Region: Thompson Okanagan (BC’s wine country)
Closest town: Penticton

Located in BC’s wine country, Apex allows you to easily transition from the slopes to sampling local drops in minutes. The Okanagan is also famous for its milder winter conditions and dry sunny skies, which, when combined with the famed champagne powder snow, make for bright and blissful skiing conditions (remember to pack your sunscreen). The resort’s one-kilometre Adventure Skating Loop that winds through a forest offers a twinkling night experience and its tube park provides a different kind of downhill thrill for all ages.

Region: Thompson Okanagan (BC’s wine country)
Closest town: Kelowna

Like Apex, Big White benefits from the Okanagan’s sun and snow conditions but the large area of gentle terrain makes it particularly well suited to beginners. Keep an eye out for “snow ghosts” – towering trees encased in a thick layer of ice and snow that gives them a famously spooky look. There’s also a wide variety of winter sports activities on offer – snowshoeing, tubing, ice skating and mini kids’ snowmobiles are all at the ready. The Tot Town Daycare for young non-skiers was even voted the “Best Place to be Abandoned by Your Parents” by Ski Canada magazine. A firm family favourite.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Fernie
Powder Highway Ski Town

Fernie is revered among advanced skiers for its challenging upper terrain, which includes some of North America’s best off-trail and five exhilarating alpine bowls. Adventure here also comes in pedal form, with nearly 11 kilometres of groomed trails for mountain biking in the snow with custom thick tyres, a.k.a. fat biking. When it’s time to unwind, crowds flock to the lively deck at Griz Bar for loaded nachos and hot “Mogul Smoker” cocktails (coffee, chocolate, rum, Kahlua, whipped cream) or the Rusty Edge for local beers and burgers. The town of Fernie, with its photogenic low-rise brick buildings and hanging wooden shop signs, has a wide range of food, drink and shopping options – from coffees and crepes at Mugshots to brews straight from the source at Fernie Brewing Company.

Experience service that goes the extra mile with complimentary food, drinks, entertainment and baggage on your next Canadian adventure. Book your flights now at qantas.com.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Golden
Powder Highway Ski Town

All of BC has excellent snow, but with a unique and challenging topography of bowls and ridges that help snow pile up in vast quantities for long periods of time, Kicking Horse holds the title of Champagne Powder Capital of Canada. Swiss guides came to nearby Golden in the early 1900s as part of a campaign from Canadian Pacific Rail to bring European expertise to local tourism and, as a result, a strong local mountaineering community and world-class guided skiing experiences remain. Kicking Horse is home to Canada’s most elevated restaurant, Eagle’s Eye, which serves up a menu heroing local ingredients with an elegant French twist (think: charcuterie with duck rillette or Moroccan spiced squash ratatouille) and breathtaking views that encompass five national parks. Take your holiday to the next level with a heli-skiing session at nearby CMH Purcell, where you’ll find a staggering 200,000-plus hectares of back country.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Kimberley
Powder Highway Ski Town

Kimberley Alpine Resort boasts a famously wide range of runs that cater for skiers of all levels, and on select days when the sun goes down the slopes are lit up for the thrill of night skiing. Nearby, the town of Kimberley’s wooden Bauernhaus-style architecture and giant freestanding cuckoo clock could easily stand in for a charming village somewhere in the Bavarian Alps. The authentic German theme is in full swing at The Old Bauernhaus Restaurant – where practically everything is made from wood (apart from your stein). Go for a giant schnitzel and a plate of local cheese, then work it off on a snowshoeing or fat biking tour.

Region: Comox Valley, Vancouver Island
Closest town: Campbell River

As you hit the top of Mount Washington, you can gaze over both the peaks and the pristine Salish Sea, the water separating Vancouver Island and the mainland. It’s even possible to ski and surf in one day, with Tofino, one of North America’s best and most consistent year-round surf beaches, around three hours away. Being on the island also makes Mount Washington more of a destination resort – still with great skiing, but less people. It’s another favourite with families and beginners, too, with a solid offering of gentle terrain, a tubing park and 22 kilometres of trails for snowshoeing.

Planning a ski trip to the champagne powder snow of British Columbia’s great resorts? Book your flights now at qantas.com.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Invermere
Powder Highway Ski Town

You’ll find one of the best ski food experiences midway down the Rollercoaster run at Elkhorn Cabin – a classic alpine-style outfit serving gooey Swiss raclette cheese on top of pretty much everything. Nothing at Panorama is far from the slopes, as its well-appointed village – with accommodation, food and drink venues, a spa, ice-skating, shops and Canada’s largest outdoor slopeside hot pools – sits right at the bottom of the lifts, so you can go from skiing to sipping a drink at the T-Bar & Grill to soaking in a matter of minutes. Heli-skiing adventures even take off directly from the base, giving you access to 1500 square kilometres of Purcell Mountains back-country terrain.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Rossland
Powder Highway Ski Town

There’s a “got-it-all” feeling that comes with having both unbridled nature and a hip town at your doorstep. Rossland, an historic mining hub, is now a lively gateway for year-round Kootenay Rockies adventures that’s also packed with great dining and drinking (including a local coffee roaster, brewery and winery). Meanwhile, Red, Western Canada’s oldest mountain resort, boasts lift access to five (yes, five!) skiable peaks and one of the world’s largest snowcat operations (tracked vehicles that drive skiers to otherwise inaccessible back country). Red is also renowned for offering a variety of slopes for skiers of all levels – not a tough feat when there’s 1550 hectares of groomed terrain. The rugged mountain energy here is real.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Revelstoke
Powder Highway Ski Town

You’ve just gone up a gondola, followed by another chairlift, and now you’re sitting at the top of a 15-kilometre run with snowy peaks as far as the eye can see and the bottom nowhere to be found – Revelstoke doesn’t play games when it comes to distance. Famously possessing North America’s longest ski vertical, it’s revered for its steep runs, drops, glades and bowls; in fact, it’s ranked #3 for expert terrain in BC by On the Snow (though its longest run, The Last Spike, is a gentle green run that goes all the way down the mountain). Hire a guide or hop on a snowcat or heli-skiing tour to really get into the back country. Revelstoke also really rocks the après: at the mountain base, you’ll find a crowd going for pitchers of beer on the patio at Rockford Grill, and in nearby Revelstoke town there are craft breweries, a distillery and pubs and eateries for all tastes and moods.

Experience service that goes the extra mile with complimentary food, drinks, entertainment and baggage on your next Canadian adventure. Book your flights now at qantas.com.

Region: Thompson Okanagan (BC’s wine country)
Closest town: Vernon

SilverStar genuinely has something for everyone: yes, there’s vertical slope variety to satisfy skiers of all levels, but it also has Canada’s largest network of daily groomed cross-country trails and a wide range of other winter activities (fat biking, snowshoeing, ice-skating and even a night-time snowcat tour that takes you to a gourmet dining experience on the back side of the mountain). There’s ample slopeside ski-in/ski-out ​​accommodation and a mid-mountain village with more than 13 dining options that feature local Okanagan food and drink, such as The Red Antler’s prime-rib bacon cheeseburger topped with aged white Canadian cheddar, washed down with an Okanagan Springs Pale Ale.

Region: Thompson Okanagan (BC’s wine country)
Closest town: Kamloops

Sun Peaks, Canada’s second largest ski area, is another real all-rounder: not only does it have terrain for the whole family, but there are green runs accessible from every lift. Everyone can also enjoy more relaxing fun riding behind a horse-drawn sleigh or dog sled, or sliding around on a toboggan or tube. The cosy, pedestrian-only village allows you to ski right up to a huge selection of bars, cafes and restaurants plus shops and spa and fitness facilities. Resort ambassador and Canadian Olympic Gold Medal ski racer Nancy Greene can regularly be spotted on the slopes; just keep an eye out for signs at the Sunburst chairlift to see if she’s around for the times to join a free tour. Advanced skiers can book a guide and fully explore the challenging back country.

Region: Coast Mountains 
Closest town: Whistler

Whistler needs no introduction: with North America’s largest ski terrain, an off-the-charts après scene and facilities and activities worth travelling for in their own right (think soaking in a luxe Scandinavian-style spa or being awed by a light show in an old-growth forest), there’s a reason it tops most of the "best" lists in the world when it comes to skiing. Both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are typically open until late April, with one (usually Blackcomb Mountain) staying open until later in May – a favourite time for locals when the slopes are quieter and the weather very mild. The dining and nightlife scene rivals that of major foodie cities and really warrants yet another trip: if you can secure just one table, book into Araxi and let chef James Walt take you on a culinary tour of BC and Canada’s freshest seafood, game and produce.

Region: Kootenay Rockies
Closest town: Nelson
Powder Highway Ski Town

Whitewater’s remote location is worth the extra distance – its mix of groomed and back-country terrain accessible by lift means you get excellent and varied skiing, minus the crowds. There’s also no artificial snow-making (it’s not needed with the amount of natural precipitation here), no mobile phone service – and sorry, but no wi-fi. This is your off-grid holiday where it’s all about you and the mountains. However, if you crave a bit of urban action, nearby Nelson is a Silver Rush town with beautifully restored heritage buildings housing cafes, breweries, eateries, shops and galleries. Walk down and around Baker Street, where food, art and craft by local artisans abound – browse the pottery, jewellery and other offerings at artist co-op Craft Connection. Nelson is known as Canada’s “Number One Small Arts Town” for a reason.

14 Surprising Things to Do on Your Next BC Winter Holiday