Summer investments at Big White $9.5M
New bike park featuring mix of trails set to open Friday at ski resort
Big White Ski Resort has made significant investments in improving and becoming a multi-seasonal, family destination.
One of those investments is a brand new bike park, set to open on the mountain this Friday. To date, $2 million has been invested in Bike Big White during the last three years, with the on-mountain build having commenced in 2016.
“Once you get below the 300 centimetres of accumulated snow, Big White presents some unique challenges to build,” said Big White president Peter Plimmer. “When you’re in the alpine, there’s a lot of rock, and so we have had to move a lot of dirt around the mountain to make trails.”
The result has been a truly original bike park with flow and technical descents that are different from what can be experienced elsewhere in the province.
“Just as Big White is known for its champagne powder snow during the winter, we believe that it will become known for offering some amazing trails in the Okanagan alpine,” said Plimmer.
The park will open at 10 a.m. on Friday with a mixture of trails, all accessed from the Bullet Chairlift. The bike park is set to be open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays for the rest of the summer, with the build crew continuing to shape and finish trails mid-week, opening more trails throughout the season as they are completed.
“What makes this project so unique is the absolutely stunning terrain and the decision to develop truly family-friendly trails that meander through the alpine environment,” said Judd de Vall, principal of Alpine Bike Parks, the company managing the build. “There are many lift-serviced bike parks, but very few anywhere in the world that provide a flow trail experience above treeline. We’ll continue to build until the snow flies again.”
Big White Ski Resort has planned and executed a number of other developments this summer, including:
— Lake Paul. The resort has invested $1.1 million in treatment for Lake Paul, located at the base of the Powder Chair. This is in addition to a previous investment of $5 million to create the lake.
This development is currently underway to finish tying the lake into the water system, creating another 60 million gallons of useable fresh water for the residents of Big White. With the water supply currently serviced by Rhonda Lake at the base of the Cliff Chair, this addition will ensure that the water supply grows along with the resort population. In addition to the above, $600,000 has gone towards ongoing sewage upgrades.
— Staff housing. Some $3.5 million has gone towards a new building in the Black Forest area for staff housing. This building will be the first of four buildings on the current site around Gondola Way, creating the start of a subdivision in the Black Forest area.
The building will contain five four-bedroom units, each with a common area and kitchen. In addition, it will have four studios, each with washrooms and cooking facilities. The building is currently being pre-manufactured and built off site by a local company, and will be installed on the mountain in September. Staff living in the building will have excellent access to the Black Forest Express Quad and Lara’s Gondola in Happy Valley.
— Summer grooming and lift maintenance. A total of $150,000 has been put towards summer grooming and ongoing maintenance this summer. Also, $2.2 million in operational costs has also been put towards lift maintenance, with two rope splices underway on the Snow Ghost and Powder chairs. This maintenance is required to keep the correct amount of rope tension on the lifts.