Ski and Snowboard in Whistler Canada. Two glorious peaks, Whistler and Blackcomb the two largest side-by-side ski mountains in North America dominate the skyline. We brought-in 2018 here and it truly was an awesome experience. You can Ski and Snowboard on trails for kids, beginners, intermediate, advanced and experts. We also found family areas. Read TIPS at the bottom of this post so you don’t make the mistakes I made.
The Ski Run at Whistler Mountain
Most hotels and rental properties have to be booked at least a year in advance if you want prime, ski-in ski-out locations. All hotels and rental properties have lockers for your Skis and Snowboards. There are four main areas here, Whistler Village, Village North, Whistler Marketplace and Upper Village. Whistler Village is where you have most of the Ski-lifts and Gondolas. Except for the Upper Village, you can walk through the other 3 villages in 20 minutes. To see more pictures, click here.
Village Square Whistler, by Night
One of the must do’s is the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola ride. The view along its 2.7 miles/4.4 km ride in 11 minutes is breathtaking. It has a free span of 1.88 miles/3.03 kms between ropeway towers, that offers a wonderful view of the mountains below and around it. Rides are free if you have a season pass, or are discounted for guests of a season pass holder. Please check before you spend money, talking from experience. The Gondola departs very frequently however, I would recommend waiting for a “Glass bottom” Gondola (every 15 minutes). The view looking out the glass bottom is incredible.
Gondola view, PEAK 2 PEAK, Whistler Blackcomb
Public transit is FREE and very frequent within and between the villages. They are trying to reduce private vehicular traffic for safety reasons. The bus drivers are very friendly and patient and will wait till all passengers and equipment are on or off the bus. Please be courteous to them in response. To see more pictures, click here.
Village Square, Whistler
Getting to Whistler
From Vancouver there are taxi services Whistler Taxi, Resort Cabs, Shuttle bus service Epic Rides, or Greyhound bus service. We used the taxi service one way since we were traveling as a family of four, meter rate came to CAD 277/-. On the return we were only 3 persons and we traveled on the shuttle bus CAD 72/- for three passengers, door to airport. The taxi service is awesome, our flight arrived 3 hours late and the driver waited for us, no extra charge and smiled and gave us info when we asked questions about the place. Greyhound bus drop off/pick up is either in Creekside Village 4.5 kms from the Main Bus Loop, Gate Way Drive located in Whistler Village. To see more pictures, click here.
Village north, Whistler
Provisions and essentials in Whistler
In Whistler Village, Village North and Whistler Marketplace, you will find stores for souvenirs, groceries, medicine, liquor and restaurants pretty much everywhere. Prices are almost the same as any major Canadian city. In case you need alcohol past store time, Nesters Liquor Store is open 10 am-11 pm 365 days and delivers anywhere in the villages for a CAD 5/- fee. To see more pictures, click here.
Blackcomb ski run, Whistler
Ski and Snowboard in Whistler Canada passes.
You can purchase season passes but please read the fine print and find out which exact pass suits your vacation. Also, there is a discounted price available for a guest accompanying a pass holder, this comes in handy if the person accompanying you is not an avid skier or snowboarder. Ski lift, chairlift and PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola rides are free if you have a season pass and discounted for guests of a season pass holder. Most purchases in Whistler are discounted as well for season pass holders. The EPIC pass is valid for 46 resorts owned by the company in North America and Europe definitely NOT needed if you are not traveling all over in one year to ski or snowboard. The Student pass can only be activated if you provide a confirmation of enrollment (timetable and ID).
You should also consider visiting Sea to Sky Gondola-Squamish.
Click here to see more pictures of Whistler and Blackcomb
TIPS
- First plan your vacation dates, next buy your ski passes based on your need.
- Ski passes offer discounts on food, lodgings, equipment rentals etc..
- Choose your transportation according to your needs, all are comfortable but some can save you money.
- If arriving late at night, bring some food from Vancouver airport if you are the hungry type.
- Use the washroom at Vancouver airport before departing for Whistler. Sometimes, there are road closures due to accidents upto 8 hours.
- Extremely safe and family-friendly.
- Tap water is safe to drink.
