Winter in Vancouver can be absolutely miserable, especially if, like many newcomers to the city, you’re still adjusting to the lack of Vitamin D in your newly adopted home.
But when there’s rain in the streets, there’s snow on the mountains. So embrace the season and head for the hills! Here in Vancouver, we are spoiled for choice with dozens of world-class ski and snowboard destinations less than a day’s drive away.
But which resort is right for you?
Maybe you’re looking for a relaxing weekend in a chalet on a quiet hill. Maybe you get your jollies launching off kickers in the backcountry. Or maybe you’re just looking for a mountain with a decent bar for some après-ski.
Whatever you are looking for, Westender has you covered like that one-piece snow suit your mom bought you when you were six that went zip-zop-zip-zop-zip-zop when you walked.
The Locals
Cypress Mountain
Runs: 53
Lifts: 9 (6 chair lifts, 3 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 240 ha
Vertical drop: 610 m
Average annual snowfall: 622 cm
Cost of day pass: $64
Best place for après-ski: Crazy Raven Bar & Grill
Don’t miss: On a clear day, the view from the top of Mt. Strachan looking down on to Howe Sound is a sight to behold.
Perfect for: Locals looking to huck it close to home.
Grouse Mountain
Runs: 26
Lifts: 5 (4 chairlifts, 1 surface lift)
Skiable area: 85 ha
Vertical drop: 365 m
Average annual snowfall: 970 cm
Cost of day pass: $58
Best place for après-ski: Queen’s Cross Pub
Don’t miss: The Cut, legendary ski run known for its incredible Vancouver views.
Perfect for: Tourists and exchange students who insist on bringing their snowboard on the bus
Hemlock Valley
Runs: 35
Lifts: 4 (3 chairlifts, 1 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 121 ha
Vertical drop: 396 m
Average annual snowfall: 970 cm
Cost of day pass: $50.48
Best place for après-ski: Sasquatch Inn
Don’t miss: The cheapest, closest winter holiday cabins for Vancouverites.
Perfect for: Budget-conscious families looking for a week away in the snow.
Manning Park
Runs: 34
Lifts: 4 (2 chairlifts, 2 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 57 ha
Vertical drop: 432 m
Average annual snowfall: 546 cm
Cost of day pass: $53
Best place for après-ski: Bear’s Den Pub
Don’t miss: The gas station in Hope. Trust me.
Perfect for: Wide open runs with no one on them.
Mount Seymour
Runs: 40
Lifts: 5 (3 chairlifts, 2 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 81 ha
Vertical drop: 330 m
Average annual snowfall: 1,000 cm
Cost of day pass: $54
Best place for après-ski: The Raven Pub
Don’t miss: Seymour’s four terrain parks offer 30+ features and are all night-lit.
Perfect for: North Shore teenagers skipping school.
Whistler-Blackcomb
Runs: 200+
Lifts: 39 (5 gondolas, 18 chairlifts, 16 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 3,300 ha
Vertical drop: 1565 m
Average annual snowfall: 1,163 cm
Cost of day pass: $125
Best place for après-ski: Garibaldi Ski Lift Co.
Don’t miss: The PEAK 2 PEAK gondola connecting Whistler and Blackcomb is worth a trip any time of year.
Perfect for: Anyone who appreciates a true Big Mountain experience. Also, Australians.
Interior
Apex Mountain
Runs: 73
Lifts: 4 (2 chairlifts, 2 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 450 ha
Vertical drop: 605 m
Average annual snowfall: 600 cm
Cost of day pass: $75
Best place for après-ski: Gunbarrel Saloon
Don’t miss: Gunbarrel Saloon, the best mountain bar in the province, bar none.
Perfect for: Experienced powder hounds looking for challenging, untouched terrain.
Big White
Runs: 118
Lifts: 15 (1 gondola, 10 chairlifts, 4 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 1,147 ha
Vertical drop: 777 m
Average annual snowfall: 750 cm
Cost of day pass: $87
Best place for après-ski: Snowshoe Sam’s
Don’t miss: The ski-thru tunnels and bridges of the Village Centre gives new meaning to ski-in/ski-out.
Perfect for: Just about anyone. Big White’s terrain is big and varied, perfect for all skill levels.
Harper Mountain
Runs: 15
Lifts: 3 (1 chairlift, 2 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 161 ha
Vertical drop: 425 m
Average annual snowfall: 400 cm
Cost of day pass: $42.86
Best place for après-ski: The Dirty Jersey
Don’t miss: Night skiing Thursday and Friday nights!
Perfect for: Kamloops locals and that’s about it.
Silver Star
Runs: 131
Lifts: 12 (6 chairlifts, 6 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 1,328 ha
Vertical drop: 760 m
Average annual snowfall: 700 cm
Cost of day pass: $85
Best place for après-ski: Long John’s Pub
Don’t miss: Close to 50 hectares of new terrain this year.
Perfect for: The big family vacation. Rent a condo, stay a week.
Sun Peaks
Runs: 135
Lifts: 12 (6 chairlifts, 6 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 1,728 ha
Vertical drop: 882 m
Average annual snowfall: 600 cm
Cost of day pass: $89
Best place for après-ski: Bottoms Bar and Grill
Don’t miss: The West Bowl is a great place to avoid the crowds and make fresh tracks.
Perfect for: Those wanting a Big Mountain experience at a fraction of the cost.
Mt. Timothy
Runs: 35
Lifts: 5 (1 chairlift, 4 surface lifts)
Skiable area: n/a
Vertical drop: 310 m
Average annual snowfall: 35
Cost of day pass: $50
Best place for après-ski: Farrier Pub & Grub
Don’t miss: The turn-off to Timothy Lake Road, or you’ll end up in Horsefly.
Perfect for: People who like small hills in the middle of nowhere.
Vancouver Island
Mount Cain
Runs: 21
Lifts: 3 (3 surface lifts)
Skiable area: n/a
Vertical drop: 457 m
Average annual snowfall: 1,500 cm
Cost of day pass: $49.50
Best place for après-ski: Lucky Logger Pub
Don’t miss: The ungroomed powder off the Upper T-Bar is pure ecstasy.
Perfect for: Ski bums in search of undiscovered, untouched powder at the ends of the earth.
Mount Washington
Runs: 81
Lifts: 9 (5 chairlifts, 4 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 690 ha
Vertical drop: 505 m
Average annual snowfall: 1150 cm
Cost of day pass: $85
Best place for après-ski: The Waverley Pub
Don’t miss: The historic town of Cumberland is a great alternative to staying on mountain.
Perfect for: Those who want to snowboard and windsurf on the same day.
Kootenays
Fernie
Runs: 147
Lifts: 10 (7 chairlifts, 3 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 1,010 ha
Vertical drop: 1,082 m
Average annual snowfall:
Cost of day pass: $89.95
Best place for après-ski: Griz Bar
Don’t miss: Après in the village, which Rolling Stone calls the “Coolest Town in North America”, apparently.
Perfect for: Albertans in Westphalias who come for a weekend and stay the whole season.
Kimberley
Runs: 80
Lifts: 5 (3 chairlifts, 2 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 729 ha
Vertical drop: 751 m
Average annual snowfall: 400 cm
Cost of day pass: $72.95
Best place for après-ski: Stemwinder Bar and Grill
Don’t miss: All four mountain faces, each with their own distinct personality.
Perfect for: Roughnecks coming off a hitch, flying in from Calgary.
Red Mountain
Runs: 110
Lifts: 7 (5 chairlifts, 2 service lifts)
Skiable area: 1,165 ha
Vertical drop: 890 m
Average annual snowfall: 760 cm
Cost of day pass: $84
Best place for après-ski: The Flying Steamshovel
Don’t miss: Come back in the summer; Rossland is known as the Mountain Bike Capital of Canada.
Perfect for: Americans looking for a Canadian ski holiday, but who don’t want to venture more than 15km north of the border.
Whitewater
Runs: 81
Lifts: 4 (3 chairlifts, 1 surface lift)
Skiable area: 479 ha
Vertical drop: 623 m
Average annual snowfall: 1,200 cm
Cost of day pass: $71
Best place for après-ski: Mike’s Place Pub at the Hume Hotel
Don’t miss: Fresh Tracks Café offers some of the best on-mountain food in the province.
Perfect for: Powder junkies looking for empty runs and a rustic feel.
The Rockies
Kicking Horse
Runs: 120+
Lifts: 5 (1 gondola, 3 chairlifts, 1 surface lift)
Skiable area: 1,130 ha
Vertical drop: 1,260 m
Average annual snowfall: 750 cm
Cost of day pass: $90
Best place for après-ski: Kicking Horse Saloon
Don’t miss: The scenery, not that you could. Golden is surrounded by six national parks.
Perfect for: Experienced skiers/snowboarders looking for dry champagne powder.
Panorama
Runs: 120
Lifts: 10 (1 Gondola, 6 chairlifts, 3 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 1,150 ha
Vertical drop: 1,225 m
Average annual snowfall: 500 cm
Cost of day pass: $88
Best place for après-ski: T-Bar & Grill
Don’t miss: Go for a soak in the Panorama Springs, Canada’s largest slopeside hot pools.
Perfect for: Families looking for a good all-round mountain.
Revelstoke
Runs: 65
Lifts: 5 (1 gondola, 2 chairlifts, 2 surface lifts)
Skiable area: 1,300 ha
Vertical drop: 1,713
Average annual snowfall: 1,200 cm
Cost of day pass: $86
Best place for après-ski: The Village Idiot
Don’t miss: If you’ve won the lottery, the back-country heli-skiing is second to none.
Perfect for: Peak-to-base runs that last all day (the longest is 15.2 km long!).
