Big White Ski Resort
At Big White Canada, great skiing and snowboarding is literally at your doorstep. The Big White ski resort has been really well designed such that the majority of the
Big White accommodation offers fabulous ski-in ski-out convenience. The mid-mountain car-free village is also ski-in ski-out.
Big White Ski Resort is ideal for families because it’s so easy to get around, and there are lots of family friendly activities and facilities such as the award winning Kid’s Centre. The resort is also loved by those travelling child-free.
Another claim to fame is the haunting “snow ghosts”, the snow blasted trees that take on all sorts of intriguing shapes.
Pros & Cons of Big White
Pros
- The terrain for intermediates is amazing and there are very good slopes for beginners.
- Big White Canada offers lots of ski-in ski-out lodging.
- Big White has family friendly ski and snowboard terrain and lots of kids’ activities.
- There is decent night skiing that’s not just for beginners.
- Access to the Big White Ski Resort is easy. It’s only an hour drive from the Kelowna Airport.
Cons
- It’s received the nickname of “Big White Out” due to the oft foggy conditions, although you get plenty of low vis days at other BC ski resorts too. Pack your low light goggle lenses.
- It doesn’t have the amount or variety of expert terrain compared to some other BC ski resorts.
- For a resort with an abundance of vacation homes, the commercial part of the village is comparatively very small. Options for restaurants and nightlife are very limited.
- The main development of the resort has been the real estate, with not much focus on expanding terrain or lift offerings.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The snow ghosts are impressive to look at, yet they are indicative of moist and windy weather conditions that aren’t conducive to supreme powder conditions.
Ski Big White Canada
The Big White Ski Resort is not that “big” compared to
Whistler Ski Resort or
Sun Peaks, or 7 other western Canadian ski resorts that are larger. Nevertheless, with 1,147 hectares (2,655 acres) of terrain, 105km of marked runs, 118 designated trails, and 16 lifts, the size of the ski area is nothing to be sneezed at.
The official trail stats are 18% beginner, 54% intermediate, 22% advanced and 6% expert. About 32% of the Big White ski area is groomed, so it is absolute paradise for intermediates and it’s also fantastic for beginners. Consequently, the ski resort gets the undeserved reputation of being “Flat White”. There is plenty of single black diamond runs for advanced riders in the form of moguls and off-piste terrain amongst the many trees. Sure there are much better BC ski resorts for experts and extreme skiers, but at least BW has some gnarly entrances into the steep alpine bowl that will keep experts on their toes.
Big White Snow
Big White boasts about their snow with their “It’s the Snow” motto. They get decent snow volumes, with an average of 7.5 metres (295 inches) of powder falling each year.
Where is Big White Mountain?
The ski resort is situated on Big White Mountain in British Columbia Canada, 56km (35 miles) from the city of Kelowna.
Most people access the resort by flying into Kelowna airport and then getting a shuttle. Whilst in the Okanagan Valley, visitors sometimes also visit nearby
Silver Star Ski Resort.
Big White Accommodation
One of the major pros of the resort is the abundance of ski-in ski-out lodging.
Big White accommodation includes lots of condos (apartments), town homes, mega chalets, and a few hotels. Most of the accommodations are ideal for medium to large groups or families.
Big White Accommodations Listings
Facilities & Activities
For such a large ski resort, the village is surprisingly on the small side and there are only a handful of shops and about 15 dining and drinking establishments. However the facilities are more than adequate to cover most ski holiday needs. The well developed amenities include day lodges, equipment rentals, child care, and a great ski school with a very strong kids’ program.
Evening entertainment is also provided for the kids and there is an abundance of family activities. These include ice skating, ice hockey, mega tubing, and mini snowmobiles for the kids. The resort also has regular family events such as carnival nights and fireworks.
Other
Big White activities include cross country skiing, snow-shoeing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling.