Other activities
Whistler Mountain Bike Park
During summer, the skiing paradise turns into a biker's paradise with a handful of lifts carrying bikers and bikes up the mountain. There are over 50 runs and 4,900 feet of vertical catering to all skill levels. Tracks include single trails and fast race tracks with spectacular jumps and some Northshore elements have been built. Bikes can be rented at the base of the Whistler gondola.
outdoor adventure
There are a number of companies that specialize in outdoor adventure travel such as whitewater rafting, fly fishing, ATV all terrain vehicle tours, snowmobiling, dog sledding and many other types of activities. Depending on your particular tastes, some or all of these can be extremely entertaining and are generally professionally run. Tour operators include: Valley Fishing Guides Ltd., 1-877-858-7688, Canadian Outback, 1-800-565-8735, Whistler Backcountry Adventure, 1-888-297-2222, Activity Bookers
Backcountry skiing
And cross country skiing are popular in whistler as well. there is cross country skiing around lost lake, including night skiing if the conditions are right, and backcountry skiing throughout the valley, particularly off of the tops of whistler and blackcomb. the callaghan valley is just south of whistler turn left before function junction and will host the nordic skiing events for the 2010 winter olympics. callaghan country hosts guided ski touring, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing tours in this region. heliskiing is an expensive but worthwhile endeavour if you crave making tracks where few others do. several operators make whistler's miles of backcountry terrain available to visitors.
Golf
Is a popular activity in whistler and it has three championshp caliber courses. nicklaus north, 8080 nicklaus north blvd, â 1-800-938-9898 [email protected], . edit chateau whistler, 4612 blackcomb way, â +1 877 938-2092 [email protected], fax: +1 604 938-0368. edit whistler golf club, 4001 whistler way, â 1-800-376-1777 toll-free, . edit
hiking
There are a number of hiking trails 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 Lake 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.
Whistler also offers some excellent sport and trad/gear rock 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, check out any of the quality guide books describing the climbing in the Sea to Sky corridor.
Valley Fishing Guides Ltd., 1-877-858-7688, (http://www.valleyfishing.com)
Canadian Outback, 1-800-565-8735, (http://www.canadianoutback.com)
Whistler Backcountry Adventure, 1-888-297-2222, (http://www.cougarmountain.ca)
Activity Bookers (http://www.activitybooker...)
Whistler Tennis Club
(http://www.whistlertennis.com/). rates start at $32/hour for indoor courts to $16/hour for outdoor courts.
Tamwood International College
Tamwood International operates a number of carefully designed and managed English Language schools, Camp programs and Work Experience programs across Canada.
whistler-blackcomb
If skiing or boarding is your thing, it's hard to be disappointed with Whistler-Blackcomb, 1-800-766-0449 toll-free or +1 604-904-8134, (http://www.whistlerblackc...). With 37 lifts servicing over 200 runs on two mountains and a vertical drop of over 1,500 meters 5,000 feet, Whistler-Blackcomb is the largest ski resort in North America and consistently ranks as one of the top three ski destinations in North America. The variety of terrain is huge — ranging from beginner areas to chutes and trees and groomed cruising runs to alpine bowls heaped with powder after a fresh snow fall — so there should be something to suit everyone. On the freestyle side of things, it has four terrain parks, a snow cross track and a superpipe.
If you are staying in Whistler Village or are parked in the day lots, the closest access point for both mountains is the two gondolas from Skiers Plaza in Whistler Village. The ride up takes 20-25 minutes and lineups can be long during the morning. Whistler Creekside has a gondola that accesses the southwest side of Whistler Mountain. This is a long walk from the Village so it is only useful if you are staying in the Creekside area or have a car. Village North has a couple of lifts that access Blackcomb Mountain and a beginners area. The gondolas start operation at 8:30AM and stop between 3PM and 4PM, depending on the time of the year. Snow conditions are available from the Snow Phone at 1-800-766-0449.
Both mountains open the fourth weekend of November and the main season runs until late April. Conditions permitting, the resort will keep one of the mountains open until early June for spring skiing. An adult lift ticket costs $89 at peak times of the year typically over Christmas and during March, with slightly cheaper rates at other times. Spring skiing tickets are cheaper at $47. You can also purchase your lift tickets at the 7-11 convenience store in Squamish on the drive up from Vancouver, where they are sold at a small discount.
The Blackcomb Glacier opens for a few hours a day from mid-June to early August, but the number of runs are limited as most of it is used by summer ski and snowboard camps.