A tour through the best family ski resorts in BC

The Ultimate Family BC ski holiday

Looking for the perfect winter or spring break getaway? Travelling with the family from Australia? Hitting the road with your little ones, and going to four of the best family ski resorts in BC will make for an amazing trip!

Our trip will take you from Whistler to all of the best family ski resorts in BC’s interior.

Our 4×4 vehicles are perfectly kitted out for winter travel. With snow tires, chains, and emergency equipment, you’ll have everything you need to ensure your family stays safe travelling through BC.

Arriving in Vancouver

You’ll start your trip by picking up your vehicle at Vancouver International Airport from our FarOut Wilderness team! You’ll drive through Vancouver and up the scenic Sea-to-Sky highway to Whistler.

If you’re to hit the slopes right away, an honorary mention on this trip goes to Mt Seymour resort. It’s a small, fun, family owned resort on Vancouver’s north shore. It’s about $40 a lift ticket for night skiing, and is a great way to start your trip.

As you head up towards Whistler, we recommend stopping in Squamish an awesome climbers town halfway between Vancouver. Howe Sound Brewery has a great family-friendly, cabin atmosphere and is a good stop for lunch on day 1.

Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler belongs on every BC ski trip. Due to it’s sheer size (8,000+ Acres), there’s a section of the mountain that will be fun for everyone. It’s one of the best family ski resorts in BC, one of the best extreme resorts – it holds multiple title.

Whistler’s immense popularity will make it quite crowded, and the most expensive accommodation on the trip. If you’re visiting over holiday breaks, try to end up at Whistler mid-week, and only stay for a couple of days. If you’re visiting from Australia and coming for off-peak periods, you’ll have more options for dates.

Whistler has some of the most scenic beginner runs in BC. You’ll want to start your vacation on the Emerald Chair, a dedicated green chair on Whistler with wide open runs. Once your group feels ready to tackles some blues, the groomed runs on Excelerator and 7th Heaven make for great family-friendly skiing. You’ll also want to check out Burnt Stew Trail, going from Harmony/Peak Chairs down into Symphony. It’s stunning views into Garibaldi Park are some of the best you’ll see all trip.

Sun Peaks

Sun Peaks - Best Family Ski Resorts in BC

After a couple days of dodging crowds it’s time to head into BC’s interior to Sun Peaks. This will be about a four and a half hour drive, so it’s good to split it up. Whistler closes around 3:30, so drive a couple hours after skiing, and spend a night in a fun mountain town like Pemberton or Lillooet before continuing on to Sun Peaks.

A couple favourite runs include 5 Mile and Lone Fir Glades. 5 Mile is a long green run, with the most vertical on the mountain. If your kids are starting to ask about tree skiing, the gradual slope and well-spaced trees in Lone Fir Glades will be a great way to get your kids started.

Sun Peaks is probably the best mountain for a family ski vacation. It boasts the second most skiable terrain in the country, trailing only Whistler. Every lift has a green and blue run to take down, so there’s no chance you’ll end up in a situation where there isn’t a clear way for your kids to ski down.

You’ll see accommodation prices drop sharply at Sun Peaks. This will generally be true for the rest of the trip, skiing in BC’s interior is much more economical. Many of the hotels are also slopeside, allowing you to really enjoy being in the resort.

Silverstar

SilverStar - Best Family Ski Resorts in BC

After finishing up your last day at Sun Peaks, we recommend spending the night there and taking it easy as you start the 2.5 hour drive over to Silverstar. Don’t fret about missing out on a ski day – Silverstar is the only mountain on this trip to offer night skiing. You can rest up with a quiet morning, and then get a discounted ticket for your first night of skiing on the mountain.

The accommodation at Silverstar, like Sun Peaks, is slopeside and reasonably priced. The hotels are actually in the middle of the mountain. It’s a fun feeling to strap on your skis and get your first run of the day without having to hop on a chairlift.

The terrain on the frontside of Silverstar is very family-friendly, with green and blue runs off of every frontside chair.

If you’ve been looking to get away from the kids and ski some harder runs, the backside of Silverstar will be perfect for you. The terrain weaves in and out of trees, with all sorts of black and double black runs off the “Powder Gulch” chair.

Big White

Big White Skiers

After a couple days at Silverstar, it’s time to make your way to Big White, self-proclaimed as “Canada’s Favourite Family Resort”. Big White is a favourite among locals living in nearby Kelowna, and renowned as one of the best family ski resorts in BC

Big White prides itself on shredding Okanagan champagne powder, which locals claim is the best you’ll find anywhere in BC. 54% of the runs at Big White are blues, so you’ll have plenty of wide open groomers. The tree skiing at Big White is probably the best you’ll find all trip. On a snowy, you’ll find many of the smaller trees are completely covered in fluffy white powder.

There’s plenty of fun to get up to at Big White after the ski day is done! Accommodation is slopeside again, and there’s an ice rink, sleigh rides, tubing, and more.

There’s a couple options once you finish up at Big White. For an added charge our FarOut team will meet you at Kelowna International Airport. This airport’s growing quickly, and there’s a ton of direct flights to major Canadian airports. If you’re coming from abroad, you can often get back to Europe with only one connection.

The other option is to drive 5 hours west, back to Vancouver. If you head back to the city and want one more day of skiing, we highly recommend checking out Manning Park Ski Area. It splits up the drive nicely and is another great family owned ski spot

Book Now

This itinerary is just the start of creating an ultimate family-friendly BC ski trip.

Are you itching to extend your trip to the Banff and other famous resorts in the Rockies? Looking to take your trip to Calgary

We’re hear to be your guide to the gondolas this winter. Click here to book your vehicle now, or contact us to start planning a custom ski trip holiday, tailor made for your family.Â