Kelowna Skiing & Snowboarding
Big White Ski School with snow ghosts, Tourism BC/Don Weixl photo
The Thompson Okanagan's legendary champagne powder is a beacon for skiers and snowboarders across the continent and around the globe. Big White Ski Resort and Crystal Mountain Resort offer distinct downhill skiing and snowboarding opportunities near Kelowna.
Big White Terrain
Big White Ski Resort, located 56km/35mi southeast of Kelowna is an international downhill skiing and snowboarding destination. Among its many accolades Big White has won Ski Canada Magazine (a nationally regarded ski magazine) awards for Best Powder, Best Family Skiing, Best Glade Skiing, and Best Adaptive Ski Club in Canada.
The 1,147ha/2,834ac of skiable terrain includes 118 marked downhill trails with a maximum vertical of 777m/2,550ft, and 15ha/38ac of terrain is lit for night skiing. With 16 lifts, including a gondola, line-ups are reasonable during peak season. From late-November through mid-April conditions are reliable with annual snowfall averaging 750cm/25ft.
Precision riders can check out the 122m/400ft half pipe with 4m/12ft transitional walls, rails and jumps in the Telus Park, rated by the 2009 SBC Ski and Snowboard Resort Guide as the best place to session a precision terrain park.
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Lessons and Adaptive Skiing
Big White's Ski and Board School offers lessons for kids 4 to 6 and 7 to 12 years old, families, and 50-plus skiers. Persons with disabilities can take advantage of the Powder Hounds Adaptive Ski Club. (To ensure equipment availability with Powder Hounds, it is best to book in advance.)
For even more variety, Big White Ski Resort teams up with its sister resort, Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon, for an inter-mountain day trip with shuttle service between resorts.
Crystal Mountain Resort
Crystal Mountain Resort is a local family favourite located just 20km/12mi from downtown Kelowna. With a peak elevation of 1,535m/5,000ft, the ski season usually runs from early-December through mid-March.
The resort's 190ha/470ac of skiable terrain includes 22 marked downhill trails with a maximum vertical of 212m/696ft. Snowboarders and skiers can also check out Rankins Rut Terrain Park, while snowshoers can take a guided tour or pick up a map of the 12km/7.5km of trails. Lessons and equipment rentals are available.
To get to Crystal Mountain, take Highway 97 to the Glenrosa exit in West Kelowna and follow Glenrosa Road for 10km/6.2mi.
Stop by the Kelowna Visitor Centre for more information about skiing and snowboarding, Big White Ski Resort, and Crystal Mountain Resort.
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5315 Big White Rd
Big White Ski Resort, British Columbia
V1P 1P3
The largest ski-in/ski-out resort in North America & the second largest ski resort in BC. Big White is all about the snow & is renowned for its abundance of light, dry Okanagan champagne powder, mild temperatures & world-famous snow ghosts. The resort's family friendly atmosphere, large variety of terrain & award-winning terrain park makes it the perfect destination to come & spend real quality time together. Activities include skiing, snowboarding, dog sledding, skating, snow mobiling, snowshoeing, tubing/tobogganing & visiting the spa. New for 2010-2011 season is the 60 ft ice climbing tower where you can challenge yourself to reach the top.
View Details
| New snow |
Base depth |
SkiTotalRuns |
Types of runs |
| 4 cm |
259 cm |
118 |
 5454 18 |