Big White wins 'Family Ski Resort of the Year'

It’s official: more readers with kids nominated Big White as their preferred international ski choice than anywhere else this year so they get Snow Action’s People’s Choice gong as Family Ski Resort of the Year.
But there are plenty more reasons to check out Big White, with or without kids, as Bronwen Gora reports.

The aptly named Canadian ski resort Big White has always been perceived as more a family resort, a little quieter than its bigger cousins Whistler Blackcomb and Lake Louise, but trading off its excellent snow, friendly runs and easy-to-navigate village. The last few years though there have been a few tweaks to the mix. Smart bistros have popped up, inspired cuisine is sneaking onto menus, there are top chefs in kitchens and more plush, upscale accommodation.
Big White is successfully transitioning from being not only a family friendly resort (rated #1 in that regard by Snow Action readers again this year), but also a full-blown international destination.
There is nothing quiet, for instance, about the Big Reds wine tasting event held in early December and which now helps kick off every new season in Big White. A spectacular display of the Okanagan’s top red wines from more than 30 wineries plus tasty nibbles from the resort’s best restaurants make for a spectacular couple of nights, and more than a few sore heads the next day. (And it is a perfect drawcard event for wine-loving Aussies who want to take advantage of low early-season holiday prices). The resort even added a 20m high ice climbing tower to the traditional ski resort activity mix of snow-shoeing and sleigh rides a few years ago, just to keep the edge on competitors by offering just that little bit extra than everyone else.

The reason so many Australians have always loved this place however is still there: Big White’s enormous ski field, which comes in at 3052 hectares covered in 118 runs, is one of the largest in the country after Whistler Blackcomb. It also receives more than seven metres of snow a year, and when it’s not snowing the runs offer gorgeous views across the Monashee Mountain range. Plus it is the largest ski-in ski-out resort in Canada – and we know how much Australians love that – and for families there is something on almost every day to delight the kids from the Saturday night fireworks to bonfires by the skating rink.
While the skiing may not be as challenging as Whistler – only 6 per cent is tagged extreme – it is still tricky enough in the upper reaches, and there are some incredibly long, consistently steep runs that seem to go forever.
More than half the resort is ranked intermediate and it is super popular with boarders and skiers who like beautifully groomed, consistently long runs. Big White also has excelled itself in glading, chopping out just enough trees to create perfect powdery pockets that can really get the legs and lungs burning.
Beginners and families are well catered for both on the slopes and in the colourful village. The central plaza area is so well designed that it is virtually impossible to get lost, and possible to find virtually everything you need, from a coffee to a beanie to your ski instructor. Plus it’s renowned for being cold here – so cold that squeaky dry snow is virtually guaranteed as well as big dumps of powder. And when that happens a lot of these runs can feel exactly like heli ski runs (if you get onto them early enough).
This is especially true of the Gem Lake Express side of Big White. Snow Action visited so early in the 2013 season that we were granted the privilege of joining the resort photographer and a ski guide to hit a few of Gem Lake’s longest runs, untracked and in fresh powder, the day before that side of the mountain was to open. Having the runs all to ourselves, with only a ski patroller or two in sight, was just like helicopter skiing with the added benefit of doing so on a perfectly smooth run covered in boot top powder. Bliss.

Highly recommended in Big White
The Kettle Valley Steakhouse: Why? Because the menu brims with the best produce Canada has to offer, from the trinity of wild Canadian fish on the list of appetizers (sockeye salmon gravlax, steelhead tartar and pacific sablefish brandade) to the chef’s selection of wild local game and Canadian aged beef.
The Woods: A chic bistro, warm wood interior, cosy bar and excellent fresh meals such as Canada’s fresh water fish, steelhead, pan roasted with sun-dried tomato quinoa salad or artisan cheeses and cured meats and gourmet pizzas. Not to mention local wines.
Experiencing a Gunbarrel Coffee: Only in Big White can you have your liqueur coffee prepared using a huge shotgun (unloaded, of course). This involves adding brandy and crème de cacao to Kootenay coffee with whipped cream and then pouring flamed Grand Marnier into the glass down the barrel of the gun. Eyecatching and dramatic, and the end product also tastes fabulous.
Best coffee: There is often a morning queue at Beano’s Coffee Parlour in the Village Centre Mall. The chocolate brownies also pack a punch.
Best breakfast: Sante Bar & Grille – without a doubt. Here is where you will find those traditional North American-sized meals that taste superb but are a challenge to finish. In addition to the usual French toast and fluffy pancakes stacks Sante offers six different styles of Eggs Benedict including one with lobster. Go crazy – then go ski it off.
Booking early: Holiday packages are extraordinarily good value early season, plus it offers you the opportunity to partake in the Big Reds event, a must for any Australian who loves good wine. Big Reds sees more than 30 wineries set up alongside some of the resort’s finest restaurateurs for a wine and food tasting event that is now one of the liveliest social occasions on Big White’s calendar. If ever there was a place to take a crash course in Canadian wine, especially red, it’s at Big Reds. There are a few white wines in play – and there is a Big Whites event later in the season – but on this occasion guests are mostly plied with pinot noir and meritage, the North American term for the Bordeaux-style blend that requires the combination of two or more of the five traditional Bordeaux reds.
It pays to watch what you drink because this is one place in the world where you certainly do not want to risk twisting an ankle on the way back to the condominium. Tickets are about $CD60 for one night, $CD100 for two.
To Stay: If you want a lovely place to call home in Big White it is hard to go past the Stonebridge Lodge’s spacious condominiums which come with hot tubs on the balconies, huge plush leather lounges and enormous kitchens – and are also located metres from the slopes and village.

getting there Air Canada one stop to Kelowna only 45 mins away; also to Kelowna
from LA, Seattle, Calgary, Toronto, Whitehorse; www.aircanada.com
resort www.bigwhite.com tourist info www.britishcolumbia.travel
packages www.travelplan.com.au www.snowcapped.com.au
www.divefishsnowholidays.com.au www.mogulski.com.au