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Visitor reviews for Panorama Mountain Village Ski Resort

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• February 01, 2012
  Andrew from Canada
  

  I have been coming to Panorama for three seasons and spend multiple days per there. I have experienced very good conditions and excellent service.

  Tayton bowl, Extreme Dream Zone offer excellent expert conditions and there has been an abundance of powder days the last few years. Great views, great sun.

  A great variety of terrain for novices and intermediates. True beginners may find it limiting.

  Lots of choices for families and individuals.

• Panorama Mountain Village Ratings

  Based on 12 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.5 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Panorama Mountain Village.	Public Transport: 3.4 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Panorama Mountain Village, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.6 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.8 (1) No places to stay in/near Panorama Mountain Village, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.5 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 4.3 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Panorama Mountain Village.
  Ski in/Ski out: 4.8 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.5 (1) There are no child care facilities at Panorama Mountain Village, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.0 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Panorama Mountain Village is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 3.8 (1) Panorama Mountain Village relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 3.8 (1) There are no snow groomers at Panorama Mountain Village, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Panorama Mountain Village are groomed daily.	Shelter: 4.6 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Panorama Mountain Village is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 3.5 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Panorama Mountain Village, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 3.1 (1) Panorama Mountain Village usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.5 (1) The staff at Panorama Mountain Village are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Panorama Mountain Village are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 4.6 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.5 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.5 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.4 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Panorama Mountain Village has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.0 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.5 (1) No intermediate terrain at Panorama Mountain Village, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 4.5 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 4.2 (1) Not even a kicker at Panorama Mountain Village, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 4.3 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 4.7 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Panorama Mountain Village, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 2.8 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Panorama Mountain Village has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.1 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.2 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.5 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 3.4 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 3.4 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 3.8 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 3.8 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 3.7 (1) Overall, Panorama Mountain Village is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 3.8 (1) Overall, Panorama Mountain Village is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 12 votes. Vote

• September 06, 2011
  D Hall from Canada
  

  We arrived over the September long weekend as part of our trip around BC/Alta. We live in Ontario. Grey Wolf is a nice track to play at reasonable rates. It is quiet at this time of year so you have to enjoy the walks and kayaking which we did in Invermere. The lifts and most restaurants are all closed at Panorama. The WIFI is a joke. I would have liked to use this time as business/pleasure but no WIFI makes that impossible. Nice people.

• May 21, 2011
  Kevin from United Kingdom
  

  After reading the reports on here I had to post to let people know just how good a resort this is. I was in Pano (Panorama Mountain Village) for 9 weeks this year, we had new snow every week at least. I skied every day both working with ski school (which is on of the most professional ski schools I have come across) and training with Snow Challenge instructor training course. With so much snow this year (I know I was lucky) I was still finding new routes in both Taynton Bowl and the Extreme Dream Zone on my last day. With so much beginner terrain it’s a great place to teach and you can have so much fun in safe off-piste in-bounds areas like the Sunbowl and Funders Ridge. Yes, there are a few bad points such as a long ski out from Taynton down the worlds coldest cat track and the -30 days. If you have only skied in Europe then you just have to go somewhere like Pano. No lift queues even on the busy February holidays, 5min max at the bottom lift, I didn’t see a queue on any of the other lifts more than 20 people. As for après-ski two bars is all I need, always a good time in the TBar after a day’s skiing. Yes, it is limited but that’s the price you pay for having the pistes to yourself (If you don’t mind the cold January is empty). As for the people I challenge anyone to find a more friendly resort. After skiing Canada I will find it very hard to ski in Europe again. If you are looking to do some serious training Snow Challenge Canada offers some good value coursed with a great bunch of people. I will be back next year if it’s the last thing I do.

• April 02, 2011
  Jeremy from Canada
  

  April 2, 2011 - we are in the midst of a serious dump. Looks like 20 to 30 cm when all is said and done. Every run is open with no rocks anywhere - absolutely amazing late season conditions. I see some complain of icy conditions here but that is simply due to the elevation - it is colder here and we often get snow when other BC resorts get rain. Anyway, nobody could complain about a lack of snow here - at least not this year.

  We are in the Taynton Lodge which is well situated up the slopes and you simply pop on you skis and ski down to the main chair lift! True ski-in and ski-out - great for families. The accommodation is great with hot tubs and Panorama Springs pools within easy access and night skiing until 8pm - no wonder my kids say this is the best holiday ever!!

  There is an enormous amount of terrain here. You can find fresh powder even two weeks after the last big dump - you simply need to know where to look and the pleasant staff here will help you.

  This is the best kept secret in Western Canada.

• March 29, 2011
  George from Canada
  

  Unbelievable! It is the end of March. There is sooooo much snow and it is still snowing. If you like rain then go to Fernie or Whistler. If you like to ski then I have yet to find a better place. This place has an amazing variety of terrain. Experts can take the double blacks (unlike other resorts this is real extreme expert terrain and not just a signpost, furthermore there is about 40% of expert terrain and ALL easily accessible). Meanwhile the less aggressive skiers can take a nice groomer. The amazing thing is that you can all meet together at the bottom - amazing variety all in the same vicinity. No more skiing one side of the mountain while the grandparents and kids ski the other side - here you can all ski together and each enjoying the difficulty to the maximum of their ability.

  The view at the top is breathtaking - as pretty as the Italian Dolomiti and better than the view from the top of Whistler - "View of a thousand peaks" is the Panorama run that just takes your breath away.

  I have skied all over the world and Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) is absolutely world class. For a family, this resort is simply far better than anything else we have found in North America.

• March 27, 2011
  Bob from United States
  

  Skied Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) from 20 - 26 March 2011. Stayed in the lower village, Riverbend, exchanged my timeshare at Whistler for a week at Panorama.

  The views from the top are second to none. The staff we met was friendly and most willing to help. We took advantage of skiing with the Friends of the Mountain one morning. Bob, Bobby et al were are excellent ambassadors for the resort.

  The runs were long and uncrowded. Took a photo from the top of Roy's run with nobody skiing on it, and it was groomed the night before, fabulous!

  The area is huge, @ 3K acres, and it would ski even bigger if more runs were groomed. I would say that perhaps only 25% are groomed at any one time. While fresh moguls are fun to ski, blocks of ice are not. Every day there should be a run groomed from the top, and I don't count Get me down as a run, it is a service road. Either Roy's, View of a 1000 Peaks or Top of the World should be groomed nightly. The two runs groomed on the Champagne Chair were Rollercoaster and Skyline. World Cup and Downhill should see the groomers also. Millennium was groomed, but it takes one all of the way down to the Sunbird Chair. Shoeber's Dream saw the groomer once, that run should see it nightly for it is a lot of fun. To the far left is Founder's Bowl. At least one run needs to see the groomer nightly. The moguls were rock solid and rocks were poking out. Need to take skis to the shop for some base repair. Work on grooming no less than 50% of the named runs.

  Did enjoy the restaurants in the village. Ate at Chopper's Landing, excellent! Jack Pine Pub, big burgers! T-Bar and Grill, also very good. Generally ate lunch at the Great Hall, good food with a fair price. One night took the dinner bus into Invermere, ate at Angus McToogle's. Nice place, no TVs to distract and excellent food. Wish that the area would inform guests as to what is going on in town. Walked to the rink and saw a tiny bit of a youth hockey game.

  Will I go back? I would say yes, even though it was an 11 hr. drive from Seattle.

• March 02, 2011
  Jim from Canada
  

  I just returned from 5-day skiing at Panorama and had an absolute blast. True ski in/out lodging, outdoor hot tubs, hot pool and barbecues. The snow conditions this winter are the best they have had in years. Taynton Bowl is no hype. True backcountry skiing with lots of fresh deep powder to be found even days after a storm if you don't mind the hike along Summit Ridge. The ski-out from the bottom of the Bowl (after Funnel) however is not great. They could use a lift there instead of having to ski all the way to the bottom. No lift lines at Champagne Express or Summit Quad and maximum 5 minutes at Mile One Quad. The steeps, glades and bowls are as good as anywhere. Those complaining of ice obviously have not skied there this winter. Also, Panorama is very affordable compared to other big resorts and the scenery is breath-taking.

• February 28, 2011
  Peter from Canada
  

  I've been skiing more than 40 years with close to 100 different
  ski resorts under my skis from Euorpe, North and South America. Panorama cannot be rated near the top by any means. Tayton Bowl expert terrain is a lot of marketing hype when compared to the bowls at Fernie, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse or Lake Louise. Grooming is second rate although on many occasions the "ice" is first class.... thus the reputation "Iceorama".
  Yes it's a great family resort and they don't have any long queues, since most skiers are at the aforementioned resorts

• February 22, 2011
  Rick from Canada
  

  Just returned from a 3 day weekend of skiing with my family at Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village). I have been going there for around 5 yrs now as I find it an excellent hill for my family. We ski everything from the lower groomers to Taynton Bowl and the Extreme Dream Zone. The snow this year is just excellent. Everything off the Summit was in the best shape I've ever seen it. My sons' found fresh tracks in Taynton Bowl 5 days after the last major snowfall and there were pockets of fresh in the trees as well. The Sun Bowl and Founders Ridge were both a total blast to ski. If you are finding ice in some of the main runs near the lifts, you really don't have to look very far to find the soft stuff. Get off the main runs and explore!

• February 20, 2011
  Jeremy from Canada
  

  I have been skiing for 40 years. Panorama is our favorite. A true ski-in ski- out experience and the best variety in expert terrain I know of. I have skied Kitzbuel, Couchevel, Tignes, Val d'Isere, Sauze D 'Oulx, Mt St Anne, Falcade, Cervina, Lermoos, Auron, Les deux Alpes, Verbier, Whistler, Fernie, Lake Louise, Sunshine, and too many other places to mention. Panorama is the best experience - if you seek a great family atmosphere and incredible variety - bowls, chutes, glades, trees, powder, monster bumps, wide steep groomers, an awesome terrain park, and heli skiing at your doorstep then look no further than Panorama.

• February 05, 2011
  Buzz Junkie from Australia
  

  If I want ice I'll walk to my freezer instead of going to Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village).

• February 05, 2011
  mike from United Kingdom
  

  I have just come back from a week at Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) and have got to say "what an awesome time!" There's plenty of runs but the fun is in between the runs where you find powder even after a week of no snow. Yes, more used and harder runs do get a bit bumpy but there is always a flat part or powder off to the sides.
  I wouldn't recommend the resort to a beginner as there is very little for them. But for others the vast, varied terrain and off-piste styled runs are amazing and the best thing about this place: you're lucky to see anyone on the same run as you during the week!
  I would recommend this to anyone for up to a week and if you don't mind traveling.

• January 24, 2011
  Gary from United Kingdom
  

  My family first went to Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) in 2002 and we loved it. We've been every year since, often more than once a year, and we also spend time in other Canadian and European ski resorts. We've taken lots of friends to Panorama and none have ever been disappointed.

  The new ownership (2010) is resulting in further improvement - there is now night skiing for the full length of the Mile One lift, and the restaurants are noticeably better. The focus is now definitely on families.

  There's a lot of discussion about the number of lifts, and whilst I can understand the comments the number really doesn't matter. The four main chair lifts open up the whole ski area, and with the exception of a few public holiday weekends you never have to stand in line. There are lots of pistes and acres of super off-piste.

  We have just returned home from a 3 week trip to Panorama and we didn't get bored! The snow was excellent. My son has gone for the whole ski season as part of his gap year, and he is skiing every day and loving it.

  I hope more people discover this super place. But not TOO many as we like the uncrowded slopes!

• January 13, 2011
  Corey from Canada
  

  The new management is making great strides in this resort.

  I own a 1 bedroom condo in the Panorama Springs building and spend approx 7-10 days snowboarding the hill each year fo the past 10 years. I also like to try other resorts (Louise, Kicking Horse, Sunshine, Marmot, Fernie, etc) but honestly feel there are many things that Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) has to offer that I haven't found elsewhere.

  It is true that other resorts tend to get more snow, however, you can't beat a Tanyton bowl run on a powder day! Some years there is a ton of snow, others it can get icy, but no matter how long it has been since a snowfall, if you know the hill there are always powder spots to find. In fact, there are times I've been to Pano and foud powder all day long and it hadn't snowed in weeks..must have something to do with the fact there is no where near the traffic of other resorts, hence, no lift lines except between Christmas and New Years and Family day weekend.

  Pros:
  - Serious vertical! One run at decent speeds starting from the bottom to the top and down can take a minimum of 45 minutes and if you're with a group well over an hour. Long runs are great, you aren't hopping on a chairlift every 5 minutes as you are elsewhere (except Kicking Horse).
  - Food. The Summit hut is a great spot (although it could be expanded) for a drink and bite to eat and pictures! Also it would be tough to beat Earl Grey for fine dining, definitely one of the best restaurants I've ever been to.
  - True ski-in/ski-out
  - Nowhere has the pools/tubs/sauna atmosphere that Pano does.
  - Lots of expert skiing/boarding with Taynton bowl and Extreme Dream Zone...

  Cons:
  - Can be a little tough for beginnners. The green runs here are like blue runs elsewhere - the blue runs like black elsewhere. You get my point.
  - Snow conditions can be a little dicey at times, but as I mentioned, if you ask the locals where to go, you will find powder any day.
  - the road up to the hill can be a little scary, although it was widened and re-paved last year.

  All in all, it is a great family atmosphere, priced really well and if you hit a week of snow, there isn't anywhere better!

  Cheers!

• January 11, 2011
  Harry from Canada
  

  Finally under new mgt. (18 local investors) someone who has an idea of how to run a ski resort. As a (15 year) season pass holder, did 12 days @ Xmas (see my comments below from last year).
  Pros:
  1) The terrain park has been relocated off their main blue run "Show Off" to the Powder Trail. More family usage in one weekend than all of last season.
  2) Reconfiguration of the food services in the main lodge, more seating, open till 9:00pm, resonable priced buffet, excellent value.
  3) Night skiing till 9:00pm off Mile One Quad.
  4) Shuttle from Panorama to Invermere (closet town) for more eating options and shopping. Also a shuttle from Calgary.
  5) Mile One hut, good start but could be bigger.
  6) Several daily "apres-ski" activities for families.
  7) Great Italian restaurant @ Greywolf
  8) Honest snow condition reports.
  Cons:
  1) For you Eastern skiers, do bring your "ice" skis unless you plan to ski Tayton Bowl .. double black with a long, long run out road. The main runs live up to Panorama's reputation as "Iceorama" by about Noon. They should continue to make artificial snow on those runs during the high traffic periods.
  2) Grooming is limited to less than ten trails per night out of 120 ???.... as per writer below, I ski all mountain and haven't found more than 60. I think they need to acquire additional grooming equipment.
  3) Some trails especially in the Founder's Ridge area could use some summer bush/tree clearing.

  Overall, the new owners are doing a good job, so I no longer feel I"m "hand cuffed" by real estate .. see below.

• January 11, 2011
  Jeremy from Canada
  

  There are some thorough reviews on here so I will streamline my response regarding Panorama Mountain Village.

  First of all, remember within a two hour driving radius there are numerous ski resorts in the area including Kicking Horse, Fernie, Lake Louise, and Sunshine. Within a 3-4 hour radius there are even more. I ski most of them, and they all have unique features.

  For Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) I think the main advantages/disadvantages are:
  Pros:
  - Best price for ski in/ski out accomodation
  - Quietest mountain w/ shortest lift lines
  - Best blue cruisers/grooming and best conditions for racers
  - Arguably best terrain park
  - Good glades for intermediate and advanced skiers
  - Good family mountain (good variety of terrain, good schools for kids, "happy, friendly" atmosphere, events/pools for kids, etc.)
  - Basically only mountain in the area with night skiing

  Cons:
  - Consistently has the least snow of all the resorts in the area
  - Getting to the summit takes three lifts and my kids always get cold at some point (except in the spring)
  - Tayton bowl is nice expert terrain but the ski out at the bottom is a drag. The other expert area, the Extreme Dream Zone, is usually too rocky except for great snow years
  - Food quality is highly, highly variable

  I have skied it several times already in the 2010/11 year, as well as the other resorts. This year has definitely been its best year for snow out of the last 3 or 4 years. The whole mountain is currently skiable, which hasn't been the case in recent years. Perhaps because of the recent poor snow years, or change in management, it is also quieter than usual. I found many powder stashes this year that would have already been tracked out in other years. That being said, it still has the smallest base of the resorts in the area....

• January 03, 2011
  John E. from Canada
  

  Great opening to the season - I have logged 13 days of skiing at Panorama thus far - between Dec 10 - Jan 1. Snow has been good to great - favourite runs so far - Sidewider Glades (double black) - Stumbocks (black -a perennial fav), and Stump Farm/Sunbowl (black/blue)- the snow is soft and carveable. New ownership seems to be an improvement - customer service is much improved. Treated ourselves to Greys Restarant for Boxing day - Prime Rib and Yorkshire pudding - simple divine. The latte's at Lusti's are "kicking ass" good. No lift lines - really increase the enjoyment factor. Stay away from the main runs (they get skied off) under the two high speed quads and you'll have a great time

• March 08, 2010
  Nick from New Zealand
  

  I've worked at Pano (Panorama Mountain Village) for two seasons now so will tell you what it's really like.

  Snow and terrain: the Pano donut theory, is definitly no theory or myth. When I looked into all of the resorts around Panorama all of them had at least twice as much snow as Panorama. It doesn't get that much snow here. The snow at the summit rarely/barely gets over a metre and the snow at the base rarely/barely gets over half a metre. It hasn't snowed here for about two months now. Its snowed solidly 40cmsish in two days twice so far. You do the math. I can't understand how the view of a thousand peaks run always has tonnes of little rocks sticking out of it; don't go down there if you don't want your board/skis to get scratched. In two seasons I still haven't had a real good powder run here, one where you can actually charge and link together a whole heap of nice big turns. Tatyon bowl is good to check out, after a wee hike, for black runs but it is usually quite steap, icy and moguly. And there is a really long traverse out. It would probably take you 45mins minimum to do Tatyon bowl, going up three chairs, hiking along a bit, coming down the bowl and traversing out, so if it is icy and moguly it could be a bit of a dissapointing waste of time. Other than that the terrain is pretty much blue groomers with not many real cool natural features to hit, however, the vertical is very large so you do get long runs. Thats terrain and snow covered.

  Weather: I find the weather here (Panorama Mountain Village) to be really good. Still haven't had a windy or white out day here in two seasons. This season its been incredibly warm and was only particularly cold for maybe a week or two just after they opened in December. Last season, however, it was around -10 to -15 from when I arrived in mid January to mid Febuary, so yeah, it can vary. From mid Feburary onwards, however, you will get lots of nice warm sunny spring days, which are just lush.

  Terrain Park: the terrain park last season was better. It is pretty much the same as last season, except this season there is a patch where there are a couple of rollers, instead of a couple of rails and a pretty cool hip thing that they had, which is a bit of a waste of space. Instead, they took a couple of those rails and cluttered them all together up the top side by side, so you can only hit one of them instead of a couple and they've got the c-box and s-box so close together that it's pretty much impossible to hit one after hitting the other. And unfortunatly, the really cool down flat down rail is put in backwards as a flat down flat rail now, which is a bit of a waste considering there is a flat down flat box already in. So far this season once the park was built, which took about a month (mid Janish) they haven't really changed anything or put anything new in, or added anything new from last season, and I doubt they will all season. Oh yeah and watch out for all the groups of morons in the weekends who think that it is a good idea to stand on the flat park of the kickers and have a bit of a natter, and the parents who think that it is a good idea taking their kids through the park over the flats of the kickers and then pizza snaking their way all over the landings where you can't see them. The park is long though: almost a mile, and you probably won't find a better kicker line anywhere. There is a good 6 to 8 decent sized kicker sets to hit on your way down through the park, with two different sized jumps in each set.

  Food and drink: people say that there is a lack of of dining/eating options at Panorama, but you could stay here for a week and eat at a different place for dinner each night and almost a different place for lunch each day. e.g. dinner at Wildfire, Grey's restaurant, Choppers Landing, Fabuki Sushi, Elkhorn Cabin, T-bar, The Jackpine, Mile High Pizza and lunch: Picnic Deli, Great Hall, Summit Hut, Cappucino Hut, T-Bar. I think most people just aren't aware of all of these dining options or just don't think of them, and just think that the obvious ones are the only one.

  Yeah, so I could go own about all other aspects of Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) but I can't be bothered. Think I've written enough already. But I will quickly say that there are lots of other facilities here that I'm not sure you would find in many places all together in a ski-in ski-out village like this, such as RK Heliski, Pano Springs hot pool, nordic skiing, and Toby Creek adventures snowmobiling and dog sledding.

  Chur.

• March 06, 2010
  M Page from United Kingdom
  

  My girlfriend and I have just returned from a weeks skiing in Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village). We managed to find a deal from Inghams and thought we'd give it a go, having read fairly positive reviews and reports on both the conditions and resort; some of which came from the Official Panorama Resort website (I'll come to this shortly).

  First impressions were that the resort is far samller than I imagined and the choice of places to eat, drink and shop: limited. The T-Bar did offer nice food, but it lacked atmosphere and the 'open-system' dishwasher made the whole bar stink like some chemical overspill. The 'specialist' ski and snowboard shops are limited in size and sadly, decent kit.

  I was very pleased with the accommodation; stayng at the Pine Inn Hotel. The gym and spa were good bonuses. However, with a mountain range of pisted runs this small together with an adequate number of piste bashers, why the management feel the need to have a bizarre grooming regime is beyond me. 'They' appear to start at the bottom in straight, up-slope lines meaning that the bashers seemingly return to the bottom every 1-2 hours. This is not so great if your bedroom overlooks the Mile 1 Quad Express Lift - it makes for a rather long, interrupted nights' sleep. Surely, the management could work an alternate system which would logically see the guys bash the runs at the lower section first and more higher as the night progresses?

  The official Panorama Resort website is laughable and blatantly misleading. Even today they have "118 of the 120 runs open". Now, I skied last week and the snow was poor, with rocks and deep sections of mud visible from above the second main lift. It has not snowed since and 'they' claim at the summit there is 96cm of snow cover... What?! How the hell did they measure that? And with what? I'm not disputing Panorama has almost all the runs open, but I feel the resort should be more honest and mature about what information they are putting out. I've skied exstensively in other resorts around the world and if runs are down to mud and rock then the patrol will close it and mark it as such. Sure you could still ski a closed run if you really felt like it but at least you'd have the correct information before venturing down. Although one or two runs had been taped off, I generally think this smacks of over-promotion and greedy, selfish marketing which will possibly back-fire in the end. I also think it's somewhat negligent.

  And what's the deal with the lifts? Panorama is stated as having 9 lifts. Well, this is true is you count the Disney World gondola linking the lower and upper part of Panorma village, and the 'magic carpets' for the kids on the nursey slopes. Once again; over-ambitious marketing...

  The WIFI available arunnd the resort was a welcome benefit but much of the time it seemed unreliable. I'd have preferred a sevice I could buy rather than the continual frustration of whether it would work or not.

  Overall, it's clear I didn't really enojoy Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village). Largely, this came from the lack of snow on this trip which clearly Panorama can't be blamed for. I'm sure with a quality dump this place would offer a high level of off-piste fun with the groomed runs being safe and playful. However, I'd still be frustrated by all the other elements outlined above.

  Sorry for moaning. I am British though ;-)

• March 04, 2010
  Miles Gouch from United Kingdom
  

  We have just returned from our second trip to Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) having booked a late deal through Inghams. During our first stay in March 2004 our kids (7&9) learned to ski in the great school and we were amazed at how quiet the resort is with virtually no queuing on any of the lifts. The down side was the lack of fresh snow and the limited evening options for family eating/entertainment. Having returned six years later the lack of snow was again a big issue, the options for evenings for families are not greatly improved and comparitively the cost of everything in the resort, ski pass, hire, tuition, food and drink has soared. The General Store carries very little other than beer, bread and crisps so healthy self catering without a car is impossible.
  We have skied in Europe for a number of years since and our group has come on in it's skiing ability and to be honest, if you exclude the terrain covered by double black runs, we found the resort quite small with the skiing variety limited as most areas can be covered at least twice in a long ski day. Fresh snow would have changed all of this but a common theme from both this forum and discussions with locals is the concern over the extent of natural snowfall that they get. I'm not sure how they measure the 1 metre of snow that is supposed to have been at The Summit but with rocks and mud showing all over they were being optimistic to say the least. The people in Panorama Mountain Village resort are fantastically friendly, very polite and the mountain scenery is stunning. If you do go, take advantage of The Mountain Friend free guiding service. They are all locals, mostly retired, and do a great job of selling the resort with a lot of laughs. It is a great place to learn if you book a package in advance but I doubt whether we would return, even if we got the offer of another great deal.

• March 01, 2010
  Michael from Canada
  

  Having the privilege of free accommodations with friends, I ski at Panorama Mountain Village several times a year. For the uninitiated some of the mountain stats should be clarified. Nine lifts is hype from a Marketing Dept. on steroids. The village gondola serves the lower parking lot to the day lodge only. The upper parking lot closest to the lodge is usually full every weekend due to ski racers. For 80% of skiers there are only four lifts to speak of. The ski report always mentions Tayton Bowl & the Extreme zone as the best place for powder. That might be true but less than 5% of skiers could ski double diamond runs in trees, let alone any family with kids. Their longest run is 5.5km of which 5km is a road that connects Tayton bowl with the main lodge. As an expert skier I ski the whole mountain. I challenge anyone to find 50 trails that are skiable let alone 120. Average snow fall of 479cm is pushing it. If it wasn’t for artificial snow they would have to restrict many runs due to “unmarked hazards”. Since Christmas they had only 15cm of snow. On the plus side there are never any queues at the lifts, which is understandable. I agree with the writers below, there are better places to ski In Western Canada.

• February 09, 2010
  Jon from United Kingdom
  

  My family of four (two boys age 9 and 11) spent Xmas and New Year in Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village).
  It was our second trip there having been at Easter 2008.
  Compared to Europe;
  The ski terrain is awesome - Sun Bowl, Founders and Taynton are as good as anywhere.
  No waiting in lift lines.
  Good restaurants at cheap prices.
  Nice people, Canadians are probably the most courteous and friendly you will ever meet.
  The snow may not be as good as Colorado but compared to Europe it is very good.
  Accommodation is good sized and reasonably priced with virtually all ski-in ski-out for upper village.
  Only down side is it's a long way but you will save money, you won't stand waiting for lifts and the ski-ing is awesome.
  We can't wait to go back.

• January 21, 2010
  Marke from United States
  

  Hello from Panorama Mountain Village. We thank Harry (and others) for feedback and always welcome comments from our skiers and riders. If you'd like to discuss your thoughts with us directly, please send an email to paninfo@intrawest.com. The snow is great and winter is too short, get in to it.

• January 07, 2010
  Harry from Canada
  

  I've been skiing as a season pass holder at Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) or (Iceorama ... ski fraternity reputation) for the past several years. During this time the management of this property has left me and many of my skiing colleagues dismayed. In 08-09, as well as this year, they closed their main signature blue run (Show Off) to beginners and created a terrain park for less than 10 percent of their clientele. The amount of energy and resources focused on creating 10 ski ramps more than 20-30 ft high is beyond reason when the rest of the main trails are sheer ice and in dire need of artificial snow and gooming. Having skied most of the Western CDN resorts, there are many better options available. I definitely would not ski Pano (Panorama Mountain Village) if I was not "handcuffed" by real estate.

• December 08, 2009
  Colin Ross from Canada
  

  I have had the pleasure of living in Invermere, and let me say a few things Pano as we locals call Panorama Mountain Village. It is a fantastic hill that has many opportunities that are waiting to be found if you are looking for a great hill for beginners or light back country in Tayton bowl Pano is a great hill. I have had the pleasure of skiing there too many times to count and let me say it is all in the eyes of the beholder. For me I learned to ski at Panorama so the snow there is always special to me. Anyways looking forward to a great ski season snow piling up already.

• November 19, 2009
  Lou from Canada
  

  Since I have been skiing in the Rockies, Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village) is the place I liked the least. My list of cons is longer, much longer, than my list of pros. I would pick Kicking Horse or Fernie or Revelstoke ten times before going to Panorama (Panorama Mountain Village). They have some really good long runs but just don't get the same snow. Lots of ''pod'' skiing. You're always in a chair. Some of the buildings in the village can get pretty noisy at night, especially during popular holidays. If you don't mind dragging your behind out of bed at 11:00 and begin skiing at noon, guess it's OK but I like to be on the chair before it opens.

• November 16, 2009
  Cathy from Canada
  

  Great skiing last spring at Panorama Mountain Village. The hill could have stayed open another couple of weeks :{. Tremendous variety: Tayton for experts and View of 1000 peaks is a personal favourite Lots of great runs for the whole family, with virtually no lift lines (except maybe Christmas, and Family Day). The food is good - Grey's Restaurant is very upscale, and Wildfire and Choppers offer good value. A really great bakery like the one in Invermere at Panorama would be a spectacular add.
  The views are great at Panorama Mountain Village and temperatures are usually tolerable even in January.
  Looking forward to skiing this year again and again.

• November 13, 2009
  Dan C from Canada
  

  I have been to Panorama Mountain Village 4 times. On the plus side: no lift lines and great runs e.g Fritze and Schobers Dream. You just can't beat Roller Coaster and Skyline or Old Timer for hard blues. Great staff all 'round and the best way to end a day is in the hot pool. The Heliplex for the ribs is super and bring a big appetite. Lunch at Grey Wolf golf course on the deck is not to be missed. The night time fondue at the top of the mountain at Panorama Mountain Village is great as well and the ski down after is worth every penny. On the down side, there is only one small area for the true beginner as the rest of the mountain is intermediate or above.

• January 04, 2009
  John from Canada
  

  Panorama Mountain Village has an incredible amount of vertical, virtually no lift lines and an immense amount of skiable terrain. Compared to the circus of Louise or Sunshine this is the best kept secret within 3 1/2 hrs of Calgary.

• August 07, 2008
  Graham Ross from United Kingdom
  

  YIPPEE !!!.. We’ve just booked our return holiday to Panorama for 2 weeks in January 2009. My wife & I first stumbled across this wee gem while searching for snow in Jan 2007, while Europe struggled for cover we couldn’t believe how much you had hidden over there!
  Although the first few days were quite cool (-28C ) you could not fault the maintenance and management of the pistes and, wrapped up warm, we couldn’t wait to find out what was round the next corner, up the next chair, over the next dip and.....what views!
  We live with the spectacle of the Scottish Highlands on our back door and have toured Europe & the Alps extensively, but what you’ve got at the top of 1000 Peaks ...Amazing...
  But it’s not ALL about the snow (incredible but true!) hospitality, service and a can do attitude made our stay at the Panorama Springs relaxing, comfortable and a home from home. Eating out, the range and selection of food could not be better, from the mouth watering steaks in the Wildfire to the tasty takeaway Mile High pizzas, and not forgetting those fantastic nachos in the Kicking Horse, which will be our first stop after check in next January! {oh, I’ve been told we have to unpack first..Damn!} Unfortunately we didn’t get round to The Earl Grey, Jackpine or Choppers Landing last time but that will be put right this time round.
  Counting down the days until we leave (167), can’t wait to get back.
  Graham Ross, Glasgow, Scotland