Big White Ski Resort Publishes Draft Master Plan
Visioning sessions held early in the planning process established that Big White has a strong reputation for delivering an excellent “winter in the mountains” experience. The combination of reliable “champagne powder” snow with world-class family friendly mountain facilities, the largest ski to/ski from village in Canada, and ease of access, has made Big White the second biggest ski resort in British Columbia, next to Whistler Blackcomb.
The Vision for Big White is:
“To be the perfect four-season mountain resort, distinguished for the high-quality experience our guests always receive.”
And Big White’s Mission is:
“To go the extra mile to ensure our guests enjoy a memorable alpine experience in a positive, safe and friendly environment.”
Complementing this, the following goals and objectives acted to guide in the creation of the Big White Master Plan:
- Respect the natural attributes of the mountain and the setting, recognizing that these are Big White’s primary attraction and currency;
- Continue to strengthen the working relationship with the Westbank First Nations (WFN) – one that will aid both Big White and the WFN in their efforts to achieve sustained prosperity;
- Provide state-of-the-art all-season facilities on the mountain and in the village and base areas:
- Focus on the development and operation of a wide variety of recreation and retreat pursuits;
- Accommodate the needs and expectations of day-use guests, destination guests, weekend guests, and the growing population of full-time residents;
- Provide a well-balanced lift serviced alpine skiing and snowboarding experience as the primary winter attraction;
- Offer a diverse range of winter attractions to complement the alpine skiing including Nordic skiing, tubing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and skating, among others;
- Establish summer attractions by developing lift-serviced mountain biking trails and bike park, cross-country mountain biking trails, a par 3 golf course, at least one eighteen-hole golf course, zip lines, nature trails, and hiking;
- Maintain a diverse mix of specialized resort retail and equipment rental, restaurants, pubs, bistros, workout and training facilities, and “unique to Big White” outlets and galleries;
- Develop an appropriate mix of facilities that will cater to longer term guests and residents, including a grocery store, liquor store, day care, community centre, hardware store, theatre, and banking services, among others;
- Maintain and maximize the “ski to/ski from” attribute of the base area and Village that already defines Big White as a truly unique ski resort.
