Apex Ski Resort
Apex Mountain Resort is located in the Okanagan region of BC, yet compared to the other Okanagan ski resorts such as Big White and Silver Star, Apex flies completely under the radar. Subsequently the crowds at Apex Ski Resort are negligible, and combined with some good steeps, and dry Okanagan powder, a powder hound’s tail is likely to wag!
Apex Ski Resort BC is the place to get off the grid and enjoy an old school ski area. It’s theoretically a destination resort as it has a small village, but for experienced skiers and snowboarders it’s probably only ideal for a 2 day visit as part of a road trip.
Pros and Cons of Apex Mountain Resort
Pros
- Apex BC has a large proportion of challenging runs for advanced and expert riders, including some fantastic fall line steeps.
- The Apex ski area has the perfect ingredients for a powder hound on a powder day: steep trees; a complete lack of crowds; and light powder snow.
- Skiing, eating and staying at Apex Mountain Resort is reasonably affordable.
Con
- The Apex ski terrain is pretty small relative to most other BC ski resorts, and it has a limited number of lifts.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The village is petite, so if you’re looking for a pumping ski town with lots of bars and shops, then go to Whistler.
- Apex is famous for having some good bumps runs, so if you’ve still got youthful knees, enjoy!
Apex Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Apex Ski Resort is reasonably small with 605 metres (2,000ft) of vertical (1,575 – 2,180m), 73 trails and 450 hectares (1,112 acres), which is about half of the average size for a western Canadian ski resort. And when compared to the high profile ski resorts in the region (e.g.
Sun Peaks,
Silver Star and
Big White) it’s about the third of the size.
Apex BC only has 2 chair lifts; a high speed detachable quad that services most of the mountain; and a really slow chair that allows beginners and low-end intermediates to have plenty of time to rest between runs. A T-bar services a few intermediate runs and the terrain park, and there’s also a magic carpet for novices and tubing.
The Apex ski area is mostly below the treeline, and even though it’s well renowned for the steep terrain, it has a reasonable spread of terrain for different ability levels. The official trails stats are beginners 16%, intermediates 48%, advanced 18%, and expert 18%. The grooming is very nice, and beginners and low end intermediates have wide runs with negligible camber that are easy for learning. Some of the black runs are groomed intermittently, such as Chute and runs on the Wildside (the backside), which are speedy fun for upper intermediate to advanced riders. And if venturing to the backside, snowboarders will need to traverse to get there and have plenty of speed on the exit.
Apex Ski Resort has lots of challenging terrain and for many lines, the differential between single and double black diamond is somewhat blurred. Terrain options include wide-open bumps such as those under the quad chair, glades, and tight trees. Tooth is a great run with a double black entry, then you can relax as it tapers out, and then enjoy being spat out via steep tight trees.
Or for backcountry, Apex Mountain proper is an easy hike away, where you’ll find some super steep and avalanche prone chutes.
Apex Snow
Some harsh locals call the ski area “scrapex” because the top is very weather exposed and the snow can get blown off, and Apex doesn’t receive an abundance of snowfall. An average season snowfall of 6 metres is respectable, but it’s 2 metres short of the average for BC ski resorts. Thankfully the quality of the powder that falls is generally very good, and many runs have a north-easterly aspect, which aids in snow quality maintenance.
Where is Apex Canada?
Located on Beaconsfield Mountain in Hedley, the Apex Mountain Resort is 36km southwest of the town of Penticton BC and 96km southwest of Kelowna.
Nearby ski resorts:
There are flights into Penticton and Kelowna and from there you’ll want to get a
rental car, and possibly consider a road trip that incorporates nearby ski resorts or the
Powder Highway. On the off chance that you choose to stay in Penticton and don’t want to drive, there are daily Apex shuttle buses from Penticton on weekends and holidays.
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Apex Accommodation
The village at Apex is reasonably small, but it provides a good mix of lodging, much of which is ski-in ski-out or close to the slopes. Apex Mountain Inn is fully ski-in ski-out, offering accommodation ranging from studio rooms to suites for up to 6 guests. Apex Lodge offers hotel guest rooms and suites. Otherwise there are condos, cabins and vacation rentals to choose from.
Apex Mountain Resort Accommodations Listings
Ski Resort Facilities
The Apex ski resort facilities are very adequate considering the number of visitors. The base facilities include kids’ day care, tubing park, a games arcade, an equipment rental shop (including snowshoe rentals), and a good retail shop that sells quality ski and snowboard equipment in addition to apparel and accessories. And under the saloon, there’s a little grocery shop that’s also a full-service liquor store.
In addition to a brown baggers area in the day lodge, Apex Resort has a few options for dining and drinking. The Edge Bistro has good coffee, home baked goods, breakfast bagels, and lunch options such as soups and wraps. The Longshot Cafeteria serves up fast food for breakfast and lunch, whilst the highlight is the Gunbarrel Saloon and Restaurant that serves up lovely meals for lunch and dinner. A quintessential must-do is a Gunbarrel coffee from Wendell; a flaming Grand Marnier poured down a double barrel shotgun into fine liqueur and coffee.