SkiTops.com:Panorama Mountain Village is a summer and winter destination resort located in the Canadian Rockies, two hours southwest of Banff, in British Columbia. Ski and snowboard on almost 3,000 acres ranging from powder bowls, glades, groomed cruisers and terrain parks. Ski-in/ski-out slopeside accommodations and après ski activities make Panorama the perfect winter vacation getaway for you and your family and friends.
British Columbia.com:Panorama:In a province of great ski resorts, no place in British Columbia is as underrated or overlooked as Panorama Ski Resort. Because of it's remote location in the
Purcell Mountains, it's more than a resort. Panorama is its own village, and more of
a mountainous retreat, a sprawling establishment that contains a ski area, condos, a hotel, lots of restaurants and nightspots, and great outdoor recreation.
Bed capacity at Panorama Mountain Ski Resort is 1,500, while the mountain can comfortably handle 7,000 day-skiers. Panorama has
all the trappings of a tremendous resort: walk-to-lifts accommodation, high-speed quad chairlifts, and outdoor hot tubs located right at the base of the lifts in which you can soak your weary bones after an energetic day on the slopes.
Then there's the mountain itself. With 4,300 vertical feet of skiing, the
third highest vertical rise of all North American ski areas, after BC's Whistler/Blackcomb and Big Sky in Montana, Panorama is one massive piece of work. This is a mountain on which you can really find space to spread out: at the most, only 3,000 skiers and snowboarders show up on a busy day. The runs provide enough length and steepness to
regularly host World Cup downhill races.
Starting from the top, Panorama's summit is just above tree line, reached via two T-bars. This is Panorama's Extreme Dream Zone, where expert skiers and snowboarders can plunge down gladed runs blanketed in dry, fluffy powder. In places such as Hopeful Sun Bowl and the bottom of the cliff band on Extreme Dream, the terrain opens up, providing dozens of untracked turns before picking up a cat-track back to the main core of the mountain.
Panorama's terrain flattens considerably on the mountain's lower flanks, which provide ideal cruising runs on which you'll seldom encounter another rider. In fact, most of Panorama's more than 60 trails lean to novice/intermediate runs. All runs lead to a common base area, so there's little likelihood of getting lost.
Skiers wishing to improve their form need go no further than Panorama's famous ski school, managed by the husband and wife team of Don and Heather Bilodeau, two of Canada's top instructors. And there's
great cross-country skiing on a network of 30 km of trails that wind their way through the woods at the base of the mountain.
Location: Panorama is located in Toby Creek Valley, a tributary of the mighty Columbia River, 11 miles 17 km west of Invermere on Toby Creek Road. Invermere and the nearby town of Radium Hot Springs provide additional accommodation for the Panorama Ski Resort.
Panorama is blessed with the
Purcell Wilderness Conservancy right on its doorstep. In a class of its own, there's no road access, and all forms of mechanized access are prohibited, including helicopters! Over 150 km of hiking trails, challenging mountaineering, horse riding, and winter recreation await backpackers.
Summer trails for hiking, horse riding and mountain biking abound in the Panorama area.These same trails in winter provide great cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. Those who devote themselves to adventurous exploration of Canada's western coast eventually make their way here to hike trophy trails, ski trophy peaks, and paddle trophy waters. Fortunately, most travellers don't have to resort to extremes in order to get an inside look at these fantastic features.
In September, the
Kokanee salmon still make their way up the Columbia River and its tributaries in search of gravel beds for spawning. Good places to view these fish, which turn bright red during spawning, are under the bridge over the Columbia River at Athalmer, or at the Toby Creek bridge on the road to Panorama. This is a fascinating site, as hundreds of fish can be observed in shallow water, almost immobile. Do not harrass or disturb them.
Lake Lillian is a lovely, clear spring-fed mountain lake located along the Toby Creek Road to the Panorama Resort, with a maintained recreation site on the north side of the road. Enjoy picnicking, or paddling and swimming in the crystal-clear water. View all Owner Direct's
Panorama Accommodations.
From CanadianRockies.comBecky Scott Nordic Centre, Panorama Mountain Village:The Becky Scott Nordic Centre offers the following services and amenities: 12.5 km of groomed trail for classic and skating, 3.3 km of groomed trail for classic only, change rooms, lockers, showers, ski rentals, waxing bench, iron and more.
Official Site of Panorama Mountain Village:Only two hours southwest of Banff, Panorama Mountain Village is a summer and winter destination resort located in the Canadian Rockies. More that 4,000 vertical feet of terrain ranging from powder bowls to smooth corduroy cruisers and ski-in/ski-out accommodations make Panorama the perfect winter destination. New for this season, two new quads that will dramatically change the on-mountain experience. Panorama is owned and operated by Intrawest, the world’s leading developer and operator of villagecentred resorts.
