Industry News
Big White Mountain, BC, January 6, 2025–Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia is excited to announce record-breaking results for the 2024-25 Holiday Season, driven by excellent early-season snow conditions and customer confidence. The resort saw an extraordinary 50.4% year-to-date increase in skier visits, with the traditional holiday season attendance from December 21 to January 5 rising by an impressive 31% over last year. A favorable exchange rate contributed to a surge in United States visits, where guest numbers soared by 52%. 62.4% of visitors came from central Okanagan, while visits from Australia and New Zealand rose by 5.2%.
- Related: A Non-Skier’s Guide to Big White, BC
“Tens of thousands of skiers and snowboarders flocked to the mountain, with record-breaking BC visitor numbers leading the way. While we experienced increased skier visits from both day and overnight guests, our measurement of water and sewer numbers contributed to an overall daily average increase of 11%. The highest daily consumption of water on record.”
– Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President of Big White Ski Resort
Mother Nature played a key role in the resort’s success, delivering ideal early-season conditions and maintaining a solid snow base throughout the holidays. On December 28, a timely Powder Alert brought 25 cm of fresh snow within 24 hours, pushing Big White’s alpine snow base beyond 150 cm—the first ski resort in BC’s interior to reach this significant milestone.
All divisions at Big White reported impressive year-over-year growth, driven by increased guest activity and new facility enhancements. The newly expanded Kids’ Centre enabled the resort to serve 36% more children, peaking at over 450 kids on December 29. Meanwhile, the Big White Ski & Board School experienced robust growth, booking 394 private lessons, a notable increase compared to last year.
Big White’s food and beverage outlets delivered remarkable performance during the holiday season:
- 6,958 pounds of French fries were consumed at Happy Valley, Black Forest, and the Ridge Day Lodges.
- 3,747 liters of milk were used at Clocktower Coffee Co.—equivalent to the daily output of 133 dairy cows.
- The newly opened Sopra: Sam’s Italian Kitchen quickly became a guest favorite, serving over 800 pounds of pasta — roughly the weight of a grand piano or a small horse.
Big White Ski Resort is proud to employ 979 individuals, a 4% increase from last year. This is supported by the December 1 completion of two new state-of-the-art staff accommodation buildings in the Black Forest subdivision. The $13.5 million project added 128 new beds, reflecting the resort’s ongoing commitment to its team members.
With the holiday season behind it, Big White is now preparing for its next major holidays, including Family Day on February 17, 2025, and Presidents’ Day Weekend in the United States on February 17, 2025.
