Mount Washington Alpine Resort boasts a quintessential British Columbia view of the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver Island, and the Coast Mountain Range. Add to this an incredibly high annual snowfall (11m/36ft), excellent powder conditions (top 10 Best Powder by Ski Canada Magazine), and surprisingly mild winter temperatures (-2°C/28°F), and a winter activity mecca is inevitable. Choose from downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. However, summer also thrives with alpine hiking, mile-high chairlift rides and mountain biking.
With such excellent conditions, it is easy to understand why Mount Washington attracted international athletes from Sweden, USA, France, Germany, Russia, and China to train for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Seasonal Activities
With the deepest snowpack in British Columbia, Mount Washington Alpine Resort is a natural choice for powder hounds seeking downhill skiing and snowboarding thrills. But Mount Washington is quickly becoming known for its Nordic offerings as well. Approximately 55km/34mi of trails are machine groomed for cross-country skiing (classic and skating). Catering to families, the resort offers a children's program, where children can play in a fun and safe environment while their parents hit the slopes and trails.
In summer mountaineers, hikers, sightseers and mountain bikers ascend Mount Washington. Chairlift service transports hikers to high-altitude alpine trails and mountain bikers to the resort's bike park. All hiking and mountain biking trails are varied according to fitness and skill levels.
About the Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort, opened in 1979, remains proudly unpretentious, affordable, easygoing, intimate, and committed to family. At the same time, it is a modern resort and technologically advanced resort with all necessary amenities. The resort can accommodate overnight 4,500 visitors in hotels, ski lodges, condos, townhouses, chalets, and B&Bs. The Alpine Lodge, with its dining and shopping facilities, is the hub of village activities.
Festivals
Every Boxing Day, as dusk falls upon the resort, the Torchlight Parade begins. The Mount Washington Snow Pros glide from the top, torches in hand, in elegant figure-8 patterns.
Mount Washington's summer festival series features popular wine and beer festivals among others, where food pairings, cooking classes and gala dinners are now regular summer highlights.
Where to Begin
For more information about winter and summer activities, accommodation, dining, and festivals at Mount Washington Alpine Resort contact the Comox Valley Visitor Centre at 2040 Cliffe Ave in Courtenay, or the Cumberland Visitor Centre at 2680 Dunsmuir Ave in Cumberland.
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