Big White, B.C.

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Big White is the most popular ski resort in interior British Columbia. It resembles one of the larger Summit County, Colorado areas in scale (2,550 vertical, 2,075 acres), snow quality and facilities, but at a bargain Canadian price.

Big White is about 45 minutes east of Kelowna, the largest town in the Okanagan Valley, with regular air connections through Calgary or Vancouver. The Okanagan Valley is considered by many Canadians to have the most pleasant climate in the country, as evidenced by the numerous fruit orchards along Lake Okanagan. While the Okanagan has a relatively dry climate, Big White is downwind from the lake and thus receives a considerable boost in snowfall, as well as the fog that occasionally earns the area the nickname "Big White-Out." Only about the top 500 vertical of the ski area is above the tree line, so only the alpine T-bar will close in fog. If it is windy during storms, the Falcon and Gem Lake chairs may close.

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Americans might be wary of the 65% south exposure, but at Big White's latitude the sun intensity in late February is about the same as in Colorado at Christmas. With the frequent light snowfalls, a packed powder surface can be expected through February, with spring conditions emerging sometime in March. Lake Okanagan is a moderating influence upon temperatures, which are similar to Colorado and not as cold as Wyoming, Montana or the Alberta Rockies.

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Terrain Type:

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Cruising: There are three high-speed quads rising 1,200-1,400 feet out of the village area serving at least 20 groomed runs. The longest cruisers run the full length of 2,300 vertical Gem Lake, the other high-speed lift on the west side of the ski area. The best way to Gem Lake is via the Blue Sapphire trail, reached from Falcon or the Alpine T-bar for a total cruise of 4 1/2 miles. There will usually be a couple of steeper groomed runs on the Powder Chair, which you need to catch on the way back to the village from Gem Lake.

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Moguls: Black runs on the Powder chair such as Corkscrew usually have the most moguls. Also check out Dragon's Tongue on the lower section of Ridge Rocket. The long black marked runs on Gem Lake (mostly red in difficulty by IT's standards) will grow bumps if it hasn't snowed recently.

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Steeps: Traverse east from the top of the Alpine T-bar to the Cliff Bowl, the center of an east facing cirque with a sustained steep fall line of about 700 vertical. The cirque is very wide, with easier entrances at Camel's Back on skier's right, and progressively steeper ones available with a 2-5 minute hike to Pegasus or Parachute Bowl on skier's left. The Cliff has a double chair since 2009. Formerly, to run laps you had to ski out a flat exit trail and then down to Bullet Express (past Black Forest, which doesn't go quite high enough) to get back to the Alpine T-bar.

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Wide Open Spaces: Aside from the Cliff Bowl area, the upper 500 vertical of the Alpine T-bar, Falcon and Gem Lake chairs are also above tree line. The snow tends to be more wind affected as one moves west toward Gem Lake.

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Trees: The wind affected alpine areas mentioned above contain numerous snow ghost formations which completely bury the smaller trees. Below the snow ghosts on Gem Lake and Powder chairs, there are sections of well-spaced trees for another 500 vertical or so. It takes some exploring to find the best lines, but it's easy to traverse out to a nearby trail when the trees get tighter, as most of the terrain is moderately pitched. The exception is Playground, an entertaining combination of snow ghosts and short but steep chutes directly east of the top of Gem Lake.

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Powder: Like Colorado, the snow tends to arrive in frequent storms of a few inches. If Gem Lake was closed during a recent storm, head there first as there will be more than one day's accumulation, and only the top 20% of over 700 acres of terrain will be wind affected. During a storm, Powder chair has the best terrain which will be open. The Cliff area can be excellent once the weather clears, and it doesn't get tracked that quickly due to the ski-out and two lift circuit needed to return there.

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Hiking and Backcountry: Skiers can continue hiking above and beyond Parachute Bowl to some narrower chutes with longer fall lines back into the Cliff Bowl. In general, there are fewer backcountry opportunities here than at some of the other interior B.C. areas.

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Crowds: The four high-speed quads keep lift lines to a minimum. Occasionally a big crowd can collect temporarily at Gem Lake, but it rarely takes more than 5 minutes to clear it out. Skier density is average for a destination resort around the village lifts and considerably less elsewhere. Management does not plan to replace the wrecked surface lift near the Cliff, as skiers have commented favorably upon the improved snow conditions with the reduced traffic.

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Intermediates: Big White is an excellent area for intermediates. Besides the predominance of blue runs, there are numerous short sections of moguls, alpine and trees for those looking for a bit more challenge.

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Novices: After a day or two on the short Plaza chair in the village, there are several long easy runs from the three village high-speed quads .

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Children: Big White is hard to beat for family convenience. Virtually all the lodging is ski-in ski-out. The resort has won several Ski Canada magazine awards for children's facilities. . Allow plenty of time to cross between the village and Gem Lake sectors. They are seven miles apart at the base, and some of the crossing trails are long and pretty flat. The on-site lodging is modern and comfortable and very attractively priced considering the convenience. [ An Australian family I know spent $80US per night in early April 1999 for a one-bedroom condo with beds for 6. Check with the resort on mid-season prices.].

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For a really cheap trip, you can stay in Kelowna and commute each day, much as Utah skiers do from Salt Lake. The Gem Lake parking lot is a 40-minute drive from Kelowna. On bad weather days, when some of Big White's upper lifts might be closed, you can drive from Kelowna 1 1/4 hours north to Silver Star or 1 1/2 hours south to Apex as an alternative.

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Silver Star (225 inch snow average, 2,000 vertical over 1,200 acres) is completely below tree line, so all lifts will operate even during big storms. The Vance Creek front side faces south and has 1,600 vertical of mostly intermediate runs. From the top of Vance Creek, follow the deceptively easy Bergerstrasse trail to the top of Putnam Creek, the 1,800 vertical north and east facing backside. Aside from a couple of blue perimeter runs, all of the trails here are red to high black in difficulty, similar to Telluride’s Plunge and Spiral Stairs area. Moguls on the double-black marked trails can rival Colorado’s finest. Vance and Putnam each have a high-speed quad lift. There is a compact western-style village at the base with shops, restaurants and lodging for destination visitors. Silver Star is 20 minutes east of Vernon, the town at the north end of Lake Okanagan.

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Apex (200-inch snow average, 2,000 vertical over 1,000 acres) has some alpine terrain, but its top-to-bottom high-speed quad only closes a few days per year. Mostly red to black trails fan out north and east from the alpine summit. The 1,000 vertical fixed-grip Stocks chair serves the east-facing lower mountain, which is predominantly intermediate. The north-facing trails remain steeper until they reach the Grandfather Trail, which returns to the base area. While most of Apex’s skiers are locals, there is one resort hotel at the mountain. Apex is 30 minutes west of Penticton, which is on the southwest shore of Lake Okanagan.