Around the middle of March Fernie was having a dry spell with regards to fresh snow. So we decided to do a road trip with our new Aussie friends Craig and Kayti. Panorama Mountain Village is about two and a half hours drive from Fernie, close to Invermere.
We arrived early and were ready to have some fun. Panorama Mountain Village boast an impressive 1220m (4000ft) vertical, with a top elevation of 2370m. The day we visited the conditions were challenging, as a result of the warmer than usual weather and lack of fresh snow. The upper mountain was still in great condition, and the snow was pretty good up there.
Getting a quick drink at a mid-mountain pit stop at Panorama Mountain Village!
There are some great expert tree skiing in the Tayton Bowl, we even managed to ski some powder down Heli-High. It got a little icy lower down, and a few runs in the Sun Bowl were hard as a rock. But we still had a great time. The first two main lifts up the mountain are nice fast quad lifts, the summit quad is a little slower but have amazing views going up to the summit hut. There are also some gentle well groomed easy green runs for beginners, as well as freestyle terrain to play in.
The village is impressive, with multiple dining options and a great day lodge at the upper village. We were there over the weekend and there was a band playing outside the day lodge. Food and drinks were being served outside and atmosphere was festive. There also seemed to be ample accommodation on the mountain, with ski in ski out locations.
There is a heliskiing operation from Panorama Mountain Village, we heard and saw the helicopters a few times. There is ample parking with a village Gondola that take you to the base of the ski area.
The band playing outside the day lodge at Panorama Mountain Village
Panorama Mountain Village is another great BC ski resort. We didn’t get a chance to explore the whole mountain and the conditions on this day was not the best, but I would love to go back and spend a few days staying on the mountain and having fun!