Vancouver to Big White & Revelstoke - Winter Road Trip Itinerary

The bus had long lulled me to sleep, and my cheek rolled listlessly against the frosted window glass, a cool compress given I was bundled up in jumpers and scarves. I sleep best when I’m warm, and I was determined to stay asleep - a 6-hour journey to Kelowna, combined with my proclivity for motion nausea, was not something I wanted to just “wing”. AirPods in, true crime podcast playing, I watched as Vancouver’s grey turned to green fields and distant mountain peaks, and I let my eyelids curtain close. 

It was the muttering that woke me up. I opened a lazy eye and looked into the bus, where my friends whispered and gripped the seats in front with tense fingers. I was too sleepy to be alarmed - after all, the bus continued to roll along gently and the murmuring remained soft, not panicked. But sleep aside, curiosity piqued and I raised my head to see what they were looking at. I had to rub my eyes because everything was a bit blurred, and I couldn’t see beyond the windshield. Which is when my brain caught up and I instinctively and somewhat comically, gulped. Because what I thought was sleep hazing my vision, was the densest, most opaque fog I had ever seen in my life. 

Our Canadian driver had warned us on departure that we may be driving through a “smidge” of fog on the Okanagan Connector, known for being a dangerous section of highway during the winter as it frequently experiences whiteouts. It was why we had collectively decided to take the coach, rather than drive ourselves - if Canadians called it dangerous, a bunch of 20-something Queenslanders wouldn’t stand a chance. 

The fog was so thick that we couldn’t see the yellow of the bus’s headlights, nor the truck that eventually apparated 10 metres ahead of us as we began to descend 45 minutes later. Turns out, according to the driver, we had been tailing him for the better part of the journey. He could be lying, we’d never know, we couldn’t see a damn thing, but even he admitted that was some of the worst conditions he’s seen, and he’d been driving that route for almost 40 years. Looking left outside my window seat was like staring into a glass of milk.  

Needless to say, the experience settled a resolve in our stomachs that we had made the right choice. And it taught us to be extra cautious for the portions of the trip where we eventually did drive ourselves around in a hire car. 

Road tripping through the mountainous terrains of British Columbia in Canada’s winter was like throwing raw adrenaline and hazardous beauty into a cauldron and mixing it up something delicious, so even though the soup spat and bubbled and you were sometimes afraid of where you stood, all was immediately forgiven and forgotten when you at last tasted that glorious concoction on your tongue. Those snow-capped, rugged peaks of the Rocky Mountain Range are like no other, whether you’re standing atop them with your snowboard or if you’re driving under their shadows on lakeside highways. 

Interested in your own Canada winter road trip? Take inspiration from my 17-day road trip from Vancouver to Big White and Revelstoke to snowboard & ski British Columbia. 

Type of travel:

• Road trip

• Snowboarding & skiing 

Total days:

17 days

Transport modes:

• Hire car

• Public coach

• Private shuttle

Total spent:

$14,416 AUD (for two people)

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Vancouver

My most favourite thing about Vancouver was its late-night coffee culture. I’m Australian, and call me a coffee snob, but I know what makes a good coffee, and when travelling I’m often disappointed by the lack of frothing milk and freshly roasted coffee beans coating the air. 

But Vancouver? Nailed coffee culture, on every count, and in fact it’s better than Australia because their cafes don’t close at 2pm, but instead invite coffee drinkers in until 11pm. What a world! It was glorious. 

Downtown looked like cafes on every corner, people milling about the shopping centres and chain stores, and warm lights emanating from rows upon rows of restaurants offering anything from Japanese hot dogs to Mexican grills.

Neon advertising and hockey stadium lights were made even brighter by the fact that everything else in Vancouver is grey - grey paths meet grey buildings meet a grey sky, from which grey rain falls and lands on people’s grey jacket shoulders. To take a break from the grey, you need to seek out nature - Stanley Park and Capilano are the easiest choices in this regard. Not being a huge city fangirl myself, 2.5 days was enough for me before we escaped the grey into the countryside. 

Length of stay

3 nights, 2.5 days (including the afternoon after flying in)

Where we stayed

Hotel BLU 

3 stars. Good room, nothing outwardly wrong with it. Exceptional location in Downtown Vancouver, positioned right above a couple of cafes and a 10-minute walk to the main shopping precinct, CF Pacific Centre. Also only a 10-minute walk to the Hockey Stadium. 

Funny story, the first night we stayed (jet lagged as hell), the hotel’s fire alarm system blared at 11pm and we and all the other hotel guests had to shuffle downstairs to the lobby in our pajamas to watch the firemen complete checks and disable the system. A surprising number of people caught the elevator (never catch the elevator during a fire threat!). 

What we did

Capilano

We caught the free shuttle from Vancouver to Capilano, where we spent around 3 hours (including lunch) before heading back into town. Tip: Get to the shuttle line early. It’s first-in, best-dressed.

If you’ve got a super short stay in Vancouver, I wouldn’t bother (time would be better spent at Stanley Park), but if you’ve got a morning to kill, sure, why not. As long as you’re fine paying around ~$80 AUD for an entrance ticket. Would I go back? Nah. Do I regret it? Nah. 

Pros

• Suspension bridge walk

• Rainforest treetops walk

• Follow the canyon via Cliffwalk 

• Indigenous culture display (although we missed the guided walk through the exhibit)

• Picturesque village (“The Trading Post”) with great souvenir stores and restaurants (be prepared to pay the tourist premium, however) 

• Quiet on a rainy day

Cons

• The park is pretty kitschy (they’d decorated it for Valentine’s Day), so it feels very touristy rather than a simple exploration through nature.  

• I can imagine the must-do photo shots of the bridge and the tree tops would be absolutely filled with people on a sunny day. Very busy. 

• No wildlife

• Expensive 

Explore Shopping Districts

Given our short stay in Vancouver and that I had come unprepared with no winter boots nor a winter jacket, we ended up spending a fair chunk of time exploring the shopping districts. I really like Vancouver’s shopping scene. 

Hotel BLU was walking distance from CF Pacific Centre, which was reminiscent of the shopping centres we have back home in Australia - however, it was far more fun because there were tonnes of unfamiliar brand names, and plenty of actual winter-proof clothing. My favourites were Aritzia (women’s clothing), Canada Goose (luxury browsing… for me at least), Harry Rosen (men’s clothing), and Roots (comfy jumpers and trackpants). Also check out the Sport Check across the road. It’s like a bigger and better Rebel Sports.

Robson Street is another good spot to shop, with rows of both independent, international, and North American brands. 

Gastown was okay for shopping, but I’d mostly recommend it for its cobblestone streets and the steam clock (which isn’t even steam-powered… it’s electric). The electricians were awkwardly working away at it when we visited.

Pros 

• Good shopping selection at CF Pacific Centre and Robson Street 

• Easy walking distance if you stay in or around Downtown Vancouver

• A few interesting bookstores on the way to Gastown

Cons

• Gastown was okay - bit of a sketchy vibe and not much shopping

Hockey Game at Roger’s Arena

You couldn’t call me a sports fan. I avoid sports-talk back home because it’s that dull. But holy mother, North American sports are unreal, and I couldn’t shut up about my high after experiencing a hockey game at Roger’s Arena. 

The fake hotdogs are real. The sodas the size of my forearm are real. There are even real promotional blimps that fly overhead the grandstands. 

I paid $200 for a hockey jersey because I was so wrapped up in the unity and the pride and the cheers pouring out of the grandstands like a tidal wave. The energy is absolutely infectious and you can’t miss out on a hockey game if you visit Canada. 

Pros

• Blood-pumping fun

• Passionate fans and rowdy gameplay 

• Roger’s Arena is within walking distance to Downtown Vancouver

Cons

• You may spend too much money on merch (I’d argue it’s worth it)

Cycle Stanley Park

Stanley Park is located on the north-western tip of the Downtown peninsula. It’s a huge city green space where preserved BC coastal rainforest meets the sea - 1,000 acres total, bordered by the famous 9km seawall circuit.

We walked from Hotel BLU to Spokes Bicycle Rentals at the Waterfront Centre, grabbed an electric bike for hire, and began our ride to Stanley Park. Follow signs for the Vancouver Seawall to begin your journey. We worked our way around anti-clockwise, stopping only at the Totem Poles, Beaver Lake, and a viewpoint for the Lions Gate Bridge. Regretfully, we had only given ourselves a couple of hours to enjoy the park before we had to head back to make our flight… in hindsight, I would have spent the whole day meandering through the park and exploring the hundreds of trails looping and weaving through the park. 2 hours was just enough to complete the seawall circuit with a few stops, but we still had to rush.

Stanley Park is a bird spotters playground. Pack a backpack with binoculars, a camera, and lunch, and it’ll be a bloody excellent day spent. If you’re not into cycling, you can also obviously enjoy the park on foot but you’ll be a lot slower, and there’s a lot to see!

Pros

• A nature and wildlife lovers dream 

• Clean and quiet (once you cycle away from the crowds)

• Close to Downtown and the city 

• Endless exploration opportunities 

Cons

• Busy with cyclists and walkers at the beginning, near the Totem Poles (but it does thin eventually thin out)

Total spent

3 nights / 2.5 days 

2 people

• Utilities (taxis, transport, toiletries, ATM cashout, etc.): $301 AUD

• Eating out: $337 AUD

• Activities: $620 AUD

• Shopping: $1,515 AUD (we may have gone a bit ham… but we both came slightly unprepared for winter clothing)

• Accommodation: $567 AUD

Vancouver spend total = $3,340 AUD

What I would change

• Remove Capilano from the itinerary and spend more time cycling Stanley Park

Getting from Vancouver to Big White

Now, I did say this was a road trip. And we were this 🤏 close to hiring a car in Vancouver and driving ourselves to Big White. But after extensive research and cost comparisons, we decided against self-travel and opted to book the coach that runs from Vancouver to Kelowna and a private shuttle from Kelowna to Big White. And if you read my story above, you’ll understand that we had no regrets with our choice thanks to the fog-induced confirmation we received. 

We booked the eBus from Vancouver to Kelowna, which took just under six hours of travel. It cost around $80 CAD per person, excluding luggage (it costs extra for a checked bag, and extra again if you’re carting around oversized luggage like a snowboard bag). They stopped at Merritt for a brief 15-minute rest, which we took advantage of to try Popeyes for the first time (verdict: better than KFC). 

Because we travelled as a group of eight, arranging a private shuttle from Kelowna to Big White was cost effective and convenient - they even let us drop by a Safeway to stock up on groceries to take to the mountain. We just told the shuttle when our coach would arrive and where - they met us on arrival, scooped us up, and took us straight to our accommodation at Big White after our grocery shop. It was money well spent, around $150 AUD per person (including the return trip back down the mountain at the end of our stay). 

Big White

Big White is aptly named. It is big, and yes, white. You recall the fog I mentioned earlier? We discovered that the mountain was also a victim on arrival, with the entire village blanketed under its pearly shawl. 

We couldn’t see the village for the first two full days after arrival, even though the accommodation we booked had promised clocktower and chairlift views. This seemed likely, given we were a mere 50 metres from the square, but the complete lack of visibility made it impossible to fact check. We could fumble our way into town, but it was all very disorienting (I liked the adventure it added to our quests for food).

Finally, when our eyes cracked open on the third day to streaking sunshine across the chalet, all the glory that Big White had to offer became known. Sweeping views of hundreds of thousands of pine trees cascading down the mountain and into the valleys below, the marbling peak of Big White above, and yes, there’s the old clocktower and chairlift, less than 100m from our kitchen window. 

Big White is a snowboarder and skiers paradise, regardless of skill level. It’s so large that you can seek out quiet runs, popular runs, tree runs, runs that take you to Beaver Tails, runs accessible only by T-bar, runs, runs, runs. There’s a run for everyone. Complete with a village with over 20 eateries, you’re spoilt for choice and (almost) every day, you can try something new. 

Length of stay

9 nights

Where we stayed

Trappers Crossing

4.3 stars. Trappers Crossing is a 2-minute walk from the main village square and hosts 35 chalets. The location was unreal. Walking out our front door, you can right to get to the village and the Plaza Chair, or you can turn left, walk past Fourth Ace (my favourite lunch spot), and snowboard down Perfection (it’s classed a blue run, but from Fourth Ace, it’s a green run) to hit the two major chairlifts: Ridge Rocket Express and Snow Ghost Express (Plaza Chair is down there too). 

The chalet provided us a full kitchen, a snowboard/ski warming room, and a private hot tub out on the deck. The only pity was that it only had three bedrooms (one of which was bunks) and a fold-out couch, so for eight adults, it was verging on too small. Our friends who drew the short straw and took the couch didn’t sleep well the whole stay. But, splitting the cost between eight was how we could afford such a primely located chalet, so, you win some you lose some. 

What we did

Snowboard/ski

Wake up. Eat cliff bar. Snowboard. Repeat. You cannot possibly get tired of snowboarding or skiing this mountain. There are 119 designated trail runs, and countless opportunities available for off-piste and tree runs. Because the mountain is so huge, you also get to explore varying terrains - from the frigidly haunting silhouettes of “snow ghosts” at the peak, to crisp lines and dense pine cover at Black Forest, to winding and sweeping circuits at Gem Lake, it really doesn’t get boring. 

If I had never snowboarded before, I would have been more than comfortable learning on this mountain. There’s plenty of variety available to beginners, so it’s perfect for gentle and exciting learning. One of our friends had never stepped foot on skis before in her life, and she loved Big White. She got comfy enough to take on some of the blue runs, too. 

I’m an intermediate boarder, and if you can’t tell already, I had a blast. My favourite runs were Sleepy Hollow, the trees between Trappers and Powder Bowl, and anything that took you to the Gem Lake Warming Hut (where a Beaver Tails truck is located). 

Black Diamond Run "Flagpole"

My partner is advanced, and when he got tired of doing blue runs with me, he’d head into the trees to explore off-piste. He even discovered some secret marked spots tucked deep into the pine forests. 

Ask a local where to find the following.

• The Knoll

• Jim’s Secret

• Narnia

• The Batman Rock

Good luck. 

Pros

• Endless number of runs 

• Great variety of terrain

• Accommodating for all skill levels 

• Even on a bad snow year (which we had), the snow is still great 

Cons

• Can be easy to get lost, so keep an eye on your beginner friends 

• Some green runs up the top of Gem Lake Express and Falcon Chairs are pretty spooky because you’re so high. Scary for beginner snowboarders who aren’t confident on cat trails yet.

• Conditions can go downhill quickly, so make sure you have clear or low-light lenses, otherwise you won't be able to see anything in the fog.

Horse Drawn Sleigh Dining Tour

Before you read this, you must understand something. I’m a horse girl. So when I say that this was my most favourite activity in all of Canada, I mean it. 

We were standing out in the snow, breath misting and hands tucked snugly into coat pockets. It was truly dark, and beyond the makeshift ice rink, the pine forest bled ominously into a pin-pricked horizon. A gentle tinkle of bells. The clopping of hooves, kicking up crisp snow cover. And, then, magic. Two horses dark as tar and shiny like velvet heaved a carriage, and a rather large man at the bowhead, into view. 

The man, with his thick northern accent, told us of his summer work on the farm, and how every winter, he brings his horses to the mountains. We left the ice rink and the last of the village’s lights behind as he guided us into the quiet, beckoning forest. The world was nothing but towering pine trees, distant animal howls, and crunching snow under hoof. A small orange glow appeared, and grew larger as we neared it. A small cabin, its footprint no larger than a bedroom, sat stoic and lonesome in the woods awaiting our arrival. 

We were served a three-course meal, which was phenomenal. However, do bring your own wine. We forgot. Which was a shame because it was definitely wine vibes. This activity is totally 5 stars and anyone who fancies a little whimsy in their lives will adore this. 

Pros

• Horses

• Secluded cabin 

• Private dinner

• Stories regaled by the local horseman

Cons

• BYO wine, so don’t forget!

Hockey Game in Kelowna 

We had loved the hockey game in Vancouver so much that we decided to buy tickets to a minor league game in Kelowna. Kelowna is an hour’s drive down the mountain from Big White, so if you don’t have a hire car, you’ll need to arrange a private shuttle service (we used Big Mountain Little Shuttle). They gave us door-to-door service, and we grabbed a bite to eat at BNE Brewing Kelowna before the game. 

Minor league was even more fun than the pro game because fists were thrown - the crowd was rowdier, the teams clearly wanted to leave an impression for potential scouts, and the gameplay got messy. 10/10 experience. 

Pros

• Hockey!

Cons

• An hour away from Big White, so you’ve got to figure out logistics of travel 

Skate & Play Hockey on Big White’s Outdoor Ice Rink

From Big White’s village, you can climb aboard Lara’s Gondola to take you a couple hundred meters down the mountain. You’ll be delivered to the Happy Valley Day Lodge, where you’ll find that ice rink I mentioned earlier. There’s also a couple of restaurants down there if you need a break from the village circuit. 

Head to the counter, hire some skates (hockey, figure, or recreational) and some hockey sticks, and go for gold. You’ll be skating on what is usually a lake, and if you’ve never skated outdoors before, be warned - it’s nothing like flat, even surface of an indoor rink. After smacking my tailbone and prompting a low “ooo” from the crowds (from both friends and strangers), I decided that hockey probably wasn’t something I would take up professionally. 

Pros

• A fun night-time activity after snowboarding/skiing all day

Cons

• Very lumpy surface (be careful)

• Expensive if you only stay on the ice for 15 minutes like I did 

Tubing

Highly recommend if you're in for an adrenaline kick and uncontained laughter. Grab a tube, escalator to the top of the hill, and wizz your way down. If you ask the attendant to throw you hard, they will. You can also link tubes with others for extra weight and speed. 

This is another great night-time activity after a long ski day, but do it before dinner otherwise you’ll risk it coming back up. And bring gloves!

Pros 

• Literally so fun, an easy way to kill an hour or two

• Warm up at the bonfire at the base

• Seating area for viewing 

Cons

• The queue can get kinda long at the top of the hill (so dress warmly)

Total spent

9 nights / 10 days 

2 people 

• Eating out: $1,644.32 AUD

• Activities: $2,689.07 AUD (includes lift passes, night ski, and the extras I mentioned above)

• Shopping: $361.69 AUD

• Accommodation: $2,111 AUD (for two people after splitting total between eight people - total cost was $8,444 AUD)

Total Big White spend = $6,806.08 AUD

What I would change

• I would have made a reservation for the upscale restaurants in the village, like The Woods. We wanted a date night halfway in, but couldn’t get a seat that night or for the remainder of our stay. Book in advance!

  
  

Getting from Big White to Revelstoke

As the sun rose on our 10th day, our snowboards were bundled back into bags and we stood in the snow awaiting the arrival of our shuttle. The feeling was bittersweet. 9 nights had been the perfect stay length, I wouldn’t change it, but we had grown attached to the place. Leaving our pine-smelling cabin and balcony hot tub was tough, even though we were eager to see Revelstoke. There was no way it could be better, right?

Our friends from Big Mountain, Little Shuttle picked us up for the last time and delivered us to Kelowna Airport, where we finally took keys into our own hands and collected two Jeep Cherokees (I am now obsessed with this car - I even dreamt about it once). After a pitstop for lunch at Cantina del Centro (10/10 tacos and nachos - they don’t make them like this in Australia), we checked into our Kelowna hotel for a night’s stay before piling back into the Jeep’s the following morning, ready to hit the road. 

I was nervous. We had heard tales of intense blizzards, stranded road-trippers, and enormous trucks splitting down the Rogers Pass highway, regardless of conditions. Rogers Pass is considered dangerous in winter, thanks to its high altitude, avalanche exposure, and narrow roads. But, if we wanted to get to Revelstoke, we had to do it - there is no bus service connecting Kelowna and Revelstoke via Rogers Pass (you could go the very long way and commute via Calgary, but we had snow to shred without pause). 

My boyfriend checked the conditions of Rogers Pass that morning (https://istherogerspassopen.ca/) - it was open. Eek! We watched as Kelowna grew smaller in the rear view and headed into a mountainous expanse of wild lakes and snow-covered pine. It was the only time I was actually relieved that it had been a “bad” snow year. We crossed the Pass without incident, staying alert of the trucks and black ice that occasionally cropped up in sections shadowed by mountains. 

It’s a beautiful drive, I’d love to do it again in the summertime. But I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be caught in a blizzard on it. 

For the two Jeep Cherokees (which just managed to fit six people’s worth of suitcases and snowboard bags… one couple left in Kelowna) over 9 nights of hire, we paid $3,115 AUD total ($1557.50 per car). Split between six, it came to around $519 per person.

Revelstoke

We arrived in “Revy” after nightfall. Unlike Big White, which sits perched above the city of Kelowna like an owl watching from pillowing peaks, Revelstoke (the town) itself is much higher in altitude and only a 5-minute drive from the base gondolas of Revelstoke (the ski resort). Limbs stretching and mouths yawning, we clamber out of the Jeeps, where we were met with quiet streets lined with big American utes and orange glows from storefront and pub windows. 

We’d decided to quickly make a stop at one of the local outdoors stores so we could collect some new-beaut discs for disc golf. Thankfully, most stores don’t seem to close until late, so we had time. As we browsed the colourful assortments of discs, boards, boots, and bags, we got to chatting with the store attendant. You guys boarders or skiers? He asked. Mostly boarders, we reply. One brand new skier. He blew out air, eyebrows raised. Quite the mountain you’ve chosen for a beginner. 

He then proceeded to lecture us good-naturedly about how difficult the slopes are, sharing from experience that it’s notoriously tough for beginners and is largely avoided due to the lack of green runs. He was a local, clearly he knew what he was talking about. Even me and my intermediate friend began to share glances, thinking, what the hell have our boyfriends gotten us into? 

Given it was dark and we couldn’t see the mountain, we went to bed prickly with nerves that night. Thankfully, the immaculate ski resort we hunkered down in and a belly full of pretty dang good mountain ramen helped coax us to sleep. 

Length of stay

4 nights

Where we stayed

Sutton Place Hotel Revelstoke Mountain Resort

4.8 stars. I would live here if I could. The six of us shared a three bedroom suite, and it was bigger than my townhouse back home - three large bedrooms, two enormous bathrooms (with bathtubs), a spacey kitchen stocked full, and an inviting lounge room complete with a dining table set and a fireplace. When we walked in, my jaw hit the floor. 

If it could have possibly gotten any better, we realised in the morning that the resort is literally at the foot of the gondola. While not quite ski-out, it is certainly ski-in. Sutton Place is essentially connected to the Revelstoke ski resort, so the restaurant and shopping precinct are also right outside. If you visit Revelstoke, this is 1000% the place I would recommend you stay.

What we did

Snowboard/ski

That first morning, as I loaded into the gondola and looked up at the cloud-poking peak that sheered above me, all I was thinking was, I can’t believe I let my boyfriend drag me into the stupidest shit. Every Canadian we spoke to about our Revy visit had looked us up and down and asked our level of competency. And I was feeling way out of my element as the gondola climbed for 10 minutes before delivering us to the upper section (spoiler alert - this isn’t even close to the peak. You can go either left or right from here, and take a handful more chair lifts before you are somewhere near the top). 

The upper section actually does include a healthy assortment of green runs, even though we were told otherwise. We trialled them. They were gentle. Smooth. The snow felt like butter. I was starting to feel confident - it was stunning up here, the lines carved out like marble between dense forestry pockmarked by tree runs. I could easily pick a tree line that glided alongside, darting between pine on my board like a smooth-bellied penguin. It was incredibly forgiving, and it wasn’t long before I had the nerve to make my way down to the Ripper chair lift on the north-facing side of the mountain. The cat run was wide, with only a couple of steep sections that I thought had nothing on Big White.

It wasn’t until we were riding Ripper that I could appreciate the difficulty of the mountain. The black ones are steeeeep and rippling with moguls - you couldn’t have paid me to give it a go. I followed Sally Alley and had an absolute blast - again, darting into the trees for some giggle-inducing fun. Even though there were fewer green runs, I didn’t get bored because of the possibilities the trees provided. 

The second day, my partner convinced me to give the North Bowl a go (ungroomed). We walked the Lemming Line to the Drop-In, where my heart sunk - holy shit, this is what everyone was talking about. The Drop-In is intimidatingly steep and narrow, forcing everyone to take a turn one at a time. Sensing my fear, my boyfriend led us along the ridge (we were essentially hugging the mountain face to edge further into the bowl), where we dropped into a slightly quieter zone. It was still steep, but he was right - the snow was fantastically powder-y, on par with Japan’s pow, and it eliminated any fear of tumbling down the mountain because it would have been like falling on feathers. If you do try the North Bowl, make sure you have a trail map on hand because it can be easy to get lost trying to find routes back to the groomers. 

Pros

• The tree runs and off-piste opportunities really make this mountain special

• Beginner-friendly (especially for skiers)

• The snow was excellent, even softer than Big White (on a “bad” snow year)

Cons

• Fewer green runs 

• Lots of cat runs that you are forced to take to connect between chair lifts. If you’re a snowboarder, prepare to unbind a lot. Take solace in knowing you won’t be alone (95% of all snowboarders I saw also had to unbind). 

North Bowl

Shop & eat in Revelstoke’s township

Like I mentioned earlier, the town of Revelstoke is only a 5-minute drive from the mountain’s base. There’s plenty of shopping and eateries. I picked up some artisan-crafted earrings from a local jeweller, collected art-y souvenirs from the local artist’s collective storefront, and we browsed endless outdoors stores that had the best in Canadian-made gear. The stores are open till late, so head out for dinner and do your browsing at the same time. 

Pros

• Shops open till late, so you can snowboard & ski all day then head into town at night for some lively action

• Plenty of pubs, restaurants, and eateries

Cons

• 5-minute drive, but if you don’t have a car, it’ll be a semi-decent walk

Total spent

4 nights / 3.5 days 

2 people 

• Eating out: $839.21 AUD

• Activities: $912.35 AUD

• Shopping: $423.42 AUD

• Accommodation: $1,346.32 AUD (for two people after splitting total between six people - total cost was $4,039 AUD)

Total Revelstoke spend = $3,521.30

What I would change

• My boyfriend (advanced snowboarder) desperately wished we had spent more time in Revelstoke so he could keep exploring the off-piste. I also would have enjoyed an extra day added to the itinerary. 3 full days of snowboarding wasn’t quite long enough. If we had stayed for 5 or more days, I would have also liked to explore the area around Revelstoke more. 

  
  

I hope this guide provides some inspiration on how you can road trip British Columbia, Canada, in the winter, hitting two of the best mountains to snowboard and ski. 

-

Tayla