panorama mountain

This was my 3rd time coming to ski here. I like to challenge some black runs, and comfortable on all blues and greens. So, having said that, I'll review this in comparison to other ski resorts, and not base it completely on my skill level. I also don't think it's fair to rate a place because of the weather, how much snow it got, and such, because they don't have control over that. Let's start with the lifts. Panorama is like a 3-tiered pyramid where you have a lift to each tier. Each level you go higher, greater number and more difficult runs become available to you. I find that on busier days, one can get lost from the crowd well by heading up the Summit Quad or ski the Schober's Dream to the Sun Bowl and hang out there. This resort is really good for the long runs, filtering out skiers by their skill level, keeping only the beginners down at the Mile 1. Less crowds tend to hang around areas such as Founder's Ridge, Taynton Bowl, and Sun Bowl. I like this place for how spacious it is, and a lot of cruisers. Here's the downside about attempting runs on the Taynton Bowl and Summit: One run, and you're forced to go straight to the bottom, missing the Champagne and Summit Quads altogether, unless you follow the runs in the direction of Get Me Down, or Top of the World. Then you have to take all 3 lifts again just to get back to the Summit. If you're a double-diamond skier, this will eat up a good 1/2 hour of your day each time you wish to ski another one of the Taynton Bowl runs. Depending on how long you take to get down one of those, you still have the long Taynton Trail to take before you can even access the lifts (probably another 10 minutes each!). One idea would be to build a stronger gondola ride from bottom to top, like Lake Louise and Kicking Horse has. Stump Farm wasn't very "stumpy". I think a couple more lifts is in order, that can move people more efficiently. The trouble is, where do you build them? Another disappointment was the Showoff run right near the lift. Where are all the bumps and trick areas? That section near the lift poles used to be all moguls and black terrain, but today it was all groomed over. This was the nice part of having this run like that, so even the green skiers could at least attempt some harder material and have the option of getting out when they want.

In all fairness we had terrible snow conditions but the mountain linking is not that great. The best runs are from the top but after only one run you have to ski all the way to the bottom of the mountain via a very long trail (not run) to go on another run. 3 lift rides (no skiing) to get back to the top. A few of the lifts were very slow but maybe this was due to lack of crowds??We stayed at Panorama Springs which was a great location, clean and well equipped. The central reservations arrangement is not that great as too far from the accommodation and they had little knowledge of anything other than the actual booking. We wanted info on how to get to Radium Hot Springs or Fairmont Lake Louise to no avail. We also wanted to change our transfer to an earlier day due to poor snow conditions and on one day told that it was not their policy to change bookings but rang the next day to try again and had success. Obviously depends on who you get when you call.Apart from the few negatives above the majority of the staff were very friendly and helpful. If you intend to visit Panorama we can recommend Panorama Springs as it is very good and definitely ski in ski out.

Ok, first, can be a little snowshy comparatively, but other than that mostly good fun.Efficient, compact lift system, nice variety of terrain, never overgroomed, Taynton worth the trek if you're good enough.If the snow's there, or coming, give it a whirl.

Had a fantastic stay at Panorama mountain village. Stayed in a condo hotel studio and it was very clean, had a kitchen with everything you would need to make your own dinner but I never used it because I ended up in the restaurants on the hill. The T-bar is a great place for lunch and the staff were extremely friendly. Amy was a fantastic waitriss, and ended up going to the montycola for dinner. Italian food is served there and it was fantastic and very reasonable with the pricing, I would say its better than most Italian places in Calgary, and what ever you do talk to the bartender Adam as he surves up a mean drink, and I have never heard of some of the drinks I had.Great place right on the hill, everything within a 2 to 5 minute walk.

This was our first mountain resort stop on a bike road trip across BC and what a place to start.Chairlift accessed trails that had all ranges except for proper beginners. We found out that blue trails are probably what would be classed red in the UK so not great sending a learner down one.Not as large as some of the other summer bike parks but definitely worth a stop nonetheless. Lifties were friendly and helpful and the scenery is just amazing.

We came to Panorama because we were looking for a location where we could both ski and paraglide. From the ski point of view the mountain is not crowded (even on weekends) ,the slopes are well designed with large areas for beginners , several intermediate runs that are always well groomed and large bowls and treed runs for the expert. The chairlifts are new and fast with very friendly and helpful staff.From the paragliding point of view there are 2 take offs and he resort grooms a nice landing area near the chairlift base. That makes it very easy to get back to the launches. The lower launch is very wide and suitable for beginners to learn launching on skis.

Panorama ski Resort is by far our most favorite place to ski and hang out. This year there are new attractions and an added lift called the Discovery Quad to take you too the green Discovery zone. There are not one but two Rockstar Terrain Parks and night skiing down the from of the mountain. with 123 trails,10 lifts which includes the village gondola, and two carpets, and a platter for the little ones and beginners. No line ups and plenty of places to ski form easy to difficult. Plenty of places to get food on and off the mountain. Hot tubs, pools and saunas' finish off a perfect day of skiing

The blues are challenging but wide and they vary in terms of difficulty, especially since we hit a warm spell which meant many icy patches.Not that many Greens, mainly concentrated at the bottom. On the top they only have blacks and when icy I found them treacherous. Nothing at the summit is groomed. Probably a lot more fun when the cover is good.After one night of snow we had better cover and alittle more fun the next day. Dining on the slopes....little huts. ELKORN Lodge along Roller Coaster Run served a nice goulash and good Glühwein. They are not open all week thouh. Other than that there are 2 other huts on the mountain. Eating at the bottom seems to be something most people do.On the whole, good skiing but apres ski is a pub and a cafe without much finesse. Not many fine restaurants either to choose from. Must take the car to Invermere for more choices.

By far the best ski resort I've ever experienced - but bear in mind I'm from the UK, not an expert skier, and have never done any of the 'big' named resorts. However, this had it all for me, an intermediate skier, who, until I came to Panorama, liked to consider myself as verging on the 'expert' category. However, I tried a couple of the black diamond slopes here and soon found out I wasn't even close. The majority of black slopes are steep mogul fields, but the blue slopes were either steep and wide or long narrow mountain traverses - just perfect. As for the double black diamond slopes - I have to question people's sanity for even attempting them! In all cases, the scenery and views from anywhere from half up the mountain and beyond were just jaw-dropping.An intermediate skier can get down from the very top of the mountain to the bottom via a series of narrow but relatively gentle traversing blue slopes without having to encounter any black slopes. Worth knowing, as the views from the top are incredible and the Summit hut with its small selection of hot snacks and beverages is worth the visit.The lift stations are well-manned by really friendly staff, with barcode checking of lift passes on all the base lifts. We skied here second week in January, and even at the weekend, the lines for the lifts were non existent (i.e. straight on, no waiting). Staff did mention that school holiday periods do get busy, though. The beginners areas around the two carpet lifts and T-bar lift looked ideal for genuine beginners, and were being used by learner skiers old and (very) young . The green slopes beyond these areas varied in degrees of challenge, with several of them being quite steep for green, but at least were very wide and well groomed for traversing down. These were the busiest of slopes, but only in comparison to the rest of the mountain. In other words, anything but crowded.There were various deals for ski hire and lift passes depending on how many days rental were involved, and options for renting high performance skis and boots. Worth checking websites like 'Liftopia' for deals before you get there, and compare them with what the Panorama Resort website is advertising.Some very good apre-ski in the upper village, located at the base of the main slopes (T-Bar Grill being my favourite). If your staying in the resort, there are the large thermal pools in the upper village worth popping into. Towels and changing facilities are provided. Loved this mountain!

We went for my husbands birthday, beautiful resort and facilities. Sad part was they didn't have much snow. Be sure to check the snow report - without lots of snow it can be icy with lots of natural hazards. If there isn't lots of snow and you're an intermediate or higher skill, head down Heli High for some steep and deep. Take your camera - if it's sunny there are some great shots.

Hadn't skied Pano in years, but was here for a three day paragliding ski launching seminar. Skied on Friday and the snow was great, the variety of runs a lot of fun, and on-hill food and beverage options are great - the Summit Hut is a great spot for a break, for a hot coffee drink and fresh cookie! The paragliding is excellent with a great landing zone and nice take off area. Got reacquainted with some of my favorite runs again and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend! Will definitely be back, but will be brining the entire family next time!

Been coming here since 1995. It is always changing and growing, but always is a fun and friendly place to visit! Love it! Ski, board, snowmobile... And in the summer biking, atv, golf... Pano has it all!

We enjoyed the perfect combination of slow mornings and activity filled afternoons, home cooked meals and dining out. The condo at Panorama was beautifully equipped with everything needed. Fully stocked kitchens allow you to bring and prepare your own meals, yet the resort has dining options that range from cafeteria style to 4 star dining. The convenience of being right on the ski hill means that young skiers can go home mid day to relax or warm up. Teens can sleep in and hit the slopes in the afternoon. Resort activities include skiing, ski lessons, hot tubs, outdoor pool, pool tables, jewellery making, glass torching, snow showing, cross country skiing, and a variety of organized activities for the kids. Park the car and enjoy. Everything you need is on the hill.

The good of course is that this particular mountain allows skiers 3000 and 4000 vertical feet of skiing almost non-stop with minimal cat track cut across requirements.There is a great variety of terrain as well for all levels of skiers.The bad is that there is a new multi million dollar green chair run - bad you say?It took 8 minutes to get to this 2 minute run on the new chair?How good is that - a slow speed quad.It may be a wonderful place for beginner lessons and practice but I never saw any lessons there and hardly any people.What I did see was intensive grooming and snowmaking at the expense of the rest of the hill.Since when is Fritzs run not open in January? Since all the resources have gone to this endeavour!There are other runs not open or groomed as well.I really hate being disappointed at my favourite mountain and yet I will definitely be looking for an alternative in the future.I was at Panorama for 5 days - Jan 03 - 8 - for 4 of those five days the ski racers were allowed exclusive use of the Old Timers run.This also closes the Hay fever access - both great runs out of use to the paying public.Also grooming resources that are again diverted from the paying public to elsewhere.Sure there are lots of runs but the advertisement for the mountain and the grooming report clearly indicate that these runs are groomed and open when it is not so!Never mind that - don't these kids go to school?I understand the week-end but please I plan to spend week days so I can ski without them - they are horrible.SOmehow they are allowed to rip down the hill at high speed when they are not involved in their activities and they are frightening.Somehow they are allowed to pile up their backpacks and gear at every table in the great hall so no one can sit down at half the tables for much of the day just so they can occasionally spill in there and have a place to sit them selves.I recommend the operators remove abandoned gear and pile it outside in the snow.Who is worse? The parents - the organizers and instructors or the Panorama owners for allowing it?Do they really bring enough money to the hill to afford losing recreational patrons due to their ignorance?Time will tell.Perhaps an accurate advertising of when the racers are scheduled so people like myself could avoid them would help but I suspect there would be very few days left to me.There will always be an excuse or rationale for runs being closed or not groomed or for price increases to the snow card deal or accommodations - hopefully all mistakes will be corrected next year after the net revenue is calculated and the suggestions from Trip Advisor are discussed.

Beautiful runs, one of the longest runs in north America. Excellent ski conditions, groomed runs, very nice chalet. Cute little chalet at the very top of the hill with a fireplace, drinks and snacks. Highly recommend skiing or boarding here!!!!