Five B.C. mountains made The Active Times' list of the 50 Best Ski Resorts for 2014-2015 in North America. Four of those five mountains are in relatively close proximity to Cranbrook and Kimberley. Kimberley Alpine resort did not make the list.
With more than 600 ski areas all over the continent Active Times used available statistics, industry lists and expert opinions to narrow the list down to 103. They then asked skiers and snowboarders to vote on those 103 resorts to get to the top 50 resorts for the 2014-2015 season.
Closests to us, Fernie Alpine Resort took #39. The list noted that Fernie was chosen as it attracts many different levels of skiers and snowboarders to the wide variety of trails they can chose from. The clearly marked runs make it no problem for newcomers to find their way around.
Red Mountain Resort took the #31 place. The Rossland-based resort boasts 4,200 acres of skiable terrain and this year put a lift to a whole new peak, adding another 1,000 acres. The resort offers 890 metres of vertical descent and receives 7.6 metres of annual snowfall.
Revelstoke Mountain took the #22 place. Revelstoke has the longest vertical descent of any resort in North America at 1,713 metres. It is also the only resort in the world to offer a centralized hub that includes gondola, cat-skiing and heli-skiing infrastructure.
Big White came in at #18 on the list. It is the third largest ski hill in B.C. and the highest summit in the Okanagan. The resort has 2,765 acres of ski terrain, with 38 acres of night time skiing. It also has some of the highest snow records in the region. The village also offers ski-in, ski-out accommodations.
Whistler Blackcomb took the top of the list. The Active Times noted that the popularity helped in the decision, as did the two side-by-side mountains that give the resort the most skiable acres on the continent, with 8,172 acres. The mountains offer vertical drops, 16 alpine bowls, more than 200 marked trails and six terrain parks. The resort also receives on average 11.74 metres of snow a year.
For the full list, check out The Active Times‘ 50 Best Ski Resorts for 2014-2015 in North America.