Whistler | Ski Resort Review

Frequently labelled 'Best Resort in the World', Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia offers something for all ability levels. If you can't find something to ski here you might as well take up tiddleywinks.

As its full name suggests, Whistler Blackcomb consists of two distinct mountain sectors, Whistler and Blackcomb, which have been joined to form this world-class ski area. The spectacular PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola links the upper slopes of Whistler Mountain with those on Blackcomb Mountain, meaning you can move between sectors without needing to go all the way back to the bottom and start again - a real advantage on days when there are queues and/or rain at resort level.

Home of the mountain events for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Whistler, British Columbia, marries excellent amenities across several purpose-built and traffic-free base area resort developments. Whistler Village is the heart of this resort, clustered around the Skiers Plaza at the foot of the slopes on the Whistler Mountain side. The 'Village Stroll' pedestrian route snakes through the bustling core of shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and apartments, linking to the resort's Village North and Village Park quarters.

Blackcomb base to the East is referred to as the Upper Village and is also within walking distance of Whistler Village. Whistler's original local ski-hill base area, Creekside, is situated a 3 km drive to the south; it has its own low-key resort development with a gondola link to the mid-mountain flanks of the main Whistler Mountain slopes.

The main resort centre and its surrounding slopes often get very crowded in high season and on most weekends, but the scale of the area and the choice of various resort quarters means that there are still some quieter corners where you can easily escape the hordes.

Whistler - Ski Map & Pistes:

With more than 200 marked runs crisscrossing its 8,171 acres, Whistler Blackcomb boasts a fantastic range of terrain from high glacial slopes, open powder-filled bowls and steep challenging chutes, to sheltered tree-lined cruising pistes, pretty glades and gentle well-serviced beginners' zones. There are also six snowparks, plus the Olympic-standard superpipe.

Advanced-level skiers and riders come for the famous super-steep chutes into the access-all-areas ungroomed bowls high above Creekside on Whistler Mountain. There are also many tough but enjoyable gladed slopes to be discovered on the mid- to lower-altitude sectors throughout the ski area. As long as they stay clear of the clearly marked steepest terrain, all levels of intermediate-ability visitors and even confident novices can effectively access all areas to rack up the miles across the entire ski area.

Thanks to its proximity to the Pacific, Whistler Blackcomb boasts a highly enviable snowfall history; the reliable prevailing weather patterns deliver huge dumps of powder at regular intervals throughout an impressively long winter season.

Blackcomb Mountain also has two permanent snowfields, on the Blackcomb and the Horstman glaciers, meaning that snow conditions at altitude are seldom a problem. However, it should be noted that many of the lower and base-area slopes in the main ski area do frequently get very slushy and heavily chopped up in the afternoons.

Whistler - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:

Whistler Blackcomb is home to some of the best off-piste skiing in the world. With impressive lift access to much of it, the resort offers seemingly limitless opportunities to explore everything from short hikes to very long powder runs. 

Indeed, Whistler Blackcomb has the largest in-bounds area of any resort in North America, and there are many ungroomed bowls, chutes and tree runs. But to really access the best off-piste you need a good guide to show you the best lines and the fluffiest stashes, as well as take you deeper into Garibaldi Provincial Park. Good specialist local operators include Mountain Skills Academy & Adventures, Coast Mountain Guides and Extremely Canadian, whose mountain guides have the highest possible qualifications. And there's heli-skiing too.

Again, check out a solid local firm such as Whistler Heli-Skiing - their domain consists of 432,000 acres of classic big mountain terrain that every skier or snowboarder must experience at least once in a lifetime. That terrain includes 173 glaciers and 475 runs in an area that is 50 times the size of Whistler Blackcomb. That'll do.

Whistler - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:

Non-ski activities and facilities include indoor climbing walls and outdoor zip-wire adventure courses, snowmobile and dog-sled excursions, a number of plush spas and fitness suites, and a multi-screen cinema. Top of anyone's list, though, should be a visit to the Whistler Sliding Centre for a ride on a luge or bobsleigh.

A huge choice of truly global cuisine is on offer from a wide selection of good eateries throughout the resort, although despite the grand scale of some of the restaurants, many often get very busy and queues for tables are a common sight. A great idea for discovering some of the best establishments is to book a place on a Whistler Tasting Tour, a multi-course dining experience with each course served in a different restaurant.

Accommodation in Whistler covers everything from budget condos to five-star luxury hotels.

Apres-ski is very lively, driven by a booming hub of loud busy bars, mostly clustered close to the main Whistler Village base area, rocking from mid-afternoon and carrying on late into the evening. Dusty's and the Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar - said to be one of the world's top ten apres-ski bars - are prime examples. Dedicated dance-lovers and hedonistic night-owls will also find a fair collection of late-night music bars and several clubs, such as Garfinkel's, aka Garf's.

Whistler - Ski Hire:

There are plenty of options for ski hire in Whistler. Whistler Blackcomb Rentals has a huge selection and does pick-ups and drop-offs all over the resort. Other good options include Spicy Sports and Epic Mountain Rentals.

Whistler - Ski School:

If you want to learn to ski in Whistler, the resort's own Ski and Snowboard School can offer everything from group lessons, private sessions, and even 'Skiing with an Olympian'. For skiers looking for a new challenge, Extremely Canadian will change your life!