Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
Feature
8 min

Six Reasons Why You Should Ski B.C.

A Powderhounds Dream
Words by
Leslie Anthony
Photos by
Mattias Fredriksson
October 14, 2024

Perhaps best known for maple syrup, hockey, and big trees, Canada is also a dream destination for anyone who loves powder skiing. British Columbia is the most western province, and it’s an enormous, strikingly mountainous place.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

Chad Sayers on a glorious day in the Shames backcountry near Terrace.

Read more

Chad Sayers on a glorious day in the Shames backcountry near Terrace.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

Izzy Lynch drops in at Mica Heli, one of the province’s premiere heli-skiing locations.

Read more

Izzy Lynch drops in at Mica Heli, one of the province’s premiere heli-skiing locations.

Read more

To arrive by road at its geographical centre requires a 10-hour drive from Vancouver across several mountain ranges and climatic zones. More telling, if you dropped B.C. over the western U.S., it would cover most of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The scope of ski experiences represented by those states gives you an idea of the diversity of B.C.’s ski offerings, which share only two things: plenty of snow and plenty of space. The former makes skiing in British Columbia Instagram-worthy, but the latter defines it. With close to 90 smaller ski resorts, there is endless room for skiers to spread out, explore and get lost without being lost at all. Though B.C.’s calling card has always been deep powder — the world capital of both mechanized and non-mechanized backcountry skiing and Canada’s center for avalanche study are both in this province — it also hosts a myriad of ski towns that blend both mountain and regional cultures with a litany of winter activities to rival, well — anywhere.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/3
1/3

Blanket Glacier Chalet in the Monashee Mountains, near Revelstoke, gets 60 feet of snow every winter. You better have a functional snow blower with that much snow!

Read more

Blanket Glacier Chalet in the Monashee Mountains, near Revelstoke, gets 60 feet of snow every winter. You better have a functional snow blower with that much snow!

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
2/3
2/3

With more than 40 feet of annual snowfall, Shames Mountain near Terrace in British Columbia’s northwest is a powder hole to put on your list.

Read more

With more than 40 feet of annual snowfall, Shames Mountain near Terrace in British Columbia’s northwest is a powder hole to put on your list.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
3/3
3/3

Crisscrossing between old-growth cedar trees in deep powder in the central Coast Range of B.C. Chad Sayers was photographed in a weightless moment between two turns.

Read more

Crisscrossing between old-growth cedar trees in deep powder in the central Coast Range of B.C. Chad Sayers was photographed in a weightless moment between two turns.

Read more

1. Snow Job

With the stormy, moisture-laden Pacific raging against a 932-mile (1,500-kilometre) coastline, ten major mountain ranges and at least double the number of smaller sub-ranges, there’s a comprehensive continuum of snowfall amounts and types across the province. Annual snowfall amounts range from 20 to 50 feet, depending on the year and where you are. But 50 feet of light, fluffy powder in the landlocked Selkirks is very different than 50 feet of denser snow on the Coast. Mountains, with the former more susceptible to early-season avalanche cycles. Still, with varying freezing levels, coastal resorts like Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island and Whistler in the Lower Mainland will, throughout the season, experience everything from snow as heavy as elephant snot to powder made of fairy dust.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/3
1/3

Leah Evans finds the flow in the perfectly spaced trees at Mica Heli.

Read more

Leah Evans finds the flow in the perfectly spaced trees at Mica Heli.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
2/3
2/3

Austin Ross bounces between pillows in the Whistler backcountry.

Read more

Austin Ross bounces between pillows in the Whistler backcountry.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
3/3
3/3

Skier Leah Evans and snowboarder Marie France-Roy share a hallway in the Shames backcountry.

Read more

Skier Leah Evans and snowboarder Marie France-Roy share a hallway in the Shames backcountry.

Read more

2. Trees, Please

Most of the movie-quality powder associated with B.C. comes liberally dotted with mountain spruce, fir and hemlock, a trio of evolutionarily adapted “snow trees” that hold onto the moisture and drip it to their roots. Whether giants or dwarfs, encased as snow-ghost spires or merely topped with massive snow-bombs that crash down without warning on sunny days (a bona fide hazard), these snowy sentinels bring solace and sanctuary to the winter landscape — the best place to ski in storms. Legendary stands that descend hundreds of vertical feet may be found at two dozen heli- and cat-skiing operations. Still, trademark B.C. glades exist everywhere, from Shames Mountain in the northwest to Revelstoke Mountain Resort in the Interior to the southern coastal colossus of Whistler Blackcomb. Big trees mean big tree wells (the hazardous, melted-out spaces around their trunks), so always ski within easy shouting distance with a friend.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/3
1/3

We have raved about the Blanket Glacier Chalet here on INTERSTELLAR before, and here we go again: put this epic place on your bucket list!

Read more

We have raved about the Blanket Glacier Chalet here on INTERSTELLAR before, and here we go again: put this epic place on your bucket list!

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
2/3
2/3

Chad Sayers discovered Shames Mountain in Terrace almost fifteen years ago: it’s time for you to make the trip.

Read more

Chad Sayers discovered Shames Mountain in Terrace almost fifteen years ago: it’s time for you to make the trip.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
3/3
3/3

If you still need to convince, look at the backdrop of the T-bar at Shames Mountain. Now, book your trip!

Read more

If you still need to convince, look at the backdrop of the T-bar at Shames Mountain. Now, book your trip!

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

The road to Whitewater near Nelson. For many, this is the road to paradise.

Read more

The road to Whitewater near Nelson. For many, this is the road to paradise.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

That was indeed a SICK DAY at Whitewater.

Read more

That was indeed a SICK DAY at Whitewater.

Read more

3. Hidden Treasures

With its diversity, skiing in British Columbia instills a sense of discovery and exploration into the quotidian rhythms of people’s lives. Space may be the final frontier, but British Columbians are adventurers by design, and it’s a frontier they’re happy to share. Visitors can thank resource extraction for the many ski hills built as necessary distractions for those populating mining, logging and railroad towns. Many still retain that community vibe — whether far-flung northern outposts like Powder King near Prince George, Smither’s Hudson Bay Mountain or Shames Mountain in Terrace. The same goes for Vancouver’s unheralded North Shore troika of Cypress Bowl, Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour, and the famous “Powder Highway,” which loops through the province’s southeast corner, including Fernie and Nelson. The last of the three is a serious undertaking as you follow a 620-mile asphalt belt linking countless funky, big-personality ski towns, each with its unique look, feel, customs and cuisine, topped off by world-class powder skiing both inside and outside resorts — a draw for ski bums who call this place home and an array of options for visitors.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

Cody Townsend skiing in full force at Northern Escape Heli, a heli-ski operation in Terrace.

Read more

Cody Townsend skiing in full force at Northern Escape Heli, a heli-ski operation in Terrace.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

Off to another powder run at Northern Escape Heli, which has been voted the World’s Best Heli Skiing Operation in the last few years.

Read more

Off to another powder run at Northern Escape Heli, which has been voted the World’s Best Heli Skiing Operation in the last few years.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

Cat skiing was pioneered in 1975 at Selkirk Snowcat Skiing above Meadow Creek, not far from Nelson.

Read more

Cat skiing was pioneered in 1975 at Selkirk Snowcat Skiing above Meadow Creek, not far from Nelson.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/1
1/1

More than 30 backcountry lodges are scattered throughout B.C. many focus on ski touring experiences like this.

Read more

More than 30 backcountry lodges are scattered throughout B.C. many focus on ski touring experiences like this.

Read more

4. Backcountry Bonanza

Home to some of North America’s most dramatic and remote mountains, from the summit of any resort in British Columbia, you can look over a sea of peaks and glaciers stretching to the horizon and virtually devoid of people. What’s out there? Unlike many ski areas in the western U.S., it’s surprisingly easy to find out, with backcountry access wide open from most ski areas. Of course, you’ll want to check local avalanche conditions, leave an itinerary with someone, and use any available beacon-check access gates. Hiring a local guide is also a good idea, and if you’re going that route, why not check out one of 30 commercial backcountry lodges ranging from the basic to the most luxurious — not to mention a world-leading cat- and heli-ski industry offering everything from heli-drop ski-touring to day- or week-long packages to boat-based adventures in the coast mountains with unnamed, yet-to-be-skied peaks.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/3
1/3

Off the beaten path, near Smithers, Hankin-Evelyn is a purpose-built backcountry touring area with some of the nicest warming huts you have ever seen.

Read more

Off the beaten path, near Smithers, Hankin-Evelyn is a purpose-built backcountry touring area with some of the nicest warming huts you have ever seen.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
2/3
2/3

Besides the ski lifts, the crowds, the groomed runs and the coffee shops, Hankin-Evelyn is like your regular ski destination. No, not really, but they do have an avalanche

Read more

Besides the ski lifts, the crowds, the groomed runs and the coffee shops, Hankin-Evelyn is like your regular ski destination. No, not really, but they do have an avalanche

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
3/3
3/3

The architectural masterpiece that is the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is astonishing. Travel to Whistler, ski both mountains and ride the gondola. It’s cool.

Read more

The architectural masterpiece that is the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is astonishing. Travel to Whistler, ski both mountains and ride the gondola. It’s cool.

Read more

5. Weird and Wonderful

Naturally, you’ll find a glut of standard B.C. winter activities, including dogsledding, horsedrawn sleigh rides, fat biking, ice fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and thousands of miles of cross-country skiing. Still, B.C. also features the unique, from ice-skating a mile-long forest loop at Apex Mountain to the most Canadian thing ever — playing hockey on a frozen pond. Or how about riding Whistler’s engineering marvel, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, to RED
Mountain Resort’s inbounds $10/ride cat-skiing? Or try the Hankin-Evelyn purpose-built backcountry touring area in Smithers and Troll Mountain’s Everest Challenge for 24 hours spent trying to log the same vertical as the Himalayan giant.

Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
1/3
1/3

A road trip on the Powder Highway is a great way to travel between some of the most extraordinary ski areas in B.C.

Read more

A road trip on the Powder Highway is a great way to travel between some of the most extraordinary ski areas in B.C.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
2/3
2/3

The ultimate way to explore B.C. could be to road trip in a motorhome.

Read more

The ultimate way to explore B.C. could be to road trip in a motorhome.

Read more
Stellar Equipment Stellar Equipment
3/3
3/3

Perhaps not all, but many roads lead to Revelstoke. Austin Ross knows the way.

Read more

Perhaps not all, but many roads lead to Revelstoke. Austin Ross knows the way.

Read more

6. Getting Around

If you’re expecting trains or buses to help access B.C.’s ski resorts, you’re either from Europe, dreaming in technicolour or fondly remembering the ’90s. Resort-to-resort travel here requires a reliable vehicle, serious snow-driving skills and a healthy respect for logging trucks. If you’d rather someone else take on the stress of winter driving, jump into one of many mountain-to-mountain ski safaris operated by tour companies. If you’re flying into a central airport hub to ski a single resort, choose the shuttle option instead of going toe-to-toe with the weather and car rental cost. The only resort serviced at Vancouver airport is Whistler, while various resorts in the interior have shuttle service out of Kelowna, Kamloops and even Calgary, Alberta. Smaller airports in some interior towns have air links to Vancouver with 60–90 minutes of flying time, but the service can be highly weather-sensitive.

Stellar Equipment
Leslie Anthony is a writer and editor who knows a thing or two about snow. Longtime Creative Director of SKIER, former Managing Editor of POWDER, and author of the book White Planet: A Mad Dash Through Modern Global Ski Culture, the resident of Whistler, British Columbia, continues to appear regularly on the masthead of the world’s top ski magazines. His favorite activity? Skiing powder, of course.
Six Reasons Why You Should Ski B.C.
You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.