Whistler or Big White

bump

cheers mate, i'll check out revelstoke

Lake Louise!

oooo sounds like i might be leaning more towards whistler now... anyone else got an input? cheers for replies

Has anyone been to Big White? I'm pretty set on heading there in October and would love some info for/against choosing it over some of the bigger resorts. Cheers, Dave.

Never been to Whistler, but I did a season at Big White so I can comment on that much.

Size: Huge compared to any resort in Aus/NZ
Terrain: Generally pretty laidback. There are steeps on The Cliff, but what it lacks in that area it makes up for in fun natural terrain for boarders - plenty of rock drops, rollers and natural hits all over the mountain. The park is good, it changes pretty frequently to keep it fresh, and there is a pipe and boardercross course to boot. Very scenic to look at too
Snow: Not a powderhounds dream, but still plenty of the good stuff. Tends to fall in small amounts more regularly rather than in big dumps, but you should get a couple of 30cm+ days a season. The snow is LIGHT and dry, and it doesn't really rain except early season
Village: Split into 2 parts, the village and Snowpines. The village is the shops (supermarket, bakery, heaps of restaurants), pubs etc and then hotels and apartment blocks all in a nice compact and central location. Snowpines is heaps of houses about a 5-10 min walk from the village. Both have pluses and minuses - Village you are close to everything and its all ski-in ski-out, but accom is generally smaller. Snowpines accom is bigger but there is a chance your accom may not be ski-out (its all ski-in, and most is ski-out, but not all). There are 2 pubs to drink at, both have the same prices, and pretty similar atmosphere. Snowpines will always have a house party or two.

Kelowna is like 45 mins down the road, which is comparable a big country town - think Geelong or Ballarat - with heaps of shops and pretty good nightlife if you need to escape the mountain.

I had mates who did seasons at Whistler and they loved the place too, it has everything for everyone, but I can't really go any further, not having been before.

If you really want good info check out the forums at ski.com.au, there is heaps of this sort of info, just do a quick search

i would definatly go with big white

That sounds unreal. I'll be heading over to him to try for a job, but kinda keen on anything. A mate of mine worked on the lifts, had three days on three days off and said it was the crap but assuming that's pretty competitive to get?

WHISTLER

Revvie is next on my hit list, before it turns into the new Whistler

I've never been to Big White but have boarded Whistler quite a few times.

Whistler is an Ultimate Resort. It has everything you'll want to do. Freeriding, Park, Heli, Snocats, I'm pretty sure there is also snowmobile rentals. Umm they also have an Indoor Skatepark and many foreign ladies.

The night life there is pretty fun as well.

Vancouver is a couple hours drive south as well.

The only thing I didn't enjoy were some of the tourists are extremely snooty.

Another point to consider - although both Whistler and Big White are full-on magnets for JAFA's, at least Whistler is bigger so you can, um, blend in a little more if you want to. 

I have ever going to Whistler, so I want to go Big White.

Im a local here at Big White, so I've gotten my fill of it. If you're looking for a fun month or so, Whistler is definitely the way to go imo, but Big White has it's big powder days, and is a very friendly resort (rated #1 in Canada for best family resort or something). Silver Star however has a bigger park than Big White, and seems to be catered more towards skiers. Like the previous poster said, you really cant go wrong, but if I had to choose one, I'd go Whistler, definitely a more renowned mountain in all areas.