№28 — Whistler, BC
A former mining village in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by high mountains, glaciers looming from above and ski lifts waiting to take people up for a few turns in the fresh snow. On the peak, there is a cozy hut, serving hot chocolate and warm soup. This could be anywhere in the alps, but Whistler has all that too.
The village
Whistler, like so many famous ski areas in the alps, started out as a mining town. Or at least, that is what the founder wanted to do with the area. Fortunately, he did not find any copper like he intended to and thus, the beautiful nature could be preserved.
Whistler village is strikingly similar to an alpine ski town but yet somehow different. There is a pedestrian area leading through the whole village, enabling access to all the restaurants, bars, shops, hotels and, of course, the lifts. Very convenient. Whistler, unlike the alpine towns, is a very planned city.
Nevertheless, it is still lovely. The Olympic plaza reminds a visitor of the 2010 Winter Olympic games and also reminds an Austrian visitor of the fact that we won almost no medals at the alpine skiing events that time.
The skiing
The main reason for a more ambitious person to go to Whistler is the winter sport. Unlike many others in the village who are there to be seen, we hit the slopes. The lifts open at 0815am and once you get past the gondolas, you notice something odd. All the chairlifts seem like they are from ages ago — no bubble, no heating, barely a restraining bar.
After the initial shock of skiing like in the early 2000s, there is a tremendous amount of slopes of all difficulties to chose from. You have your almost flat, green runs but also your double-diamond, almost vertical cliff runs. The variety is overwhelming for a first-time visitor.
Apart from the old-fashioned lifts compared to Austrian ski resorts, there are a few other noticeable differences. First, the snow is hardly machine-made and is just so much nicer to ski. Second, off-piste skiing is encouraged and everything is avalanche-secured. You do not have to worry as long as you stay within the official ski area — even if you ski down areas such as Spanky’s ladder. Third, there are marked runs through the woods, which are great fun even if the powder is almost gone.
Unfortunately, heli skiing was not within the reaches of my budget. With the ski pass for a day already scratching at the 100 euro mark, another thousand+ euros for heli skiing was not justifiable. One more experience for another week.
Other activities
If you go to Whistler and are not that keen on skiing or want to take a day off, there are a few things to do. At Base II of Blackcomb mountain, there is a huge tube park which sounds like a lot of fun but after looking at it in person, it did not seem so exciting.
Ziplining, on the other hand, is very exciting. On various lines above the Fitzsimmons creek, offering great views of the scenery and the canopy. We were not lucky enough but guides told us that you can even spot bears and cougars on occasion.
If all of this is still too exciting, you can always eat and drink. While there are multiple options of many cuisines from Sushi to Mexican to poutine, one place stood out. Merlin’s Bar at the bottom of Blackcomb offers a nacho dish which proved to be my Everest. I started enthusiastically but ultimately I had to admit defeat, it was simply not doable.
There and back again
While Whistler is well connected, it is a bit far from Europe. We flew into Vancouver, stayed there for a bit and then took the Greyhound bus for two hours to get to the village. If you keen on an experience of a lifetime, you can take the seaplane from Vancouver harbor directly into Whistler. Probably very exciting but also very expensive.
A shout out to the nicest bus driver of all times. Not only did he allow us to board an earlier bus — we stopped skiing earlier as it was pouring down rain — but he also decided not to charge us the CAD 15 per person as he was supposed to.
Conclusion
Is Whistler worth the trip? If you are interested in skiing, it is a clear yes. The opportunities are endless, the snow is great and the village is a good base-camp. If you are not an avid skier, you may want to reconsider as the surrounding activities are fun but may not occupy you for long enough. Most importantly, the may not be worth the hefty price tag.
