Planning a Ski Vacation

1. Ski-In, Ski-Out – Everywhere!
Home to Canada’s largest totally ski-in, ski-out village, you can ski, snowboard or walk to nearly every restaurant, accommodation, and activity – making it super smooth to get around when you have kids in tow. And, seeing as it hosts Canada’s second largest lifting system, shuttling 28,700 skiers uphill every hour, you’ll spend more time on the slopes and less time waiting in line.

 

2. Epic Snow Conditions
Each winter, the resort sees an annual average snowfall of 750cm of what the locals refer to as “Okanagan Champagne Powder.” Due to the climate in the Okanagan, the snow that layers Big White is dry, light and oh so good – like a glass of crisp Okanagan bubbly. It’s also what’s responsible for Big White’s world-famous snow ghosts, the snow covered trees that dot the alpine and provide the perfect photo backdrop to make all your friends back home jealous.

From bunny hills to beginner greens, cruisy blues, steep blacks, moguled double blacks, powder gulches and glades, Big White Ski Resort has something for every level of skier and snowboarder. Plus, with a green run from every lift, families with different skill levels can still explore different areas of the mountain together.

3. Apres at Home with Private Hot Tubs
What better way to relax than soaking those sore ski muscles in your own private hot tub? Give the team at Big White Central Reservations a call or email, and have them find you the perfect home away from home during your stay. From condos to private chalets, Central Reservations has accommodation to suit every budget and style.

4. Arrive With Ease
Located just 55 minutes from the Kelowna International Airport – Canada’s 10th largest airport, with non-stop flights from Toronto with Air Canada and WestJet – getting to Big White Ski Resort has never been easier. Once you arrive, rent a car or grab a ride on the Big White Central Reservations airport shuttle (must be booked in advance!), and enjoy the scenic drive through the mountains to your home away from home.

The resort is entirely walkable, so there’s no need for a car once you arrive. If you do rent a car, there are plenty of free parking options around the resort, as well as the inclusion of parking space in your accommodation package.

Stock up the kitchen with snacks and ingredients before you arrive with Vacation Food Services, and, if you’re in need of a top-up, there’s a Market in the Village and a shopping shuttle that visits Kelowna once a week.

5. On-Mountain, Off-Slope Fun!
With nearly 20 on-mountain restaurants, cafes, and food trucks at the resort, there are plenty of options for every palette and every budget. Craving sushi at 2,300 metres above sea level? Find Sasquatch Sushi in the Stonebridge Lodge. Have a hankering for Mexican? Cantina del Centro serves up delicious tacos and margaritas at the Inn at Big White, not to mention its unrivaled mountain views from the patio. Snowshoe Sam’s is renowned for its busy nightlight, live music and DJs, not to mention its delicious pub food. Fine dining can be found at The Woods, Black Diamond Bar & Grill, Six Degrees Bistro, and at the brand-new, on-mountain smokehouse: The Fourth Ace. For a full list of our on-mountain eateries, click here.

Looking for something to do after the lifts shut down or need to give the ski legs a break? Happy Valley, just a free, short ride from the Village on Lara’s Gondola, is home to an array of non-skiing activities. Grab a pair of rental skates from the Happy Valley Day Lodge and test out the ice at Canada’s Highest Elevation Skating Rink. Pick up a tube and whiz down one of the five lanes at the Tube Park. Take the family on an adventure of a lifetime with an iconic Canadian experience and whiz through the forest on a dog sled. Snowshoeing, cross country skiing, a packed events calendar – it’ll be tempting to spend your entire vacation exploring the non-skiing activities at the resort.

The first morning, we made our way to hire centre and were greeted by knowledgeable staff who fitted us out with impressively high-quality equipment. It’s also worth noting we didn’t even have to queue – there’s always a first for everything! This became a theme of the holiday. We skied on to nearly every lift without having to queue.

The mountain is very user friendly, in that all runs lead back to the village. When you are skiing with kids, it is very reassuring that they unlikely to get lost. But let’s talk about the snow! Although Canada has had an interesting season this year, we managed to time our arrival with a snowstorm – and it continued to snow nearly every day we were there. While this made visibility challenging at times, the trees became our friends and the quality of snow more than made up for it. I can honestly say I skied some of the best powder I’ve ever seen. It was light, deep and untracked and the terrain was varied and challenging.

In terms of accommodation, our reasonably-priced two bedroom apartment not only had great views of the village, but a hot tub on the deck. Perfect for apres-ski! This was such a luxury and we used the spa every single afternoon. We had access to ski lockers and we had the option of two different chairlifts just metres away.

While both my kids are proficient skiers, they had a couple of days of lessons to brush up on their skills. My 13 year old daughter wanted to concentrate on her technique, while my 9 year old son wanted to try snowboarding for the first time. The lesson size was very small, both children only had three other people, which allowed them to get the maximum out of the time. The instructors were a good combination of knowledgeable but fun. The kids centre was also efficient and well organised.

Being in an apartment gave us the choice of eating in or out. We chose to eat out every second night and there were several kid friendly restaurants to chose from. There was also a small supermarket for the basics (although I would advise to do a big shop in Kelowna before you get there). There were day lodges on the hill for lunch which all offered different food, and again, not too busy either.

But we didn’t just ski. We also took the opportunity to check out the tubing park which the kids loved. There were two runs to choose from, varying in steepness, and a travelator to take you back up the hill. We also tried our hand at ice hockey – which is much harder than it looks! Big White has its own ice rink and you can rent skates and a hockey stick to give it a go.

As a family, Big White ticked all the boxes. Number one, the snow was excellent closely followed by fabulous ski in/ski out accommodation. Despite being Australian school holidays, we rarely had to queue to get on a chairlift and restaurant bookings were easy.

While it is a smaller resort, there was easily enough terrain to keep us entertained for the duration of our trip. We were always finding new runs to try or different trees to ski ranging from easy intermediate to advanced. My son also found the beginners slope easy to navigate when he tried snowboarding for the first time.

Would I go back? Most definitely. It was an easy to navigate resort for a family, with great snow, reasonable prices and plenty of accommodation to choose from. It has a smaller resort vibe with friendly staff, a beautiful village, a great ski school and epic snow.

Australian ski aficionados Rob Aivatoglou from George's Ski Hire at Mt Buller and Richard Neville from Snow Monkey at Mt Hotham share their unforgettable experiences at Big White Ski Resort during March's splendid spring skiing conditions. Rob and Richard didn't just have a good time; they had a BLAST and made the most of Big White's famous skiing conditions.