Ski Canada Winter 2026 - Vol. 54 #4

Pedantic instructors, steadfast mountain guides, young and old ski bums in the gondola, quirky writers and photographers, chatty skimakers, hoteliers and PR hacks…to quote Dr. Seuss (which seems to describe my time here at Ski Canada): “Oh, the places you’ll go! The people you’ll meet!” At lunch in Ischgl, Austria, back in November for instance, I bumped into Oliver Kern, whom I met at Big White many years ago. Oliver pointed out it was 16. To say Munich-based Oliver is good with numbers is an understatement. Chances are you’ve used Oliver’s research more than once to plan a trip somewhere in Canada or around the world. Launched in 1998, his website, skiresort.info, is Google for global skiers who are planning a holiday or settling a numbers argument about ski areas.…

SILVERSTAR SOLD SilverStar Mountain Resort, near Vernon, B.C., has a new owner after being bought last month by Pacific Group Resorts (PGR). From a distance, the move looks to be a lateral one for SilverStar, the seventh-largest ski area in Canada. Both the new owner, PGR, and previous owner, POWDR, are based in Utah and own six ski resorts in North America. PGR, however, has a track record in Canada, having owned Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island for 10 years. SilverStar locals should feel good about the news, says Jade Keene, co-owner of Ski Tak Hut, a ski shop in downtown Courtenay, half an hour from Mount Washington. Mount Washington had been owned by a small group of local investors for 25 years. While there might have been…

Each time I take my two daughters to Canada’s Wonderland, I hear the same plea: “Can we get Fast Lane passes?” I don’t blame them for asking. Regular queues at the country’s largest theme park can be horrendous, and because I want us to have a great time I’m sorely tempted—until I calculate the cost of our local day out ($500-plus) and reality wins. “Fast-tracking even two percent of skiers will inevitably make lift lines longer for everyone else.” So we wait and wait in line, and watch as Fast Lane-buyers breeze past us. As my daughters’ faces fall, I know what they’re thinking: “If only we had Fast Lane passes.” Then I think of the constant social media posts telling them they need X, Y and Z because beautiful,…

This fall it seemed a slope war might erupt after two decades of dormancy, one that pitted skiers vs. snowboarders. At issue was the fact Armada Skis, a core brand favoured by park skiers going back to the early 1990s, will launch nine snowboard models for the 2026/27 season, along with boots, bindings and a clothing line. The first salvo came from Josh Sullivan of Snowboarder Magazine, who wrote an op-ed piece taking exception to yet another ski maker lining up to make a quick buck from snowboarding at a time when so many legacy snowboard brands have suffered extreme financial challenges. That was followed by Tony McWilliam, a founder of Swiss-designed Faction Skis, opining on LinkedIn that he felt “disappointed, betrayed, depressed” that a ski company founded as an…

1 Baffin has been keeping the feet of fellow Canadians warm and dry since 1979, but they now manufacture more than beefy winter workboots. Lightweight and pliable, the Baffin Escalate X are the perfect boots to stash in a cubby or duffel in the base lodge until you return to slip sore feet into them. A full lace array adds an elegant touch for après, and soft soles promise good traction in icy parking lots. $200; baffin.com 2 SPY claims the “Happy Boost” lenses in the new Waypoint goggles enhance colour and transmit mood-enhancing blue light, so you see the world through alpenrose-coloured goggles. What’s clear is that the spherical lenses snap in and out easily thanks to six magnets. Frames that look large even in this age of immense…

When visitors arrive at Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR), they quickly discover a destination designed for every kind of mountain experience. Set against spectacular scenery, RMR combines legendary snow conditions with a charming on-mountain village, expansive terrain, and a welcoming atmosphere that invites guests to explore their favourite pitch at their own pace. With more than 3,000 skiable acres and North America’s longest vertical at 1,713 metres, the mountain delivers long fall-line runs, alpine bowls, and gladed terrain, supported by consistent conditions and an average yearly snowfall exceeding 34 feet. “Revelstoke is still a fairly well-kept secret with a world-class appeal,” says Jeff Redmond, a die-hard Revy fan for nearly two decades. “Whether you’re building your skills, love long fall-line runs, powder turns or want to adventure with heli-skiing, Revy has…