The Daily Courier: Ski Oscar winner

Tue 03 December 2019

They are informally called the ski Oscars. As such, the World Ski Awards, held this year in Kitzbuhel, Austria, honour the best of the best in the ski world.

This year, the luxurious, six-bedroom, five-bathroom Crescendo at Big White Ski Resort won Canada’s best ski chalet, beating out four incredible rental lodges in Whistler and two in Revelstoke.

Judges were wowed by Crescendo’s 5,200 square feet of ski-in, ski-out sumptuousness and flexibility to sleep up to 22, depending on configuration of rooms.

The great room features a 30-foot-tall ceiling and wall of windows to the pool, hot tub and mountain views.

Crescendo is at the corner of Hummingbird Run and Gondola Way, one of the most sought-after locations on the mountain for one of the most sought-after chalets.

All this space, lavishness and convenience doesn’t come cheap.

Crescendo rents for $7,500 for three nights during the ski season or $4,000 per night over the desirable Christmas and New Year’s week.

You can get a break on price by booking during the non-ski season for $5,250 for three nights and doing some hiking and mountain biking.

The award for Crescendo comes hot on the heels of Big White winning the Pursuit Attraction and Adventure Award from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and being named the Okanagan’s best ski resort by Snowpak.

Also at the World Ski Awards, the Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside was recognized at the best ski hotel in Canada and the Josie Hotel at Red Mountain in Rossland was named best ski boutique hotel in Canada.

Internationally, the awards singled out Val Thorens in France as the world’s best ski resort, W Verbier in Switzerland as the globe’s best ski hotel and Les Anges in Sermatt, Switzerland as the planet’s best ski chalet.