Whistler Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Whistler [1] is in the province of British Columbia in Canada. Whistler is a popular winter snow-skiing destination near Vancouver. The official name for the Municipality is The Resort Municipality of Whistler
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Get in
Getting to Whistler generally involves coming from Vancouver. Greyhound Canada offers coach service from the Vancouver Bus Depot for less than $20 each way. Perimeter Bus offers Coach service direct from the airport for $65 each way. Greyhound allows bicycles unboxed on this route. They charge $10 for a bicycle.
If a number of people are travelling together it is possible to go by Limo for $350-400 with room for between 6 and 10 people.
Helijet offers helicopter service from the airport for around $200 per person each way.
Another good option for travellers is to rent a car and drive up to Whistler using the Sea to Sky highway. Along the route, you may want to stop off at Squamish or one of the parks or waterfalls along the route. Renting a car also allows you to explore the wider Whistler region, including Pemberton as well as giving you access to a number of outdoor activities. It should be noted, however, that the Sea to Sky highway is quite windy and may be dangerous to drive, especially in Winter conditions.
Get around
Whistler is a very pedestrian friendly city. The main village is all pedestrian walkways. Cars only have very limited access into this area.
However, if you have to leave the main village there are free shuttle buses connecting some parts of the Resort. Whistler also has a very good public transit system for a city of its size. In the winter all of the buses have ski racks.
Understand
Whistler will host most of the ski events for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
See
The Whistler Gondola runs all year round. The views from the top are quite spectacular.
If you take a car to Whistler from Vancouver, don't forget to pull over at one of the many viewpoints along the route.
Do
- Skiing Whistler Blackcomb operates the Alpine ski hills, which have lift service right out of town up both Blackcomb mountain and Whistler Mountain. Whistler is consistently ranked as one of the top 3 ski destinations in North America. Whistler Blackcomb offers a steeply discounted "4BUY4" season pass to university students aged 17-25 studying in BC and Washington who buy before the season. They also offer adults from BC and Washington an "EDGE Card" that gives worthwhile discounts and convenience for even a few days of usage.
- Hiking There are a number of hiking trail in and around Whistler. For the casual walker looking for a pleasant walk through an ancient grove of cedar trees, Cougar Mountain provides an easy hour loop. More aggressive day hikers might head to Brandywine Meadows, a six hour trip up much steeper terrain. And multi-day backpackers also have a variety of options including the Helm Creek trail to Garibaldi Creek and the Black Tusk. Of course, the ski lifts and gondolas of Whistler Blackcomb operate in the summer to offer hikers a relaxing short cut into back country.
- Biking/Downhill During the summer time the skiing paradise turns into a biker's paradise. Single trails and fast race tracks with spectacular jumps can be reached comfortably by the chair lift cariing both biker and bike. Some Northshore elements have also been built and the number of tracks is enough to keep even the advanced riders busy.
- Rock Climbing Whistler also offers some excellent sport and trad/gear climbing. Within the city limits there are several small, single pitch crags collectively known as Nordic Rock. The area offers 23 vertical routes, most of them sport, up to 20m long ranging in difficulty from 5.8 - 5.13a (French: 5 - 7c+). For more information on the routes in Whistler and area, there is no shortage of quality guide books describing the climbing in the Sea to Sky corridor
- Outdoor Adventures There are a number of companies that specialize in outdoor adventure travel such as whitewater rafting and ATV (all terrain vehicle) tours (to name a few examples). Depending on your particular tastes, some or all of these can be extremely entertaining and are generally professionally run.
Buy
As is common to tourist-centric villages and towns, Whistler village has a number of shops awaiting you. In general, the shopping is better and you'll find more variety in nearby Vancouver, so if you're on a budget, your money is likely to go farther in Vancouver. On the other hand, many of the stores in Whistler village are a pleasure to visit and the outdoor setting makes browsing (or shopping) more enjoyable than the large malls found in Vancouver.
Eat
Whistler village has a number of restaurants ranging from very cheap fast food to expensive, and very good meals. One of the true joys of Whistler Eating is to go to one of the many bars after a long day of skiing or outdoor activities. The bars are where many of the visitors gather and the atmosphere is laid back and easygoing.
Regardless of what type of food you're looking for, the best way to find good food in Whistler is to take a walk around the village. Surprisingly (it seems relatively random) the Greek food in whistler is quite good. The two main restaurants and Zeuski's and Kypriaki Norte. Zeuskis is more suited to children.
For a ski hill, the food available on the slopes is surprisingly good and varied. Though you'll pay a small premium for the high altitude service, you udon bowl ($10) or salmon steak ($12) is similarly priced to the village below and though the seating arrangements may be less comfortable than in Whistler, the dining views can't be beat. One special on-hill treat is enormous waffles topped with berries, cream, and chocolate at the Crystal Hut on Blackcomb Mountain.
Drink
You'll find almost any type of drink at the many bars, restaurants, cafes and clubs in Whistler. If you like beer, try a local "micro-brewery" beer at one of the pubs in the village.
Sleep
Budget
- Camping - Whistler is suprisingly short of organized places to camp. Most of those that exist are outside of town: Cal-Chek Forest Service Campground, Nairn Falls Provincial Campground and Brandywine Fall Provincial Campground.
- Southside Lodge [2] - Located on Highway 99 and well situated about 300m from the Creekside gondola station (Whistler Mountain) and commercial area. While shops and restaurnts (and ski lifts) are within walking distance, the main village area is a 40 minute walk which may feel far for those looking for more of the Whistler scene. A bed in a dormitory style room ranges from $30 - $40 / night, more during ski season.
Moderate
Splurge
- Pan Pacific Whistler Hotel Mountainside [3] 4320 Sundial Crescent. Toll Free +1 888 905 9995. Located in Whistler Village, the Pan Pacific right at the base of Whistler, a few steps from the Blackcomb gondola, and right in the middle of the apres ski action.
- Whistler Luxury Condos [4] -- Pricey luxury suites, many come with jaccuzis, fireplace(s) and multiple bedrooms or a loft. Minimum stay requirement with prices ranging from $290 / night (low season) to $790 / night high season for a one bedroom unit.
Get out
Most visitors to Whistler don't stop on the trip from Vancouver to Whistler, and many never even spend any time in Vancouver. It is worth it to try and make time for a visit to Squamish either when coming or going.
- Sea to Sky — the corridor that runs from Vancouver to Whistler holding many sightseeing and recreation possibilities.
