Retaining enthusiasm is particularly relevant for our group. It’s been four decades since my friend Colin took on a slope — back when skis had straps and goggles were affixed with Velcro.  His daughter Raya is completely new to the sport, while my daughter and I are graduating from beginner to intermediate. We pick up our rentals in the Village Centre Mall and sign up for ski classes that reflect our abilities. Colin and Raya head to the beginner hill with a veteran instructor. My daughter joins a youth group to tackle Ogopogo, a fun, lumpy tree run that’s a legend with local kids. I join a Level 4 adult group comprised of three Australian couples. Like other resorts in B.C., strapping young Aussies seem to operate every lift, serve every restaurant table, staff the accommodation and all mountain activities. Big White is family owned and privately operated by an Australian family, perhaps explaining the resort’s popularity with staff and visitors from Down Under. There are a lot of Aussies about, with families booking two, three and even four-week stays. With no corporate overlords, Big White’s approachable management pick up their coffee at the Village Centre Mall’s Clocktower Coffee Co, just like everyone else. 

It’s a blue-sky day and Big White’s 16 chair lifts are open for business, ushering skiers and boarders of all abilities to 119 marked runs across 1,100 hectares. Eight per cent of the runs are designated for beginners; 54 per cent intermediate; 22 per cent advanced and six per cent expert. The season has already dumped plenty of snow, but our visit coincides with a clear, occasionally foggy and mostly dry spell. Blue skies bring big smiles along the resort’s extensive network of groomed trails. After guiding Raya down the easiest trails below, Colin joins us for his first proper run on the Ridge Rocket Express Quad lift. At the top of the hill, a Big White Snow Host – friendly volunteers eager to assist visitors on the mountain – recommends we head to Paradise, a corduroy blue with sensational views of the village and distant Monashee Mountains. It is here that Colin experiences a moment. Thanks to massive design improvements across all ski gear, he quickly finds his form, the years melting away like snowflakes under the sun. He’s got a goofy smile and through his goggles I can see his eyes tearing up. What does it feel like to be back on skis after forty years? “Exhilarating, overwhelming, elated,” he tells us on the next chair up.

“To know I can still tap that feeling, that excitement of something I did so long ago, it’s… just awesome.” My daughter just shrugs and insists we head to the high alpine T-Bar. Low cloud and strong mountain wind has blown in a big whiteout, and we’re in for an adventure.

Paradise and Whisky Jack (off the Black Forest Express Quad) are our favourite blue runs, and another daddy-daughter moment arrives down in Happy Valley. Accessed from the village via the enclosed Lara’s Gondola, Happy Valley is home to Big White’s Adventure Park. Along with three bunny slopes serviced by magic carpets, the park is home to tubing, Nordic trails, dogsledding, ice-skating, horse sleigh rides, and snowmobile tours. A few centimetres of fresh snow accumulated just prior to us hopping onto Polaris 550cc snowmobiles for a two-hour ride into the quiet, dense forest. My daughter whoops and cackles as we navigate fresh tracks on a narrow trail, both us leaning into the corners with the growl of the 2-stroke engine. “This is so…much…fun!” she screams in my ear. It’s a hall-of-fame memory – especially knowing that raging teenage hormones will soon sweep my little girl away. Dads of teenagers often tell me to recognize and appreciate these special moments while I can.

We celebrate a grand mountain day with an outstanding meal at Sopras, a newly opened Italian restaurant above Big White’s après institution, Snowshoe Sam’s. Over warm olives, a delicately whipped ricotta, mushroom ravioli, and melt-in-the-mouth tenderloin, we talk about Big White’s famous snow ghosts — snow-covered, wind-whipped alpine trees — and share a few ghost stories too. It’s a short walk from the car-free village to our accommodation at the Grizzly Lodge. Under bright stars and a crystal-clear moon, the girls walk together arm-in-arm, and experience another moment of their own.   

“Moms are scaredy-cats and would never allow us to do this stuff, but dads basically let you do anything!” The girls are debating the merits of their mom-free adventure. Dads will let them ride snowmobiles, head up the foggy mountain on a T-Bar, and ski like leaded bullets down a mountain chute. Dads will let them navigate the resort on their own, order ‘grown-up’ food from the menu, eat snow, splash in the hot tub, and let the (root) beer flow. Later, the girls spend hours in the tube park and on the outdoor ice-rink, taking full advantage of Big White’s lighter crowds, even on the weekend. There’s free hot chocolate, lantern making and other activities in the Village Centre Mall, and marshmallows to toast over the fire in the Adventure Park before taking an illuminated stroll along the Twinkling Trail. After a few days, it’s clear why Mark referred to Big White as the perfect family ski destination. We check-out, return our rentals and head home, stuffed with warm and unforgettable daddy-daughter moments for the slippery teenage road ahead.

If you go:

Getting there: Big White Ski Resort is located 56 kilometres from the city of Kelowna. Daily shuttles run between the resort and Kelowna International Airport, which receives direct service from Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver. It took us about five hours and 30 minutes to drive up from Vancouver along Highway 5 through Merritt. Check road conditions along the Coquihalla Highway before setting out.   

Accommodation: Big White is the largest totally ski-in, ski-out resort in Canada. While there are a few hotels, most accommodation is available in the form of condos, chalets, townhomes and houses, serviced and booked through Big White Central Reservations. We stayed at Grizzly Lodge, which had stellar mountain views and is a short walk from the Village Centre Mall.