What’s So Great About British Columbia’s Skiing?

When the snow flies north of the 49th, many tourists flee for warmer climates. However those who travel Canada when the mercury dips below the tan line can reap large rewards, nowhere bigger than in British Columbia for skiers and boarders.

From the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the knee-deep powder of the Kootenay Range, B.C. knows the way to make one of the most out of winter.

There are 13 world-class ski resorts and nearly two dozen smaller ski areas within the western-most province, such as Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden inside the Rockies, Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island, Red Mountain near Rossland within the Kootenays and Powder King in the north near Mackenzie.

The province is the world leader in heli- and cat-skiing, with 20 such operations peppered throughout the 10 mountain ranges that cleave B.C., taking skiers and snowboarders into the backcountry for pristine wilderness experiences.

Sun Peaks, located about 400 kilometres northeast of Vancouver near Kamloops, B.C., was named second best ski resort in Canada in a 2010 Conde Nast Traveler reader poll, based on Tourism B.C.

What’s so good about it? According to Ski Canada Magazine’s Best of Skiing Awards 2012, a lot.

The list, published in this month’s edition, gives B.C. 13 of the top 19 places in Canada with the best snow, such as the latest addition to the province’s ski scene: the Hudson Bay Mountain resort near Smithers, 1,200 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The yearly poll of Ski Canada readers names Fernie, Rossland, Nelson, Whistler and Revelstoke among the very best ski towns in Canada to reside. There really is something for anyone. From the sunshine of the Okanagan and the “powder highway” of the Kootenays to the enormous snow of the Rockies and the coast, skiers come to B.C. and “wake up in paradise.”

They can combine skiing at a combination of resorts in many locations and add heli- or cat-skiing to the mix, which is viewed as the very best within the world.

Best destination to get high, based on Ski Canada? The Bounce Acrobatic Academy in Whistler, where athletes can train and the everyone else can just have a great time.

Best chance to sip and spit? A lift ticket-wine tour combo package presented by Distinctly Kelowna Tours, which includes a two-day lift ticket for Big White and a wine tour including some of the most spectacular Whistler realestate.

Best undiscovered ski party? The Gathering, at Red Mountain on March 23-24, where mountain culture is celebrated in film and photographs, as well as on the slopes.

Ski Canada readers cite the Scandinave Spa in Whistler, with its no-talking rule, as the very best destination to relax and they suggest the $1 tacos available after 6 p.m. at Merlin’s at the base of Blackcomb.

Which B.C. bars make the list? Spirit Bar, Mike’s Place and BiBO, in Nelson; Griz Bar, Fernie; Johnnie Canucks, Big White; Garibaldi Lift Co., Whistler; Gunbarrel Saloon, Apex, and Long John’s, Silver Star.

The most heart-thumping run? The Dave Murray Downhill in the morning on Whistler Mountain.

Fernie Alpine Resort, located 60 kilometres from the Alberta boundary in the B.C. Rockies, Apex Mountain Resort, near Penticton inside the Okanagan, and Sun Peaks near Kamloops, all turn 50 this season.

However a ski getaway is not simply about the slopes and resorts have a growing list of events and activities to captivate visitors.

At Big White, inside the Monashee Mountains near Kelowna, there is a massive ice-climbing tower to test your mettle or a Hockey 101 package, where rink rookies can learn a number of moves on the ice and take in a game along with their lift tickets and hotel.

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