Whitewater Ski Resort, British Columbia, Canada

5pt201858 5:00 PM Mar 6, 2021

great skiing, Covid safe!
Feb. 26, first time up this weird season...was impressed with Covid protocols, felt safe. Had avoided due to Covid, but happy I went up. The snow, as usual, was great!

4Bumpjumper 5:00 PM Jan 31, 2015

Fog, what fog...?...whatsa fog?
Just got back from a wonderful trip up to BC where my crew and I spent some time skiing Red Mountain and Whitewater (about 20 minutes outside of Nelson). I guess the weird thing was that Whitewater is a fair bit higher than Red Mountain (which is actually 3 mountains...Granite, Red, and Grey) but was foggy all the way to the top every day. This contrasted with Red as the base area there was socked in (every day) but the top was clear. Granted, we stayed at each resort less than a week but after talking with some other powderhounds I can't help thinking visibility can be a major problem @ both resorts. Too, even though WW was higher the snow that began falling (heavily) Friday afternoon turned into rain sometime during the night + crushed our hopes of a powder day Sat. (what was left was a frozen crust that was miserable to ski on...at least until it had been broken up by other skiers). But I suppose this is the risk you take when skiing BC. That said, the resort DOES get a lot of snow (over 40 ft. annually according to On The Snow stats) and lift tickets are on the cheap side. Too, if you're a, "back country," hike to the pow type you can find it in abundance there (remember, we're talking Canada not the US). Beyond the weather the logistics in getting to the mountain are good. The place is small so there isn't any place to stay on the mountain. Typically you've got to drive/ride up from Nelson as we did. With our own 'burban the route only took about twenty minutes as the snowplows did an exemplary job. The nearby town of Nelson is quaint and quiet (about 10,000 people), with wonderful vistas of the surrounding Selkirk mountains and Koontenay lake. Hotel accommodations are good, with the Hume hotel standing out as on of Nelson's oldest historic landmarks. We were fortunate to stay there and I can tell you the place oozes a wonderful character that makes you feel immediately at home. The rooms are fairly large with enough room that you can spread your ski stuff about. The food there was very good (if you like creme caramel you should order it here...it's the best I've ever had) and the people are very friendly. Room rates were about C120 a night...cheaper on average than the Best Western...which is oddly owned by the same guy who owns the Hume. Lastly, don't let the elevator catch you out: it goes BUMP! when it comes to a stop. So now it kinda feels like it's time to wrap things up here. A summary should include the fact that Whitewater + Nelson both have Cat skiing available. (Unfortunately we didn't get that far.) And for those who are new to skiing, the mountain might prove a bit daunting. Check the trail map and believe it. There are a lot of trees with some very deep snow. If you go in there be CAREFULL OF THE DEADFALL. There's enough of that too. And by the way, if you're lucky enough to get to experience this place ask a local about the fog. You kinda have to pry the answer out of them.