One Two Ski: Big White Bunnies, Bottles, Bonfires & Beavertails

Snow Ghosts at Big White

Second Leg of Canadian Ski Safari and we are at Big White, home of snow ghosts and oodles of soft snow - 750 cm (24.5 ft) annual average.

Rupert (right), me (left), Big White snowghosts (behind)!!

Definitely big and thoroughly white, our stay at Big White, British Columbia didn’t disappoint! We skied the first day with ski and snowboard instructor Laura Price, a fellow Brit (from Wales) who made the resort her home six years ago. Emerging from our Stonebridge Lodge super-duper condo to meet her just a short ski from our accommodation, we spent a great day gliding the glades in zero vis, but with our own guide and the snow-drenched trees to help orient us, we didn’t care – there was masses of pow and significantly less people, so we were in our element! Laura teaches year round – zooming off to Australia in our summer. The mountain multi tasker is a Level 3 Snowboard, Level 2 Ski, Park Evaluator, Freestyle Ski and Freestyle Snowboard Instructor – known to take both skis and snowboard sometimes when teaching, switching it up halfway through.

Stonebridge Lodge, Big White

Check out our condo, BTW: a two bedroom/two bathroom suite with lovely views onto the slopes and village, with our own laundry (necessary luxury on an extended ski safari), our own hot tub (another necessity with all this day-after-day skiing), huge kitchen, deluxe dining and fireside living space – all kitted out in wood and leather, in a gentleman’s club-style library look.

Ski in/out and down from Stonebridge Lodge, Big White

Kitchen at Stonebridge Lodge, Big White

The ‘we’ on this trip is me, my husband, ski PhD, tourism researcher Dr Simon Hudson, and our son Rupert who was our chef for the trip, happily cooking immense vegan meals in the capacious kitchen in Stonebridge Lodge in between skiing.

We didn’t cook in all the time though – the first night we joined in the self-guided ‘Village Walk, Dine, Wine’ tour. What a great way to do Big White’s top après all in one go! That first night was a three-centre progressive pub crawl with BC wine pairings at each lively venue. It’s up to you which order you go in, but we started with duck wings and tuna stack

with a Mission Hill Chardonnay at The Bullwheel gastro pub where owner, sommelier and après-ski MC John Mooney really knows his wines – get him chatting and he’ll flaunt his favourites. The local entrepreneur, who sources ingredients, wines and brews locally, also owns 6 degrees Bistro and Underground Pizza, both right in the Big White Village.

Next course was at The Woods: an abundant three-cheese fondue with a huge platter of dippers (including orchard fruits, nugget potatoes and baguette) and choices of a Red Rooster Pinot Blanc or Merlot.

This gorgeous re-purposed log home is right in the centre of the Village with a great outdoor patio – where they build snow bars for terrace tippling - as well as its cozy interior for more intimate eating. It used to be a home for the resort’s founder Cliff Serwa – Kelsey Serwa’s grandfather. Kelsey won gold in Ski Cross at the Korea Olympics last year – in celebration and commemoration, the sign for her run is now written in gold.

Cheesy bliss at The Woods, Big White

The culinary cruise was topped off at the Globe Café & Tapas Bar with a Hester Creek Late Harvest Pinot Blanc to accompany tantalizing Tabletop S’mores. Such a cute idea! Sort of thing it would be fun to do at home for a decadent dinner party dessert. Inspired by the cultures and cuisines of travel, the Globe combines Okanagan flavours with more international dishes. It’s a good lunch stop, too, with great Caffe Umbrian Cappuccino and Lattes, delish homemade soups, and healthy salads. Tickets for this restaurant-hopping repast are $85 a head via the Concierge Desk at Concierge@bigwhite.com. Or you can just follow the trail yourself one night when you can’t quite decide where to eat!

More S'mores - sizzling signature dessert at The Globe, Big White

Scenic Route Jewellery's Mountain Key

That night we also met Brittani Buettner, whose business, Scenic Route Jewellery, was featured in my Xmas Gift Guide blog. Her signature piece is the Mountain Key: available depicting various mountain ranges, it represents the mountain lifestyle as the key to happiness. As well as a range of rings and necklaces, she also makes custom wedding and anniversary rings.

She and hubby Mason have certainly discovered that key in their likeminded life together in the Big White wonderland. Only recently married after working together in Nelson/Whitewater and Whistler, they’ve already managed to buy a condo in Big White Village. Check out the persuasive prices: starting in the low $100,000s, Big White must be one of the most affordable places to buy mountainside real estate in Canada.

View over the Okanagan Valley from Big White - by Geoff Holman

Next day we skied en famille, rediscovering in the more leisurely light of brilliant blue skies the glades and groomers we’d skied the day before. What bliss to have the panorama of the entire resort and the Okanagan Valley open up for us.

Big White

End of the day: has to be Last Chair. Big White’s Last Chair IPA that is – a wheat beer produced especially for the resort by Okanagan Springs Brewery. Incidentally the resort has its own coffee called Yard Sale and there should be a Big White wine, soon, as they're collaborating with a BC winery called Rust to produce their own label. Our gastronomic guide, Mason Buettner pointed out one of their wines at The Bullwheel, called Black Betty. Factoid: 90 percent of Okanagan wines are consumed in British Columbia – in fact within 100 miles of where they are grown. Apparently this is not due to their huge capacity for vino, but more to restrictive wine laws about crossing boundaries.

Telus Terrain Park at Big White

After two days of fabulous frolics on the slopes, it was time to pack up again to head off to our next resort. But, with our plans to spend a whole winter in Canada next year, I have a feeling we’ll be back soon! Anyone with ideas for accommodation from Jan - April 2020, please let me know on louise.hudson2011@gmail.com.

What’s New?

New BEAVERTAILS trailer at Big White

New BEAVERTAILS trailer at Gem Lake: Gem Lake has recently had the delicious addition of a brand new BEAVERTAILS trailer. As well as the traditional, hand-stretched doughnut with a choice of nine mouthwatering topping options, the trailer is serving up hot dogs wrapped in doughnut pastry, classic poutine, and a variety of tasty hot beverages.

Elevation Spa Manager, Darlene Kentel

New treatments, new products and new management at Elevation Spa: Big White took over ownership of Elevation Spa in November 2018. Of the many exciting changes underway, the Spa now uses and stocks environmentally-friendly products from the organic skincare line Eminence, and is offering male-specific treatments including MANicures and Papa’s Pedis.

The General, new run at Big White

New Run – The General: At the time the old Powder Chair was installed, the lift line had the best fall line – meaning the path a beach ball would take if you let it go at the top of the run – of all the runs off that lift. With the new alignment, and now an actual name, the lift line is officially a run. A black diamond, The General is not a groomer. It’s steep. It’s narrow. It has beautiful glades on either side and it’s a lot of fun.

Summer work on Big White's new Powder Chair

NEW Powder Chair: A four-passenger fixed grip Leitner Poma lift has replaced Canada’s oldest triple chair. Following an investment of $3.9 million, the new lift has increased upload capacity to 2,400 passengers per hour, allowing more skiers and snowboarders to enjoy the amazing terrain on the Powder Chair. The chair had its grand opening on 14 December 2018 and is now up and running for the 2018/19 season!

NEW Skier Tunnel: Big White has invested $1.5million to expand the skier tunnel on the Hummingbird run from its current width of 25 feet to 60 feet, accommodating increased skier and foot passenger traffic.

Groomer squad at Big White

NEW Pistenbully groomer: A new $450,000 groomer has been purchased for winter grooming during the 18/19 season. The new groomer offers the most modern alpine technology for precise grooming work and will be a helpful addition to Big White’s extensive current fleet of groomers.

NEW investments across the mountain: Including $1.1 million in annual lift and machinery maintenance, $500,000 in building maintenance, $750,000 in water and sewer upgrades and $150,000 for a new on-mountain shuttle bus.

New Extended Season until April 22: The Big White team has been working with the Easter Bunny and is delighted to announce the extension of the winter season to include Easter!

New Christmas Eve Festival, Big White

NEW Christmas Eve Festival: The Village comes alive with Christmas magic to celebrate the favourite time of year. The first annual Christmas Eve festival, Dec 24 2018, included a ‘Merry Christmas From Around The World’ Photo Booth, a Decoration Station, Letters to Home Station, a Rainbow Bonfire, a Scents of Christmas booth and many more fun things to keep the whole family engaged and inspired. Other attractions included carol singers, stilt walkers and jugglers as they roamed around the Village, and Santa himself in the Village Centre Mall for readings of favourite classic Christmas stories.

NEW Staff Housing: The brand-new staff housing was ready for staff to move in for the 18/19 winter season. This is the first of four buildings on the present site around Gondola Way and will create the start of a subdivision in the Black Forest area. Staff living in the building will have excellent access to the Black Forest Express Quad and Lara’s Gondola in Happy Valley.

The Woods, Big White

New menu items at The Woods: The Woods is back for another year with tempting menus after a big day on the slopes. Enjoy the brand new 14oz Pork Tomahawk, flame-grilled, Applewood-spice rubbed and served on the bone with smoked paprika butter and parsley shallot chimichurri; or the Moroccan chickpea and pumpkin stew with harissa charred grilled chicken breast.

New menu items at Happy Valley, Clocktower Coffee Co. & Gem Lake: Including tasty new ‘Pho to Go’ at Clocktower Coffee Co, mini donuts with cinnamon sugar at Sk8ers, Popkum BC-farmed prosciutto-crusted rabbit with an apple-stuffed loin at Kettle Valley Steakhouse, five-spiced chicken lettuce wraps at Moose Lounge. Plus a variety of new vegetarian options across all locations, including vegan tuna at The Woods.

New coffee program at Big White: Big White introduced its collaboration with Tug 6 Craft Coffee Roasters from Kelowna, British Columbia, this season. Their specially created ‘Yard Sale’ blend is a medium roast that is Okanagan-made and featured across Big White food & beverage establishments, including Gem Lake, Happy Valley Day Lodge, Black Forest Day Lodge and The Woods.

New waste management program at Happy Valley Day Lodge: In an effort to be more environmentally conscious and engage in socially responsible waste management procedures, Big White is introducing a new program at Happy Valley Day Lodge to streamline all waste production. Big White will also be limiting use of plastic straws, with straws only available upon request.

Rhonda Lake - Courtesy of Big White

New water bottle filling stations around Big White: Big White has installed three new bottle-filling stations around the resort in an effort to reduce use of single-use plastic water bottles. These stations are located in the Village Centre Mall, Happy Valley Day Lodge and Black Forest Day Lodge, offering Big White’s famously fresh and clean water, straight to your reusable water bottle!

Chef Rob Walker, creator of Big White's chocolates

New dessert program at Big White: Award-wining pastry chef Leigh Holuboff has created a range of new desserts for the Big White food & beverage portfolio, using the finest local and imported ingredients while incorporating modern and traditional techniques. Desserts only use Big White’s very own signature recipe chocolates, the 68.4% ‘Alpine Noir’ and the 43.2% ‘Monashee milk’, both having been designed in Meulan, France at the Cacao Barry O’R Noir laboratory by Chef Rob Walker. Desserts include the Alpine Noir cream puff, the lemon raspberry tart and the tiramisu cheesecake bar.

NEW summer grooming and glading: Crews spent the summer performing $70,000 worth of summer grooming and glading on the existing ski runs, creating more of the wonderful terrain that makes Big White such a great place to ski and snowboard. This included the area around the new Powder Chair, bottom of the Ridge and the runs associated and over in the Black Forest.