Panorama
Panorama is not a high profile ski resort when compared to its neighbouring resorts near
Banff and
Lake Louise. The village of Panorama is compact, and considering that it commonly flies under the radar, you could easily be mistaken for also thinking that Panorama is a small ski resort. This is certainly not the case. Panorama has plenty of terrain and vertical that is significant by North American standards, and these long leg burning runs take you right to the door of your accommodation.
Panorama may have once been a locals’ ski hill, but now it has evolved into an impressive ski holiday destination. With the development of the village to include more accommodation, restaurants, hot pools, and the addition of more ski terrain and high speed lifts, Panorama is starting to compete with the “big boys”. There are still plenty of people who don’t know much about Panorama, but this is advantageous to those that do.
Panorama Mountain Village is located in the Purcell Mountains of BC, Canada, 18km west of the town of Invermere. The closest gateway airport is Calgary (3-3.5 hours), from which there are airport shuttles available. There are also shuttles from Banff, which is 2 hours north of Panorama.
Even though Panorama is a ski holiday destination in itself, it is well located to form part of a road trip extravaganza that could include the ski resorts around
Banff,
Big White,
Silver Star, Fernie,
Revelstoke, Kimberley,
Whitewater or
Red Mountain. Alternatively for those basing themselves at Panorama, you can visit
Kicking Horse for the day with a shuttle bus and interchangeable lift tickets available.
Panorama is renowned for the big ski vertical at 1,220 metres. The 2,800 acres (1,152 hectares) of terrain is all below the tree line, so there are plenty of opportunities for enjoying the gladed areas. The pièce de résistance of the resort is the double black diamond tree skiing in the Extreme Dream Zone, and also the backcountry terrain in Taynton Bowl, formerly heli-skiing terrain. Much of the terrain is well suited to intermediates with many wide cruising groomers, and there are also beginner trails and terrain parks.
The Panorama village has great amenities as a result of recent development. The “progress” hasn’t gone too far though, and the village retains its intimate feel. Lodgings are slope-side and ski-in ski-out, and the highlight of the village is the Panorama Springs Hot Pools. Some skiers also stay in nearby Invermere which has more shops and restaurants.
Panorama has what most skiers and boarders are after - a ski hill with lots of terrain without the associated crowds. However if you really want to get away from the crowds and get plenty of fresh tracks, then
RK Heli-skiing is right next door to the resort, offering single and multi-day packages. What more could you ask for?