Powder, Steeps, and Trees: Next-Level Skiing in BC

Panorama: Gateway to Big-Mountain Skiing

Panorama Mountain Resort is an ideal place to start taking on-mountain skills to the next big-mountain level.

Dry snow and 1,300 vertical metres (4,265 vertical feet) of manicured avenues set the stage. Between the pistes, glading delivers a tree-skiing learner’s bonanza. “There’s a freedom in there, but the right sense of exhilaration,” says Jason Simpson, Panorama’s Director of Mountain Sports. “And there’s lots of opportunity to move off the runs into the trees and then back again.”

Taynton Bowl’s 304-hectare (750-acre) expanse is the place to step up to steeps. “It shows all double black on the map but there are ways to access it that feel very blue,” Simpson says. Plus boosts from a snowcat cost just $22 per ride.

Near Panorama’s base is RK Heliski—a great entry point into the most coveted of BC’s signature snowsports experiences, helicopter skiing. RK Heliski has been providing powder skiing and snowboarding adventures for more than 50 years; offerings include single-day experiences appropriate for first-timers (30 per cent of RK Heliski’s customer base). Those wanting more focused preparation can take a Prep lesson at Panorama Mountain Resort before undertaking a heli adventure with RK Heliski.

RED: Steep Trees and Snowcats

RED Mountain Resort in Rossland excels at terrain for the adventurous—including steep skiing through tight trees, moguls mixed with steeps and trees, and in-bounds cliff bands and drops mixed with (you guessed it) steeps and trees. “If you can ski RED, you can ski anywhere,” says Kirsty Exner, a Rossland-raised former competitor on the Freeskiing World Tour.

For an extra hit of adventure, hand 10 dollars to the snowcat driver atop Grey Mountain for a ride to RED’s fourth peak, Mt. Kirkup, where 81 hectares (200 acres) of user-friendly gladed powder skiing feels like a backcountry experience but lies entirely within ski area boundaries.

For a full-day experience of guided wilderness cat-skiing, walk a few strides from RED’s day lodge (or the luxurious Josie Hotel) to the office of Big Red Cats. Like heli-skiing, accessing the powdery wilds by snowcat is a coveted and signature BC experience. Big Red is the largest snowcat operation anywhere—and the only one to combine single- or multi-day cat-skiing with separate snowcats geared to different powder abilities and terrain preferences, from intermediate to “uber expert.”

Kicking Horse: Steep Couloirs and Hidden Basins

Big-mountain freeskiing gets a giant step wilder at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, known for its champagne snow, beautiful views, and dozens upon dozens of radical alpine chutes. Located near the town of Golden, the mountain rises well into the high alpine, where ridgelines separate five bowls. The bowls themselves are open playgrounds. The ridges are the realm of technical steeps.

These steeps include ramps and chutes newcomers can readily finesse, particularly with tactical guidance from the coaches of the Big Mountain Centre. But there also are chutes pitching 50 degrees, studded with occasional cliff bands requiring mandatory air.

For powder lovers more into burning kcals than hucking cliffs, Kicking Horse has a secret stash. Three of the mountain’s five in-bounds peaks can be reached only by boot hikes, which means the fresh snowfall stays untracked for days.

Meanwhile, a helicopter lifts guests out of the ski area’s parking lot. Purcell Heli-Skiing offers single-day heli-ski packages—and dedicates its helicopter and guides to just six skiers and boarders total per day, ensuring a white glove experience attuned to the skill and comfort level of the group.

Whistler: Everything, All the Time

Whistler Blackcomb is the place to put it all together. From its expanse of high-alpine basins studded with ridgelines, couloirs, and glaciers to its mid-mountain trees and lower mountain cruisers, North America’s biggest mountain playground has every type of next-level skiing and snowboarding in spades. Ride long enough at Whistler Blackcomb and you’ll naturally become a strong, capable skier who can manage any terrain and any snow at any mountain in the world.

Or, you can strategically accelerate your learning pace: Hone mogul skills and overall ski agility with Olympian John Smart’s Momentum clinics. Step up your big-picture all-mountain abilities with The Camp. Find and navigate the best in-bounds off-piste steeps with the expert freeride coaches of Extremely Canadian. Skin into the backcountry or get a decadent lift from a helicopter. You’ll definitely level up—and have big BC fun in the process.

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