Panorama
1,203 hectares, 133 runs near Invermere. Considerable vertical drop, hot pools, Mountain Collective access.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
4 Dec 2026
Closes
11 Apr 2027
Days open
128
Annual snow
6m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Panorama's summit reaches 2,450 metres, dropping 1,300 vertical metres to a base at 1,150 metres across 133 runs spread over roughly 1,203 hectares near Invermere, British Columbia. Terrain splits 35 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent expert, 20 per cent advanced and 15 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 4.7 metres. The resort carries Mountain Collective affiliation. Nine lifts, including four quad chairs, one double chair and one triple chair, serve the mountain alongside one gondola, one surface lift and one t-bar.
Panorama holds a genuinely distinctive place among Purcell Mountains resorts for its considerable vertical drop, marketed by the resort as its Mile 1 lift given the drop's proximity to 1,600 metres, and its year-round hot pools and championship golf course. Its heavily expert-and-intermediate-weighted terrain has built Panorama's reputation as a serious mountain with genuine village amenities.
Fritz Zehnder of Invermere and Guy Messerli of Switzerland, together with friends, founded Panorama in 1962, and the original facilities amounted to little more than a warming hut, a parking lot and a single rope tow powered by a V8 engine. The Calgary-based Cascade Group purchased the resort in 1978, recognising its potential as a major destination and investing in significant expansion.
Intrawest Corporation acquired Panorama in 1993, injecting substantial capital that delivered the Doug Carrick-designed Greywolf Golf Course in 1999 alongside the Panorama Springs hot pools. On 26 February 2010, the resort returned to local ownership when a group of investors from the Panorama community purchased it, and Panorama Mountain Village Inc continues to own the resort privately today. Adult daily tickets run from 109 to 129 Canadian dollars.
1300m
Vertical
133
Runs
2,973 acres
Skiable
6m
Annual snow
The Terrain
133 runs across 2,973 acres skiable
Panorama sits in the Purcell Mountains above Invermere, with 133 runs across roughly 1,203 hectares and a 1,300-metre vertical. Its grading is tougher than most family-oriented resorts in British Columbia: 30% expert and 20% advanced, balanced by 35% intermediate and 15% beginner. Intermediates still get long, rolling groomers from the upper mountain, but half the terrain is steep enough to keep stronger skiers busy. Snowfall is lighter than in the wetter Columbia ranges at about 4.7 metres a year, so grooming and the long fall-line do much of the heavy lifting.
The Summit Chair is the gateway to the Extreme Dream Zone, a steep black-diamond area, and to Taynton Bowl, which was once reserved for heli-skiers and is now reached by lift after a major glading project. The Mile 1 quad serves gentler lower slopes and the Showoff night run, while the gondola links village and mountain. Panorama suits confident intermediates stepping up to steeper pitches, advanced skiers who like bowls and open trees, and families who want a ski-in village at the base. Strong skiers should plan on a few full days before they run out of new lines to try.
Terrain split
133
runs
133 runs across 4 grades
Beginner20 runs · 15%
Intermediate47 runs · 35%
Advanced27 runs · 20%
Expert40 runs · 30%
Time it right
When to visit Panorama
The 2025-26 season at Panorama ran from 13 December 2025 to 12 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 4.7 metres. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather in the Purcell Mountains.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Panorama's heavily expert-weighted terrain. As a Mountain Collective resort, Panorama draws pass-holding visitors alongside destination travellers seeking the resort's considerable vertical drop and year-round village amenities.
Panorama's hot pools and championship golf course infrastructure, though primarily warm-season draws, support the resort's broader identity as a year-round destination even through the ski season. School holiday periods bring family visitation to the resort's more moderate terrain, though the overall terrain mix skews toward experienced skiers.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since returning to local ownership in 2010, Panorama has continued building on more than six decades of history since its 1962 founding by Fritz Zehnder and Guy Messerli. The resort's considerable vertical and Purcell Mountains setting remain central to its enduring appeal.
Season 2026 - 2027
4 Dec 2026
Opens
11 Apr 2027
Closes
128
Days open
6 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Panorama, and where to stay
Panorama sits near Invermere, British Columbia, in the Purcell Mountains, with a base elevation of 1,150 metres and a summit at 2,450 metres across a 1,300-metre vertical drop over roughly 1,203 hectares. This considerable elevation range places Panorama among the more dramatically situated resorts in the BC interior.
The town of Invermere, on the shores of Lake Windermere, offers lodging and dining within a short drive of the resort, while Panorama's own considerable village provides extensive on-site accommodation.
British Columbia Highway 95 and local roads provide direct access to the resort from Invermere. Winter driving conditions on these routes can include snow and ice, and travellers should carry appropriate equipment given the mountainous terrain surrounding the area.
Calgary International Airport, roughly a three-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Panorama's considerable distance from major population centres drawing a genuinely dedicated destination visitor base.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Panorama, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Valle Nevado Extends Season to November 8 After 108 cm in 48 Hours
Winter was meant to be winding down in Chile. Then Valle Nevado took 108 cm in 48 hours in early October, and the resort has pushed its closing date out to November 8 - its latest in 38 years of operation. That makes 143 days of skiing since opening day on June 19, with 690 cm banked for the season. Only part of the mountain is running while the storm settles, so check the mountain report before you plan a trip.
9 Oct 2026
Alps Snow Forecast: Cold Front Brings Thursday Snow to the High Alps
The Alps look a lot more like winter today, for a day or so. A cold front is moving west to east, dropping up to 35 cm on high glaciers and peaks, with snow levels falling to around 1,500-1,800 m at times. Don’t plan a trip around it: mid-elevation snow will be thin and wet, every area is closed bar a limited Sölden glacier opening tomorrow, and warmer weather returns by Monday.
8 Oct 2026
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
7 Oct 2026
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.
4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Panorama Webcams
6 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Panorama's live webcams
Check live conditions across Panorama with 6 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Summit Cam2365m
- The Panorama summit cam sits at 2,365 meters, the highest point in the resort's webcam network and the first one to check on a big day. It shows cloud level, visibility and wind-blown snow across the Purcell Mountains, so you can judge the top of the mountain before committing to the ride up.
- Goldie Plateau East2450m
- Goldie Plateau East is the highest Panorama snow cam at 2,450 meters, looking over the cat-ski accessed expert terrain of Taynton Bowl, some of the best inbounds expert skiing in southern British Columbia. Check it for snow cover and visibility on the plateau, and read it alongside the Summit Cam for the full picture of upper-mountain conditions.
- Champagne Express2160m
- Mid-mountain at 2,160 meters, the Champagne Express webcam looks out from the top of the Champagne Express quad chair. This is the cam to use for a quick check on snow depth on the runs, and whether the cloud is sitting above or below you. It bridges the gap between the village and the summit views.
- Mile 1 Express1560m
- At 1,560 meters, the Mile 1 Express cam covers the lower mountain where Panorama's 1,300-meter vertical begins to build. It shows where the snow line sits between the village and mid-mountain, which matters most in early and late season when the base is patchy. A useful guide to how the lower runs are holding up.
- Village1180m
- The Panorama village webcam at 1,180 meters shows the base area, where most days start. Use it to check what is falling at arrival, how much snow is on the ground and how busy the village looks. Compare it with the summit views to see how conditions change across the full vertical.
- Showoff1180m
- The Showoff webcam looks at Panorama's main beginner run, beside the Mile 1 Express lift, which brings you back down to the village at 1,180 meters. The run is 100% north facing, so it is a good read on snow cover and grooming for first-timers and learners. Check it before heading out with a beginner in the group.
Panorama snow cams FAQ
How often do Panorama snow cams update?
All Panorama snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Panorama.
Which Panorama webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Goldie Plateau East webcam at 2,450m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Panorama webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Panorama lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Panorama snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Panorama snow cams?
Check Panorama webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Panorama lift tickets?
Use our Panorama webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Panorama webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Panorama snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Panorama intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.