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Visitor reviews for Whitewater Ski Resort

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• December 28, 2011
  Bryan Reid from Canada
  

  I read a comment about Whitewater being icy... it comes from a Red Mountain unfortunate. It is exactly the opposite. Whitewater is high in the mountains and gets the BEST powder skiing of anywhere in North America. Red on the other hand is low and is often subjected to warm weather making its slopes icy... like and ice rink. I have done better on Red with Bauer skates than I have on skis. In fact, I have to wear ear plugs to block out the sound of edges on ice.

  Now Whitewater has powder as good as any Cat Ski operation in the area. I figure it cost me $0.05 per run to ski deep powder at Whitewater... as opposed to $50 a run on a Cat ski operation.

  I feel really sorry for those Red Mountain people who trash Whitewater... they are, in a word, jealous! They all wish they lived and played in the deep Powder at Whitewater. The new backside opened with the new Old Glory chair has made this ski hill a legend among all others.

• Whitewater Ratings

  Based on 10 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.4 (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 Whitewater.	Public Transport: 2.6 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Whitewater, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.5 (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: 3.0 (1) No places to stay in/near Whitewater, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.9 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 3.0 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Whitewater.
  Ski in/Ski out: 1.8 (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: 2.2 (1) There are no child care facilities at Whitewater, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.6 (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) Whitewater is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 1.0 (1) Whitewater relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 3.6 (1) There are no snow groomers at Whitewater, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Whitewater are groomed daily.	Shelter: 4.1 (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) Whitewater is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 2.6 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Whitewater, 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: 4.8 (1) Whitewater 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: 4.6 (1) The staff at Whitewater are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Whitewater are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 4.2 (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: 3.3 (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: 3.6 (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: 4.2 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Whitewater has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 3.0 (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: 3.8 (1) No intermediate terrain at Whitewater, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 4.7 (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: 1.9 (1) Not even a kicker at Whitewater, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 4.4 (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: 3.9 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Whitewater, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 1.1 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Whitewater has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 3.3 (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: 3.7 (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: 3.0 (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: 1.7 (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: 2.4 (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: 2.4 (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: 3.3 (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): 4.1 (1) Overall, Whitewater 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): 4.0 (1) Overall, Whitewater 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 10 votes. Vote

• April 08, 2011
  spencer from Canada
  

  Been skiing at Whitewater the last few days now and I simply can't believe how ridiculously awesome it is here.

  I don't know what I've been thinking going to Fernie, Red, and Big White and thinking these places were the best. Whitewater has way sicker terrain, better snow - and more of it, and no people!!!!! Plus the lift tickets are like $20 cheaper than everywhere else!

  I think I'm moving to Nelson next season - greatest ski town ever!

• January 22, 2011
  pwdrhound from Wallis and Futuna
  

  Non-believers can ski at Red, it's way better there...
  All those pictures in Pwdr magazine are photo shopped, this place (Whitewater) is a skating rink. Don't bother coming unless your edges are razor sharp.

• December 27, 2010
  Alex from United States
  

  I drove up from Spokane, WA to catch the opening of the new Glory Ridge Chair (at Whitewater) and was totally rewarded with unbelievable terrain and snow! The runs on the right side of the chair feel like cat skiing but with way more gnar-factor and the left hand side was super great open gladed cruisers and a few cuts runs - perfect for the wife!

  I think Whitewater just became my go-to mountain. With the new lift, bigger vert, and wicked vibe it's easily my new favourite place to shred!

• December 16, 2010
  Frank from United States
  

  Wow, Whitewater is probably the greatest hidden gem I've ever come across. I've had the chance to ski lots of those little places around the Western U.S., you know the ones, with fabled stories of huge snowfalls and no line-ups but Whitewater absolutely blew me away. The vibe is indescribable, it's all the things that you wish you could find in an ultimate ski destination without all the glitz, glam, phony posers, and most importantly, huge prices of the larger resorts. Nelson is something else as well, it's like someone picked up the trendiest areas of Seattle or Vancouver and nestled them into the stunning surroundings of the Kootenays. The live music scene is amazing, the people are cultured and everyone was ridiculously friendly. I'll be back for sure! (I was a bit too early for riding the new Glory Ridge chair, but I, of course, found some friendly locals who were more than happy to show me the "backside" and thumb a lift back to the lodge, which as they told me is how they've been doin' it since the hill first opened!)

• July 29, 2010
  kootsskibum from Canada
  

  Whitewater is the type of place that other resorts will pay marketing people ridiculous sums of money to try and re-create. It's organic, vibrant, low-key, high-energy and probably the greatest hard-core ski experience in North America.

  Plus Nelson is, hands down, the coolest ski town - or any other type of town ever!

• March 16, 2010
  Martin Perreault from Canada
  

  Though having some interesting aspects, Whitewater is an overrated resort. It clearly boasts a 400m fair straight vertical drop with no flats, but offers very limited terrain. Those who claim the off-piste terrain is unlimited just described all of BC, nothing special with WH2O (Whitewater). Red Mountain will offer a lot more off-piste bringing you back to the base of the lifts. Most off-piste itinerary in WH20 will get you out of bound. You will seldom be able to do more than 2 rides in a day. The runs bringing you inbound are mostly located in the Ymir Bassin wich is very exposed and at high avalanche risk with some very hazardous terrain. The slopes are very steep and trees are narrow, thus requiring loads of snow to be attractive. 20cm of fresh snow is very little for such steep and narrow terrain. Fortunately, they're gifted with plenty of snow at Whitewater but it gets tracked out very fast, bringing you out of bound (see previous comment). Be aware the resort is mainly south and west facing so the snow gets hard and/or sunbaked very fast. The short lines are a myth as the 2 chairs are very slow and the runs very short, so you'll lose plenty of your time in line. Most remote runs (Catch Bassin and around) will require quite long traveling, making you loose altitude which is dramatic when you have so little. The Catch Bassin run is a joke, since after losing time and altitude in traveling, you'll make no more than 10-12 turns in it. Thumbs up for the permanent beacon training center AND, of course, for the greatest caf of all West, that would rank WH20 among the best even in Europe. Same for Nelson that ranks among the top places to stay in Western America. A real town with plenty of world class coffee shops, good restaurants, amazing food supply (even compared with Montreal). All of this in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere, dense central hub with noticable colonial architecture, great vincinity, proximity of Red (50 min), Kootenay Pass (60 min), WH20 (20 min), amazing Ainsworth Hot Springs (40 min). Go to local community center for a quick spa & sauna after your ski day and head to Red for unlimited inbound terrain or Kootenay Pass for amazing unlimited and accessible back country.

• November 25, 2008
  patrick westmacott from Canada
  

  No lift lines, the most snow, all manner of terrain, the most down to earth people, and the best food I've ever had at a resort anywhere (it's better than most restaurants) all located 25 minutes from the most amazing town in Canada. Nelson and Whitewater are the answer to the cancer that is Calgary and RCR.

• October 07, 2005
  William Burford from United States
  

  Whitewater is it. Small hill, with constant snow, these lifts are worth it. If your flying to North America to party with skis, go to Las Vegas. If you want to see what skiing in Canada (or the NW of USA) is all about hit Whitewater as part of a BC tour along with Red Mountain, Fernie, Kicking Horse, and the small hills around Spokane Washington USA. Also, Big Mountain and Big Sky in Montana USA are super. All these hills have small off piste runs and your money goes way further because if you have your own transportation so you can pick and choose as the snow flies.