Mountain Stats
Location
56 km (35 miles) from Kelowna to Village Centre. East/Southeast of Kelowna from Hwy 97 via Hwy 33 and Big White Road.
45 km (30 miles) from Kelowna to the Gem Lake base. Airport Shuttle available from Kelowna Airport. More about getting here >>
16 LIFTS - INFO
| LIFT | INCLINE | TOP ELEVATION | BOTTOM ELEVATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lara's Gondola | 600m (1,969 ft) | 1,760m (5,781 ft) | 1,671 (5,482 ft) |
| Snow Ghost Express | 1,868m (6,128 ft) | 2,105m (6,906 ft) | 1,655m (5,430 ft) |
| Bullet Express | 1,770m (5,807 ft) | 2,151m (7,057 ft) | 1,748m (5,735 ft) |
| Ridge Rocket Express | 1,814m (5,953 ft) | 2,095m (6,873 ft) | 1,654m (5,427 ft) |
| Gem Lake Express | 2,445m (8,020 ft) | 2,222m (7,290 ft) | 1,511m (4,957 ft) |
| Black Forest Express | 1,458m (4,785 ft) | 2,037m (6,683 ft) | 1,720m (5,643 ft) |
| Powder Chair | 896m (2,940 ft) | 2,150m (7,054 ft) | 1,845m (6,053 ft) |
| Plaza Chair | 592m (1,942 ft) | 1,765m (5,790 ft) | 1,660m (5,446 ft) |
| TELUS Park | 679m (2,227 ft) | 1,995m (6,545 ft) | 1,820m (5,971 ft) |
| Falcon Chair | 795m (2,609 ft) | 2,250m (7,382 ft) | 1,987m (6,519 ft) |
| Alpine T-bar | 1276m (4,188 ft) | 2,285m (7,497 ft) | 1,952m (6,404 ft) |
| The Cliff Chair | 651m (2,135 ft) | 2,260m (7,415 ft) | 2020m (6,627 ft) |
| Beginner Magic Carpet | 137m (450 ft) | ||
| Children’s Magic Carpet | 20m (66 ft) | ||
| Tubing Magic Carpet | 174m (570 ft) | ||
| Magic Carpet 2.0 | |||
Total Uphill Capacity:
28,700 skiers per hour
20 million Vertical Transport Feet (VTF) per hour
Terrain:
Resort Area: 7,759 acres (3,140 hectares)
Patrolled Area: 2,834 acres (1,147 hectares)
Groomed Area: 905 acres (367 hectares)
Alpine and Glades: 1,525 acres (618 hectares)
Western Canada’s Largest Resort Night Skiing Area: 38 acres (15 hectares)
Elevation:
Summit: 2,319m (7,606 ft)
Village Centre: 1,755m (5,757 ft)
Gem Lake Base: 1,508m (4,950 ft)
Runs:
119 Designated Trails
18% Beginner
54% Intermediate
22% Expert
6% Extreme
Longest Run: Around the World Route 7.2 km (4.5 miles) - Alpine T-Bar(Top) to Gem Lake (Base) via: Whitefoot Trail → Powder Bowl → Blue Sapphie → Ogo Slow
Total of 105km (65 miles) of marked runs
Vertical Drop:
777 m (2,550 ft)
TELUS Park:
Boarder/Skier-Cross course that can be tuned up to run regional, national, and World Cup events
Beginner/Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced lanes combined with Rails and Jumps
Cross Country:
Big White offers 25 km (16 miles) of incredible combined Nordic and Wilderness trails perfect for Canadian cross country skiing and snowshoeing. 14 kilometers of trails groomed daily with state of the art grooming equipment for both skate and classic technique.
Ski and Weather Conditions:
Online Mountain Forecast (average daytime temperature -5 Celsius)
Average Totals
*Big White usually closes mid April and doesn't record snowfall past the closing date for that season.
| 2015-2020 | AVERAGE TEMP | TOTAL SNOWFALL |
|---|---|---|
| November | -3.8C (26.16F) | 119.6cm (47.0") |
| December | -8.0C (17.6F) | 163.4cm (64.3") |
| January | -6.9C (19.58F) | 151.9cm (59.8") |
| February | -9.0C (15.8F) | 161.6cm (63.6") |
| March | -4.7C (23.54F) | 148.5cm (58.4") |
| April | -0.3C (31.46F) | 58.9cm (23.2") |
Accommodation:
3 Village Hotels
25 Condo/Town Home Complexes
244 Vacation Homes and Luxury Cabins
1 Ski-in ski-out Youth Hostel
Water Quality:
Big White's water is some of the best in the world read more
Retail:
5 Retail outlets, including Dizzy’s, Peaks, Altitude, Mountainside and The Rider.
Restaurants and Bars:
18 eating establishments, including cozy cafes, casual delis, vibrant cafeterias, and elegant fine dining options. Among these, eight lounges and bars provide the perfect spots to unwind after a day on the slopes. The resort’s entertainment and nightlife scene features lively après-ski events with regular live bands performing in its bars and pubs, ensuring evenings are as exciting as the days on the mountain.
17. Ski and Board School:
Over 100 qualified instructors. Ski, Snowboard, Private and Group Lessons. Special Improvement Camps; Kids Ski School voted #1 in Canada; Ladies Day, Masters Monday; Recreational Race Camps.
Daycare:
Big White's Tot Town Day Care is unique, exciting and filled with activities and adventures. Children are kept busy with a mixture of indoor play and (weather permitting) outdoor activities. The Tot Town Daycare is for children aged 18 months to 5 years.
Snow Hosts:
Complimentary mountain tours offered by our Snow Hosts. Snow Hosts tours must be pre-booked.
Activities:
The Big White Tube Park
Snowmobile Tours
Ice Skating
Snowshoeing
Dog Sledding
Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides
Cross Country Skiing
Fireworks
Family Events
Amenities:
General/Deli/Liquor Store
ATM
Lockers
Internet Access
Rental Shop
Ski and Board Repair Shop
Wi-Fi:
Keeping you connected in the places that matter most. Share your mountain moments courtesy of free Wi-Fi powered by TELUS.
TELUS’ free and friendly Wi-Fi is open to everyone visiting Big White Ski Resort. TELUS smartphones automatically connect to the #TELUSdirect network when in range. All other devices can connect to #TELUS through a simple splash page to enjoy the same service.
Big White Ski Resort features TELUS PureFibre internet connectivity. PureFibre is the most advanced connectivity available on public networks and offers the best and most reliable connectivity to the internet. It provides the best security and entertainment solutions that today's resort homeowners and short-stay visitors can experience.
Cellular connectivity is supplied through TELUS 5G/4G, Canada's most reliable 5G and 4G mobile networks.
General Email:
bigwhite@bigwhite.com
PAST OPENING DATES
| Season | Opening Day |
| 2024/2025 | November 22nd |
| 2023/2024 | December 8th |
| 2022/2023 | November 17th |
| 2021/2022 | November 26th |
| 2020/2021 | November 19th |
| 2019/2020 | November 28th |
| 2018/2019 | November 22nd |
| 2017/2018 | November 23rd |
| 2016/2017 | November 30th |
| 2015/2016 | November 13th |
| 2014/2015 | November 29th |
| 2013/2014 | November 16th |
| 2012/2013 | November 29th |
| 2011/2012 | December 1st |
| 2010/2011 | November 25th |
| 2009/2010 | November 14th |
| 2008/2009 | December 8th |
| 2007/2008 | November 30th |
| 2006/2007 | November 25th |
| 2005/2006 | November 19th |
| 2004/2005 | November 25th |
| 2003/2004 | November 22nd |
| 2002/2003 | December 11th |
| 2001/2002 | October 20th |
| 2000/2001 | December 1st |
| 1999/2000 | November 27th |
| 1998/1999 | November 26th |
| 1997/1998 | December 6th |
| 1996/1997 | November 21st |
| 1995/1996 | November 19th |
| 1994/1995 | November 11th |
| 1993/1994 | December 4th |
| 1991/1992 | November 23rd |
| 1990/1991 | November 30th |
| 1989/1990 | November 25th |
| 1988/1989 | November 25th |
| 1987/1988 | December 4th |
| 1986/1987 | November 29th |
DRINKING WATER
Big White's water some of the best in the world
If you’re shopping for groceries before coming up to Big White Ski Resort, here’s a hot tip: don’t buy any bottled water.
Sure, you might think that it’s a good idea to stock up on clean water before you get here. But what many people don’t realise is that Big White’s tap water is some of the cleanest and freshest available in the world – just as good as what you’d find in any supermarket.
Our water comes directly from Rhonda Lake, the lake that’s tucked right in to the base of the Cliff. It’s 6600 feet above sea level and holds about 75 million gallons of fresh, clean mountain water.
Water from Rhonda Lake is sent all the way down the mountain to arrive at the Water Treatment plant, a big red building which sits on the run “Highway 33”. Once at the plant, the water goes through a filtration system which immediately removes any suspended solids.
At the end of the process, the product is comparable to bottled water. In fact, recent tests done on Big White’s water found that it was cleaner than the distilled water that can be purchased in local supermarkets.
Maurice Valcourt is the Vice President of Utilities at Big White Ski Resort. 34 years ago, he started working as a millwright mechanic on the lift system at the resort. After studying water treatment at school, he was hired to manage the water on the hill.
Maurice knows everything there is to know about water – and he knows that Big White’s water is some of the best in the world.
“It’s very low on mineral content, it doesn’t have any carcinogenics in it, it doesn’t have organics in it,” he explains. “Compared to other communities, we don’t deal with fluctuating turbidity in our water from developing areas, we don’t have any logging or mining or any range livestock, so it’s protected from natural contaminants. It’s also protected from natural contamination in the winter by solid ice and snow pack.”
It also helps that Big White water has a rapid distribution time. If you’re here at Christmas time, when the Village is full of people, it takes about seven hours for water to get from the lake to your drinking glass. If you’re here during the rest of the season, it’s an average of about 14 hours’ time flow. This means that there’s very little stagnant water ever sitting in the system – it’s fresh and clean, all the time.
Even in the summer, when barely anyone is up on the mountain, Maurice runs an extensive weekly flushing program which ensures that all the mains are kept clean and that any sediment is flushed out.
The bottom line is this: Big White has some of the cleanest, freshest water in the world, and it’s set to get even cleaner. Grab that glass of water and drink up!