Fabulous Skiing at Panorama Mountain Village

One of my favourite feelings in the world is soaring down a mountain on skis, going as fast as I can and then making sharp turns so I can almost touch the snow like a surfer touching the water in a tube wave.

I had plenty of those moments this past week at Panorama Mountain Village. The ski runs are fantastic. The views are incredible. The amenities are plentiful.

One of my favourite runs was at the top of the champagne chairlift, which is almost the peak of the mountain. From there, it was 6 or 7 minutes of all-out speed as I raced down the mountain with nothing but jaw-dropping scenery in front of me. Even the ride up the chairlift itself is fabulous with tree after tree covered in hoarfrost.

Karla also loved Panorama. As a beginner skier, she found the runs to be very good for learning as they offered wide groomed trails and not-so-scary green runs. She even built up her courage to take on some blues. On one of the green runs, we stumbled upon Campbell’s Canyon, a green run that lead us around a scenic canyon with trees covered in icicles. It was a beautiful little side-trip from the main mountain runs.

One of the great features about Panorama Mountain Village is the fact that the ski hill is practically a small village. Most of the accommodation in the area is ski-in/ski-out and if you stay in one of Panorama’s lodges, you have access to the hot pool right at the base of the hill. Can you imagine skiing all day and then plopping yourself in a hot pool within 10 minutes of taking off your skis? Incredible.

There’s plenty of other activities in the area as well including snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding and helicopter rides up to the top of the mountain where you can enjoy fondue. How incredible would that be? It’s certainly something on my must-do-list to try in the near future.

For me, I love being able to park my car and not look at it for the rest of the week. Everything is close. Skiing, restaurants, bars, adventures, hot pools, etc. The perfect chance to really relax and enjoy time in the mountains.

I’m hoping to return here in the summer as well when the area offers things like ATV riding, mountain biking, golfing and much more. If you haven’t been to the Rocky Mountains before, both seasons make for incredible scenery. Winter brings a snow covered valley where the trees sparkle like a chandelier while summer brings lush green forests mixed with turquoise-colored lakes and silver mountain peaks. Stunning.

Three years ago, I rented a 3-bedroom condo in Panorama with some friends of mine. Needless to say, we had an incredible time. One of the best 4-days of my life. We would wake up, have breakfast and throw on our ski boots right at the door. We’d then hop on the chairlift and ski all day. When it was all over, we’d go back to the apartment within 3-minutes and get ready to hit the only bar in town, which is also located at the ski hill. Everyone is there and it’s a blast. On the way home one night, we got into a snowball “fight” with some strangers right in the middle of a sparkling snowfall. It was magical. We didn’t touch our cars until it was time to head home.

Panorama Mountain Village is highly recommended as a place to not only see the rockies but to experience them in full glory with maximum relaxation time mixed in.

For more information, visit PanoramaResort.com.

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Panorama is located in British Colombia and is a 4-hour drive from Calgary, Alberta. It’s nestled right in the middle of the Canadian Rockies and is neighbours with Invermere, BC and Radium Hot Springs, BC.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

• Snowshoeing at Mount Norquay in Banff, Alberta
• Ice Fishing at Whiteswan Lake, British Columbia

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Follow me on Instagram for mouth-watering photography. You can find me at instagram.com/matthewgbailey

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Our day of skiing was graciously sponsored by Panorama Mountain Village. My stay with friends was not. No “media visit” ever makes my opinions biased. Must Do Canada readers are everything to me and I always stay 100% truthful. Pictures were also provided by Panorama Mountain Village. Panorama Ski Resort.