Real Estate

House of the Week: Skiing Fanatics only please.

This basic spot is actually adjacent to the lifts at Southern Alberta's Castle Mountain

By Neal McLennan /

This basic spot is actually adjacent to the lifts at Southern Alberta’s Castle Mountain

Price $340,000Details 900 sq/ft. 3 Beds, 1 BathNeighbourhood Castle Mountain, Southern AlbertaThe Skinny 270 km south of Calgary hides one of the most unique, hidden ski hills in all of North America. At 3500 skiable acres, Castle Mountain is bigger than Sunshine or Big White, but it sees just a fraction of the skiers. Partly it’s location, near Pincher Creek, isn’t exactly on the beaten path, partly it’s because the infrastructure is solidly locked in the 1970s (slow 2-person chairs are the rule here), but mostly it’s because the hill is crazy difficult. But what makes it’s challenging for young families makes it irresistible to soul skiers, those unkept nouveau hippies who live to ski. They often sleep in campers in the parking lot at Castle, but this modest cabin one ups that by a bunch—it’s actually on the hill.The Pros You can literally hit the lifts with a snowball. If you sat on your front stoop at 3:00 with a bucket full of cold beer you would undoubtedly be the most popular person in Southern Alberta. As for the actual house…well, it’s got potential as they say in the biz. It looks pretty scuzzy to be honest but the bones look good and it’s literally nothing a cube van and a trip to Ikea couldn’t fix. And while the skiing is the draw the area—not far from Waterton National Park—is stunning. And it’s a far sight less $$$ than a ski-in ski-out pad in Whistler would cost.The Cons See the aforementioned scuzziness. Really, couldn’t they have tidied up before snapping the pics? At 900 sq/ft you better either have a very small family or get along really well. And if you’re not social you might feel like you’re living in a bit of a fishbowl. Castle also had brutal snow last year.The Verdict This place seems pricey for what it is. The segment of the population that would find this place the greatest is very very narrow—it’s seems like $225,000 would be a more reasonable price. But if you love to ski more than anything else maybe it’s worth it.See the entire listing here.

The Enderby Open Air Market and Cliff Avenue Pedestrian Market happen every Friday, and I love the mix of local crafts, the BEST chocolate and organic vegetables. I usually buy my produce there from my neighbours, the Green Croft Gardens and Curly Willow Farm.

This area is amazing for hiking. The Enderby Cliffs trail has a great view and a well-kept path.

As soon as it’s warm enough, I’m all about swimming, swimming, and more swimming: I hit Gardom Lake in early summer, then Mara Lake in mid-summer.

I love everything about the Shuswap River–boating, floating and canoeing. In August and September it has plentiful sandy beaches that are like paradise.

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan is the wine and spirits editor for Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where he susses out the wonderful (and occasionally weird) options for imbibing across Western Canada.