Revelstoke and Big White Ski Trip

February 1, 2019 In Travel

When did we go….

Why did we go…

I had not done any resort skiing for several years and decided to round up three other retired lads (Buck, Geoff, Dave) who could go on relatively short notice

How did we get there…

we drove in two trucks (Buck and Dave’s) that were both loaded up with multiple types of winter sports gear
the first day we drove to Revelstoke (five-hour drive), and the next afternoon we cruised on to Big White (three more hours and an hour outside of Kelowna)
fortunately the roads were in good condition the whole way

Where did we stay…

in Revelstoke we stayed at a new Air Bnb complex three minutes from the ski hill
it was a three level unit with three spacious bedrooms, a big loft and two big patios that would be nice in the summer time
at Big White, we stayed at an Air Bnb (Stonecrest) right on the hill and a five-minute walk down to the main village
it was a two level unit with three bedrooms and an open area at the top of the stairs with a double bunk that I hunkered down in

Where did we eat…

on the first travel day, we stopped at Big Bend Café in Golden which is an old style joint with some super funny sayings on the walls (the lads thought their meal was average, but I enjoyed my burger and home cut fries)
after skiing at Revelstoke, we stopped for lunch at the Big Eddy Pub (gotta love the name) which is not centrally located but is still a popular local hangout
at Big White, we ate and watched the hockey game at Snowshoe Sam’s which has twice been voted the top apres ski bar in North America
we had two of our lunches outside at The Woods where we also enjoyed some barley pops while we relaxed by the fire
for three of the meals, the lads brought food from Calgary, so we dined in on some gourmet chow which we washed down with Dave’s vintage vino’s

What did we do…

in Revelstoke, we stopped in at the Mt. Begbie craft brewery for a tasting and some nibbles (beautiful new facility with a great view of the surrounding valley)
we skied Revelstoke which has some great steep vertical (they had a dusting of new snow, and overall conditions were okay if you hunted around for some fresh snow in the trees)
the first day in Big White treated us to 15 cm’s of fresh powder although it got skied off pretty quickly, so you had to hunt and peck in the trees for some fresh tracks
on the second day at Big White, we took a leisurely stroll around the village followed by a spirited shinny hockey match on the huge outdoor rink at the bottom of the village

What did we not do that is on the agenda for next time:

at Big White, you can also go snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice climbing, tubing, and tobogganing

Final thoughts:

we had reasonably good weather other than slightly cooler temps and windy conditions at the top of the chairlifts in both Revelstoke and Big White

Big White is a nice village with decent amenities but it is a bit challenging to get around due to the spread out and hilly layout