British Columbia’s Ski Season Forecast
Home to some of the world’s best ski experiences, British Columbia has fostered a powerful ski culture that attracts outdoor enthusiasts from around the world. Across the province, winter heralds the start of the season, a time to hit the road and visit 13 world-class resorts, ski boundless backcountry, and sample alluring après. Bonus: There’s plenty new to discover in 2022-23.
Need a Lift?
New and updated lifts in local resorts are improving the guest experience while opening access to previously unchartered territory:
- Prepare for a speedier experience at Whistler Blackcomb! Big Red Express, formerly a four-person lift, has been replaced with a high-speed, six-person chair that will increase uphill capacity by nearly 30 per cent. The lift is located mid-mountain, in the Creekside area. Also new is the Creekside Gondola, a high-speed, eight-person gondola that will significantly improve wait times and increase out-of-base uphill capacity by 35 per cent. Both the lift and gondola will be operational for the 2022-23 season.
- Renowned for its expert terrain, Revelstoke Mountain Resort in Revelstoke is equally suited to beginners and casual enthusiasts. During the 2019-20 ski season, Revelstoke opened the Stellar Chair to expand access to beginner and intermediate terrain. Stellar is accessible from the top of the Revelation Gondola and it connects to six new runs with a mellow grade and 130 metres (426 feet) of vertical. Farther up the mountain, several terrain improvements are currently taking place, including blasting and excavation to widen beginner slope Big Bend. The work also sets the stage for a new surface lift, which is scheduled to open during the 2023-24 season.
- RED Mountain Resort in Rossland welcomed a new triple chair during the 2019-20 season, opening up more than 121 shreddable hectares (300 acres) with 304 metres (1,000 feet) of vertical on Topping Creek. New for 2022-23, RED is introducing a custom-built lodge adjacent to the Topping Creek Chair. The lodge, which can accommodate up to 90 people, serves breakfast through après, and boasts indoor and outdoor deck seating showcasing striking views of Red and Granite peaks.
- Kimberley Alpine Resort, located in the charming town of Kimberley, is debuting updates to the North Star Express Quad. The revamped lift connects guests to perfectly groomed slopes and the largest night skiing run in the region.
An Event-Full Season
‘Tis the season to celebrate a return to in-person events on the slopes! Mark your calendar for festivities taking place at ski resorts across BC:
- For the first time since the onset of the global pandemic, Fernie Alpine Resort is hosting a full roster of events. Slated for this season: Fernival (April), one of the most anticipated music events of winter; the Raging Elk Powder, Pedal, Paddle Relay (April), featuring a ski/bike/paddle competition followed by a barbecue and live music; and Pride (June), anchored by a full month of colourful festivities. Keep an eye on the events calendar for updates.
- SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon is preparing to host the BC Winter Games (March 23-26, 2023), a biennial celebration that convenes the province’s highest-performing athletes. Also in spring, the resort will welcome SEISMIC, a collaboration of the ski and bike industries that celebrates sport, art, culture, food, and community. There’s also the Sovereign2SilverStar Ski Marathon (April 1-2), a competition that features two styles (class and free), two distances each day (42 kilometres/26 miles and 21 kilometres/13 miles), and two ski areas (starting at Sovereign Lake and finishing on Main Street in SilverStar Village). After the skiing portion, attendees can join the party at local bars and restaurants.
- This season, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden looks to host the Freeride World Tour,one of the most exciting winter competitions in the world. Featuring a circuit of freeride snowboarding and skiing, the event attracts the best riders across the globe to compete on legendary and challenging alpine faces. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort would be the only North American stop on the tour.
After Dark
The fun continues when the lights come on. Check out these resorts for night skiing, ice skating, and other moonlit fun:
- Night skiing returns to Big White Ski Resort after a two-season hiatus! The resort, located in Kelowna, is home to the largest area of night skiing terrain in Western Canada, with 15 hectares (38 acres) of illuminated snowscape. Night skiing is accessible via the Plaza Chair, Bullet Chair, and TELUS Park Chair on select evenings.
- At Apex Mountain Ski Resort in Penticton, end a day of powder-surfing by lacing up your skates for a glide along the resort’s one-kilometre (0.6-mile) ice-skating loop, which is lit up and open until 10 p.m. Or, head to the floodlit outdoor hockey rink for a pick-up game on Canada’s highest full-size rink. There’s also night skiing and night tubing.
- In 2020, Rossland’s RED Mountain Ski Resort introduced The Constella: A Cabin Collective, a collection of six backcountry cabins and central clubhouse. New for the 2022-23 season, the ski-in/ski-out destination has launched a “night under the stars” experience featuring dinner and baggage transportation, full menus and beverage bar access, games, an outdoor firepit, and breakfast.
- Panorama Mountain Resort has unveiled The Approach,a newly refurbished four-season hotel located in the heart of Panorama Village. Seconds away from the mountain, the refuge—which was treated to a multi-million-dollar upgrade—features 104 rooms and breathtaking peak and resort views. With a modern mountain design, The Approach is both striking and unpretentious, welcoming guests to a chic home-away-from-home and the perfect base to enjoy the mountain’s night skiing and tubing.
Into The Wild
It’s the backcountry’s time to shine. Across BC, visitors are invited to (safely) access the untamed wilderness beyond ski resort boundaries:
- Whitewater Ski Resort, near Nelson , will open the new Hummingbird Lodge and Campground in March 2023. The lodge, located by the Nordic parking lot, will operate year round and offer a two-bedroom rental suite alongside casual food and drinks; it will also be the main point of contact for all camping, backcountry, and Nordic needs in the area. Adjacent to the lodge are 10 RV camping spots and 25 summer camping tent spots, complete with water and washroom facilities, making it easier for visitors to access and enjoy the Selkirk Mountains.
- At Whistler Blackcomb, adventurers can explore the increasingly popular backcountry realm under the guidance of experts at ski school Extremely Canadian.The company’s backcountry excursions take place in the lift-assisted Coast Mountains surrounding the resort, with participants encouraged to conquer the Spearhead traverse or catch a full day of untracked runs. Extreme Canadian also offers Avalanche Skills Training (AST) Level 1 & 2 courses, helping mountain enthusiasts better prepare for their backcountry independence.
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