How is skiing in Canada as the pandemic eases? 2 resorts in British Columbia put to the test
- Alf Alderson visits the Whitewater and Red Mountain resorts, whose slopes have fearsome reputations, to see how they’re dealing with the aftermath of Covid-19
- The resorts’ proximity makes for a great two-centre ski holiday, and both offer the chance to stay in remote log cabins off the grid
The interior of Canadian province British Columbia is renowned for its annual deposits of deep, feather-light powder snow and the homely feel of its ski resorts, attributes epitomised by Whitewater and Red Mountain.
It has been difficult, if not impossible, to access these ski resorts for anyone other than locals over the last two years, because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, so when, after much form-filling and tedious bureaucracy, I was able to visit this corner of BC last month, I wondered what I might find.
Well, not a lot has changed. Indeed, rolling into the car park at Whitewater you’d be hard-pressed to see any signs of the pandemic. Other than the requirement to show a vaccine passport and wear masks in queues and on lifts (hardly an imposition since most people will be wearing some form of face covering against the cold anyway), the skiing remains as good as ever.
Whitewater is small, with just three chairlifts and a modest vertical drop of 2,044ft (623 metres) from a high point of only 6,700ft. But the resort has an annual average snowfall of 1,200cm, or a very generous 40 feet. And it’s invariably dry, light and very, very skiable.
The hill has a reputation as the haunt of skiers who consider steep couloirs (narrow gullies), waist-deep powder, and trees as tight as two coats of paint all part of a good day in the mountain. But there’s plenty for less adventurous skiers, too – and best of all, there are no crowds.
I spend my first morning exploring the hidden nooks and crannies of Whitewater with my guide, Zach, an affable snowboarder who moved here from the flatlands of eastern Canada, like so many other “locals”.
