Record-breaking Spring Break for Big White Ski Resort

Posted On: March 18, 2015 |

With a total of 1,608 tourists arriving from Ontario and Hawaii over the weekend, resort accommodation is sold out for the next five days. It's Big White's most popular spring break holiday period in history.

“The numbers are staggering,” says Jim Loyd, Sales Director at Big White Ski Resort. “I’ve spent the last three days helping eager skiers and snowboarders collect their luggage, get on buses, and get up to the resort.”

With 11cm of fresh snow on Sunday, spring break visitors woke up to a bluebird morning full of Okanagan champagne powder on Monday morning. “We have some of the best snow in western North America and to see that fresh snow is just a bonus for those that are lucky enough to be staying in the resort,” Loyd adds.

Big White Ski Resort is experiencing its most successful ski and snowboard season in years. The resort’s location in the Okanagan Valley has ensured consistent snowfall, and non-stop flights to Kelowna and Vancouver have made it easy for guests from markets all over the world to get to Big White Ski Resort; including the markets from Ontario and Hawaii.

“We knew when we launched our spring break packages at the Toronto Ski Show in October that we were going to be busy,” says Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President of Big White Ski Resort. “It all started Friday March 13th, with the first non-stop flight from Toronto. Everything after that out of Toronto until Sunday at 8:30pm was full of skiers and snowboarders visiting the Okanagan’s Big White Ski Resort.”

The key, according to Ballingall, was getting the price point right with West Jet and Air Canada. “When we filled those seats, we chartered Kelowna’s Flair Air 737 so we could pick up another 163 people out of Hamilton who wanted to spend spring break at Big White Ski Resort,” Ballingall explains.

The numbers are also fantastic for tourism in the Okanagan Valley. “Some guests brought their golf clubs and their road bikes to take advantage of the early spring weather on the valley floor,” says Rob Crichton, International Sales Director of Big White Ski Resort.

Big White Ski Resort is British Columbia’s second most popular winter resort, experiencing over 600,000 skier visits per year. While other resorts continue to worry about snow or have had to close due to lack of snow, Big White Ski Resort is scheduled to remain open until Sunday April 12th at 4pm.