Kelowna / UBC Okanagan

Got a car and lots of money?

Would 100% recommend Big White over Silver Star, it's actually a fairly large ski area and there's a great mix of everything. Fun freeride type stuff off the Falcon or Cliff, a small but fun park with its own chair, lots of lifts so even on the busiest days of the year it's not terrible. Silver Star is also much farther from UBCO/Kelowna than Big White - you can be skiing in less than an hour if you're driving from Kelowna to Big White. Ski touring is not super popular in the area but people definitely do it, and you can access some touring areas from Big White. You're also about 3 hours away from Roger's Pass, so if you're willing to do long days or overnight trips the touring can be pretty incredible.

Kelowna is not a very exciting city but what it lacks in nightlife/culture it makes up for in opportunities for outdoor recreation. I've heard the mountain biking is good but I haven't done a ton of it. Obviously the lakes are amazing especially if you like doing stuff on the water. There is some decent hiking but it's not even in the same league as Calgary or Vancouver. Unfortunately poor urban planning means you will need to drive pretty much everywhere. Rent is ridiculously expensive here. It will get unbearably hot in the summer at times, to the extent that you won't want to go outside. Lots of crazy anti-vaxxers as well.