Skiing in Canada

Canada and skiing are made for each other. There are ski areas in almost every province of Canada, but the mountains of British Columbia and Quebec have the best conditions for skiing. Each of these areas has several well-developed ski resorts to choose from.

Western Canada

British Columbia has lots of mountains and lots of famous ski resorts. Whistler-Blackcomb is probably the most famous and will be the setting for the 2010 winter Olympics. Whistler-Blackcomb is just 78 miles from Vancouver. It has the highest vertical drop of any ski resort in North America as well as the largest ski-able area – 8,171 acres – more than 50% larger than the largest ski resort in the USA (Vail).

To make the long runs more accessible, several high speed gondolas and chair lifts have been installed. Skiers can get from base to alpine in just 15 minutes – a one mile vertical lift. The longest run on Whistler-Blackcomb is an amazing 7 miles. The total number of trails is more than 200, and range in difficulty from beginner to expert. No matter what your level is, you can find a suitable trail at Whistler-Blackcomb. The snowfall here is 360 inches a year, and the snow stays on the mountain year-round for those hardcore skiers who just can't let the season end.

Another popular ski area of British Columbia is the Kootenays. As well as being home to several popular ski resorts like Red Mountain and Kimberly, the Kootenays is also famous for back-county skiing. Skiers can get to pristine powder by either snowcat or helicopter. This is one of the most expensive ski options in the world, but offers more than 80,000 acres of unskied deep powder.

Quebec

The mountains of eastern Canada are nowhere near the height of those in western Canada but still offer respectable skiing. The two main ski areas in Quebec are the Laurentians (close to Montreal) and the Quebec City region.

Mont Tremblant in the Laurentians has been rated as the #1 ski resort in Eastern North America. It has 600 acres of trails with a maximum vertical height of 2,871 feet. The longest trail here is 3.73 miles. There are 94 runs rated from easy to expert. The 12 ski lifts have a capacity of about 27,000 skiers per hour.

Mont Sainte Anne near Quebec City has a slightly lower vertical height than Mont Tremblant (2,050 feet) but offers 64 trails over 450 acres. Because of its northerly latitude it has the longest ski season in Eastern North America. Ski trails are located on 3 sides of the mountain so you can pick trails to stay in the sunshine almost all day long. There are also 17 lighted trails for night skiing for those who want to extend their ski day to a maximum. With a total of 13 lifts (including two high-speed covered lifts) waiting time is kept to a minimum. The close proximity to Quebec City gives you access to fabulous restaurants and night life after a day of skiing. Quebec City is just 20 miles away from Mont Sainte Anne.

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