With its dramatic mountain scenery and lively après scene, Whistler, on Canada’s west coast in British Columbia, has a much more European flavor than most North American resorts. Twenty years ago it was more of a locals’ mountain than the top international resort it is today.
Today, even as it has grown, it still has many of the things that made it so special in the beginning: sniffing stations, Belgian waffles on the mountain, pitchers of margaritas at the resort, and the kind of snow that inspires powder hounds to sing along with joy .
The Peak 2 Peak gondola connects the two mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb, and the resort’s 8,171-acre ski area is one of the largest in the world. It also has long slopes from top to bottom, with 1,610 meters of vertical at Blackcomb and 1,530 meters at Whistler. The season runs from mid-November to May and is long and snow-sure here, with an average snowfall of about 11 meters.
Keep up to date with the key facts about the resort below and scroll down for our insider’s guide to a day on the slopes, expert reviews and advice. For more Whistler inspiration, check out our guides to the resort’s best accommodations, restaurants and après-ski.
In this guide:
Within the resort
At its base, Whistler is a large place, divided into several sectors. The main hub is Whistler Village, which is car-free, so it’s pleasant to stroll through, pausing for a cappuccino, or browsing the ever-increasing number of boutiques and shops, offering everything from home furnishings to designer art. There is also accommodation and facilities outside this main area in the Marketplace and North Village sectors.
Located at the foot of Blackcomb Mountain, Upper Village is a pleasant 10-minute walk or free bus ride from the car-free village. Creekside, outside the main village to the south-west, provides a quieter base and also has direct access to the slopes of Whistler Mountain.
In addition to global recognition, the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics brought millions of dollars in expansion and improvements to both the city and its slopes. However, the resort may experience lift queues, especially on weekends and peak hours. It’s especially busy around Christmas, New Year’s, holidays and sunny weekends, as it’s only a few hours’ drive from Vancouver and five hours’ drive from Seattle.
Vail Resorts, Whistler’s owner, has continued investments to speed up travel through the area and reduce lines. A 10-passenger gondola on Blackcomb Mountain makes traveling from the base to the summit much faster for those staying in the Upper Village area. It arrives next to the Peak 2 Peak gondola.
New for 2023/24 is the replacement of the four-seater Fitzsimmons chairlift from the Whistler Village base with an eight-seater high-speed chair, increasing capacity by 73 per cent.
In the winter of 2022/23, the existing four-person Big Red Express lift was replaced with a new high-speed six-person chair and the existing six-person Creekside gondola was replaced with a high-speed eight-person gondola. Both will help reduce wait times in the Creekside area.
There is a great choice of spas, restaurants and family activities, making Whistler a good all-round destination that appeals even to non-skiers. There are scenic helicopter flights in the area and live music and concerts all season long. The Scandinave Spa is a luxurious retreat in the beautiful wilderness and features multi-temperature hot tubs, massages and other treatment options.
There are a range of activities you can try at the Olympic Park, just south of Whistler, including snowshoeing, tobogganing and tours of the Olympic ski jump and biathlon rifle range. The Whistler Sliding Center on Blackcomb Mountain offers the chance to try out a four-man bobsled or skeleton.
For British visitors, the exchange rate, fuel surcharges, lift passes and additional taxes make Whistler an expensive destination. But with world-class terrain, a vibrant nightlife and a full program of extracurricular activities away from the slopes, there’s plenty to offer for the investment.
On the slopes
Whistler’s two connected mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, share a huge ski area of 8,171 hectares with an elevation gain of 1,610 meters with lifts, served by 32 lifts. There are more than 200 slopes suitable for all levels. The slopes are classified as 18 percent beginner (green), 55 percent intermediate (blue) and 27 percent expert (black).
Steeper pitches are marked with black diamonds or even harder double black diamonds, and there is also extensive off-piste terrain. The resort features 16 alpine bowls and three glaciers, as well as a host of off-ski area backcountry trails.
There are also good facilities for beginners. Whistler Mountain is very beginner-friendly, with a learning area with indoor magic carpet lifts and plenty of snowmaking and green runs to build confidence. After the first turns there are green runs from top to bottom that you can go to.
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola connects the high alpine terrain of Whistler and Blackcomb, meaning access to both hills is equally easy from Whistler’s three resort bases: Whistler Village, Upper Village and Creekside.
Whistler Mountain is a good place to start the day as it is generally sunnier in the morning before heading over the Peak 2 Peak to Blackcomb in the afternoon. A tip to avoid the lines on busy days at the Whistler Village gondola is to take the Fitzsimmons chair up Whistler Mountain – or start from the Blackcomb base.
New for 2023/24 is the replacement of this four-seater Fitzsimmons chairlift with an eight-seater high-speed chair, increasing uphill capacity by 73 percent.
Regular updates ensure that the resort’s high-speed lifts clear queues fairly quickly. A two-stage, 10-passenger gondola from Upper Village to the top of Blackcomb, which is adjacent to the Peak 2 Peak gondola, is one of the most recent additions, as well as high-speed chairlifts installed on both Blackcomb and Whistler.
In 2022/23, the existing four-person Big Red Express lift was replaced with a new high-speed six-person chair and the existing six-person Creekside gondola was replaced with a high-speed eight-person gondola. Both will help reduce wait times in the Creekside area.
To get to know the ski area better, the resort organizes free orientation tours for advanced and expert skiers every morning, with sessions for both the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. For those who prefer to go it alone, there are six Wonder Routes, marked, color-coded discovery routes for different levels in the ski area, along different slopes and sights. A highlight of the ski area is the Dave Murray run to Creekside, which was used for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Whistler also offers a ticketed Fresh Tracks service, giving early birds the chance to be the first on the freshly groomed or powder runs. It starts with an early gondola ride to Mount Whistler, and the price includes a food voucher for refreshments. Backcountry options include cat skiing, heli skiing and ski touring.
The Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains together have eight terrain parks, covering 99 hectares and rated S, M, L and XL in difficulty. They include a superpipe (Olympic standard halfpipe with 7 meter high walls), a ski cross course and more than 150 features and 40 jumps. Smaller rails and rollers can be found in the Big Easy Terrain Garden on Blackcomb.
Who should go?
It’s not often you find a resort that caters to skiers and snowboarders of all levels like Whistler does. While beginners have dedicated areas to learn and the chance to quickly progress to green runs at the top of the mountain, intermediates have plenty of terrain to explore and experts have endless challenges and off-piste options. The resort is lively and has one of the best après scenes in North America. It’s not all about wild parties though, with hundreds of restaurants to choose from and an endless list of activities, from ziplining to spas, to keep the whole family happy.
Know before you go
Essential information
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British Consulate General in Vancouver: 001 604 683 4421
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Ambulance, fire brigade and police: 911
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TOURIST OFFICE: See whistler.com, Whistler Tourism’s website, or whistlerblackcomb.com, the official website of the resort, run by owners Vail Resorts, for weather reports, lift status, webcams, traffic information and local event listings. Pick up maps, leaflets and other information at the Whistler Visitor Center, next to the bus and taxi ranks, or at the major lift stations.
The base
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Currency: Canadian dollars
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Phone code: from abroad, call 00 1 and omit the zero at the beginning of the ten-digit number.
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Time difference: -8 o’clock