Several projects underway at Big White this summer
Though Big White Ski Resort lives up to only half of its name during the summer, activity isn’t slowing much.
The largest single-year investment in the hill’s history is happening this summer.
“We are getting busier every year,” said vice-president of operations Michael J. Ballingall.
A new Powder Chair is on track to be ready for the coming ski season. Crews are currently working on tower footings, and the towers themselves are arriving mid-September.
The second wall of a new skier tunnel was poured last week, and the bridge top will be installed midSeptember to finish the tunnel mid-October.
“The tunnel is all about volume of traffic. We are getting more walking traffic,” Ballingall said.
A new building for staff will be ready for the upcoming winter season, and four additional staff buildings are in the pipeline.
Some owners have already taken possession of their units in Stonegate Phase Three. Crews are finishing the last dozen units.
“There haven’t been any unexpected holdups. The guys are working really hard,” Ballingall said.
For summer adventurers, Loft Bike Parks is working on a new trail in the Ogopogo zone, and will add a parallel trail in the coming weeks. The easiest mountain biking trail, the Bumble Bee trail, is being rerouted to avoid Paul’s Lake, the new Powder Chair construction site and the uphill section leading into Snow Pines.
A new hiking path, called Alpine Meadows, offers views over the Monashees as well as fields of wildflowers and trickling streams.
Ballinger doesn’t believe that all of this construction is impacting summer business, instead citing temperatures in the mid-30s C this week.
“No one wants to go for a hike when it’s this hot. They want to be by the water,” he said.