Why Big White
Snow Ghosts And Silverware.
By its own count, Big White is British Columbia's second most popular resort. The people who rank ski resorts keep noticing it too, for the trees, the beginner terrain and what happens after the lifts close.
Ranking
#1
In Canada for tree skiing
PeakRankings, 2025
Award
Gold
Best ski resort for beginners, worldwide
Snomad Ski Resort Awards, 2025
Readers' vote
2nd
Best ski resort in Canada
Condé Nast Traveler readers, 3 years running to 2023
Readers' vote
#4
In Canada
Condé Nast Traveller UK readers, 2024
Ranking
9th
In the world for après ski
The World Skiing Index, 2023
Award
Best
Business of the Year
Canadian Tourism Awards, 2025
4.5
Out of 5 on Tripadvisor
From more than 800 reviews, and a Travellers' Choice winner in 2026.
And the people who train with us
Awards as listed on Big White's awards page. Tripadvisor rating for Big White Ski Resort, checked October 2026.
In the press
What The Papers Say.
A few of the things the UK papers have said about Big White.
The Telegraph
“Best for getting to grips with powder.”
The Times
“The best ski resorts for beginners.”
The Telegraph
“Virtually all the hotels and apartments in this modern resort are ski-in/ski-out.”
As quoted on Big White's awards page.
01The mountain
Snow Ghosts, Deep Powder And A Village In The Middle.
Big White sits on the highest summit of the Okanagan Highlands, above Kelowna, with 2,834 patrolled acres and 777m of vertical. More than half of it, 1,525 acres, is alpine bowls and gladed trees.
What makes it different is the weather. Cloud rolls over the top of the mountain and freezes onto the trees, layer on layer, until they turn into the snow ghosts Big White is famous for.
Tree skiing
Number 1 In Canada For Tree Skiing.
PeakRankings, 2025.
“Pretty much the entire terrain footprint includes skiable trees.”
PeakRankings
For anyone on one of our Big White ski instructor courses, that matters. Trees teach you short turns, speed control and line choice faster than any groomer, and at Big White there are gentle glades to start in and tight ones to work up to.
Rated Excellent By Past Interns.
On the lift
“Sixteen people in one chalet. You'll never ride a chair on your own.”
02The numbers
2,834 Acres, And 7.5 Metres Of Snow To Cover Them.
777m from the top of the Alpine T-Bar to the Gem Lake base, with the village in the middle. Here's how the mountain fits together.
Side on
Simplified, side on, to scale for height but not for distance. The longest run, Around the World, is 7.2km.
Lift by lift
Twelve Lifts, Bottom To Top.
Where every chair, T-bar and gondola starts, and where it drops you. The Gem Lake Express climbs the furthest, about 710m in one ride.
Bottom and top heights for every lift, from Big White's mountain statistics. Magic carpets not shown.
From above
Five Areas, One Mountain.
Each area is shaded as a rough guide to the colour of its runs. Tap one to see what's there.
Choose an area, or tap one on the map.
The area
The Summit And The Cliff.
The top of the mountain. Open alpine, double black bowls off the Cliff Chair, and long greens that wind all the way down to Gem Lake.
For you
Where your skiing gets tested, once Level 1 is done.
Best on a clear day, for the view across the Okanagan.
Key figures
- Summit
- 2,319mThe top of Big White
- Highest lift
- 2,285mTop of the Alpine T-Bar
- Around the World
- 7.2kmFrom here to the Gem Lake base
Terrain
Beginner to extreme.
The Cliff Chair laps Parachute Bowl, Pegasus, the Cliff and Camel's Back, above Rhonda Lake. The Around the World route starts at the top of the Alpine T-Bar and runs 7.2km to the Gem Lake base, the longest run on the mountain.
Good to know
The snow ghosts. Up here the trees are coated in so much rime ice they look like ghosts.
It's the most exposed part of the mountain. In storms or fog, the Alpine T-Bar and the Cliff Chair are usually first to close.
Lifts: Alpine T-Bar (1,952m to 2,285m) and the Cliff Chair (2,020m to 2,260m).
Figures from Big White's mountain statistics, checked October 2026. The map follows the layout of Big White's 2026/27 trail map, simplified into five areas and shaded as a rough guide to run colours. Use the resort's own trail map on the hill.
- 777m
- of vertical (2,550ft), from the top of the Alpine T-Bar to the Gem Lake base.
- 2,834
- patrolled acres
- 1,525
- acres of alpine bowls and glades
- 7.2km
- longest run, Around the World
- 119
- designated trails, across 105km
- 17
- lifts, moving 28,700 skiers an hour
- 2,319m
- summit, the highest in the Okanagan Highlands
- 7.5m
- of snow in an average winter
Runs by difficulty
More than half the mountain is blue, and there are green runs off every chair.
- 18% Beginner
- 54% Intermediate
- 22% Expert
- 6% Extreme
- Gem Lake base
- 1,508m, the lowest point
- Village Centre
- 1,755m, ski-in, ski-out
- Highest lift
- The Alpine T-Bar, 2,285m
- Groomed
- 905 acres
- Terrain park
- TELUS Park, with a skier and boarder cross course
- Season
- Late November to mid April
Average winter temperature
−5°C
The resort's own average daytime temperature for the winter. It's colder at the top and in the evenings, so good layers, a neck warmer and decent goggles matter.
Learning the trees
Black Forest has widely spaced glades between friendly blues, the gentlest place on the mountain to start tree skiing.
Where beginners go
Happy Valley, one ride down Lara's Gondola from the village, with the beginner area, magic carpets and the tube park.
When the cloud comes in
The Alpine T-Bar and Cliff Chair are usually first to close in storms or fog. Head for the trees, where you can see.
Ready for a course?
Our instructor courses start from a confident intermediate level. Check yours with our skiing ability guide.
03Your winter
A Big White Season, Month By Month.
Both ways to do the internship start the same way in late November. Here's where each one sits, from landing in Kelowna to early April.
Level 1 and 2, ski
The Ski Instructor Internship.
CSIA Level 1 and 2, with a job at the Big White ski school. Paid work, so you need the IEC Working Holiday visa.
Standard19 to 23 weeks, from 21 to 27 November to early April. From £6,950.
Hybrid20 weeks, from 21 to 27 November to early April. From £10,650.
ArriveLand in Kelowna and we bring you up the mountain to the chalet. Then orientation, your lift pass and your equipment.
TrainingLevel 1 is 11 days, then 3 days of exams. Level 2 is 10 days on the Standard and 18 on the Hybrid, and the Hybrid adds 9 days of Level 3 training.
Paid workThe Standard is a full-time instructor job, around 13 to 17 hours a week at around $20 CAD an hour. The Hybrid job is part time.
ExamsLevel 1 after 3 to 4 weeks. Then 4 to 6 days of Level 2 modules and exams, included on both options.
Same Level 1, same chalet, same exams. The Standard earns more, but at Big White the wage won't cover rent and food on its own, so bring some savings. The Hybrid trains more, with the chalet included all season.
Before you fly
The internship includes paid work, so you need the IEC Working Holiday visa. You don't need it before you book, and we help you through it 7 days a week. The Training Course has no job, so no working visa.
Getting here
You fly into Kelowna, and your transfer up to Big White is included, as long as you land within the time window we send you. The Village Centre is 56km from Kelowna.
Where you live
Home For The Winter.
Our own 16-bed, split-level, Swiss-style chalet, right in the village. It's basic, and we won't pretend otherwise, but you won't find anywhere more convenient. Out of the door, skis on, and you're on the snow.
- Rooms
- Double and triple, and couples can share
- Standard
- First 3 weeks included, then around $875 CAD a month, paid by you
- Hybrid
- Included all season
- Meals
- 15 dinners over the first 3 weeks
04The village
Ski-In, Ski-Out, And Lit Up After Dark.
Big White's village sits in the middle of the mountain, and almost everything in it is ski-in, ski-out. You live right in it, so the lifts, the bars and the night skiing are all a walk from your front door.
Night skiing.
38 acres lit after dark, the largest night skiing area in Western Canada.
20 places to eat.
From cafes and delis to proper restaurants, plus 8 lounges and bars with après and live music.
Happy Valley.
One gondola ride down: the tube park, the skating rink and the beginner area.
Kelowna, down the road.
The Village Centre is 56km from Kelowna, a lakeside city with the airport and the big shops.
Free, every day
Lost On Day One? Not For Long.
Big White's volunteer Snow Hosts run free guided tours of the mountain every day. In your first week, it's the quickest way to learn your way around, so you know the hill before you start teaching on it.
The Pros And Cons.
Big White ski instructor courses are brilliant for the right person, and not for everyone. Here's the honest picture.
Why Big White works
- Snow, and plenty of it7.5m in an average winter, and the dry Okanagan kind.
- You live on the hillOur chalet is in the village. Walk out of the door and you're on the snow, all season.
- Trees for every levelRanked number 1 in Canada for tree skiing in 2025, from gentle glades in Black Forest to tight trees at Gem Lake.
- Evenings that happenNight skiing, 20 places to eat and 8 bars and lounges, without leaving the village.
Worth knowing
- Ski onlyThere's no snowboard internship here. Snowboarders train at Panorama.
- Fewer teaching hoursAbout 13 to 17 hours a week on the Standard. The wage won't cover rent and food on its own, so bring some savings.
- Cloud and flat lightThe cloud that makes the snow ghosts brings whiteouts too. On those days, head for the trees.
- The chalet is basicIt's the most convenient place you could live, but it isn't a hotel, and 16 people share it.
05Your course
Your Ski Instructor Course At Big White.
Our Big White ski instructor courses: one internship with two ways to do it, and a training course with no job. All ski, all CSIA.
Level 1 and 2, ski
Ski Instructor Internship, Big White
Level 1 in your first 3 to 4 weeks, then a paid instructor job at the Big White ski school and Level 2. Choose the Standard for a full-time job, or the Hybrid for nearly twice the Level 2 training, 9 days of Level 3 training and the chalet all season. Your Kelowna transfer and visa help are included.
- Starts
- 21 to 27 November
- Finish
- Early April
- You leave with
- CSIA Level 1 and 2
- Options
- Standard or Hybrid
- Price
- From £6,950
Also at Big White
Training Course, Big White
The Hybrid with the work taken out, in the same chalet. No working visa needed. From £8,800.
Snowboarding?
Big White is ski only. Our snowboard internship at Panorama runs the same way, with CASI instead of CSIA.
Not sure Big White is the one? You can see every ski instructor course we run, in one place.
Still deciding where to go? Compare all our locations.
What Past Interns Say.
Read Before You Choose.
Free guides, written by us for people in exactly your position. Start with the resort comparison guide, which puts Big White side by side with Panorama, Sun Peaks and Revelstoke.
Skiing Ability Guide
Are you good enough yet? The standard, in plain words, with a way to check.
Read the guide ›
Resort Comparison Guide
Big White, Sun Peaks, Panorama or Revelstoke. Size, snow, housing and who each one suits.
Read the guide ›
CSIA Qualification Guide
Every CSIA level, what the exams ask of you and what each one lets you teach.
Read the guide ›
The Real Cost Of A Canadian Season
The whole sum, from flights and insurance to food and kit.
Read the guide ›
Insurance Guide
What cover you need, and what to check before you buy it.
Read the guide ›
How To Book Our Courses And Internships
From first chat to first chairlift, step by step.
Read the guide ›
What Nobody Tells You About A Season In Canada
The bits the brochures leave out, from people who have done it.
Read the guide ›
Fitness Guide
Turn up fit. The plan that gets your legs ready before you fly.
Read the guide ›
Travel And Flights Guide
Flights, transfers and getting to the mountain without stress.
Read the guide ›
What To Take
The packing list for a Canadian winter.
Read the guide ›
Clothing Essentials
Layers, gloves and what is worth spending money on.
Read the guide ›
Girls On Tour
For women heading out on a season, by women who have done it.
Read the guide ›
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