Wiski

Ok, so strictly speaking it's not bigger than the rest, and 'better' is a matter of conjecture, but it's certainly bigger than lots of resorts, and the beauty with conjecture is you can say what you like. Oh, and the fact that I spent almost the entire winter there means I feel that I really can speak with conviction. Trust me, I'm right.

I was there with SnowSkool, and the fifteen students that were with the company doing an eleven week ski instructor training course from January to April. And I was amazed. I've worked within the snowsports industry for over five years now, and the resort of Big White had barely registered on the radar, but ski and snowboard purists who want great snow and great terrain must go. There wasn't an enormous amount of sunbathing on offer - the scorching sunny French Alps this most certainly isn't - but quite simply that means quality conditions. And don't worry - frostbite a la Albertan resorts like Banff isn't likely, with average temperatures a balmy -6 degrees C rather than the -30 degrees it seems to be over there.

Of course, if you go this year then you'll almost certainly have to put up with constant 'hilarious' Australian Ashes 'banter'. Rather you than me. It, and its sister resort of Silver Star, are both owned by the Australian Schumann family, and as a result you'll hear the Aussie accent more than the Canadian one. But don't let this put you off - the Schumann's investment has been enormous recently (just two years ago they invested $128 million in cutting new runs, in new lifts and more accommodation) and the resorts are going from strength to strength. Big White has a new six-person chairlift being installed as we speak.

My only issue is that none of that $128 million went into another bar. Big White has just two bars worthy of the name, Snowshoe Sam's and Raakel's, to provide all the excitement you need. And if you're there for the season, that'll start to wear a little thin. It's not to say they're not good bars - they are. Sam's is great for pool and table football, Tuesdays are a good club night and they have live bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Raakel?s is more local - you'll find some grizzly Canadians in there most nights, but they also have live bands and it's a bit more like a proper pub (oh, and they have a Wings Night with flavoured chicken wings at $1.25 apiece which is pretty good with some beer). It's just that, when you spent the last seven nights out dancing to Christina Aguilera, Bryan Adams and the Pussycat Dolls you start wishing there was somewhere else to go.

During the day, of course, that place is the hill. If you're in a resort for an entire season, generally you'll need a pretty big area, a Tignes, or an Alpe d'Huez for example, to keep you happy. Big White is nowhere near as big as these places, but quite simply it's the quality of the snow that keeps it interesting. 2005/6 wasn't an exceptional year for snow, yet there was fresh powder three days a week for most of the season. Walking back at night from the bars, crunching across groomed powder slopes lit by Narnia-style lampposts, wishing tomorrow was right now was one of the endearing memories from the resort.
The incredible thing is that the next day always lived up to expectations. With fresh snow there's never the reticence to go out that sometimes accompanies extended trips. And with 90% of the resort runs meandering through trees you've plenty of options even if the weather isn't ideal. For the quietest runs, head over to the massive area that is Gem Lake - but only if there's no wind. As in most North American resorts there is every grade of run available off each lift, but Gem Lake also has the longest runs in the resort. And some of the tightest tree-skiing you can imagine. Heading left along Kalina's Rainbow, stay high right and you can drop through the trees and join Moonlight Run further down. It's tight and long - you will get separated from your companions, but don't go too far right and you'll be fine. It's both beautiful and scary being deep in the woods on your own. It's also the scene of one of Big White's most poignant stories - a local snowboarder died there alone a few years ago having become disorientated after hitting a tree. No-one knew he was there - when his car was noticed in the car park after three days a search party was sent out and found him within two hours. First rule of skiing off piste - tell people your whereabouts.

There's plenty of cruising if that's more your style, and with great snow the runs are always fun. Powder Chair doesn't lie - the stuff collects here in drifts and forgives the abysmally slow two-seater that accesses the runs. For some of the nicest and easiest glades in which to learn to tree ski get over to the Black Forest Express - it's worth the 4,725 (give or take a couple) mile trip just to do so. And families are extremely well-catered for, with the resort winning awards all over the place.

If you're an adventurous skier or snowboarder though, you'll gravitate towards the Cliff area. There's plenty of open mellow off piste, and endless tree runs in Big White, but if you want to test your turns on seriously steep off piste this is the place. It has its own chairlift, and is patrolled, which will turn purists off but is perfect for the rest of us. There are routes down, of all different standards, from hard to ridiculous (that's an official grading I'll have you know) but be warned - it's all in full view of the chairlift. Standing at the top of a small drop I was preparing myself and trying to visualise not crashing when I heard a helpful piece of advice from a stranger on the chairlift. 'Get on with it, you big girl!' this nice young man hollered at me. I took his advice, and naturally got it all wrong. I learnt a valuable lesson right there - on steep slopes it's best not to start cartwheeling, as it's surprisingly difficult to stop. On the other side, up on the chairlift is an absolutely brilliant platform for watching people of my ability attempt runs requiring a somewhat higher ability. We love watching people pushing boundaries, but also taking chances. I challenge anyone to deny that there's a part of them that enjoys watching a good old wipeout, especially in powder. And that's as good a reason as any to visit Big White.

By Ben Letham

For more info visit - www.bigwhite.com