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BsharpMT
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.
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TanyaT911
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.
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ScarPimpernel
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.
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836eldent
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.
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Stanski2015
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.
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calinp784
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.
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bbcarmenj
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
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Juliehaw
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.
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130keithm
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!
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dallymc
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.
