Goodbye Winter, Hello Summer!
As we switch gears into summer, there is a lot of new and exciting information for you to know as well as some important reminders for next winter.
Don’t Lose It. Re-Use It!
Reload your 2017-18 season pass online and save the additional $20 card fee on your 2018-19 pass. On top of saving you money; reloading online offers the unbeatable advantage of direct to lift access on opening day. No more line ups at the ticket office!
Student passes are not eligible for online reload but you can reload them in person with proper identification and proof of enrollment and we will be happy to extend the reload rebate to you.
What’s Coming Up This Summer
Big White is expanding summer operations to five days per week for 2018 operating Thursday through Monday! Opening day is set for Thursday, June 28 with the final day of summer operations on Monday, September 3.
We already have an exciting events lineup listed on the events page of the website. Below is a brief description of the events.
Craft and Country Mountain Festival – June 30 – We are going bigger than ever for the 4th Annual Craft and Country Mountain Festival with more vendors, more music and more fun for the whole family!
Big White Invitational Slopestyle – July 4-8 – Join us at Bike Big White as the 25 top-ranked FMB riders from North America and Europe as well as five wildcard riders compete on the custom-built slopestyle course.
Mudd, Sweat and Tears – July 15 – Racers are challenged with a combination of the best organic and natural features found throughout each site with a series of construction obstacles that will have you crawling, climbing, swimming, carrying and dragging yourself through the 8km course.
High-Performance Grom Camp – July 20-22 – Three-day mountain bike camp for advanced riders aged 9-15 with pro coaches Jake Kinney, Tom van Steenbergen and Bas van Steenbergen.
L'Alpe de Grand Blanc – July 22 – This 60km road bike ride, from Kelowna to Big White, is an incredible challenge for any cyclist. The ride is a fully-supported event with multiple rest stops and refreshments along the route making this ride open to cyclists of all ages and abilities!
Ciderfest – July 28 – Big White invites the best cideries and breweries from BC to bring their delicious, thirst-quenching beverages up to the mountain for Ciderfest!
Geo Hiking – August 4-5 – Big White Geo Hiking is a great adventure for people of all ages and a great way to get up and explore the mountain terrain. This free GPS Scavenger Hunt challenges you to use your navigation skills to find the location of our hidden treasure boxes.
Huckleberry Festival – August 11 – Join us for fun summer activities, the Huckleberry Hunt, live entertainment and pie, lots and lots of pie! This year, Big White will attempt to make an even bigger huckleberry pit than last year.
Dunbar Cycles Summer Series – BC Cup – September 1-2 – The BC Cup Downhill Series is a great tool in preparing the best provincial athletes to compete on the National and International stage.
When was the last time someone spent $10 million to show you a good time?
Big White Ski Resort Ltd. made significant announcements culminating in the largest single year investment at the resort in guest experience in the last decade. “After all, when was the last time someone spent $10 million to show you a good time?” says Michael J. Ballingall, senior vice president of Big White Ski Resort. "With the tourism econony in British Columbia booming and the airport in Kelowna reporting record visitation, we're betting on a buoyant economy to show a substantial return on this investment."
The largest investment announced is the $3.9 million construction of the new Powder Chair. The four-passenger fixed grip Leitner Poma lift will replace Canada’s oldest and most popular triple chair, which was built in 1979 providing 15,868,476 rides. The new lift will increase upload capacity to 2,400 passengers per hour allowing more skiers and snowboarders to enjoy the amazing terrain on Powder Chair.
In addition to the new Powder Chair, Big White Ski Resort is investing millions in other projects throughout the summer including $1.5 million to expand the skier tunnel on the Hummingbird run. Its current width of 25 feet will be widened to 60 feet accommodating increased skier and foot passenger traffic.
Big White Ski Resort continues expansion of mountain biking operations this summer with a $1.1 million investment in three to four new trails as well as a slopestyle course. At the same time, crews will be performing annual summer grooming and glading of the existing ski runs worth $200,000. In the winter these runs will be groomed with the help of a brand new $450,000 Pistenbully groomer.
Further investments include $1.1 million in annual lift and machinery maintenance, $500,000 in building maintenance, $750,000 in water and sewer upgrades and $150,000 for a new on mountain shuttle bus.
“I’m proud to be leading the third generation of our family owned business, which was established in the summer of 1985,” says Peter Plimmer, president and CEO of Big White Ski Resort Ltd. “My grandfather, Desmond Schumann, would be proud of what we’re doing here at the resort and I am confident all of these projects will be accomplished provided Mother Nature cooperates with an exceptional spring skiing season and melting our over eight metres of cumulative snowfall.”