What’s your favorite B.C. ski resort? (And paradise missed at Whistler)

At B.C.’s Big White ski area, there’s wide-open terrain and (usually) good snow. (Photo by Kristin Jackson / Seattle Times.)

Long, long ago my dad had the chance to be one of the early investors in what is now Whistler, the mega ski resort in British Columbia. Back then, in the early 1960s, there was nothing there except dankly forested mountains and bears rooting in a garbage dump (near where dozens of luxurious hotels in Whistler Village now stand). To get there from Vancouver, in the two-tone family station wagon, had taken hours since the last couple of dozen miles of road was a bumpy, unpaved grind through the woods.

This will never amount to anything, my dad proclaimed, looking around at what’s now the village and the world-class Whistler and Blackcomb ski mountains. Oops.

So now when I go to Whistler to ski I just enjoy myself and try not to dwell on what could have been ours. But at least, since there’s no family property (or money) in Whistler, it’s prompted me to venture out to a lot of other B.C. ski areas.

Here are some of my favorites. If I had to pick one, it would be Whistler-Blackcomb for its terrain and amenities. What’s your favorite B.C. ski area? And if it’s not listed here, add your favorite in the comments section.

Comments | More in Northwest | Topics: B.C. ski resorts, skiing, Whistler

Connect with us

Subscribe |

Email a news tip

About Us

Kristin Jackson, travel editor at The Seattle Times, grew up in Italy, went to university in Britain, and worked as a journalist in London and Vancouver, B.C., before migrating back to Seattle where she’s happy at her desk but way happier on the road.

Brian J. Cantwell, Outdoors editor at The Seattle Times, is a Seattle native who chose not to leave -- except for every chance he gets to go someplace interesting or adventurous. He lives on his sailboat at Shilshole Bay Marina.