Whistler-Blackcomb, Vancouver
The Best Snowboarding in North America
Whistler is a sprawling town jammed with more boarders than any other Canadian resort. The town is a conglomeration of several separate developments: Whistler Village, at the base of Whistler Mountain; Village North, a ten minute walk from the lifts; Upper Village, at the base of Blackcomb Mountain; and Creekside, at the base of the Creekside Gondola. Whistler Village is the cobblestoned gondola base area stretching to the Village Square where the freaks chill. It melds into Village North where you'll find the Town Plaza and the Market Place, a five-minute walk from Village Square. The Market Place is where the locals shop; winding streets, walking paths, and courtyards link the hundreds of shops and homes in chaotic harmony.
It's a vast, cosmopolitan community, and Intrawest's mega-dollars have made Whistler into Canada's fastest growing municipality. The town is nearly stretched to its limit as far as land use is concerned, yet they continue to expand further up the hill and back towards Creekside. The Whistler-Blackcomb merger only added fuel to the fire. Looking sometimes more like a street party than a town, there's always a good vibe in Whistler with rich tourists and ski bums living and partying peacefully together. The town is a dream come true for shoppers, and it's also a great place to meet or watch other nomads while knocking back a beer.
The sheer amount of terrain between Whistler and Blackcomb puts the duo into a league of their own. From the top of Whistler Mountain's high alpine Peak Chair or Blackcomb Mountain's Horstman T-bar, the choices are mind-boggling. Glorious sickness awaits you on these two mountains: 200-plus trails, three glaciers, and 12 bowls, on top of tons of wind lips, cornices, boulders and hundreds of acres of trees—all combined with the biggest vertical drop in North America. From Blackcomb you get great views of Whistler Mountain, Whistler Village, and the majestic Overlord and Spearhead Glaciers of the Great Beyond, while from the top of Whistler you can see the Black Tusk and Mount Garibaldi.
Whistler and Blackcomb resorts have walked a tightrope of co-operation in recent years, sharing a base area, a reputation and marketing campaigns but being run by completely different owners. Blackcomb belong to Intrawest, while Whistler was family-managed in the old-school skiing way. Ever since the 1997 merger (which added Whistler to the Intrawest stable of Tremblant, Panorama, Stratton, Snowshoe, Mammoth, and Copper Mountain) things have been changing. The goal is that both Whistler and Blackcomb will retain their individual character: Whistler specializes in high alpine bowls and glades with a traditional ski focus; Blackcomb is reknown for its glacier-grooved steeps and a trendier, younger crowd.
The weather is a mixed bag of meteorological tricks due to the coastal effect. Sitting less than 50 miles from the sea, just east of where warm and cold ocean currents collide, this area has consistent dumps of both wet and dry snow. Snow accumulates heavily on all slopes depending on the wind direction; prevailing westerlies can fill the bowls with deep fluff. Occasionally thermal inversions occur making the top layer of the snowpack warmer and heavier, adding to avalanche danger. It's best to bring a change of gloves and dress in layers to be prepared for the weather's not-so-practical jokes.
Whistler-Blackcomb Essentials
Web Site: www.whistlerblackcomb.com/
Mountain information: 604-932-3434
Snow Report: 604-932-4191
Getting There
By plane: All the major Canadian and American airlines fly into Vancouver International Airport. Scheduled and charter flights go direct to Whistler from Vancouver and Seattle. Drive through Vancouver from the airport and head north on the Sea to Sky Highway 99, a beautiful two-hour drive. Several buses run daily from the airport to Whistler.
By train: BC Rail offers a daily service between North Vancouver and Whistler with one morning departure Whistler and one return evening trip.
By car: From Seattle, take Interstate 5 to the U.S. border, then head to Highway 99 through Vancouver and head north for 75 miles to Whistler.
