Ski Resorts Travel Guide

The skiing in British Columbia is world renowned, largely due to the popularity of Whistler Blackcomb which is regularly voted as one of the best ski resorts in the world. That said, there are many other lesser-known resorts that offer exceptional skiing in British Columbia.

Vancouver's North Shore is where most locals learn to ski. The resorts at Grouse Mountain, Mount Seymour and Cypress Bowl may not have the most challenging runs, but they command a loyal following, partly because they are less than an hour's drive from central Vancouver but are also easily accessible by public transport. Vancouver Island also has its own ski resort: Mount Washington. After Whistler, it's British Columbia's most popular ski resort, with the most reliable snow conditions in the province.

However, Canada's undisputed skiing mecca is Whistler, an extensive ski area 60 miles (100km) north of Vancouver, hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics together with Vancouver. It is most popular for downhill skiing, but offers a full array of winter activities including snowboarding, heli-skiing and dog sledding. Whistler is within the Garibaldi Provincial Park, a popular area for cross-country skiing. North of Whistler, the Pemberton Icefield is also a popular heli-skiing destination.

There are many lesser-known ski resorts in the interior of British Columbia, including Apex Mountain, Big White, Sun Peaks and Silver Star, which also offer world-class skiing in the Thompson Okanagan region.

Big White has a growing reputation, and due to the dry air of the interior, it offers some of the best powder skiing in the world. The Kootenay Rockies have several resorts, including Fairmont Hot Springs and Revelstoke Mountain, and in northern British Columbia the heavy amount of snowfall allows for great skiing in many areas.