Family Ski trips are a great way to bond in the fresh air! We have 15 family-friendly ski hills in British Columbia that are perfect for families looking to hit the slopes. We looked at mountains that are local to Metro Vancouver and other destination resorts across BC. For each family-friendly ski resort, you can quickly see the terrain as well as the other fun winter activities for families available on the mountain.
There are local options in Metro Vancouver, as well as ski hills in the Okanagan, the Columbia Valley & Interior, and on Vancouver Island. Check out each ski hill’s website for lodging and ticket deals!
15 FAMILY-FRIENDLY SKI HILLS IN BC
CYPRESS MOUNTAIN RESORT
WEST VANCOUVER
Cypress Mountain offers skiing and riding on 2 mountains only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver! With the most vertical drop, most terrain, most lifts, and best snow conditions on the highest skiing and riding peak of Vancouver’s Legendary North Shore Mountains, Cypress has something for everyone including lessons for the whole family. A new patio coming this season will bring comfortable and cozy firepits, three monster euro-style umbrellas, each seating up to 80 people in heated comfort, and food-truck-style outdoor dining. Not a skier/rider, or just looking for more family fun on the mountain? You can enjoy Canada’s most popular Cross Country Skiing Area, a huge Snowtubing Park, a sliding area for little kids, and a unique LED-lit snowshoeing experience with Lights To The Lodge. Cypress Mountain truly offers something for everyone!
MOUNT WASHINGTON RESORT
VANCOUVER ISLAND
near METRO VANCOUVER
Grouse Mountain
Location: North Vancouver
Terrain: 33 runs, 4 chair lifts, mountain accessed via skyride gondola
Other Activities: skating, skyride, light walk, snowshoeing, sliding, mountain top dining, Theater In The Sky
Highlights: Located 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, Grouse Mountain’s Super Skyride whisks you 1,250 metres (4,100 feet) above the city for day & night skiing & riding and many other activities.
Mount Seymour
Location: North Vancouver
Terrain: 4 lifts, 4 terrain parks, 40 runs, 13 night runs
Other Activities: hiking, tubing, sliding, snowshoeing
Highlights: 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. New 4-hour time slots on the weekends mean shorter lift lines, guaranteed parking, and no road delays. Mount Seymour offers night skiing & riding.
Cypress Mountain Resort
Location: West Vancouver
Terrain: 2 mountains, 54 trails, 6 lifts, 19 km of cross country ski trails
Other Activities: tubing, cross country skiing (19 km of trails), sliding, LED lit-snowshoe trails
Website: cypressmountain.com
Highlights: Cypress Mountain Resort is a winter playground high above the twinkling lights of Vancouver. You can even catch a glimpse of the ocean from the chairlift. Trust us, an ocean sunset from the all new skyquad chair lift is a magical experience to share as a family!
Whistler Blackcomb
Location: Whistler
Terrain: 2 mountains, 21 lifts, over 200 runs
Other Activities: Peak To Peak gondola, Olympic Sliding Centre, tubing, free Fire & Ice show on Sunday nights, ziplining, snowmobile tours, accommodations, family apres-ski in the village
Highlights: Little kids love the Magic Castle on Blackcomb and Tree Fort on Whistler. Take off your skis or boards and explore one (or both) of these great outdoor adventure playlands. Both are 100 percent free with lift ticket.
Sasquatch Mountain Resort
Location: Agassiz
Terrain: 3 lifts, 1 magic carpet for beginners
Other Activities: tubing , snowshoeing
Highlights: This hill offers affordable family fun and is a great place to learn to ride. FYI all cars on Hemlock Valley Rd must be fitted with tire chains.
Manning Park Resort
Location: Manning Park
Terrain: 34 runs, 2 chair lifts, 2 tow lines
Other Activities: cross country skiing (lessons available), tubing, snowshoeing, skating
Highlights: Manning park offers resort accommodation or year round camping. Higher elevation and inland location means dryer snow.
OKANAGAN
BIG WHITE
Location: Kelowna
Terrain: 16 lifts, 199 runs, over 70% of the runs are beginner & intermediate runs
Other Activities: dog sled tours, horse sleigh rides, Nordic skiing, skating, tubing, snowshoeing, night skiing, accommodation.
Highlights: Big White is known as a family ski resort with world-famous champagne powder.
Silver star Mountain resort
Location: Vernon
Terrain: 10 lifts, 132 runs
Other Activities: Nordic skiing, Tubing , Skating, Accommodation
Highlights: The My1Pass full-day alpine lift ticket gives you access to skiing, snowboarding, tubing, skating & SilverStar’s cross-country skiing.
Sun Peaks resort
Location: Kamloops
Terrain: 138 trails, 7 lifts, 6 surface lifts, one full run terrain park
Other Activities: alpine fondue, axe throwing, dogsled tours, FREE family-friendly indoor activity nights, cross country skiing, skating, snow-limo tours for non-skiers
Highlights: Sun Peaks is spread across three skiable peaks, each with a personality all their own. Each mountain is easily accessible from the village.
Mt Baldy Resort
Location: Oliver
Terrain: 35 runs, 4 lifts
Other Activities: winter disc golf, cross country skiing, snowshoeing
Highlights: Baldy Mountain is in the third highest ski resort in BC, and receives over 25-35 feet of dry, light desert powder per year.
Apex Mountain resort
Location: Vernon
Terrain: 79 runs, 4 terrain parks, 2 quad chars & 1 T-bar
Other Activities: accommodation, tubing, hockey, adventure skating, bonfires, snowshoeing, night skiing
Highlights: The adventure skating loop allows you to skate through the forest! Although Apex does have terrain for all abilities, there is more intermediate/expert terrain compared to other mountains. Great if your family are avid skiers/riders.
INTERIOR
panorama
Location: Invermere
Terrain: 135 trails, 10 lifts and 1 snow cat shuttle
Other Activities: accommodation, snowmobiling, fat biking, skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, & even paragliding (adults only)
Highlights: Great hill for families with with 50% of the runs suitable for beginners or intermediates. Also, Panorama is ranked as #1 resort for most space per skier among the world’s 100 largest ski areas so you will have room to move!
revelstoke mountain resort
Location: Revelstoke
Terrain: 75 runs, 5 lifts
Other Activities: accommodation, paragliding (adults only)
Highlights: Long descents & shorter lift lines mean the fun lasts longer!
Fernie alpine resort
Location: Fernie
Terrain: 142 Trails, 10 lifts, 70 beginner & Intermediate terrain
Other Activities: accommodation, child care for 18mths- 5 years, cross country skiing, snowshoeing
Highlights: Fernie is known for 37 feet of legendary powder in a season, uncrowded trails, mild climate!
VANCOUVER ISLAND
mount washington
Location: Courtenay
Terrain: 82 trails, 5 lifts, 2 terrain parks
Other Activities: tubing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, fat biking, tobogganing, night skiing
Highlights: Mount Washington is home to one of the most spectacular coastal alpine settings in North America.
Co-founder of Healthy Family Media and the Healthy Family Expo, Kay is an adventurer & Ironman triathlete, as well as mum to an active 11-year-old. Originally from Montreal, she has been proud to call British Columbia home for over 15 years. Whether running, hiking & biking in the mountains or creating healthy meals in the kitchen, Kay is always up for something new. Her contagious enthusiasm & zest for life mean we’re never quite sure what she’ll be up to next, but we’re sure that it will be an amazing adventure!
