The Top Four ‘off the beaten track’ Canadian Ski Resorts
Nine lucky representatives from the ski tourist industry were asked by Tourism BC to visit Red Mountain, Big White, Silver Star and Sun Peaks in a 6 day, nonstop adventure.
I (Georgie) was the lucky one from NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard, so I thought I might share my little adventure with you…
First stop: Red Mountain:
I have always had a love for Red Mountain, not only is it an unbelievable place to ski, it is one of the friendliest places in Canada, you can’t help but feel at home.
Red Mountain resort is made up of two mountains; Red and Granite. Both are skiable 360 degrees around; on one of the many powder days, whichever line you choose, whether it be a tree run, off or on-piste you will always end up back on a track that takes you out to a chair lift.
One of the best things about Red Mt is that fact that it is unspoilt by mass tourism. It’s one of Canada’s best kept secrets that ensures on a fresh snow day you will be getting fresh lines well into the afternoon. Queuing is not something you would see up here!
The terrain is known as ‘steep and deep’ for a reason. Not only do they get more than their fair share of fresh snow, (15cm when we arrived and sadly for us, it started puking again when we were leaving!) it is also famed for it’s more challenging terrain. With the majority of runs being blacks and double blacks, it isn’t one for the faint hearted. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone wanting to take their skiing to the next level, experience some great powder and enjoy unspoilt fresh snow!
Added to the Red Mt’s charm is the town of Rossland. It still holds a very ‘local community’ feel that is lost in many of the big touristy resorts. The buildings all look (to me) like they came from a ‘Wild West’ movie which simply adds to the charm. You walk into the local pub (The Flying Steam Shovel) and everyone acts like they have known you for years, despite the fact it is the first night that you have arrived. You can’t walk down the street without saying hi to everyone – it just makes you want to stay for years.
We have been running ski and snowboard instructor courses in Red Mt for 5 years now, and all our clients live in comfy town houses in this great town. When you come to Red Mt you will see what we have all seen; that Rossland is the place to be! We have more clients that return to Rossland each year than any other resort that we run instructor courses in.
Next stop: Big White
I have heard a lot of good things about Big White whilst working for NONSTOP so I was very intrigued to see it. It didn’t fail to live up to my expectations; as a family resort – apart from places like Whistler and Sun Peaks, you do not get any better than Big White. All the accommodation on the mountain is ski in-ski out and there is a huge variety; something for everyone.
Everything is well laid out and accessible to all. If I was coming on a holiday with my family, this would be an ideal spot. It doesn’t hold the same ‘homey local’ feel that a place like Rossland does but it is not claiming to. It is extremely welcoming none the less.
Big White markets itself on being best for the family and that it certainly is. There is lots of beginner and intermediate terrain making it the perfect place to start life as a skier and take it on to an intermediate level. For those seeking the more ‘hard core’ terrain there is plenty of skiing around the cliff area. Unfortunately whilst we were there was a pretty heavy white-out so we were not able to make it up to the cliff.
With lots of fun to be had in pubs like Snow Shoe Sam’s, seriously great steak in The Kettle Valley steak house and the world famous and hugely delicious shot-gun barrel coffees (seriously not to be missed!) there is something for everyone.
It is not a place I would recommend for those wishing to take their skiing from intermediate to advanced but it will definitely provide a lot of fun on a number of holidays.
Stop Three: Silver Star
Silver Star, like Red Mountain is renowned for its steep terrain. The ski school there is one of the best in Canada, with more level 4’s than any other ski school. We arrived in brilliant sunshine to the most colourful town I have ever seen. Silver Star was aptly named due to the fact it used to be a booming silver mining town. Back in the day all the houses were painted different colours, this is a rule they enforce to this day – each house has to have a minimum of 4 colours in order to be in keeping with the rest of the town.
Norm Keutsch, the ski school director and ex Western Co-ordinator for the CSIA (which makes him one of the best skiers I have ever seen!) took us out to show us the mountain. The sunny skies (after coming from a rather less visable Big White) had us all in great spirits and we were able to see all that Silver Star had to offer. With plenty of terrain, most in the intermediate – advanced field there was lots to play on.
Unfortunately it had rained the day before which made the 15cm of fresh they had received rather ‘cruddy’ and we opted to look down many of the double blacks rather than try and ski them. Having seen this, it is fair to say that Silver Star is the ultimate playground for any advanced skier. It is not the best resort for snowboarders as it has its fair share of flats (that take you to the good stuff) but I had a lot of fun all the same. There were plenty of wide, long blues with countless large rollers that had the group (all experienced skiers) carving up the slopes at high speeds.
I would recommend this resort for anyone looking for high end instruction, or looking to gain the next level as an instructor and to all skiers wishing to ski some steep lines!
Last stop: Sun Peaks
As if it was pre-ordered, when we drove up to the resort it started to snow, the kind of snow that is so thick you cannot see 5m in front of you. It proceeded to do this for 2 hours until 10cm had fallen, when dutifully the skies cleared and the stars came out. The next day we woke up early ready for the first lift. We stood in brilliant sunshine as 3,678 acres of skiable terrain stood before us. As with many of the Canadian resorts, Sun Peaks lacked the crowds and mass tourism but pumped out the friendly local community vibe by the bucket load.
Sun Peaks is seen as one of the best ski resorts in Canada, second only to Whistler, we were very excited about seeing what the mountain had to offer. It did not disappoint.
The resort has a great variety of terrain with 10% novice, 58% intermediate and 32% for the experts. Despite the fresh snow, by 11am we hadn’t queued once and were still all skiing fresh lines and the sunshine continued to shine all day.
We all skied hard from 8.30am until the last lift at 4.30pm and by the time we got to ‘Bottoms’ (the locals bar) it was hard to wipe off the grins that had been cemented on our faces all day.
Sun Peaks claims to be the perfect destination for those wanting to go to Whistler in 2010 but wishing to escape the crowds and high prices… and I can’t help but agree with them. Where Whistler scoops up all its acclamations, Sun Peaks comes in close second every time:
- 2nd Largest resort in Western Canada
- 2nd Best resort in Canada
- 2nd Best Groomed pistes
- Best New Mountain Award
- National Winner of the Industry Recognition and Excellence Award
It whips Whistler’s reputation in terms of weather as it is known to get some of the driest, lightest snow and over 2,000 hours of sunshine per year!
The town of Sun Peaks is beautifully laid out, you can ski in and out to the majority of hotels, restauarnts and shops – most of the time people even ski down the high street. If you are considering going on holiday there is a combination of great hotels and condo style accommodation. Amongst the many: Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge, Sun Peaks Lodge, The Delta Hotel; the list goes on.
There are lots of après activities such as snow shoeing (not to be missed), dog sledding, snow mobiling, ice skating, snow tubing etc.
I would highly recommend to all, whether you are on a ski holiday, instructor course or just wishing to spend a season out in the snow.
In summary the four resorts all shone in my eyes, it is Canada after all! Red Mountain will always have a place in my heart which is why I will make it my number one. However, for those who love the ski in-ski out experience with a modern and friendly town, Sun Peaks will only shine in your eyes and therefore gets a very close 2nd. Silver Star is a fantastic place that I hope to revisit and claims a very convincing 3rd with all the steep terrain. Big White is 4th but by no means least – it is a fantastic family resort that I would recommend to all.
