Big White Ski Resort — Hotel in Area E (Beaverdell/West Boundary)

Big White is a good independent resort that could use a few upgrades, though I guess some would argue its old school feel is part of the charm.

I had a short two and a half day trip here after visiting another resort in BC, and arrived just after what would likely be the last powder day of their season. Things I like: great staff, huge expanse of terrain, great variety of terrain, and always great when a resort is on the Indy Pass. Moreover, despite it being a holiday weekend, I never once waited more than 30 seconds for a lift.

The resort is very family oriented, and it shows with many families being out and about during the day on the slopes. Though this can lead to kids running up and down the hallways of your hotel after a long day of skiing/riding, which can be annoying when you just want to take a nap.

The accommodations are old fashioned, which is nice in some ways, but to the resort’s detriment in others. Elevators are old and slow. Physical keys are needed instead of key cards. Rooms are basic, but have everything you need, including a fireplace in the room and lobby (Inn at Big White). The hotels themselves are also all owned by Big White from the looks of it, which makes it impossible to book on third party sites. A bit of a nitpick, but a smart business move on their part. I could do with a ski valet or just better ski storage room though.

The village has a variety of restaurants with lots of variety, and while they all suffer from ski resort pricing, it’s not as bad as some resorts I’ve visited. There are still valuable meals to be had that are incredibly good.

On the mountain itself is where I was most disappointed. Big White is absolutely gorgeous, but there are things about it that soured the beauty of it for me. Grooming isn’t as good, making for tracked out bumpy runs even on blues. Moreover, the difficulty step from beginner to intermediate is huge. Blue Sapphire is a run that features a super steep and even icy slope for a blue. Even experienced riders were practicing caution on it. Furthermore, there isn’t enough signage. I don’t often get lost at resorts, but Big White failed me here, with signage for trails every maybe every third or fourth intersection, or none at all at the top of the lifts. Plenty of maps, yes, but you’ll be squinting at them trying to make heads or tails of the direction you want to head.

Finally, having a T-Bar and the Cliff chair (which isn’t easily accessible from other lifts) as the only options to the summit is just poor planning. T-bars suck for us snowboarders, and are really dangerous overall. There’s no excuse to keep this thing around imo. But maybe that’s shortsighted of me.

Big White is good, and is probably even better on a powder day. I do intend on returning at some point down the line, but it’s far from the top of my to do list. And for reference, I loved the previous resort I visited in the same week, and had worse conditions for my time there. Here’s hoping my next trip proves better.

Update 4/4/24: I just want to iterate in response to Big White’s response, I actually take no issue with the snow conditions, nor the restaurants, nor the family-owned aspect. I think Big White is a good value proposition, but I believe the resort needs to add signage to intersections, replace the t-bar, and update their accommodations in general. At bare minimum, more signage, as I know the other upgrades are costly. I’ve been to my fair share of resorts, and this is my least...

As a young family we've been going to Big White since 2016. In terms of snow and skiing the mountain offers a lot options depending on your skill level. We are a mixed skill level family, we prefer Black Forest because it has a good mix of blue runs with glade runs and it's sheltered from the wind. We also find that it's common to have runs to ourselves, especially on weekdays. Favorite runs are Whisky Jack, Bear Paw, and Millie's Mile. Gem chair (Falcon and Powder chair too) is beautiful, but more advanced (blue to black) and can get windy and will close down if it gets too windy or too cold. Ghost/Ridge area offers amazing options from green to black, something for everyone! Favorite runs include Whitetail, Goat's Kick, Born to Run and Roller Coaster. Make sure to take the T-bar up, the Enchanted Forest is a go to for our family! I don't have experience with Cliff, but friends say it's amazing for advanced boarders/skiers. Bullet has a lot of options but is typically busy(for Big White). Bullet leads to Telus Park which is a great park, lots of jumps, rails, super fun and has its own chair lift so you can do it over and over! As a bonus, in February they typically open the race track, which my family loves to burn down. Favourite runs include: Ogopogo Trail(kids love this, too cramped for me), Mervin's and Spruce Trail.

Snow conditions overall are amazing compared to Vancouver area from mid December to late March. Powder is very common! I remember hearing the commercial "Okanagan Champagne Powder" and I know what this means and it's so true! BW, cannot control mother nature, but fog is common so plan for it. Also while rare, it can get cold (-20 to -30C+) so bring layers! I typically wear one layer (thermals), but my wife and daughter wear 2-3 layers with heated boots, gloves and drop in foot and hand warmers. This year I did use hand and foot warmers in late December!

In terms of ammenities, this is where I would like to see BW invest. With COVID restrictions there is less and less to do on the mountain. No night skiing (due to staffing shortage), boo! Night skiing before COVID was a lot of fun (minus the fog!). Tubing, skating are all back, which are good fun. I do find that the village is a bit of a ghost town at night, right now. This is part of a later issue, BW needs stuff to do, but this will require COVID to go away and investment, likely corporate investment. Needs a theatre, a bowling alley, golf (summer) something! Food overall is quality, but bring your wallet! Favourite's include Globe, Woods and Bullwheel. Avoid the Black Diamond Grill, over priced (vs quality) and I've had poor customer experiences here a few times. Fyi, clock tower food and drink is all very tasty and high quality (not cheap though!). Great coffee! Everything is good, you can't really go wrong. Favourite for us is the kids grilled cheese, all breakfast sandwiches and white chocolate raspberry muffins!

Overall, Big white offers a large hill to explore, great conditions, short line ups (compared to Vancouver), great food, ok ammenities and you cannot go wrong regardless of skill level. Hope to see you...

NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY. Major disappointment and sadness for our family. We came to this resort as it specifically advertises being family friendly. My husband and I have 4 kids, 3 of which are skiing age and 1 that is a baby. We have no option for both parents to ski as one needs to stay back with the baby while the other takes the 3 children out to ski. We were hoping to buy a 1/2 day pass so we could trade off, but there’s no option to buy 1/2 day, only full. We wanted our kids to have a lesson, so we put all three in a 1/2 day lesson. I (mom) took them back for lunch and a quick rest, then my husband said why don’t you just have a run or two before the lift closes, so yes we fully understand the tickets aren’t transferable, shame on us. But we had already spent $1500 for 2 day passes and 1 morning of lessons, again, would have bought a half day but there is no option, so I took my 3 kids out and at the bottom of the lift about to do 1 run, get pulled out of the line saying I’m not my husband, and his ticket is being confiscated. If he wants it back he can get it at the ticket office. Kids are devasted, I’m embarrassed admittedly, and have to scramble to get his ticket back so he can take them out, no skiing for mom. So we make our way back to the ticket office, lady at the desk says his ticket isn’t there, they physically have to deliver the ticket to the office, (there’s 1 hour left), then she says if he wants his ticket back (it’s a 2 day pass so it’s valid the next day) we’ll have to pay for the ticket I should have had for today, to get it back. I was fully prepared to buy a full day lift ticket for tomorrow as I really wanted to ski and experience this mountain, even it’s just for 2 runs. Sure, we could pay for it, but I refuse to pay for nothing. I didn’t ski today at all. No warning, no yes you shouldn’t have done that, just flat out no. Pay for your ticket you didn’t use and tomorrow too, even though again, due to staying with my baby, I’ll probably get one or 2 runs in. NOT a family friendly way to run this resort. Parents should be able to share a pass. Yes, I understand a waiver for myself should be signed. No problem. Give me a waiver and a way to share a pass or buy a 1/2 day. It’s not like we both were ever on the mountain at the same time. Shame on you Big White. I won’t be recommending you to any of my friends. What a...