Big White
1,147 hectares, 119 runs near Kelowna. Family-owned since 1985, ski-in ski-out village, Okanagan snow.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
26 Nov 2026
Closes
4 Apr 2027
Days open
129
Annual snow
7.5m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Big White's summit reaches 2,319 metres, dropping 811 vertical metres to a base at 1,508 metres across 119 runs spread over roughly 1,147 hectares near Kelowna, British Columbia. Terrain splits 54 per cent intermediate, 22 per cent advanced, 18 per cent beginner and 6 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 7.5 metres. Fifteen lifts, including seven quad chairs and one six-person chair, serve the mountain alongside one double chair, two triple chairs, one gondola and three surface lifts.
Big White holds a genuinely distinctive place among British Columbia resorts as a family-owned, ski-in and ski-out village resort in the Okanagan Valley, known for its consistently light, dry snow. Its intermediate-weighted terrain and considerable on-mountain village have built Big White's reputation as one of the more family-oriented major resorts in the province.
Big White opened in 1963, developed to bring lift-served skiing to the Okanagan Valley above Kelowna. Ownership changed hands in 1985 when the Schumann family purchased the resort, and the family has continued to own and operate Big White ever since, a genuinely unusual arrangement given the scale of the province's larger, corporately owned resorts.
Big White's exact current pass affiliation is not confirmed in available resort information, though the resort has offered its own multi-day POWder Card products directly. Adult daily tickets run from 77 to 95 Canadian dollars.
811m
Vertical
119
Runs
2,834 acres
Skiable
7.5m
Annual snow
The Terrain
119 runs across 2,834 acres skiable
Big White spreads 119 runs over roughly 1,147 hectares above Kelowna, dropping 811 metres from the 2,319-metre summit. This is an intermediate mountain first, with 54% of the terrain rated blue, 22% advanced, 18% beginner and just 6% expert. The result is wide, forgiving cruising, much of it among the heavily frosted trees known locally as snow ghosts, with about 7.5 metres of dry snow in a typical season. Skiers hunting extreme lines will find limited challenge, but families and mixed groups can stay together with very little effort.
The Cliff Chair side of the mountain holds the steeper pitches, with runs such as Exhibition delivering the more technical descents, while the alpine bowls above the Powder Chair open into wide, variable-snow skiing. Intermediates gravitate to the Black Forest zone, where blue runs like Serwa's and Kalina's make long, flowing laps. Beginners are well served close to the village, which sits directly on the slopes and keeps the walk to the lifts short. Big White suits families, progressing intermediates and groups of mixed ability who value ski-in access and consistent snow over big steeps.
Terrain split
119
runs
119 runs across 4 grades
Beginner21 runs · 18%
Intermediate64 runs · 54%
Advanced26 runs · 22%
Expert7 runs · 6%
Time it right
When to visit Big White
The 2025-26 season at Big White ran from 28 November 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly eighteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 7.5 metres. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather in the Okanagan Valley.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent, light and dry conditions to Big White's intermediate-weighted terrain. As a family-owned resort, Big White draws considerable family visitation from across the Okanagan and Western Canada, alongside destination travellers seeking its ski-in and ski-out village.
Big White's substantial on-mountain village and family-friendly terrain continue to support strong visitation throughout the season, particularly during school holiday periods. The resort's snow school and varied terrain across all ability levels draw a genuinely broad family visitor base.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since the Schumann family took ownership in 1985, Big White has continued building on six decades of history since its 1963 founding. The resort's family ownership and considerable village scale remain central to its enduring popularity in the Okanagan.
Season 2026 - 2027
26 Nov 2026
Opens
4 Apr 2027
Closes
129
Days open
7.5 m
Annual snow
The record
Historical snowfall at Big White
Daily snow reports at Big White go back to 2025, 2 winters on the books. Open the record to compare winters, lifts and piste.
17 cm
Snowiest day
13 Mar 2026
18 cm
This winter · 2026-27
so far
299 cm
Typical winter
average of complete seasons
Winter totals
cm
Past wintersThis winter
Getting there
Getting to Big White, and where to stay
Big White sits near Kelowna, British Columbia, in the Okanagan Valley, with a base elevation of 1,508 metres and a summit at 2,319 metres across an 811-metre vertical drop over roughly 1,147 hectares. This setting places Big White within a comparatively short drive of Kelowna, a considerably larger city than most Canadian ski towns.
Kelowna, the Okanagan's largest city, offers extensive lodging, dining and services within a manageable drive of the resort, while Big White's own substantial on-mountain village provides considerable ski-in and ski-out accommodation directly at the base.
British Columbia Highway 33 provides direct access to the resort from Kelowna. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled road is regularly maintained given the resort's status as a major Okanagan destination.
Kelowna International Airport, roughly a one-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Big White's considerable proximity to a well-served regional airport supporting substantial visitation from across Western Canada.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Big White, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Kitzbüheler Horn Summit Cable Car to Be Replaced After 70 Years
A Tyrolean summit lift that has been carrying guests up the Kitzbüheler Horn since 1955 is on borrowed time. Its licence runs to 2045, but a new inspection rule has made refurbishment uneconomic, so Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel will spend around €15 million on a replacement on the same line. It should hold roughly 100 people and keep running in winds that would stop today’s lift. Building starts in autumn 2027, which makes this winter and next summer the last chances to ride the old one.
30 Oct 2026
What’s New in Japan Skiing This Winter: Niseko Gondola, a Private Resort and a Bigger Ikon Pass
Niseko Village is replacing a lift from the early 1980s with an eight-person gondola, Tsugaike gets a six-person chairlift, Madarao joins the Ikon Pass and Togari opens Asia’s first private ski resort. Here’s what is actually new in Japan skiing for 2026/27, plus what is still a year or two away.
30 Oct 2026
Wolf Creek Opens on Halloween Weekend as Colorado’s Early Season Gathers Pace
Colorado’s early-season dominoes keep falling. Arapahoe Basin opened on Wednesday, Keystone follows on Friday, and now Wolf Creek is joining in on Saturday 31 October, just in time for Halloween. A storm on 23 and 24 October left 20 inches of natural snow in the San Juans, and three lifts will turn from 9:00 am, covering about 30% of the mountain. Expect rocks, unmarked obstacles and open water, but also Local Appreciation lift tickets at $73 for adults.
30 Oct 2026
Keystone Resort Opens for 2026/27 With More Than Two Miles of Skiing
Keystone is next. After Arapahoe Basin claimed the first chairlift skiing of the season on Wednesday, Keystone opens on Friday 30 October at 9:00 am with more than two miles of snowmaking-built terrain on Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon, plus free donuts, coffee and a live DJ. Last year the order was reversed, when Keystone squeezed in a three-hour afternoon session to beat A-Basin by a day. Snowmaking has been running since 15 October.
29 Oct 2026
Beaver Creek Installs 16 Automated Snow Guns on Birds of Prey Ahead of Record World Cup
Beaver Creek is getting ready for the biggest Birds of Prey ever, and this time it is not leaving the snow to chance. Crews started making snow on 27 October with 16 newly installed automated guns on the lower third of the course, after last December’s warm spell forced a downhill off the schedule. Seven races across two weekends run from 3 to 13 December, the most the course has hosted since its 1997 debut, and the guns start themselves whenever the weather allows.
29 Oct 2026
Arapahoe Basin Opens First for North America’s 2026/27 Ski Season
Winter has officially started in North America, and it is one blue run long. On Wednesday 28 October, Arapahoe Basin fired up the Black Mountain Express at around 10:30 am after a surprise announcement just hours earlier, becoming the first major North American resort open for 2026/27. Cold nights, a dusting of natural snow and a lot of snowmaking made it happen in the resort’s 80th winter. More terrain is promised as the snow guns keep running.
28 Oct 2026
Sulden am Ortler Pushes Its Season Start Back a Week to 7 November
Sulden am Ortler has called off its 31 October opening. The South Tyrol ski area has pushed its 2026/27 start back to Saturday 7 November, citing current weather and snow conditions and saying it will use the extra week to get the slopes in the best possible shape. The season is still scheduled to run through 2 May 2027. Elsewhere in Europe, around a dozen areas are already open, led by Sölden’s 30 kilometres of groomed runs.
28 Oct 2026
Pinheiro Braathen Wins Sölden Giant Slalom Opener by 0.48 Seconds
Two days at Sölden, two races decided by a hundredth somewhere on the podium, and one very quick Brazilian. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen led from the first run to win the men’s World Cup opener by 0.48 seconds, with Loïc Meillard second and Marco Odermatt third. River Radamus charged from 15th to fourth on a rutted course, and Britain’s Freddy Carrick-Smith banked his first World Cup points. Braathen still hasn’t lost a giant slalom since Olympic gold.
25 Oct 2026
Big White Lift System
Big White runs fifteen lifts: one double chair, seven quad chairs, one six-person chair, two triple chairs and one gondola, serving 119 runs across roughly 1,147 hectares, alongside three surface lifts. This substantial network has developed under continuous Schumann family ownership since 1985.
The lift network has grown considerably since Big White's 1963 opening, with the family investing steadily in quad and six-person chairs to serve the resort's intermediate-weighted terrain across the decades of family ownership that followed.
The seven quad chairs and gondola now distribute skiers efficiently across Big White's substantial ski-in and ski-out village, supporting the resort's reputation as one of the more accessible major family destinations in the Okanagan.
Under ongoing Schumann family ownership, continued investment has supported this fifteen-lift network according to the family's own priorities. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Big White's extensive lift network remains well matched to its considerable scale and family-oriented village layout.
15lifts across 6 types
1
Gondola
1
6-Person Chair
7
Quad Chairs
2
Triple Chairs
1
Double Chair
3
Surface Lifts
Big White lift system
Big White is served by 15 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Big White intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.