 Poster: A snowHead
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| i think we are pretty much settled on Big White - looking at the Woodcutter Cabins - anyone know them? |
Yeah, they're just below our apartment building. A bit basic by BW standards and not the best ski-in / out. But should be fine.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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uktrailmonster, Oh really? not keen on a bit basic. I just liked the idea of a separate cabin rather than an apartment. The Bullet Creek cabins said there was a steep 5 - 8 minute walk up a hill, (which I suppose depends on where the cabin is located) so I didn't fancy that.
In the interests of balance (but I am looking at your place), where would give good quality with good ski in ski out?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
uktrailmonster, Oh really? not keen on a bit basic. I just liked the idea of a separate cabin rather than an apartment. The Bullet Creek cabins said there was a steep 5 - 8 minute walk up a hill, (which I suppose depends on where the cabin is located) so I didn't fancy that.
In the interests of balance (but I am looking at your place), where would give good quality with good ski in ski out? |
Our place is very good honestly. We wouldn't have bought it otherwise. Being picky it doesn't have the very best ski-in and out in BW (but still very good by any standards, especially in NA). But it makes up for it in luxury and size. It makes a nice change from a relatively cramped hotel room.
There are lots of alternatives though. Of the apartments Timbers is really nice and very well located near the village Gondola. We stayed there once and really liked it. Can be pricey though. Aspens is also very nice and very well located on the slopes, but quite a way from the village centre. Some friends of ours own an apartment there so we know it well. Of the hotels, Crystal Inn is probably the nicest hotel right in the village centre, but we've never stayed there ourselves. The other village hotel "Inn at BW" is nothing special. We have stayed there and thought it was a bit bland and basic.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
uktrailmonster, Oh really? not keen on a bit basic. I just liked the idea of a separate cabin rather than an apartment. The Bullet Creek cabins said there was a steep 5 - 8 minute walk up a hill, (which I suppose depends on where the cabin is located) so I didn't fancy that.
In the interests of balance (but I am looking at your place), where would give good quality with good ski in ski out? |
Oops sorry!! I was thinking of the Trailside cabins when I said basic. I've no idea what the Woodcutter cabins are like. They look very nice actually. We overlook them too from our bedroom window.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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uktrailmonster, Thanks, I think I'm going to have a good weekend planning & pricing 
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in terms of nightlife where does big white sit in comparison to the other resorts in canada? whistler is obviously being the most lively from what ive heard and ive been to fernie which really only has one bar in the ski area so is pretty much dead at night. is big white like fernie or a bit of an inbetween?
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| colors wrote: |
| in terms of nightlife where does big white sit in comparison to the other resorts in canada? whistler is obviously being the most lively from what ive heard and ive been to fernie which really only has one bar in the ski area so is pretty much dead at night. is big white like fernie or a bit of an inbetween? |
It's very quiet by Whistler standards, but then so are the slopes  But there are a couple of excellent lively bars and a good selection of casual places to eat. It's certainly not a dead village, but has more of a local family feel to it than Whistler. It's a good place to chill out, lots of coffee shops, outdoor ice-rink, friendly bars etc. We look forward to spending time there to get away from it all.
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see i loved fernie thought it was a cracking hill and lovely and laid back but the one thing it lacks is one decnt bar at night. im not one for massive night clubs etc but like to go to a nice bar and have a drink or two. big white sounds like it ticks all the boxes. have a bit of a feeling within 3-4yrs this place is going to explode once people catch on about it and the mass market will then swarm all over it. have to get there before that happens i think
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I think there'll probably be more people there once the runway at Kelowna is lengthened to accommodate transatlantic flights from Europe - meant to be in time for the 08/09 season. I can't see swarms going there though. The skiing is nice, quite a bit of variety but not really much steep & deep and not extensive. It markets itself heavily as a family resort, and does provide a lot of facilities for families (thankfully, they have their own little centre down at the bottom of the village gondola - well away from the main centre  )
If you're after good nightlife BW isn't for you although, as uktrailmonster says, there are a few nice bars, restaurants and some cheaper places to eat as well.
Be aware, it is nicknamed Big Whiteout, from the whiteouts that can cover the place. But there's some nice tree skiing to be had then in the Black Forest area.
I haven't spent more than a week there at a time, having then gone on to spend the next week at Sun Peaks. I get the feeling 2 weeks could be too long but a week in Silver Star as well would fit nicely and provide the steeps that BW somewhat lacks.
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to be honest i am really looking forward to whistler, just somewhere ive always wanted to ski and with the olympics coming next year thought i best go before that. my gf on the otherhand doesnt like steeps and was a bit tentative at fernie so BW sounds ideal for her, maybe if i can get a late deal after christmas we can do BW in late feb. if not i think i will more than likelt be doing a week there next winter.
does anyone know what BW is like for getting a cheaper late deal, is it common or are they a bit hard to come by?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| colors wrote: |
does anyone know what BW is like for getting a cheaper late deal, is it common or are they a bit hard to come by? |
It's not really a package destination, so prices just tend to follow the seasonal trends. Central reservations do offers sometimes, but their standard prices are very high (as they charge owners 50% rental income for their services).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| colors wrote: |
| see i loved fernie thought it was a cracking hill and lovely and laid back but the one thing it lacks is one decnt bar at night. im not one for massive night clubs etc but like to go to a nice bar and have a drink or two. big white sounds like it ticks all the boxes. have a bit of a feeling within 3-4yrs this place is going to explode once people catch on about it and the mass market will then swarm all over it. have to get there before that happens i think |
It's getting more popular with UK skiers, but direct international flights will be the key. The nearby city of Kelowna is growing rapidly, so the airport is expanding too. Most of the ski population is currently Canadian and US. There are a lot of young Australian resort workers there too, since the resort owner is Australian. It makes for a friendly laid back atmosphere. We found out about Big White from talking to locals at Whistler a few years back. If you combine it with a trip to Silver Star (same ownership) you'll get some very high quality skiing done.
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Don't think Big White will ever blow up as a major global destination - short of many direct European flights into Kelowna. Most keen Canadian skiers will tell you its a good family resort but not exceptional and if Silver Star is steep by comparision then the Big Flat reputation would seem to be well deserved.
Equally lots of other places in BC that do have the terrain suffer from a lack of the "resort" bells & whistles that BW does seem to have so Whistler remains the 500 lb gorilla.
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You know it makes sense.
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how come silver star doesnt get a mention as a destination in its own right? seems to be sort of an add on destination i.e. if you go to big white you can do a few days in silver star. from what people say silver star sounds like a right gem, so confused as to why you dont see or hear about it much
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Silver Star probably not as big, further from airport , local town Vernon not as big as Kelowna. Possible lack of variety - we had a great day there but be did lap the same chair 16 times and couldn't really be assed with the frontside.
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Poster: A snowHead
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ah right thought it seemed quite a big terrain from what ifyouski.com says, looks bigger than fernie
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| fatbob wrote: |
Don't think Big White will ever blow up as a major global destination - short of many direct European flights into Kelowna. Most keen Canadian skiers will tell you its a good family resort but not exceptional and if Silver Star is steep by comparision then the Big Flat reputation would seem to be well deserved.
Equally lots of other places in BC that do have the terrain suffer from a lack of the "resort" bells & whistles that BW does seem to have so Whistler remains the 500 lb gorilla. |
Hope you're right, it would spoil the place. It ain't JH, but it's got plenty of challenges, just have to know where to look. It's exceptional for gladed off piste for instance. More hardcore resorts would be Kicking Horse, Red Mountain, Revelstoke, Whitewater etc. We go to BW mainly because of the easy powder skiing and comfortable ski in/out village. My wife is a solid intermediate now and gaining a lot of confidence on the terrain there. For me I find it chilled out and you often get the place to yourself on a big powder day.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| fatbob wrote: |
| Silver Star probably not as big, further from airport , local town Vernon not as big as Kelowna. Possible lack of variety - we had a great day there but be did lap the same chair 16 times and couldn't really be assed with the frontside. |
Not man enough for the frontside then?
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To be fair it was a Saturday and a powder day so we just looked on the map for the terrain furthest away from the carpark (& crowds) - then it was too far back to bother.
I think there is an obvious place for resorts like Big White/Sun Peaks/Silver Star and Panorama which I'd put in the same category in BC, then as uktrailmonster says Red, Revy.KH, Fernie are probably in another. Whitewater is probably in a class of its own for granola munchers and Kimberley is just downright weird.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| cathy wrote: |
Be aware, it is nicknamed Big Whiteout, from the whiteouts that can cover the place. But there's some nice tree skiing to be had then in the Black Forest area.
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and even better tree skiing off the Crystal Chair and Gem Lake, and some decent stuff off Ridge Rocket. There's a lot of excellent tree skiing in fact
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| gortonator wrote: |
| cathy wrote: |
Be aware, it is nicknamed Big Whiteout, from the whiteouts that can cover the place. But there's some nice tree skiing to be had then in the Black Forest area.
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and even better tree skiing off the Crystal Chair and Gem Lake, and some decent stuff off Ridge Rocket. There's a lot of excellent tree skiing in fact |
Yep, there are trees everywhere on the hill and lots of hidden powder in between. Black Forest area is the easiest to get started and a good haven in bad weather. Much longer and steeper tree runs in the Gem Lake area though, but needs a deeper base. Usually ok by New Years.
You can also get some unique "Snowghost" skiing off the Alpine T-bar after a big dump, if not too windswept. Had some memorable runs off there last season.
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was bored in whistler xmas and new year last year. wasn't until i got there did i get told it snows all the time and because it is close to north pacific. upper lifts were shut more than open coz of high winds - i seriously could've done with a blue sky day outta 2 weeks there and nadda. everyone told me when I got there that it was normal to not have blue sky for hardly any days in season - couldn't see nowt for 2 weeks and hardly any off piste skiing - coz it is tree lined slopes and i was bored of the same old same old tree lined blue runs all day. all the slopes felt the same no matter which one you were on. never again will i go to whistler,
happy skiing
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innerspaceservices, mate, you need to learn to ski trees. They're off-piste too, and mostly accessible from mid-mountain chairs on both mountains. There's an awful lot of superb terrain, which somehow you seem to have missed?
And whoever told you it was normal to have no clear days during a season is somewhat exaggerating ...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| innerspaceservices wrote: |
| was bored in whistler xmas and new year last year. wasn't until i got there did i get told it snows all the time ....... |
And the problem is....?  Certainly wouldn't be my reason for not going to a resort! Try going somewhere where is NO/ZERO/NOTHING snow and you will long for those snowy 2 weeks back.
I haven't been to Whistler but to say
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| there was hardly any off piste skiing |
makes me wonder if you went to the same Whistler I've read about and seen pictures of.....
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| innerspaceservices wrote: |
was bored in whistler xmas and new year last year. wasn't until i got there did i get told it snows all the time and because it is close to north pacific. upper lifts were shut more than open coz of high winds - i seriously could've done with a blue sky day outta 2 weeks there and nadda. everyone told me when I got there that it was normal to not have blue sky for hardly any days in season - couldn't see nowt for 2 weeks and hardly any off piste skiing - coz it is tree lined slopes and i was bored of the same old same old tree lined blue runs all day. all the slopes felt the same no matter which one you were on. never again will i go to whistler,
happy skiing |
I think this is a classic case of going to a big name resort and not really having the ability to exploit the terrain. Whistler is a great resort for experts, but as I said earlier, can be disappointing if you're not quite up to it. Of course one tree lined blue run is going to be much like the next. What would you expect? But it does sound like you were a bit unlucky with the weather too. If you really did have proper whiteouts for 2 weeks solid, that would be quite unusual.
To put it in perspective, good skiers were raving about the huge powder days last christmas.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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i have a comment about the harmony lift in Whistler - those queues were like so long at Christmas and new year just gone too.
however we worked out that if you join the singles queues down the sides, you will be on the lift in about 1/10th the waiting time. I personally don't think it matters if you and yer mates all go in that queue. the whole point of it is to fill the gaps on the chairs, not for you to have to ski alone. so if yer can put up with being alone for about 10 mins on the chair - then go for it.
have a great time sliding folks...
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