Despite its warm and rainy climate, Vancouver is considered a city of winter fun. In 2010, the Winter Olympics were held here. And Canada’s two biggest ski resorts, Whistler BlackComb (consistently among the top resorts in the world) and Sun Peaks, are only a few hours away!
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced athlete, a freeride enthusiast or a fan of quiet wide slopes, Vancouver has a trail for everyone. Especially since there’s a lot to choose from!
Whistler Blackcomb
Canada’s largest ski resort – Whistler Blackcomb is less than two hours drive from Vancouver. There are 200 kilometers of marked tracks on its vast territory, and about two dozen elevators, including the famous Peak-to-Peak gondola, which moves from one mountain top to another, covering four kilometers in just 11 minutes. It’s the longest unsupported elevator in the world!
An incredible number of hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and pubs are open in Whistler Village. The nightlife is boiling and bustling. There’s an ice rink, a movie theater, spa pools, and even a couple of museums. Vallea Lumina tour will be interesting to the fans of fairytalish illuminated winter walks.
- Season: late November – early May
- Trails: 200 km total with 40 km (20%) – easy; 110 km (55%) – medium; 50 km (25%) – hard.
- Vertical drop : 1609 meters (from 675m to 2284m)
- Annual snowfall average: 11.63 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: about 120 km – 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Official website: www.whistlerblackcomb.com
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is an ideal option for those who do not want to spend a lot of time on the road to the snowy peak. Just 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, a quick gondola ride, and 33 kilometers of trails are right at your feet! Most of them are designed for more experienced athletes, but there is also an area for beginners.
The views of Vancouver from the mountain are spectacular and the 15 trails are functioning and lit up until nightfall!
There are city buses to the gondola, at the parking lot and at the top there are several cafes, tubing, snowshoeing, equipment rentals.
- Season: end of November – beginning of April
- Trails: 33 kilometers total length including 5.2km (16%) – easy; 14.4km (43%) – medium; 13.4km (41%) – hard
- Ascent : 400 meters (from 850m to 1250m)
- Annual snowfall average: 9.7 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: about 13 km – 15 minutes.
- Official website: www.grousemountain.com
Cypress Mountain
Just beyond Grouse, Cypress Mountain rises above West Vancouver. Its vertical rise is more than 600 meters! Not surprisingly, the freestyle and snowboarding competitions at the 2010 Olympics were held here.
More than 50 km of downhill trails is open for skiing, some are available for night skiing. Also Cypress Mountain offers as much as 19 miles of cross-country ski trails, snowshoeing, snow tubing, food, panoramas and a shuttle from Downtown (info here)
- Season: end of November – beginning of April
- Trails: 51 km total length including 6.6 km (13%) – easy; 22 km (43%) – medium; 22.4 km (44%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 616 meters (from 824m to 1,440m)
- Annual snowfall average: 6.2 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: about 28 km – 30 minutes
- Official website: www.cypressmountain.com
Mount Seymour
Mount Seymour is located to the right of Grouse Mountain, 40 minutes drive from downtown Vancouver. Despite the fact that this is a fairly small ski area – only 23 kilometers of trails, the resort is popular with youth and freestylers. Half of the slopes are illuminated in the evening, there are tracks for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing. It’s easy to get to by public transportation.
The Mt Seymour ski area has been owned by the Wood family since 1984.
- Season: end of November – beginning of April
- Trails: 23 km total with 9 km (39%) – easy; 9 km (39%) – medium; 5 km (22%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 330 meters (from 935m to 1265m)
- Annual snowfall average: 10 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: about 24 km – 40 minutes
- Official website: www.mtseymour.ca
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Sasquatch Mountain
Sasquatch Mountain Resort is a small ski resort near Harrison Lake. There’s a huge snowfall amount per season, averaging about 9,65 m. Compared to other resorts close to Vancouver, Sasquatch Mountain has fairly attractive prices, few people, and great trails for beginners. There is also a tubing park, snowshoeing and a cafe.
There are many houses and rooms for rent available.
- Season: mid-December – end of March
- Trails: 10 km total with 2 km (20%) – easy; 6 km (60%) – medium; 2 km (20%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 397 meters (from 975m to 1372m)
- Annual snowfall average: 9.65 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: about 130 km – 2 hours
- Official website: www.sasquatchmountain.ca
Big White
Big White is located near Kelowna. It’s Canada’s largest ski-in/ski-out resort, where you can ski right off the slopes to the hotel doorstep, do some snowshoeing, pirouette on ice skates, climb an ice tower and rush around on a dog sled.
There are 16 elevators on the territory, and 119 slopes are open for skiing. The village has restaurants, bars, discos. Various family events are held all the time.
Not so long ago the popular British newspaper The Telegraph included Big White in its list of the best ski-in/ski-out resorts in the world.
READ MORE: Kelowna: Why I’m definitely going back there
- Season: end of November – beginning of April
- Trails: 105 km total with 18.9 km (18%) – easy; 56.7 km (54%) – medium; 29.4 km (28%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 777 meters (from 1508m to 2285m)
- Annual snowfall average: 7.5 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: 451 km – 5 hours
- Official website: www.bigwhite.com
Manning Park
Manning Park is a ski resort near Hope, about a 3-hour drive from Vancouver. It is famous for its dry snow and a variety of winter sports: classic cross country, snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding, tubing, ice skating, and an incredible, star-spangled sky!
It’s relatively small with just about 25 kilometers of trails.
- Season: December – March
- Trails: 25 km total with 7 km (28%) – easy; 10 km (40%) – medium; 8 km (32%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 437 meters (from 1353m to 1790m)
- Annual snowfall average: 7.43 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: 230 km – 3 hours
- Official website: www.manningpark.com
Sun Peaks
Sun Peaks is Canada’s second largest ski resort (after Whistler). 135 kilometers of trails of all levels of complexity pass through the slopes of the three mountains. The village they surround is built in the European style: with restaurants, cafes, galleries, hotels and entertainment.
National Geographic magazine ranks Sun Peaks as one of the top winter trips in 2019
- Season: late November to early April
- Trails: 135 km total with 13.5 km (10%) – easy; 78 km (58%) – medium; 43.5 km (32%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 884 meters (from 1198m to 2082m)
- Annual snowfall average: 6 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: 400 km – 4 hours
- Official website: www.sunpeaksresort.com
Mt. Washington
Mount Washington is located on Vancouver Island. Its summit offers spectacular panoramas of the Pacific Ocean and picturesque Strathcona Park.
On average, there are up to 11 meters of snowfall, about 60 kilometers of marked trails and almost no people!
If you’re going to the Island, be sure to check out Tofino and Victoria.
READ MORE:
- Tofino: Top things to do in the Canadian surf capital
- Weekend in Victoria: What to See, Where to Eat, How to Get There (2022)
- Season: December to early April
- Trails: 60 km total with 12 km (20%) – easy; 21 km (35%) – medium; 27 km (45%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 505 meters (from 1083m to 1588m)
- Annual snowfall average: up to 11 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: 200 km – 4 hours (including ferry crossing)
- Official website: www.mountwashington.ca
Mt Baker
Technically, Mount Baker is in the United States, but quite a lot experienced skiers from Vancouver go here to ski. Baker is all about avalanches, extreme descents, terrain and unpretentious atmosphere. There are no luxury hotels or cell service on the slopes.
In 1988-89, the Baker ski area received an incredible 29 meters of snow during the season! On average, the snowfall amount here is over 16 meters per year and unofficially Baker is considered almost the most snowy resort in the world.
Since 1985, Mt. Baker holds the Legendary Banked Slalom (LBS) snowboarding competition every year.
- Season: November to early May
- Trails: 100 km total with 24 km (24%) – easy; 45 km (45%) – medium; 31 km (31%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 455 meters (from 1070m to 1525m)
- Annual snowfall amount: more than 16 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: 140 km – 2 hours (+ customs)
- Official website: www.mtbaker.us
Silverstar
Silverstar has been first opened in the northern Okanagan back in 1958 – it is one of Canada’s oldest ski resorts. It includes four slopes with 132 trails of various complexity. The “front side” of the mountain is for beginners. The flip side is a paradise for advanced athletes and freeriders.
The colorful tiny village has restaurants, cafes, stores, hotels, and an excellent ski school. There are significantly fewer people compared to Sun Peaks or Whistler. Silverstar is ideal for a family vacation.
- Season: end of November – beginning of April
- Trails: 115 km total with 20 km (17%) – easy; 50 km (44%) – medium; 45 km (39%) – hard.
- Vertical drop: 760 meters (from 1155m to 1915m)
- Annual snowfall average: 7 meters
- Distance from downtown Vancouver: 480 km – just over 5 hours
- Official website: www.skisilverstar.com
So what about you? Have you got your skis/snowboards ready? What resort are you going to? Welcome to the comment section!
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