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    British Columbia, Canada

    Mount Washington

    648 hectares, 82 runs near Courtenay. Vancouver Island's largest ski resort, ocean views, substantial snowfall.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    Opens
    12 Dec 2025
    Closes
    5 Apr 2026
    Days open
    114
    Annual snow
    10m
    The Overview
    MF
    Michael Fulton
    Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

    Mount Washington's summit reaches 1,558 metres, dropping 453 vertical metres to a base at 1,105 metres across 82 runs spread over roughly 648 hectares near Courtenay, British Columbia. Terrain splits 43 per cent intermediate, 22 per cent each for advanced and expert, and 13 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 10.0 metres. Ten lifts, including three quad chairs and one six-person chair, serve the mountain alongside one triple chair and five surface lifts.

    Mount Washington holds the distinction of being Vancouver Island's largest ski resort, one of the first master-planned mountain resorts developed in British Columbia. Its considerable snowfall for a comparatively low-elevation coastal mountain, combined with genuine ocean views from the upper slopes, has built the resort's reputation as Vancouver Island's primary winter destination.

    Campbell River businessman Alex Linton, an avid skier, was struck by Mount Washington's height and snowpack in 1975, and together with fellow businessman Henry Norie began developing the idea into a resort. Construction commenced in 1977, and Mount Washington Alpine Resort opened in 1979 as one of British Columbia's first purpose-planned mountain resort developments.

    The resort moved into its current ownership generation with Pacific Group Resorts in 2015. Mount Washington's exact current pass affiliation is not confirmed in available resort information. Adult daily tickets run from 89 to 105 Canadian dollars, with a separate Family Friday Night ticket available at 25 Canadian dollars.

    453m
    Vertical
    82
    Runs
    1,601 acres
    Skiable
    10m
    Annual snow
    The Terrain

    82 runs across 1,601 acres skiable

    Mount Washington spreads 82 runs across 1,601 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 43%, with 11 beginner runs to find your feet and 36 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.

    Terrain split
    82
    runs
    82 runs across 4 grades
    Beginner11 runs · 13%
    Intermediate35 runs · 43%
    Advanced18 runs · 22%
    Expert18 runs · 22%
    Time it right

    When to visit Mount Washington

    The 2025-26 season at Mount Washington ran from 12 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly sixteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 10.0 metres. This considerable snowfall for a coastal, comparatively low-elevation mountain reflects Vancouver Island's exposure to Pacific storm systems.

    Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent, substantial snowfall to Mount Washington's varied terrain. As Vancouver Island's largest ski resort, Mount Washington draws considerable visitation from across the island, including Victoria and Nanaimo, alongside destination travellers.

    Mount Washington's Family Friday Night ticket programme continues to draw strong evening visitation from local Comox Valley families throughout the season. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's approachable terrain mix and considerable scale.

    Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Pacific Group Resorts' 2015 acquisition, Mount Washington has continued building on more than four decades of history since its 1979 founding by Henry Norie and Alex Linton. The resort's status as Vancouver Island's largest ski area remains central to its enduring popularity.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    12 Dec 2025
    Opens
    5 Apr 2026
    Closes
    114
    Days open
    10 m
    Annual snow
    Getting there

    Getting to Mount Washington, and where to stay

    Mount Washington sits near Courtenay, British Columbia, in the Comox Valley area of Vancouver Island, with a base elevation of 1,105 metres and a summit at 1,558 metres across a 453-metre vertical drop over roughly 648 hectares. This setting places the resort mid-island, with genuine ocean views from the upper slopes.

    Courtenay and the broader Comox Valley offer extensive lodging, dining and services within a manageable drive of the resort, providing Mount Washington's primary local visitor base.

    Strathcona Parkway provides direct access to the resort from Courtenay. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice at higher elevations, though the well-travelled road is regularly maintained given the resort's status as Vancouver Island's largest ski area.

    Comox Valley Airport, roughly a 30-minute drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying directly to the region, with Mount Washington's considerable island-wide draw supporting visitation from Victoria, Nanaimo and communities across Vancouver Island.

    Where to stay

    Search all stays →

    Hotels and lodges near Mount Washington, powered by Stay22.

    Latest News

    From the SnowStash desk

    View all news →
    Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

    Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

    Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.

    22 July 2026
    South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

    South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

    South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.

    22 July 2026
    Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited

    Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited

    Hoshino Tomamu is the ski resort equivalent of a conference hotel that happens to have excellent powder. Built for corporate retreats and package tourists, it offers genuine Hokkaido snow on surprisingly limited terrain - 29 runs spread across 585 vertical metres.

    21 July 2026
    La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts

    La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts

    La Thuile is spending 38.7 million US dollars on a new 10-person cable car linking Les Suches to Chaz Dura, replacing the La Combe and Chaz Dura chairlifts after nearly forty years of service. Built by Leitner, the new cable car runs 1,950 metres to a top station at 2,576 metres, carrying up to 3,000 people an hour with a six-minute ride. It also improves the connection to La Rosiere in France via the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass, and is on track to open for the 2026/27 season.

    21 July 2026
    The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain

    The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain

    The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.

    21 July 2026
    Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow

    Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow

    Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.

    21 July 2026
    Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall

    Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall

    Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.

    19 July 2026
    Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May

    Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May

    Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.

    18 July 2026

    Trail map & terrain

    Mount Washington trail map↓ Download PDF
    Terrain split
    82
    runs
    Beginner13%
    Intermediate43%
    Advanced22%
    Expert22%
    1,601 acres skiable648 hectares
    Resort Stats
    Elevation
    Base1105m
    Summit1558m
    Annual snowfall
    10m
    Season
    2025 - 2026
    12 Dec 2025 - 5 Apr 2026
    Trail coverage
    82 runs
    1,601 acres (648 ha)

    About Mount Washington's trail map

    Explore Mount Washington's full trail map with 82 runs across the mountain, colour-coded by difficulty and shown alongside the terrain split. Use it to plan a day that matches your ability, find lift-served pockets of your favourite grade, and see how the resort links together. Download the piste map (PDF) ↗

    More Mount Washington intelligence: snow report, lift system, webcams, resort overview.