Big White is somewhat of a hidden gem. It has not yet been overrun by tourists and crowds, like other popular ski resorts in BC.
A quick drive from Kelowna, it is a great choice if you are looking for good powder but less crowds and a more affordable price.
Getting There
The drive from Vancouver to Big White typically takes about 5 hours in good weather. The issue can be the infamous Coquihalla which is so unpredictable. It can be clear one moment and blizzard the next. Make sure to check the cams on DriveBC.
Being Easter weekend in April we had not been expecting it to be snowing. But sure enough, the week we were heading up there it started to snow again! We kept checking the cams every day to keep an eye on the conditions. Luckily the day we were going it stopped snowing and was clear.
The plows do a great job at keeping the highway clear. You just want to avoid making the journey when you could get stuck in a blizzard. So just keep checking the cams to try to avoid this. The drive is beautiful, though, and it can be done safely even when it is snowing.
The most important thing is you need to have snow tires! Drive slowly and stay alert. Avoid speeding past the big trucks. They are professional drivers and if they are going slow it is probably for good reason. Bring emergency blankets, food, water, and a shovel with you just in case. There is not much cell reception between Hope and Merritt so check in with people before and after this stretch. Cell reception also cuts out between Merritt and Kelowna.
Once you get to Kelowna it is only another 45 minutes up to Big White.
Accommodation
There are not many hotels in Big White so we decided to book through Big White Central Reservations instead. They manage many of the condos on the mountain and had the best rates we could find. Booking with them wasn’t as convenient as booking through Expedia as we had to email them and wait for a reply. However it usually only took less than a day to receive a reply and they sent us 3 options each time, matching what we were looking for in different price points.
We decided on a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo in Plaza on the Ridge. We were hoping for a private hot tub but those were a lot more so we opted for this one with shared hot tubs. The condo itself was much bigger than we expected and had an AMAZING view!! We were so surprised.
It had a fully stocked kitchen, too, with coffee maker, full-sized stove, fridge and dish washer. There was a washing machine, with laundry soap, satellite TV and free wifi. It really had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. We would definitely stay here again.
Experience
We arrived in Big White on the Friday evening and had a chill night. We walked around the village a bit, took a ride on Lara’s Gondola (free) and enjoyed the hot tub to ourselves.
Saturday was our one full activities day. The boys went skiing while us ladies chose snowshoeing. We rented our gear through Big White Rentals. We got a 10% discount for booking it together with our accommodation. They have everything you need to rent and for a pretty affordable price. The staff were really friendly and all the gear was made by Head so it was good quality.
The ski resort also has nice shops if you want to buy new gear. Particularly popular are their Big White toques, which I just had to get in my favorite color!
Snowshoeing
After picking up our rentals, Erin and I purchased a trail pass at the customer service desk and took a trail map. Having never snowshoed before I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. It took a little bit to get used to walking with the snowshoes but once I got the hang of it, it was easier than I expected!
We walked the trails for a few hours. It was so peaceful and scenic. We barely ran into anyone. I think in 3 hours we only ran into 4 other sets of people.
Skiing
Ryan here. Even though it was late in the season, the snow at Big White was still pretty great. We met a German worker the night before who said the snow was pretty icy, but neither Till nor I thought it was bad at all. Big White had about 10 cm of new snow overnight so we got some powder. We wish we could have gone when it was what they consider “good conditions”.
The best part about going on the last weekend of the season, and Easter weekend, was the lines were almost nonexistent. We got a late start as I had misplaced the car and house keys (luckily Louise found them under her suitcase later that day). And we took about a half hour to get our ski rentals and Louise and Erin’s snow shoes. It was about 9:30 AM or 10:00 AM by the time we got on our first lift. But we still got 11 runs in from 10:00 AM til 3:00 PM, even with a lunch break.
Not all of the lifts were open, but we could still get to most of the runs. With the Biggie Card we didn’t have to go to the ticket office – we were able to just jump straight onto the lift. There are so many different runs which was nice because we didn’t go down the same one more than twice. We stuck to mostly the blue runs, though we did go down some moguls which was lots of fun. Here’s a video going down that run.
The lift to the peak was actually a rope pull. I had never seen one of these, though Till said many of the ski resorts in Germany and Austria have lots of them. It was like a ski lift, but instead you hold onto a rope that pulls you up the mountain while you have your skis on the snow and sliding up the mountain.
The view from the top was quite amazing. We even got a little snow while skiing down from the peak. While taking another ski lift it started to get a little foggy and cold. Apparently the name Big White comes from the dense fog that can roll in, not the snow.
After seven good runs, we met with the ladies down in the village for lunch before going back out and getting in four more runs. The sun came out during the afternoon so the snow was starting to get a little firmer. We got our share of good runs in so we decided to call it a day and return to the condo.
Returning the skis was really easy and convenient. And everything is so close, so it didn’t take too much time to get back to the condo and into the hot tub.
That evening there was also a bonfire with a free smores station! And fireworks later at night.
Sleigh Ride
On a previous visit we participated in a fabulous sleigh ride, complete with breakfast in a cabin in the woods. It was quite cold but we were given blankets. The scenery was so pretty and the gigantic Clydesdale horses were so majestic. A first-time experience for us and definitely a memorable one!
Food
We stopped at Costco in Kelowna on our way up to Big White. We got enough groceries to last us for the weekend. Having the full kitchen at the condo was awesome as we were able to prepare our own meals and save money.
We did eat out for one meal, though. On Saturday we had lunch at The Woods which is located right in the heart of the village. We were drawn to the cozy, log cabin vibe and it turned out to be a good choice!
We were starving from the morning’s activities and needed to warm up and get some comfort food in us.
I ordered the gourmet grilled cheese and tomato bisque – classic comfort food. It was actually really delicious – better than we were expecting. Ryan got the Yellow Fin Tuna Poke and it was surprisingly good as well. Prices were decent – $13 for my lunch and $15 for Ryan’s. Check out the menu.
There are many other dining options in Big White so don’t worry about getting bored! There’s also a little grocery store and a number of coffee shops.
Big White is definitely a lovely weekend getaway but there is also enough to do for an entire week. It is a great alternative to the the other more touristy BC ski resorts.
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