Longer sun filled days, shorter lift lines and more affordable accommodation are just some of the reasons skiing in spring at British Columbia’s best resorts are worth considering.
On the tail end of peak season, you can book a spring skiing trip starting early March and depending on the location, elevation, and size of the resort you’ll be able to ski into April or even as late as mid-May.
At mammoth mountains like Whistler Blackcomb, skiing is often extended into June. Die-hard, experienced skiers and riders can even have the unique pleasure of hitting the slopes mid-summer on Blackcomb’s glacier in June and July.
Spring days are longer and warmer, which is especially advantageous for families with young kids who get cold quickly. Sometimes, temperatures can get downright balmy when skiers hit sunny slopes in T-shirts, shorts – even bikinis – and come away at the end of the day with a tan.
Heli-skiing is a different kind of spring fun too. Though there’s less chance of waist-deep powder in April, there is more sunshine.
Lunches on the slopes are relaxed compared to mid-winter and as the weather stabilizes in spring, previously inaccessible higher alpine regions begin to allow skiers into their heights.
March is a busy time for festivals like RED Mountain Resort’s Beer Goggles Craft Brew Fest and Panorama Mountain Resort’s High Notes Music Festival. In April, crazy, season-closing parties with Dummy Downhills and Slush Cups rock resorts from Sun Peaks to Whitewater Ski Resort’s Beach Party Sunday.
And then there’s the sheer delight of savouring lunch and après-ski beverages in the sunshine on an outdoor patio like the massive deck-with-a-killer-view at Revelstoke Mountain Resort‘s Revelation Lodge.
But be sure to sunscreen up – there’s nothing worse than a goggle tan!
A version of this post by Margo Pfeiff was originally published on the Hello BC website.
