Easy Access: Alaska Airlines’ direct flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (aka Sea-Tac) takes about six hours. From there, it’s an incredibly scenic four-hour drive to Whistler, with Vancouver serving as a welcome way point. Crystal and Baker mountains make perfect bookends for a comprehensive ski tour.
Stoked in Revelstoke: An easy traverse from the top of the British Columbia resort’s highest lift yields a vast mountainside of fluffy snow bowls and inviting forested trails.
Rocky Mountain High: The Canadian Rockies dominate the horizon in British Columbia.
Two Mountains, One Resort: Charleston-born Hank Rudolph V and a friend stand atop a run on Blackcomb Peak and take in the view of Whistler Mountain across the valley, accessible by an awe-inspiring gondola ride.
Whistler Blackcomb’s amenities are first class, from the high-speed gondola...
...to the base village with its dozens of restaurants and après-ski bars in walking distance of the ski-in town center.
Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa
Garibaldi Lift Company
Scandinave Spa
Ziptrek Ecotours
The Classic Experience: Crystal Mountain may be a Washington State locals’ resort, but its slopes could make any East Coast mountain blush. The base village is pure Bavarian kitsch, with modernist nods like thoughtful vegetarian fare.
Old-School Style: The comfortable gondola is as fancy as Crystal Mountain gets. The runs are steep and thrilling, and the after-hours scene feels like stepping into the best of ski culture from a bygone era.
The Alpine Inn
Live music at the Snorting Elk on Fridays and Saturdays
The lively après ski scene at Crystal
The rarely crowded slopes
Powder Stash: Mount Baker is a true locals’ ski mountain, but they’ll make you feel welcome if you’re willing to trek through the rainforest from Bellingham to these legendary steep slopes with famously soft snow.
The old-school chairlift
The road to Mount Baker
Snowboarders love the wild terrain.
The Chrysalis Inn in Bellingham, Washington
Looming Large: It’s easy to see why serious skiers flock to the heart of British Columbia: The town of Revelstoke is as wild and welcoming as its unlikely name.
La Baguette at the Mackenzie Outpost
Snacks and beers at Rockford restaurant
Ski directly to Sutton Place Hotel.
The afternoon scene at Rockford
High & Mighty: Kicking Horse has a few green runs, but its the gondola-accessible high Alpine terrain that make this mountain a hard-to-reach but worthy destination in central BC.
The gondola
Maple syrup
The base village is small but lively after the lifts close.
Maple syrup poured onto ice is an addictive treat.
Eagle’s Eye Restaurant
Eagle’s Eye tucked into the mountainside
Bowls for Days: Whistler Blackcomb’s skiable terrain is so vast that there’s almost always a place to carve a few fresh tracks into a snowy bowl.
A direct flight to Seattle opens up the Pacific Northwest to Lowcountry skiers
