
Manning Park
57 hectares, 34 runs within E.C. Manning Provincial Park. Affordable family skiing, kids 6 and under free.
Manning Park's summit reaches 1,789 metres, dropping 432 vertical metres to a base at 1,357 metres across 34 runs spread over roughly 57 hectares within E.C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia. Terrain splits 40 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent each for advanced and beginner, and no dedicated expert terrain, with average annual snowfall of roughly 8.2 metres. The resort carries Indy Pass affiliation. Three lifts, including one quad chair, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift and one t-bar.
Manning Park holds a genuinely distinctive place among British Columbia ski areas as one of three provincial government-developed resorts opened in the early 1960s under Premier W.A.C. Bennett, alongside Cypress Bowl and Mount Seymour. Its considerable affordability and family-friendly, uncrowded terrain have built Manning Park's reputation as a genuine value destination within a two-hour drive of Vancouver.
E.C. Manning Provincial Park was established in 1941 through the work of Chief Forester E.C. Manning and Minister of Lands Arthur Wellesley Gray. The completion of the Hope-Princeton Highway in 1949 made the park accessible by motor vehicle for the first time, and the original lodge, a single building known as Pinewoods, gave way to chalets built in 1950 and standard cottages added through the 1960s.
The provincial government put its three ski areas, including Manning Park's Gibson Pass ski area, up for sale by 1986. Kevin Demers acquired Manning Park Resort in April 2013, with the resort's operating permit covering all commercial buildings, the ski hill, nordic trails and equipment. Adult daily tickets run from 35 Canadian dollars on weekdays to 45 on weekends.
Manning Park spreads 34 runs across 141 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 40%, with 10 beginner runs to find your feet and 10 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 season at Manning Park ran from 13 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly sixteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 8.2 metres. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather within the provincial park.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Manning Park's beginner-and-intermediate-weighted terrain. As an Indy Pass resort, Manning Park draws considerable value-focused visitation, with free lift access for children aged six and under adding to its family appeal.
Manning Park's considerable affordability continues to draw budget-conscious families and day visitors from the Lower Mainland throughout the season. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's approachable terrain and pricing structure.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Kevin Demers' 2013 acquisition, Manning Park has continued building on more than six decades of history since the provincial government first developed the ski area in the early 1960s. The resort's affordability and provincial park setting remain central to its enduring family appeal.
Manning Park sits within E.C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia, with a base elevation of 1,357 metres and a summit at 1,789 metres across a 432-metre vertical drop over roughly 57 hectares. This setting places the resort within a large provincial park roughly two hours from Vancouver.
The resort's own lodge and cottages, developed from the original Pinewoods building through the 1950s and 1960s, provide accommodation directly within the park, with no separate town nearby.
Highway 3, the Hope-Princeton Highway, provides direct access to the resort, a route completed in 1949 that first made the park accessible by vehicle. Winter driving conditions on this mountain highway can include snow and ice, and travellers should carry appropriate equipment.
Vancouver International Airport, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Manning Park's considerable distance from the airport balanced by its status as a genuinely affordable day-trip and weekend option from the Lower Mainland.
Hotels and lodges near Manning Park, powered by Stay22.

Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.

Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.

Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.

Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.

Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.

We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.

Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
More Manning Park intelligence: snow report, lift system, webcams, resort overview.