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Big White resort snow
Lat Long: 49.72° N 118.92° W
Ski Canada - BC

Big White Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Big White Ski Resort

Big White Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 89 votes and 38 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.4

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Big White is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.5

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Big White has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.2

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.2

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.6

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Big White

Public Transport: 3.6

  • There are no buses or taxis to Big White
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.5

  • No places to stay in/near Big White
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.5

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.1

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Big White

Ski in/Ski out: 4.7

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.3

  • There are no child care facilities at Big White
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 2.6

  • Big White relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.3

  • There are no snow groomers at Big White
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Big White are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.7

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Big White is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.8

  • If snow conditions are poor at Big White, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.5

  • Big White usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.3

  • The staff at Big White are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Big White are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 4.1

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.2

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.5

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.6

  • No intermediate terrain at Big White
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.0

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.3

  • Not even a kicker at Big White
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.6

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Big White
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.7

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Big White has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.8

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.2

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.7

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.0

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.3

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 3.7

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.1

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.1

  • Overall, Big White is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.1

  • Overall, Big White is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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November 14, 2010
Amber
I don't understand the comments about more shops. And I'm a girl who loves to shop. Being here at Big White is an outdoor experience and if you are too busy wishing there was a Timmy's, Burger King or more retail selection you are not getting it. It's about the snow boys, the adrenaline, nature, the lifestyle. Yeah, the snow may not always be on schedule, but that's mother natures department. And when she's on her game at Biggie, it's unreal. I can definitely recommend Whistler for you's that are in need of some retail therapy and a Starbucks, but enjoy the West Coast Cement (I'm from the West Coast and I can vouch for it).
November 08, 2010
Nathan Hind
Been riding here (Big White) weekly on average for about 10 years. It's got something for everyone in my experience. Most seasons you can count on powder stashes all the time, although some days you might need to go looking for them. There's only been a couple of bad seasons in all the years I've been. Overall, I think the greatest strength is the extremely varied terrain -- Steeps in the cliff bowl, ride-able/thinned glades everywhere, a solid terrain park, long fast rollers and thicker glades off gem lake, thin glades and winding runs off the black forest, some wide-open terrain up top by T-bar, and plenty of easy runs all over if you're looking for a cruise. It's all here. Both the central village and Happy Valley are ski-in -- and so are all the condos I know of thanks to the clever layout (largest ski-in/out village in Canada). Plenty of restaurants (not as many as Whistler, but a dozen or so) and alternative activities like skating, tubing, horse-drawn sleigh. Crowd free other than a short period between Christmas and New Years. Really, you can't go wrong bringing your family here for a vacation. Expert riders, waiting till mid-January for the cliff-bowl to be in good condition is smart, because when the snow's nice it's a lot of fun, as is a myriad of other areas. If it's bad conditions or closed for avalanche risk though, maybe bribe a local with a beer to share some of the best alternatives ;-) There's plenty.
October 31, 2010
Carl Penney from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
I rode here in mid Feb 2008. Before riding at Big White I had two weeks at Whistler/Blackcomb which snowed probably 10 days straight and I had the best resort powder riding of my life. After riding Whistler's coastal mountain wetter powder I was really hoping to ride the champage dry powder that Big White has in their slogan, unfortunately that was not to be. When I arrived at Big White it hadn't snowed for a couple of weeks and didn't snow while I was there :(. Overall, I enjoyed the resort, friendly staff, great on the mountain accomodation etc but its a long way to fly from New Zealand to Canada and I would, without a doubt prefer to ride at Whistler again or try another resort that I have not been to before. I think Big White is best suited to families or less experienced skiers/snowboarders as most of the runs aren't very steep. The cliff chair was also closed for the remainder of the season due to an avalanche while I was there which was a shame as that terrain looked pretty sick!
October 27, 2010
Paul from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Let me start by saying Big White is a fabulous resort. It's really disappointing that many of the previous comments are so negative. If you are a 'No Fear' freak and you want to tear down a mountain at breakneck speed and then, when you reach the town, immerse yourself in total commercialism and brand heaven (big shops, fast food etc, etc) go somewhere else! I've been coming over to Big White annually (sometimes twice a year) for the last eight years and I wouldn't change a thing. I love the fact that it's quiet, doesn't have all the crap that you guys are moaning about and is relatively easy to ski, some of us love simply cruising the blues! I couldn't care less what type of snow it is, how quickly it fell or whether it's foggy, as long as me and the family can ski together. Personally, I'm dreading the planned expansion because the place will become just another overcrowded, overpriced and overrated ski-holiday resort. Keep up the good work Big White. See you in December..again!
March 15, 2010
Tim
I have been here (Big White) for the season. Jan was not the best as it was foggy for long stretches. But lately the snow has been amazing. In the last week I have heard people say it's been the best riding they have ever experienced, especially Saturday. The start of the season was good. It was dumping well in November and Dec. The masterplan shows Big White is going to grow but if you want commercialisation go to one of those mountains.
March 14, 2010
Steph
With regard to the last comment about Big White, this year was definitely not the best one by a long shot (2010). All of Canada has been experiencing warmer weather than usual due to El Nino - hence the lack of snow. Don't give up hope for the hill. In previous years the snow has been powder all season. :)
March 10, 2010
Juan from Ski Argentina Argentina
This is my first season up here in Big White. I came several times to this resort but never for a full season. I thought it was paradise, but it's not, to be honest. There're way better mountains and resorts out there if you're looking for good, challenging terrains. The champagne powder??? Saw it maybe twice this season. Jan was warm with hardly any new snow and Feb was a bit colder with some dumps but nothing over 5 or 10 cm... Now that I think about it, we haven't had a proper dump in the whole season!!! And the famous Big White Out... dude, when there's fog up here, its no joke: OMG! I've never seen so much fog in a resort in my entire life. They should change all the stickers to "Big White, It's the Fog". Jan was pretty much a whole White Out. What I've read in the previous comment, it's true: this place it's actually a piece of land owned by someone, so that someone decides what happens up here (or that someone's Director of Marketing): there should be more variety of shops, they should organize a mini mobile bank or something like that cause it sucks going down to Ktown all the time, they should let Timi Ho's come up here, Starbucks or Burger King, etc, etc, etc. All this applies for people wanting to spend a good season in a good resort with good terrain and good snow. If you're looking for a fun place, ski-in ski-out, to spend a couple of weeks or so, get on the piss with your mates, this is definitely the place... Anyways, overall of my season up here? Will definitely come back, but not for a whole season, no way, and definitely not on Jan... Cheers.
March 20, 2009
Andrew
I have been going to Big White every year for the last three years. Had really good snow for every year except for this season. No snow in January and basically nothing for the whole of February. But when it snows, it doesn't snow big, but the quality is truely unmatched; so dry and fluffy. Big White is not that pricey either, but my only fault with Big White is the lack of independent retail shops. When you go to one shop, you see exactly the same thing at the next one. They just need more variety. When they open up the backside, that will rival all mountains in BC for steepness as well. So the sooner the better I say.
March 06, 2009
Brandon
Big White is fantastic when there is fresh powder, which is entirely dependent upon mother nature of course. It's rare but sometimes they do not get any decent snowfall (10cm+) for over a month, as it has been this year (08/09 season). However, when it does snow, it is some of the best snow/riding you will ever find. Lines are never really that bad at Big White, even at the busiest on the weekends and even when the lines are massive the waits are not very long. The park is sometimes not very good and varies from season to season. However, they do put effort into it. My main gripe with Big White is that they do not seem to get enough snow for them to open the more advanced lifts, and tend to focus more on the touristy areas which features greens and blues. If you want some advanced riding there is plenty of it to be had, if they actually open the lift. Gem and Powder are usually open and feature blues/blacks and some of the best snow. The most advanced lifts are the Alpine T-Bar (generally open) and the Falcon and Cliff, both of which are not open enough at all.
January 13, 2009
Barb Page from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Have been to Big White twice, once for Christmas 2004 and again for Christmas 2007. We had the most amazing time. We are a family of six and both times we have rented brilliant condos. When we went in 2007 we stayed in a great condo in the Legends building; awesome. All our kids snowboard and ski and they just love it up there. Never had a problem with crowds and plenty of wonderful runs. We are heading back up there next year. It is a long way to go from New Zealand, but would highly recommend it for a family holiday and if you want a White Christmas, pretty much guaranteed of one up there.