Brace yourselves, winter is coming. To some it’s a dark and dreary time where they’re just trying to hunker down and make it through to spring relief. But for others such it a time of year to look forward to. It’s a time to head to the mountains, hit the slopes and relish the best that winter has to offer.
For us in London, the obvious place to head are the amazing Alps. However in years when there is an early Easter it can be worth looking further afield. Whistler, British Columbia has always been on my bucket list of ski resorts and this year the calendar conspired to make it achievable to visit.
The flight from London to Vancouver is surprisingly easy. Leaving on a Friday you land in the Friday evening and can be in the resort late in the evening ready to ride the next day. We used Whistler Shuttle to get from the airport to the resort. They were super easy to use and pretty reasonable. Most importantly, they got us to our hotel, the super cozy Summit Lodge in the heart of Whistler. We loved this spot. Everything worked, from free coffee and sweets in lobby to the hot tub out back. We really can’t recommend it enough.
T had never been skiing or snowboarding before so we had signed her up with some lessons over the course of the week. Over the course of the next three days, she would attend morning and afternoon classes to try to get her up and running. This meant that she would have different instructors day-to-day. Whilst all instructors were friendly and competent, this didn’t help for continuity and I think probably stifled progress a bit. They were flexible though, and allowed us to take a break from the slopes the one day without losing out on an instruction session.
Whistler has plenty to occupy you if you want a break from the pistes. We took a day off to go ziplining through the forest. This was incredibly fun and offered a different view on the mountain.
The highlight of the week though was the really clever initiative called Fresh Tracks. For $22 you queue at the crack of dawn before the sun has risen and catch one of the early lifts up before the crowds have risen. The breakfast is an amazing all you can eat buffet to get you started and sunrise from the top of the mountains is tough to beat. And because you are on the slopes before they’re officially opened, you have the entire mountain to yourself for a few precious hours. This is not to be missed, and I wish more resorts offered this.
Whistler village itself is a cracking spot. Every day we enjoyed trying a new bar or restaurant out. Every Sunday night there is a fire and ice show, with tricks and fireworks. A great place to watch this is from Black’s Pub’s balcony. Another favourite included Garibaldi Lift Co, right on the slopes.
All in all, Whistler is definitely worth the trip. The ski area is huge, the snow fantastic, the vibe friendly and relaxed. Sure it’s far and probably more expensive than France or Italy. However, it delivers on almost every check list for a great ski trip. If you can, you should go!
Some additional tips:
- If you can, sort out your lift passes ahead of time to save some cash
- To avoid the queues, try to get your equipment from a shop in town. We didn’t and in hindsight would have used the place right next to the hotel (who graciously allowed us to store our gear there every night)
- You can also save a few bucks by hitting one of the grocery stores and getting dinner to eat in
- Another to save cash is to pack your own lunches to eat on the slopes
Written by Duncan
h a m b a j a l a n 
Darn it, now I wish I had done the Fresh Tracks
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