I can (but don't feel like) list the
all negatives (and positives) of every ski resort in western Canada, and they all have some, but none of these resorts are head and shoulders above Schweitzer.
As far as Banff vs Schweitzer, Lake Louise gets less snow than I like although I am not a powder hound. But what LL has is great terrain, some of the best in Canada. OTOH I would chose Schweitzer over Sunshine Village, so it's a wash.
Yes I would buy a place at Sun Peaks rather than Schweitzer but my point is that Schweitzer would be on the list for consideration while other resorts such as Big White, Silver Star, Panorama would not.
Big Whiteout speaks for itself.
Silver Star has the Powder Gulch which is mostly steeper and more mogul-ed than I like while the rest of SS is flatter than I like. Also 40k people living in Vernon 20min away, can lead to some crazy busy powder mornings.
I have never skied Panorama because any resort that gets less snow than Sun Peaks and has the most snow making in B.C. and needs snow making to the very top of the mountain, I'm not a player. The locals joke about Panorama being "the hole in the doughnut", meaning it snows all around Panorama but not in the resort when the storms blow thru.
As to preferring small B.C. ski towns, well that is great but Big White, Silver Star, and Sun Peaks have the most on hill development but they are purpose built ski villages and in that regard are just like Schweitzer. IMO, for a vacation visit, Schweitzer's nearby town of Sandpoint ranks higher than Kelowna, Vernon, or Kamloops for those not staying on the mountain.
Snow quality was also part of the
@dovski criteria. Well I am here to tell you that one of the main reasons I am not a Red Mtn. regular is that Red gets rain and wet snow, similar to Stevens Pass. I have friends who have spent a week at Red playing pool because it rained to the top of the mountain all week. Pro ski tip: If skiing at Red during a mild spell, pack up and go to nearby Whitewater which is higher elevation.
As far as proximity to other great resorts, it has already been mentioned in this thread that Red/Whitewater/Schweitzer make a very good mini trip and if Revy replaces Schweitzer, then there is more driving involved.
It comes down to personal choice, but with a list as long and varied as
@dovski's, not only would I include Schweitzer as part of great skiing in the region because it is very comparable to much of the skiing avaiable in Western Canada, I would also include Apex and Castle and Whitefish on the list.
