Whistler, BC Major Attractions

Whistler BC is best known for its ski resort called “Whistler Blackcomb”, the largest ski resort in North America.

Originally there were two ski resorts: the Whistler resort at Whistler Mountain, and the Blackcomb resort at Blackcomb Mountain. They merged together in 1997 to form the resort we see today.

Whistler Blackcomb offers over 200 runs, ranging from Easiest to Expert in difficulty.

There are 3 main ski lifts, including the “Peak to Peak” gondola that transports people from one mountain peak to the other. In fact, the Peak to Peak lift is the highest and longest unsupported cable car span in the world.

Whistler Blackcomb also has a huge mountain bike park open in the summer time. There are over 250 km of trails, and cyclists can also use quad chairlifts to get to new areas. This bike park gets over 100,000 cyclists per year, so they must be doing something right!

There are also other attractions besides Blackcomb such as outdoor festivals, concerts and miscellaneous activities in or near the village of Whistler.

Location

Whistler is a quaint resort town located in the province of British Columbia (often referred to as “BC”), Canada.

The town is situated 125 km north of the city of Vancouver and sits in the southern Coast Mountain ranges.

Whistler has a permanent population of around 10,000 people (not including numerous transient workers), and gets around 2 million visitors a year!

For a Google map of Whistler please click here.

Activities

The following are just some of the activities available to you when staying in Whistler, BC:

• World class skiing and snowboarding (including glacier skiing in the summer).
• All sorts of mountain biking trails during the spring, summer and fall.
• Music and festival events in the village of Whistler.
• Hiking.
• Rafting.
• Rock climbing.
• ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tours.
• Zip lining.
• Fishing (including remote fly-in fishing camps).

Lodgings

There are numerous types of accommodation to be found at Whistler such as hotels, condos, lodges, chalets and even town homes.

Accommodations are mostly situated in the following locations:

• Whistler Village
• Whistler Village North
• Upper Village
• Creekside Village (convenient alternative to Whistler Village)
• Pemberton (a 20 minute drive from Whistler)

Camp sites are also available if you would like to save a bit of money on lodgings.

For more information please click here.

Whistler vs Blackcomb Comparison

The following compares the two main ski hills, Whistler and Blackcomb: 

• Whistler is often recommended for intermediate to expert skiers since it has more advanced and longer runs compared to Blackcomb.
• Whistler runs tend to have better fall lines and more challenges.
• Blackcomb has three huge terrain parks along with a super “super pipe”. Whistler, however, has just two average terrain parks and no half pipe at all (of particular interest to snowboarders).
• Whistler has a greater variety of terrain, and is not as open to the elements compared to Blackcomb. As a result fewer Whistler runs are shut down by high winds.
• Blackcomb was designed by a computer with the intent of maximizing ski time and minimizing line up wait times.

Interesting Facts

• Whistler Mountain hosted the alpine skiing events of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games.
• The Peak To Peak gondola ride (between the two mountain peaks) is the highest and longest unsupported cable car in the world. And the view is fantastic!
• Whistler/Blackcomb is the largest skiable area in North America.
• You can go glacial skiing and snowboarding in the summer time.
• Whistler is home to the “Whistler Sliding Centre”, a Canadian luge, bobsleigh and skeleton race track.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this blog article about wonderful Whistler, BC.

The scenery there is gorgeous, and the skiing and mountain biking are world class!

If you have decided to visit Whistler please consider getting Visitor to Canada insurance to protect yourself from costly medical emergencies. You can get instant quotes here, or you can call us toll-free at 1-800-474-4474.

As brokers we are here to help.