Western Canada
is host to world-class ski resorts, specifically in Whistler,
British Columbia, and Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta. Between these
resorts, in the interior of southern BC, an alternative to the well-known resorts
is provided by the ski
areas of the Okanagan,
with small lift lines, powder skiing, and moderate winter weather. In addition
to these resort areas, the Okanagan offers heli-skiing
and Snow-Cat
skiing lodges, bringing personal, guided, backcountry skiing to ski
fanatics.
The Okanagan is an area of mountains and
valleys along the Cariboo, Monashee, and Selkirk ranges. Hot summertime temperatures
from May until September are perfect for camping holidays and boating on the
large lakes that line the valleys. This hot weather also helps to make the Okanagan
Canada’s Fruit Basket, full of orchards and vineyards. From November until April,
the region, its relatively mild winter temperatures, snowy terrain, and natural
beauty also make the Okanagan a perfect winter destination.
Small and quiet ski
resorts are scattered throughout the Okanagan. While some do have limited
lift times and dates, they all offer great skiing. The area’s location,
inland of the Coast Mountains, means that moist air is carried in from
the Pacific Ocean, depositing fresh, light, dry, and deep snow—known
as both Champagne and Okanagan powder by locals. Untracked powder is always
ready for a fresh track.
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Okanagan
Tree Skiing
Image courtesy of Sun Peaks Resort |
While no one can
guarantee the weather, the Okanagan offers some of the most consistent and comfortable
winter conditions in Canada. Winter temperatures in the region average around
0°C (32°F), maintaining the snow while remaining comfortable for ski enthusiasts.
It is very rare for northern weather systems to penetrate into the Okanagan,
limiting the frigid temperatures to a few odd occurrences.
Ski areas are scattered
throughout the Okanagan near the region’s major centres of Kamloops, Kelowna,
Penticton, and Vernon. Regular, scheduled air service to Kamloops, Kelowna,
and Penticton from Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary provide easy access to the
region for Canadian and international visitors.
OKANAGAN SKI AREAS
The major Okanagan
resorts and ski areas are Apex
Mountain Resort, Big
White Ski Resort, Mount
Baldy Ski Area, Silver
Star Mountain, and Sun
Peaks Resort.
Apex Mountain Resort
Located a 30-minute
drive from Penticton and a 90-minute drive from Kelowna is Apex Mountain Resort.
A shuttle can be arranged by the resort to
pick up visitors at both Kelowna and Penticton airports.
From late November until the first part of April, Apex Mountain Resort
opens 65-plus ski runs, serviced by a high-speed quad chair and four other lifts.
Apex also has designed a half-pipe and terrain park specifically for snowboarders.
Other winter resort facilities include night skiing, a tube park,
an outdoor hockey rink, and a 1 km (0.62 mi) ice skating loop that is lit for
night skating.
The resort also offers ski-in and ski-out privileges, meaning easier
access between the slopes and village accommodation.
Big White Ski Resort
Thirteen lifts,
including an eight-passenger high-speed gondola and four high-speed quad chairs,
take ski and snowboard lovers to the runs of Big White Ski Resort. Only a 45-minute
drive from Kelowna, Big White offers almost 140 named and unnamed trails. Night
skiing under Big White’s bright lights is offered during the busiest times of
the year such as Christmas and spring break.
With ski-in and
ski-out, Big White is advertised as an affordable choice for a ski vacation.
During the late November until mid-April season, skiing and snowboarding are
not the only reason to visit Big White. Additionally, the resort features snowmobile
tours, a tubing park, helicopter tours, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice skating,
snow shoeing, and dog sled tours of the backcountry.
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Skiers
at Trail Sign
Image courtesy of Sun Peaks Resort |
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Big White Ski Resort
and Silver Star Mountain have merged, offering a two-mountain ski pass.
These resorts offer the unique opportunity to take a helicopter shuttle
between the ski areas for a fee.
Mount Baldy Ski Area
The Mount Baldy
Ski Area sits in a traditional summer holiday region. Located between Osoyoos
and Oliver, and a 76 km (48 mi) drive from Penticton, Mount Baldy offers family
powder skiing and snowboarding on a quiet mountain. A mix of wide groomed and
tree runs make up the 17 trails on the mountain that are serviced by one double
chairlift. A terrain park is located on one of the lower sections of the hill.
The season is open
from early December to early April, usually from Thursday through Sunday. However,
the hill is also open daily during both Christmas and spring breaks.
Besides the ski
hill, marked, groomed, and non-groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails
are open for day use.
Silver Star Mountain
Only 22 km (12 mi) from Vernon and a 50-minute drive from Kelowna, Silver Star Mountain provides
a resort with both Okanagan powder and sunshine through clear skies. The resort,
open from November until mid-April, delivers ski-in and ski-out privileges to
guests at a number of different accommodation options.
Silver Star has
11 lifts, over 100 marked trails, two half-pipes, and a border cross track on
two mountain slopes. Choosing to ski on the Vance Creek runs means cruising
on casual, groomed trails. On the Putnam Creek side, the terrain is wild and
diverse with some fall-line and black runs.
Day skiing is open
throughout the week while night skiing is available from Thursday through Saturday.
With a helicopter shuttle, guests can ski on both Silver Star Mountain and Big
White Ski Resort for a fee.
A full resort, Silver Star Mountain also
offers a number of other activities such as tube sliding, cross-country ski
trails, snowshoe and snowmobile tours, scenic helicopter tours, sleigh rides,
backcountry dog-sled tours, ice skating, and indoor rock climbing. After all
of that kind of activity, take in a massage at the local National Altitude Training
Centre.
Sun Peaks Resort
Along with over
110 named runs on three mountains, Sun Peaks Resort has developed both a half-pipe
and a terrain park. The resort is serviced with 10 lifts, including four quad
chairlifts and a triple chair that give easy access to the wide-open runs and
bowls. And, Sun Peaks Resort is unique to Okanagan resorts, offering Snowcat-skiing
to access backcountry ski areas (more Snow-cat information is located in the
Resort Alternatives section later in this article).
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Snowboarder
at Sunset
Image courtesy of Sun Peaks Resort |
Sun Peaks is a 45-minute
drive from Kamloops and is open for snow fun from late November until
late April. A ski bus operates between Kamloops and the hill and a shuttle
bus brings visitors from both Whistler-Blackcomb
and Silver Star Resorts.
Completing the
resort experience, dog sled tours, snowshoeing, snowmobile tours, sleigh rides,
ice skating, and more are available at Sun Peaks.
In 1997 and 1998,
Sun Peaks Resort was host to the FIS Grundig Snowboard World Cup.
RESORT ALTERNATIVES
An alternative to
the resorts of the Okanagan is backcountry skiing from heli-skiing
and Snowcat-skiing
lodges. From these lodges, ski adventures leave for small, guided tours
of the untouched snow in the Okanagan’s backcountry, catering to the individual
skill levels of guests.
Helicopter skiing
runs from late November until mid-May, longer than the seasons at most of the
resorts. The reason for this is the altitude that the helicopters reach, giving
access to the parts of the mountain that get snow first and lose it last. Heli-skiing
provides skiers with glacier, above-the-treeline, powder, and tree skiing.
Snowcat-skiing
offers access to lower elevations on the backcountry slopes than heli-skiing.
The Snowcat-skiing season is shorter than heli-skiing, running from mid-December
until the beginning of April, but does offer comparable skiing that starts above
the tree line and finishes well below.
The mountain lodge
bases for both heli-skiing and Snowcat-skiing operators may not offer the same
variety of activities as the resort facilities, however the remoteness and personal
focus more than make up for it.
