbia but it's one of the fastest growing cities in North America. The city on a Okanagan Lake offers beautiful scenery and a relatively mild climate. Today's three-bedroom home is situated on a hill for panoramic views of the lake and the surrounding hills. The home was designed by Isabel Chen and sits on 1.19 acres. The modern home has an open floor plan and plenty of windows and sky lights. There is a separate guest suite over the garage that has a private deck. There is geothermal heating and air conditioning. I like the look of the saltwater concrete pool and the wide wood decks. It's not a wildly charming house but the view and the simple and clean space warm my heart. It is listed at $2.2 million Canadian.
Real estate in the States may be having tough times but in Canada things seem to be booming and we are seeing more amazing estates all over the country. This one in Metchosin in Greater Victoria, British Columbia is one of the most expensive. The home was finished in 2006 and sits on 67 acres. The design received a National Canadian Architect Award. The design is a mix on interior and outdoor design that includes pools of water which are part of a geothermal heating and air conditioning system that pulls water from the ocean and runs through the house. The water also divides the living and bedroom areas. The home is quite striking, if perhaps a bit chilly looking. I love the giant red sofas in the living room area. The estate includes a guest house, boat house, covered pool, and a tennis court. It is listed at $24 million Canadian.
The latest boutique hotel set to open in the popular winter resort area of Whistler, British Columbia is the Nita Lake Lodge which is located near Whistler's Creekside, home of the 2010 Winter Olympic alpine events. The 77-suite lodge includes studio, one and two bedroom suites with 42-inch plasma televisions, oversize ensuites and full concierge service. The hotel has a lakeside restaurant and outdoor patio, Jordan's Crossing, as well as lounge and deli options. The spa Nita Lake Lounge, and JC's Deli, will further add a variety of dining options. The lodge also has a spa that will offer traditional massage and aesthetics treatments as well as nutritional consultations and fitness conditioning. Rates will start at $199 for a studio and two-bedroom suites start at $479.
Expensive red wines from France, Italy and Napa are commonplace but one of the latest high-priced wines comes from British Columbia. Mission Hill Family Estate Winery has announced the 2004 release of their Oculus wine, a high-end red modeled after fine Bordeaux wines. The Globe and Mail reports that the wine is listed at $70 but could go higher in the provinces. The wine is priced $10 more than the 2003 vintage and it is expected that the wine will hit $100 in 2010 right around the time that the world's eyes turn to B.C. for the Vancouver Olympics. Oculus is just the most expensive of reds from wineries in the area. Mission Hill Family Estate Winery has an interesting history, the owner Anthony von Mandl, is the man behind Mike's Hard Lemonade. He used his alcopop cash to invest in the finest equipment for his winery such as $1,000 French-oak barrels, automated grape-sorting tables, stem-removing conveyors and computerized basket presses. Oculus is named for the circular hole at the top of Rome's Pantheon and is a small amount of Mission Hill's output - just 3,000 to 3,500 12-bottle cases depending on the year.
Real estate watchers in British Columbia are eager to see who will pick up the Alexis Creek Ranch, one of Canada's largest working ranches. The Alexis Creek Ranch is 260,000 acres of space (250,000 acres exclusive grazing rights, and 10,000 deeded acres). The ranch is home to 1,000 head of cows and 50 purebred Black Angus bulls. There is also a seven-bedroom main house, a five-bedroom ranch house and a new airport with a paved runway and a hangar. The ranch is also home to 331 acres of housing subdivision land and about 10 acres of commercial business development property in the center of the town of Alexis Creek as well as plenty of valuable timber. The ranch went on the market three weeks ago and comes with farm equipment and a new irrigation system. It is listed at $23.5 million. After the jump, sadly the plane is not included.
Remember the Ewokes from Star Wars? You know those furry little friends of Chewbacca, who lived up in the trees? Well, if you ever had the urge to make like an Ewoke and live in the trees, I have good news! Now you can.
A company out of British Columbia has developed "Free Spirit Spheres," which are pods-houses suspended from trees. According to the company, these durable spheres can be used for all sorts of purposes: healing, meditation, photography, canopy research, leisure and game watching.
If they sound a little dangerous, don't worry, they're not. Spheres can be hung from the trees or any other solid objects like buildings or rock faces. A web of rope is connected to any solid surface, thereby replacing the foundation of a conventional building.
If nothing else, these Free Spirit Spheres redefine what it means to just be hanging out.
This rambling home in Abbotsford,
British Columbia offers an outstanding amount of space. It is a ten bedroom home that sits on over 20 acres and at
42,767 square feet it is the largest home to ever be listed in Canada and the largest home on record in British
Columbia. Construction began way back in 1997 (and the planning started in 1994) and is still ongoing. It has details
like 45-foot ceilings in the foyer, an elevator, five fireplaces, geothermal heating and a tunnel out to the pool and
cabana area. It features more different types and colors of wood than I have seen in one house in a long time.
According to the Great Estates website it first hit the market in
early in 2005 and the $12.5 million CAD listing is a record asking price for the Fraser Valley region of Greater
Vancouver. It seems to be a bit of a hodgepodge of styles and design influences but if you need lots and lots of
room this could be your dream home.
In the world of not-so megayachts, it is hard to
find vessels that aren't chock full of swooping, modern lines that end up looking like a rocket ship and not a yacht.
Rayburn Yachts, a custom builder in British Columbia, has some vessels that
are not massive, but still manage to keep traditional yacht style. Rayburn's 88' is a lovely flybridge motor
yacht with 4 cabins that sleep a total of 10 guests. What I love most about this boat is the interior. It is a definite
step up from numerous competitors who love the glossy and leather look for smaller yachts. The interior is inspired from
the classic motoryachts of the 30's - 50's. With matte finished mahogany and cherry paneling and free-moving
furniture, the feel is luxury residential, not RV tacky.
The Hastings House, a charming country inn on Salt
Spring Island in British Columbia is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a couple of special packages. The three
night package includes three nights in a deluxe suite overlooking Ganges Harbor, welcome champagne, breakfast and
afternoon tea, two three-course dinners, a picnic lunch, two massages at the resort spa and a copy of the Hastings
House anniversary cookbook. A five day package includes two nights at the Wedgewood Hotel in Vancouver with dinner at
Lumiere, a tour of Vancouver and a seaplane flight over to the Hastings House. The five day package costs $3,720 CAD
per couple.
