Central B.C. Trio Perfect For Indy Pass Road Trippers
Three ski and snowboard mountains located within a couple of hours of each other tempt Indy Pass holders to take a road trip to south-central British Columbia.
Big White, Apex Mountain and Baldy Mountain all sit in the snowy Okanagan Highlands between the Canadian Rockies and Cascades. They can be reached with several hours' drive from the border crossing at Osoyoos, B.C., which is about five hours' drive from either Spokane or Seattle. Centrally located Kelowna (153,000 pop.) has connecting air flights.
Starting up north, Big White (2,765 a., 2,660 vert.) sprawls. With a large condo village that has its own chair and transit gondola, ample vacation rentals and aprés ski aplenty, Big White checks off all the boxes down below.
For skiing and riding, the B.C. mountain begins with a pair of high-speed chairs -- a four- and a six-seater running parallel -- that lift more than 5,000 folks per hour to the resort's mid-section. From there, it's a groomer's delight as more than half the trail map rates intermediate. Oddly, the uppermost terrain is primarily greens, served by four-person Bullet Express and lengthy Alpine T-bar.
For experts, the magnet is hidden to skier's far right in Gem Lake, which has its own parking lot, warming hut and high-speed quad. There, you'll find Big White's most challenging pitches tucked away far from the madding crowd.
Two hours to the south is Apex Mountain (1,112 a., 2,000 vert.) -- as steep as any B.C. mountain. The trail map rates nearly 90% of runs as either blue or black. Steep terrain spills of the top, including two dozen chutes at timberline and a compact backside. Highlight for novices is the top-to-bottom Grandfather's green that follows the boundary for three miles.
However, only one lift, a high-speed quad, can get folks up to the top. Down below, intermediate groomers intersperse with a few greens, all served by a fixed-grip triple and a base area T-bar.
You can park at the base or halfway up the hill, and there are ample food and drink choices, and modest accommodations.
Another two hours south, Indy Pass holders can get their two free days at Baldy Mountain (600 a., 1,265 vert.). While modest in size, Baldy has the third highest elevation (7,580 ft.) in B.C., and it skis bigger than its size because nearly half of its acreage is glades.
The trail map divides out evenly among greens, blues and blacks -- parsed out equally off a pair of fixed-grip chairlifts. The main Eagle double delivers to the summit, where marked trails and glades blend together -- especially to skier's left around double-diamond C.D. and Honky Tonk.
Intermediates have plenty to choose from on both sides of the hill, with blue groomers Dividend and Jolly Jack from the top. Most of the greens can be found off the Sugarlump quad. Plus there's an extensive learning area around the base.
Base facilities are basic, and limited accommodations spread out among close-by cabins, lodges and houses, and selection in nearby towns.
