Powder-Filled BC Ski Area Unveils New 60 Acre Terrain Expansion

While ski industry heavyweights may be attracting much of the terrain expansion news— Deer Valley, who? —smaller, lesser-known destinations, like Whitewater Ski Resort outside Nelson, British Columbia, are also pushing their boundaries.

Next winter, Whitewater will unveil a new expansion featuring expert-focused south-facing terrain.

Clocking in at 60 acres, the expansion includes four runs in the iconic Ymir Bowl—Upper Goat’s, Lower Goat’s, Jann's Gully, and False Signal—alongside numerous gladed areas. The zone is accessible via the Raven chair, which debuted last winter and boosted Whitewater’s terrain footprint by 123 acres. With the 60-acre Ymir Bowl expansion, the ski area will have over 100 runs.

Ymir Bowl's terrain was previously out of bounds. Last winter, the installation of the Raven Lift allowed easy access to the Bowl, occasionally creating unsafe conditions as some skiers would head into the area despite the avalanche hazard. By bringing it into the fold, Whitewater can better control risk and keep skiers safe.

Whitewater is making another improvement that, while less exciting than new terrain, should improve the arrival experience. Fifty new parking spots are coming to the Summit Lot, and guests can check parking availability before driving to the resort. Other summer initiatives at Whitewater include glading in Goat’s Corner and Grizzly Glades, boulder-drilling to allow for earlier-season grooming, and the purchase of a new snowcat.

Located in southeast British Columbia, Whitewater has been a proving ground for numerous talented freeskiers, including the phenom Sam Kuch, who will appear in Matchstick Productions’ latest flick, Calm Beneath Castles , this fall.

Blessed with loads of committing inbounds and out-of-bounds terrain, the resort has the snowfall to back up its impressive footprint—Whitewater sees 40 feet of the white stuff annually. We went as far as to call it “one of the best powder mountains on the continent.” With the Ymir Bowl expansion set to launch next winter, visitors and local skiers will have a few more ways to scope the uniquely deep Whitewater goods.

This coming winter, those goods could be even more bountiful than usual. NOAA recently announced that the likelihood of a La Niña emerging between September and November is now 71% . The agency expects that La Niña should persist through the winter, which, for Whitewater, may lead to cold weather and increased precipitation—the perfect recipe for a powder day or two.

Related: The 6 Best New York Ski Resorts

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