Big White Winter Blog

Initially destined for the mountain’s annual equipment swap, Big White Ski Resort’s old rentals have instead found a new home in a small ski area called Summit Lake, just a few hours northeast of Kelowna – an exchange prompted by a chance encounter between Summit Lake Director Dan Paul and Big White Mountain Manager Mike St. Clair at last spring’s Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) conference in Lake Louise.

As if the Okanagan Champagne Powder, the snow ghosts and the completely ski-in-ski-out Village weren’t enough to make Big White Ski Resort stand out, we are also the first ski resort in North America to have our very own chocolates – dreamt up, designed and distributed by Executive Chef Rob Walker.

In light of a recent incident that left two Big White snowboarders lost in backcountry terrain, we want to remind our guests to stay within boundary lines. While we know backcountry can be tempting, and, if you are trained, prepared and carrying the proper gear, can be explored safely, our number one priority at the resort is ensuring guests enjoy our beautiful terrain responsibly.

Snow Reporter Nikki Wiart joined our Snow Hosts at the beginning of January for a free tour of the mountain. Read on below to find out more about the complimentary program:

Located in the lower level of the Village Centre Mall, the Big White Beer & Wine Store is the perfect place to shop for your après ski bevvies. Or, if you've already taken off your boots and settled in for the night, order your alcohol online and have it delivered right to your door! With a curated list of Okanagan wines, craft beers and ciders, and locally distilled spirits, the Big White Beer & Wine store has something for every taste. We asked some of our staff about their favourites, and here's what they told us:

Now into our second week of 2019, the team at Big White Ski Resort has had time to reflect on our record-breaking end to 2018 , and dream about how we can possibly top it in the new year.

From towing around car seats to packing enough diapers, we know planning a holiday with children requires a lot of, well, extra planning. We know this because we pride ourselves in being a family-friendly resort – in fact, we know this so well, we’ve consistently been voted Canada’s Favourite Family Resort! To make your trip more fun and less frantic, we’ve put together a list of ways to keep the kids entertained while you’re on the slopes, as well as events and activities you can do together as a family and finally, tricks to keep meltdowns (yours and theirs) to a minimum.

The next chef to keep an eye on at Big White is just 12 years old. Kelowna-based Raajin Hoonjan beat out 21 other aspiring young chefs, including his 10-year-old sister Giann, at our Jr. Chef Challenge on December 28, presented by Family Channel and hosted by Happy Valley’s executive chef, Chef Boddie Macklin-Shaw.

Now that the whirlwind of Christmas and New Year’s has swept over us, we’ve had a chance to reflect on what was important to our guests over the past year – according to Instagram, anyway! First and foremost, with little competition at all, is SNOW. Surprise, surprise! All of you cared A LOT about snow in 2018: snow in July, snow ghosts, snowy gondolas, snow, snow, snow! You also liked drone shots, fireworks and Australian men snowboarding in shorts, but our number one photo of the entire year, weighing in at 4,222 likes as of January 3, 2019, was a photo of our old Powder Triple Chair, replaced in December with the new Powder 2.0 Quad Chair! Take a peek at all 18: