Conditions Report
Report from Saturday, February 10, 2024
Big White in British Columbia reminded us what winter should feel like in February. Having never been before, we were utterly taken with Big White’s terrain, vibes, and snow. We rolled up to the mountain a bit later than planned and were treated to a nearly empty parking lot with immediate access to a great lift: the Black Forest Express.
It’s no secret that this snow season has been rough for British Columbia, but you could hardly tell at Big White. The resort has stayed cold and continued to accumulate dusting after dusting to achieve a soft base which was covered with plenty of fresh snow from earlier in the week.
Despite being forecasted a sunny day, Big White brought clouds to keep us cool and flurries of snow all day. Unfortunately, that meant the photos we took were less than ideal, but the conditions rode beautifully. We checked out almost every chair on the hill and can confirm that the base was solid everywhere on the hill. Even the lower terrain was more covered than we saw at neighboring resorts.
The Gem Lake Express (GLE) is an enthralling and impressive chair. The GLE runs 1.52 miles and rises 2,333 feet. What makes it even more special is that the whole ride is undulating terrain; it is steep enough to keep one in the flow but not so steep that one can’t take a full run without a stop. We could not get enough of the GLE— we got on one of the last chairs up at 3:30 PM.
Today was a first for us: getting on a chair post-closing. We did not quite realize how far the GLE is from the Black Forest Lift, where we started. With some trepidation, we tried to traverse back to the main part of the resort from the GLE, but failed. Upon failing, we started hiking above the Powder Chair to crest the ridge that would allow us back to the Village Centre. As we hiked, we noticed a small crowd at the base of the closed Powder Chair. We knew the chair was closed, so we continued our uphill jaunt. Within minutes, a ski patroller rode up and told us we could hop on Powder Chair. They turned the chair back on for the lost souls who needed a way back to the Village Centre! What a testament to Big White kindness and consideration for guests.
We ended up taking a few final runs under the lights to make up for our late start. Then we headed back toward Revelstoke where we hope to spend the next two days in a storm.
Weather Forecast
