Lifts & Terrain
Big White Ski and Snowboard TerrainBig White ski resort in Canada has a variety of terrain including groomed runs, bumps, glades, a great terrain park, and a steep powder bowl. In general, Big White is an intermediates’ paradise, but there’s a degree of terrain to suit everyone.
LiftsThe lift infrastructure is pretty good and it continues to develop. Big White has 16 lifts including a high-speed 6-pack and four high-speed quads. There is also a high speed gondola for transportation between Happy Valley and the mid-mountain village. There’s a tendency for more crowds on the east part of the mountain, but it’s not very often you will get stuck in a lift queue. The reasonably new Cliff lift is a welcome progression for those wanting easy access to the expert bowl area.
Big White Snow Conditions and Weather Big White
has over 7.5 metres of snowfall annually, with a tendency for
consistent regular snowfalls, rather than big dumps. Due to its
location, the temperatures are fairly reasonable. It’s warmer than the
Rockies area, but colder than Whistler, and it feels quite nippy when
you add the wind-chill factor, particularly over on the western side
(e.g. Gem Lake chair) of the resort where it has a tendency to be
windy.
When the “Big White Out” hits, stay clear of the top area of the Gem
Lake Express and head for the many gladed runs. For tree-skiers there
are lots of options which hide some not-so-secret powder stashes. And if you’re lucky enough to own multiple pairs of goggles, you might want to pack the ones suitable for flat light.
Beginner Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Beginners are well catered for with easy-outs off most of the chairs. Absolute beginners can ride the magic carpet down at Happy Valley, whilst the Plaza chair services a couple of very gentle runs. The next progression is the run down to Happy Valley. More confident beginners can undertake a long loop with the Ogo Slow down to the Gem Lake Express chair, and then down the Village Way, but this is not advisable for timid skiers particularly on a low-visibility day.
Intermediate SkiingBig White is heaven on sticks (or a snowboard) for intermediates with 54% blue runs, lots of cruisers and nicely spaced glades. In the Gem Express region, there are beautifully groomed runs to get a bit of speed on, and some fun runs with “whoop-dee-doos”, which in lay-speak are gentle rollers.
For the Family/Kids Big White is an award winner when it comes to catering for the family, including being the winner of the Powderhounds
"best family ski resort” award for Canada. The dedicated beginners’ area is perfect, and lots of chairs have runs for differing levels so the family can remain in the near vicinity of each other. There is also child friendly park infrastructure, including a baby half-pipe for the young, and young at heart.
Lots of beginners’ runs go straight past the accommodation, which can be useful for keeping an eye on older children. The Hummingbird and Easy Street runs go straight past various lodges, and lots of green runs also go past accommodation in the heart of the village. Night skiing is a great option for the family with a very large lit-up area of 15 hectares.
Parks and Pipes Big White has a Telus Park which features a super pipe, a standard half-pipe, and a skier/boarder cross course which is fun for non-shredders too. The terrain park has jumps, rails and boxes which are divided into lanes depending upon size and degree of difficulty. They are nice enough to mark them as small, medium, large and X-large in case you can’t see for yourself. This ability to allow riders to progress at their own pace is one of the many factors that makes this terrain park so great. It’s not just for recreational riders, but a training ground for competition also.
Advanced Skiing at Big WhiteAt Big White, not many black runs are groomed, so there are plenty of bumps to tire your quads on. Shakey knees was our favourite run, but possibly just because of the name. Sun Rype bowl is a fun playground for powderhounds, especially on days of good visibility and after a big dump.
Expert Ski and Snowboard TerrainThe most advanced runs are located in the bowl underneath the Cliff chair. This steep bowl can be fantastic in good snow conditions. Occasionally there is a scattering of death cookies which can add to the challenge. Access to the bowl is easiest via the Cliff run, whilst the Parachute bowl on the skiers’ left has much more challenging entries. Even though it is in-bounds and managed by the patrollers, this bowl is quite steep so there is still the risk of avalanche. Appropriate
avalanche gear and precautions are recommended.