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Resort Guides

Ski Resorts Guide – Whistler, Canada

Resort Royalty

There is no other resort in the world as hyped as Whistler, and luckily this place thoroughly deserves its reputation. However, it is not without a few faults.

Whistler village (population 10,000) is nestled in the temperate Coastal Mountains just 75 miles (or a two and a half hour drive) north of Vancouver, British Columbia. The resort, which spans two separate mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, is legendary in snowboarding circles for its consistently heavy Pacific Ocean powder dumps and moderate temperatures. The season is always at least five months long, from November to May, thanks to the resort’s phenomenal snowmaking capability. And if that’s not enough, mountaintop glacier summer freestyle riding is available every June and July.

  • Highest Point: 2,284m
  • Descent: 1,631m
  • No. lifts: 27

Consistently voted the ‘No. 1 Ski Resort In North America’’ in a wide variety of different surveys, Whistler is a must for everyone’s bucket list due to its sheer size. It’s got 8, 171 skiable acres, 200+ runs, and 37 lifts spread across the two mountains, which were recently connected by the PEAK 2 PEAK gondola. The diversity of terrain and consistent, deep powder conditions are the stuff dreams are made of. In fact you might need to bring a snorkel, because Whistler’s snowfall record is incredible. Put simply, this is pow heaven!

Its two main faults are lift pass prices and the huge numbers that visit this place, especially at weekends. Since Whistler was bought by Vail Resorts the day pass prices have crept up further still, and the lift system creaks under the strain of the mass of tourists and weekend Vancouverites. It is not uncommon to find queues at the bases of an hour during holiday periods, but once you’re up things do begin to settle down.

The Parks – 5/5

Repeatedly voted Best Park in polls, Whistler’s freestyle areas cover a massive 99 acres in total. Blackcomb is home to three parks and a superpipe, and Whistler has two parks. Each has their own unique appeal.

“The parks are groomed to perfection every night and immaculately maintained to world class standard

The parks cater to all levels. They are groomed to perfection every night and immaculately maintained to world class standard. In total there are 200+ features and 100+ jumps of all types imaginable: spines, tabletops, boxes, rails, natural tree jibs and bonks, a boardercross course and an Olympic sized superpipe (cut with a 22 foot global standard pipe-cutter). Match your ability level to the park size and be aware that to ride the ‘Highest Level’ park you need a helmet and a signed waiver form. Avoid ‘Emerald Chair’ and ‘Solar Coaster’ at peak uploading times.

Ethan Morgan, burning up BC

The Powder – 5/5

No avid powder hound should miss out on Whistler’s famous West Coast powder. The resort’s average snowfall is 33ft per year, and with three glaciers, 12 alpine bowls, steeps, cliffs, drops and tree runs galore, there’s literally enough of it around for everyone. Not for nothing has this place become home to some of the world’s top pros, including Devun Walsh and Romain de Marchi. Don’t miss out-of-bounds waist deep face shots on the legendary Million Dollar Ridge or Khybers on Whistler – ask a local.

That ‘backcountry feel’ can be had frequently inbounds too, with both mountains offering an enormous variety of terrain. The highest areas are naturally being the most extreme. ‘The Cirque’ on Whistler and ‘Surf’s Up Shits and Giggles’ on Blackcomb’s Glacier are classics and stupendously steep. The Harmony area of Whistler is home to numerous windlips and couloirs, and the chairlift that serves it was recently upgraded to a high-speed 6-man.

In flat light, the temperate forest that cover much of the area provide tree riding for every level. If you need to get hold of some backcountry gear try Escape Route in the village. Backcountry hiking is easily accessible and popular and free up-to-date avalanche reports are available daily.

The Pistes – 5/5

Wide, open pistes, a sophisticated lift system and the Peak 2 Peak gondola equal an epic snowboarding experience. Make sure you build up those quads before riding here; there is a vertical mile to ride on both mountains, with the longest routes down covering seven miles.

  • Opens: 23rd November 2017
  • Closes: 22nd April 2018
  • 1 Day: €139
  • 6 Days: $672

The pistes are immaculately groomed with daily ‘grooming maps’ displayed prominently so you can avoid those moguls. Every level is catered for and all pistes are easily accessible. Bottlenecks are mainly during peak weekend and holiday times – particularly the morning – so try and avoid queuing at 9-10.30am and stay up high.

Avoid Emerald Chair and Big Red Express on Whistler, and Solar Coaster and Excelerator on Blackcomb when busy. Americans form the bulk of the guests – the big US holiday of President’s Week is one to miss, as are Easter and Christmas.

The Parties – 4/5

The twee, pedestrian-only Euro-style village itself was purpose built in the 1970s, and while it may lack character in comparison with some European resorts, the accessibility of everything compensates for this.

Restaurants range from casual, budget-friendly dining such as Pasta Lupino, Milestone’s, and the legendary Splitz Grill to fine dining – Araxi in the Village Square was featured on Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s KitchenFat Tony’s Pizza and Zog’s are the kebab shop equivalents, open until 3am.

Do watch out for the 12% HST (VAT) which gets added on top of menu prices. Oh and like everywhere in North America, tipping is 15% minimum, and not included in your bill.

“While the purpose-built village may lack character in comparison with some European resorts, the accessibility of everything compensates for this”

Whistler certainly isn’t lacking in the bar department either. Classic après spots are the GLC, Merlin’s and Dusty’s in Creekside, all of which often host live DJs and bands. There are five nightclubs too. Tommy Africa’s is probably the pick of the bunch, with regular drum ‘n’ bass nights and big name DJs visiting – although for every ‘cool’ night there are probably five naff ones with go-go dancers!

It has to be said that for a ‘world class resort’, the Whistler clubbing experience is a bit cheesy. Good for a laugh, but if you want the real deal, make friends with the locals and get yourself invited to a warehouse rave.

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