Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Overview
Vancouver Island has a reputation for mild, wet winters, which makes Mount Washington Alpine Resort’s snowfall numbers stand out. The resort’s own figures put the seasonal average around 9 meters, a total that would be respectable at any interior BC mountain and is unusual for a coastal location reached by ferry from the mainland. That snow record, combined with the resort’s position above Courtenay and Comox on the island’s east side, at roughly 49.75°N, 125.30°W, is a big part of why it draws skiers well beyond Vancouver Island itself.
The resort’s roots go back to a 1975 survey of the mountain by Campbell River businessmen Henry Norie and Alex Linton, who acquired the land from the forestry company Crown Zellerbach and brought in the planning firm Ecosign to lay it out. Construction began in 1977 and the resort opened in 1979, placing it among British Columbia’s first master-planned ski developments, built around the same period as Whistler Blackcomb. Ownership changed hands in 1989 when a group led by George Stuart bought out the founders and invested in upgrades, and again in 2015, when a Canadian subsidiary of Pacific Group Resorts took over. Linton’s Loop, named for co-founder Alex Linton, is cited as the resort’s longest run, and the mountain today also functions as a year-round recreation destination rather than shutting down once the snow melts.
What sets the lift network apart today is its balance: 10 lifts split exactly between five chairlifts and five rope tows, an unusually high rope-tow count that suggests a lot of dedicated beginner and terrain-park infrastructure spread across the mountain’s 119 runs. That trail count and the 49.48 km of combined run length are both large relative to the resort’s 486.5-meter vertical drop – 1,080.7 meters at the base, 1,567.2 at the summit – spreading the terrain thin: each of the 119 runs measures only about 0.42 km on average, a dense network of shorter, varied lines rather than a few long descents. Terrain leans intermediate, with 20.5 km of the total in that category, 12.63 km rated advanced, 9.48 km easy, 6.39 km falling into an unclassified “other” band, and just 0.49 km novice – roughly 41% intermediate, 26% advanced, 19% easy, 13% other, and 1% novice.
Reaching the resort means island logistics rather than a straight highway drive. Campbell River Airport is nearest at 22.6 km, with Comox Valley Airport at 29.8 km and Powell River at 58.1 km. Coming from Vancouver itself means a ferry crossing and a drive totaling 166.8 km to the city, or 164.7 km to Vancouver International Airport specifically. Mount Washington sits on both tiers of the Indy Pass program, Base and Indy+, making it a straightforward stop to fold into an island or coastal BC trip.
Each season the resort issues a fresh PDF trail map, and separately, OpenSkiMap.org has plotted the full 119-run network while SkiMap.org keeps its own listing – three references in total for a mountain sprawling enough that picking where to start a day benefits from more than one map.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-14
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| rope tow | 5 |
| chair lift | 5 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 9.48 km |
| other | 6.39 km |
| novice | 0.49 km |
| advanced | 12.63 km |
| intermediate | 20.5 km |
Maps
View official Mount Washington Alpine Resort trail map (PDF) →
Run & lift overview
Mount Washington Alpine Resort: 119 runs, 10 lifts. Drawn from OpenStreetMap run and lift data — not the official Mount Washington Alpine Resort trail map. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Mount Washington Alpine Resort is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
- Indy Base Pass — 2 All-Day or All-Night tickets per resort; blackout dates apply (exact 26/27 holiday blackout dates not yet finalized as of verified_date)
- Indy+ Pass — 2 All-Day or All-Night tickets per resort, no blackout dates
Getting there
Nearest airports
- Campbell River Airport (YBL) — 22.6 km straight-line
- Comox Valley International Airport / CFB Comox (YQQ) — 29.8 km straight-line
- Powell River Airport (YPW) — 58.1 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- Vancouver, British Columbia — 166.8 km straight-line
- Richmond, British Columbia — 168.9 km straight-line
- Burnaby, British Columbia — 177.6 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Mount Washington Alpine Resort is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Mount Cain Alpine Park — 92 km straight-line, 426.1 m vertical
- Cypress Mountain — 158 km straight-line, 602 m vertical
- Grouse Mountain — 165 km straight-line, 355.9 m vertical
- Whistler Blackcomb — 173 km straight-line, 1606.2 m vertical
- Mt Seymour — 175 km straight-line, 320.6 m vertical
FAQ
- How much snow does Mount Washington Alpine Resort get?
- About 9 meters (roughly 29.5 feet) on average per season, according to the resort's own history -- a large total for a Vancouver Island location generally known for a milder coastal climate than the BC interior.
- When did Mount Washington Alpine Resort open?
- It opened in 1979, four years after founders Henry Norie and Alex Linton first surveyed the mountain, making it one of British Columbia's earliest master-planned ski resorts alongside developments like Whistler Blackcomb.
- How many runs and lifts does Mount Washington have?
- 119 runs across 49.48 km of marked terrain, served by 10 lifts split evenly between five chairlifts and five rope tows -- an unusually large rope-tow count for a resort this size, and each run averaging a compact 0.42 km.
- What's the terrain difficulty split at Mount Washington?
- Intermediate leads at 20.5 km, followed by advanced at 12.63 km and easy at 9.48 km; novice-rated terrain is minimal at just 0.49 km, with a further 6.39 km falling into an unclassified 'other' category.
- Is Mount Washington on Vancouver Island easy to reach from Vancouver?
- It requires a ferry crossing plus a drive -- Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is 164.7 km away by that route, and the city of Vancouver itself 166.8 km. Regional airports are far closer: Campbell River is 22.6 km and Comox Valley 29.8 km from the resort.
- Which pass covers Mount Washington Alpine Resort?
- Mount Washington is covered by two Indy Pass options: a Base Pass and an Indy+ Pass, each worth a pair of lift-ticket visits per season, usable for full days or night sessions.
- Who owns Mount Washington Alpine Resort?
- A group led by George Stuart bought out the founders in 1989 and expanded the facilities; a Canadian subsidiary of Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. has owned it since 2015.
- What is the longest run at Mount Washington?
- Linton's Loop, named for co-founder Alex Linton, is cited as the resort's longest run. Mount Washington also operates as a year-round recreation destination, extending well past the ski season.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-15
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.