Die-hards hit the slopes for Big White’s opening day

Big White Ski Resort officially opened this morning with three lifts operating, giving access to 12 runs.

The mountain opened with a 77 cm alpine snow base, and 116 cm of total cumulative snowfall.

It’s the resort’s earliest opening day since 2015.

“All of that snow in early November was a huge help, but I think a massive congratulations is in order for our on-mountain team who, under a tighter deadline than they were expecting, have the resort in tip-top shape for opening,” said Michael J. Ballingall, senior vice president, Big White Ski Resort Ltd.

Skiers and snowboarders took advantage of discounted lift tickets at 50 per cent off when purchased online for opening day. Lift tickets will continue to be discounted at that rate until a second quad chair begins spinning – but, tickets will remain 25 percent off all season long when purchased online and at least two days in advance.

For four years in a row now, local snowboarder Donovan Cantu has endured the cold and snow to camp out at the Ridge Rocket Express Chair and ensure he is on the first chair of the season.

“This is my fifth season on a ski hill altogether, so it was my second season that I wanted to get my first chair experience and it’s just become a ritual,” said Cantu. He stayed warm sleeping overnight by keeping 10 hand warmers in his sleeping bag, but admitted sleeping on the snow was pretty uncomfortable.

The best part about snagging first chair? ”Being one of the first paying customers who have touched the mountain,” he remarked.

After a couple of years operating amidst a pandemic, Big White is excited to see the return of more events, festivals and services this season, including: night skiing, opening date TBD; Big Reds at Big White Wine Festival; weekly scheduled events such as Tuesday Bingo, Friday Moose Tube Time, and Saturday Kids’ Carnival; and Ski School programs such as Ladies Day, Masters’ Monday and Masters’ Week.

The food and beverage scene at Big White has also seen many shifts for the upcoming season, including a new executive chef for resort-owned restaurants, the resurgence of 6 Degrees Bistro, a change in ownership for Snowshoe Sam’s and Globe Cafe, and more. Read all about it, here.

Visitors to Big White will notice a few changes around the resort, including paving into the Happy Valley parking lot, a new exterior paint job on the Village Centre Mall, and the installation of thousands of more lights.

Find out all that’s new at Big White this season, here.