Higher, snowier and more resort-only
Big White’s summit is about 400 metres higher than SilverStar’s, and it averages around 750 cm of snow a year. The village sits right at the lifts, and it feels like a self-contained holiday town: most owners drive up, park and stay put for the week.
What Big White has that SilverStar doesn’t
- Night skiing on the largest lit resort area in western Canada.
- The snow ghosts, the famous rime-frosted trees near the summit.
- A covered learning-area lift (Polar Passage, into Happy Valley) for small children.
- Open to buyers from outside Canada: Big White is outside the areas covered by the federal ban on non-Canadian buyers; SilverStar is inside them.
What you give up
Big White is about 55 minutes from Kelowna, so it is harder to live there full time and commute. Its Nordic trails are a fraction of SilverStar’s, and it partners with the Indy Pass rather than Ikon.
Foreign-buyer and rental information per BCREA and the Association of Interior REALTORS® (2026). The federal ban on non-Canadian buyers currently runs to January 1, 2027. Rules change; confirm with a lawyer and the Province of B.C. before you buy. Pass partners and opening dates change every season.
Big White has its own site with the full picture: the complete Big White resort profile, building reports and neighbourhood guide.