All Resorts

Panorama Mountain Resort

The steepest resort in North America that nobody outside BC has heard of -- 4,265 feet of vertical.

Our Take

Panorama Mountain Resort near Invermere, BC claims a 4,265-foot vertical drop -- one of the greatest in North America -- on a mountain that the continental ski media consistently undercovers. Owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, Panorama sits in the Purcell Mountains with the Rockies as a backdrop and a snow climate that benefits from both Pacific moisture and cold continental air. The resulting powder is lighter than typical BC coastal snow and the mountain's orientation captures it well. The terrain splits between the wide, sustained intermediate cruisers that use the vertical efficiently and the expert zones in the Taynton Bowl -- a backcountry-adjacent area with chutes, open steep faces, and the kind of skiing that makes the 4,265-foot vertical number real rather than theoretical. The resort village is self-contained with ski-in/ski-out access. Panorama doesn't carry Epic or Ikon paper, which means it's mostly Canadians and BC regulars, which keeps the mountain at a pace that rewards exploration. For the vertical seekers who've already done Whistler and want something with even more drop and half the crowds, Panorama is the correct answer.

Vertical drop obsessivesExpert bowl skiersBC powder seekersAnti-Epic/Ikon explorersMulti-day destination visitors

Nerd Stats

Vertical Drop

4,265'

Skiable Acres

2,847

Summit Elevation

8,040'

Avg Annual Snowfall

180"

Fun Facts

  • Panorama's 4,265-foot vertical drop is one of the greatest in North America -- only a handful of resorts can claim more.
  • Taynton Bowl has 1,700 acres of in-bounds backcountry terrain with no grooming -- just chutes, pillows, and whatever snow fell yesterday.
  • The resort sits at the north end of the Columbia Valley, surrounded by two mountain ranges, producing an unusual two-source precipitation pattern.
  • Panorama's base elevation is around 3,800 feet -- comparable to Colorado resorts, which helps keep the snow dry relative to lower-elevation BC mountains.