Located some 2 hours easy scenic drive from the picturesque city of Vancouver, we have Whistler. Host to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler offers a massive ski area, all interlinked, which rivals anything in Europe. Coupled with the large, vibrant and convenient town, Whistler should be firmly on your list for a ski holiday. It offers over 400km of connected slopes, with most runs meeting at the village base. Creekside is the newer expanding area which connects with Whistler mountain and is generally a lot quieter than the main village, so more ideal for families.
Whistler deserves all its hype and is a classy resort for all abilities, with advanced skiers finding enough vertical and steep terrain to keep them occupied certainly for a week or longer. Beginners will also revel in the atmosphere and gentle beginners area and the fact that you rarely need to walk very far in all the cumbersome ski equipment. It’s a well thought out, well planned ski area, enhanced by the jaw dropping “skyway” connecting Whistler mountain to Blackcomb mountain, halfway up the mountain. The centre itself is pedestrianised and surprisingly tasteful for a purpose built resort. There are lots of slopeside apartments and hotels, converging around the streets and squares, enhancing its unique atmosphere. There are a significant number of bars and restaurants, all offering reasonable prices, by European standards, with many being extremely lively after the lifts have closed, such as Garibaldi, Blacks, The Duhblinn Gate, La Brasserie and Garfinkels, but there are many more, offering après ski par excellence.
The snow record of Whistler is excellent and it offers an unrivalled combination of high open bowls and woodland trails. The gondola or fast quad takes you up from the base of Whistler Mountain to Roundhouse Lodge where you can see the magnificent ski area above the tree line bowls, again served by fast quads. Much of the terrain here is for better skiers, but there are plenty of blue cruisers for the intermediates. Over on Blackcomb Mountain, the gondola whisks you up to half way. Fast quad lifts then take you to the other parts, interconnecting with lifts on the far left of the mountain such as the Wizard lift. The significant vertical drop means you have long runs even by European standards, with top to bottom runs being 11km, with one run, Peak to Creek, offering seats for you to stop down this thigh burning run. Lots of blue cruising runs and you also have access to Horstman and Blackcomb Glaciers with scenic runs taking you away from all lifts. Try the Dave Murray Olympic Run and trace the ski steps of the Olympic skiers, at a more sedate pace of course. Blackcomb will seriously enhance your confidence on the many runs, which are never crowded, compared to Europe.
Accommodation is varied and can almost suit any budget. Most of the centre around the 2 main lifts offers a good choice of hotels such as the Fairmont, Pan Pacific, Listel or Westin or 1 to 3 bedroom apartments and moving slightly further out you have a good choice of private homes and chalets more suitable for groups of 6/8 or more. All options here are mainly self catered though we can offer half board chalet options too, but only for parties of 6 or more who want sole occupancy.Staying a night or two in Vancouver is also recommended if possible as it’s such a great city to explore, mooch or shop.
Get up early and do “Fresh Tracks” which enables you to be first on the mountain. Given an overnight snowfall, you will think you have died and gone to heaven!! After a quick breakfast, it’s so exhilarating having the mountains to yourself for nearly an hour. Snowboarders are welcome and will revel in the terrain. Experts will gasp at the significant number of steep, chutes and bowls. Intermediates will marvel at the huge number of blue and black runs and beginners will just have fun and improve beyond all recognition. Ski Whistler….the resort for all reasons…for all abilities, but once you have skied Whistler at its best, you will be seriously spoiled.
