Kick the Winter Blues Away in Sunny Kimberley, B.C.

The first thing you need to know about Kimberley is that it’s not a ski resort town. This may seem at odds with the fact that Kimberley Alpine Resort is located within city limits. The second thing to know is that Kimberley was voted the province’s Best Small Town (in a spirited 2022 CBC contest), thanks in part to its wide range of civic services and amenities, recreational opportunities that go beyond the slopes and a strong sense of community pride.

With regular service from YVR Airport to Cranbrook via a 75-minute flight followed by an easy 20-minute drive, this small town of 8,000 people in B.C.’s spectacular southeastern Kootenay Rockies is closer than you think.

Here’s how to kick the winter blues away in sunny Kimberley, a community that just happens to have a ski resort.

Bluebird Powder Days

Kimberley is located right on the Kootenay Rockies’ legendary Powder Highway. With consistent snowfall, deep powder and the chance to explore first tracks or backcountry bowls, Kimberley Alpine Resort is the family-friendly community hill around which winter adventure revolves in these parts.

From the bottom of the North Star lift, the mountain’s frontside is deceptive. It camouflages a ski resort area spread out over 729 hectares (1,800 acres) of skiable terrain with 80 runs, from wide greens to the steep double black chutes of the Black Forest. It receives an average of four metres (13 feet) per year of light, fluffy, perfect Purcell powder. The ski resort has one of North America’s longest illuminated night skiing runs (Thursdays to Saturdays), bluebird Rocky Mountain views, minimal lift lines and a good variety of ski-in/ski-out accommodations.

To paraphrase the city’s official motto, if you love champagne powder and skiing in a quiet, laidback atmosphere without worrying about sharing fresh tracks or gladed trails with mobs of other alpine enthusiasts, Kimberley Alpine Resort is a (very) good place to be.

Cross-Country Ski Fun

Thanks to excellent trails and facilities located just five minutes from downtown, the Kimberley Nordic Club has one of the highest memberships of any cross-country ski club in British Columbia. To meet the demand, the Club maintains 33 kilometres of cross-country trails, illuminated night skiing runs and a large warming hut with a cozy wood-burning fireplace. Visitors can rent classic or skate ski equipment and purchase day passes to access the scenic trails. Download the Club’s own mobile PDF map on your smartphone to stay on track while enjoying the beauty of the forest, occasional moose sightings and the steeper challenges of more advanced trails.

Fat Biking and Snowshoeing

Not a ski fan? Not a problem in Kimberley. Book an electric fat bike (or the regular kind) at Black Dog Cycle and Ski in the town’s compact downtown, the pedestrian-only Platzl. Fat biking is great exercise, and the large knobby tires will ensure you stay upright on the snow-covered trails. Kimberley has a passionate fat biking community, including the dedicated volunteers of the Kimberley Trails Society who regularly groom trails for cycling on packed snow. Peddle straight from the Platzl to access some of the best trails, including Lois Creek, Kimberley Nature Park/Forest Crown Trails and the Trickle Creek Golf Course.

Prefer to walk? Take a two-hour guided Trickle Creek or Mountain top Snowshoe Tour through the forested winter wonderland of the Trickle Creek Golf Course or the top of North Star Mountain. Tours include stops at a viewpoint to warm up by a fire, enjoy a hot drink and cook gooey s’mores.

Fall for Marysville Falls

Explore scenic Marysville Falls and trail, a short 10-minute drive south of Kimberley on the highway back to Cranbrook. Walk across a covered log bridge and along a wide, fully accessible wooden boardwalk and trail to get a view of watering holes and the pretty 100-foot waterfall, which was flowing during my January visit.

Stroll, Shop and Play in the Platzl

Kimberley’s roots as a major mining center (the last mine closed in 2001) created a close-knit community with an impressive number of small-town amenities like arenas and outdoor rinks, pools, climbing gyms and an alpine Bavarian feel that lingers to this day. Nowhere is this influence more evident than in the charming town centre: the Platzl.

The Platzl is Kimberley’s pedestrian-only main street and the heart of the community. It’s a grid consisting of two intersecting streets and one traffic light, and is easily accessed by strollers or wheelchair users. The alpine architectural style of the Platzl hosts a fantastic variety of independent local shops, restaurants, bars and activity centres like an indoor climbing gym and dance studio.

And then there’s the world’s tallest free-standing cuckoo clock. Plug a toonie into the slot at the bottom of the 22-foot-high clock, and the town mascot, Happy Hans, emerges from the top and yodels, accompanied by happy accordion music.

The 21st century residents of Kimberley no longer define themselves in old-school Bavarian tourism tropes, but the charming yodeller is none other than the voice of beloved former resident and town booster Adi Unterberger, who passed away in 2021. I love a good yodel, so honouring the past is a commendable and poignant way to carry the pride of this fantastic not-a-ski-resort community forward into a new era.

Shop the Platzl

• Moody Bee – Sweet scented lip balm and body care products made in Kimberley
• Old Crow Emporium – Antiques and vintage finds
• Covy – High-end women’s clothing and housewares
• Arrow and Axe – Mountain-fresh clothes and outdoor goods
• Purcell Outdoors – Trail running and hiking shoes and gear
• Talaria – Modern footwear and adornment
• Yodelling Woodcarver Shop – One of the last remaining Bavarian-style buildings selling authentic European wooden crafts and houseware items.

Bonus Tip: Stop at the Centex gas station, a.k.a. Stoke Market, to fill up on organic groceries and produce, bread and baked goodies, Stoke Cold Pressed Juices and, oh yeah, gas.