Whistler Canada Hints Anyone ?

[opus123]

We are going to Whistler Canada Feb 9th and was curious if other people have gone there a lot and know good things to do and see there.

Jonathan

[skier]

You could go skiing

but really check out whistler village, lots to see and do there if you don't mind spending some cash. Also they've got a few bars you can play in

Depending on what you're after, there are many walking trails with great views of the mountains, with a high possibility of seeing some wild animals. Could snag a trip to go ice climbing as well.

[dirtyrascal7]

Man, I want to go to Whistler so badly... it is the ultimate winter playground in North America. I'm very jealous, opus... I hope you take advantage of the opportunity. :-)

[kurty[B]]

Do you ski or snowboard opus? If so, that's an easy solution. I've only been to Whistler in the summer for mountain biking, and backpacking. It was spectacular then, I imagine in the winter it is even more spectacular. The village is a lot of fun. I stayed at the hostel across the lake (very nice hostel), and the bars at the base of the mountain are a great time.

[Daniel_]

I went in June, and most of the snow had melted, but my daughter loved the lumberjack show that they do (we don't have that in the UK).

The views are phenomenal, and the walking and ski-ing are what the village is all about, I guess.

[Furry]

If you're got the money, go to one of the two Umberto's restaurants in town. Their Blackcomb Special dessert is to die for.

Also, check out the Dave Murray Downhill for a nice long (albeit steep) run. If you like a long trail back in after a hard day's skiing then I recommend the Burnt Stew run or the Whiskey Jacks.

[opus123]

Thank you all for your replies. I'll check out those runs next year.

Yes, we went there for skiing. We stayed at the Pinnacle Hotel 3 nights and loved it. It was $199 canadian dollars a night. They had an outdoor heated pool and hot tub which we used every night. They had a little jaccuzzi in every room but it took a while to fill and only held two people. Our group was three people, so we got the robes on and went to the hotel hot tubs. Unfortunately the only other hot tubbers were some hot gals from Sweden who did not know any English. Oh well....

We went downhill skiing one long day and really enjoyed it. We took the gondola up Blackcomb and never went over to Whistler mountain because the snow was so good up there. The lodges that are at the top of the mountain are so amazing for views and people watching. I took a lot of protein bars so we did not get gouged by high food prices. Perfect sun and temperature for me up top and our black face masks worked perfectly as well. I only fell once when I tried to go as fast as I could. I should have written down which runs I like best, but next year I bet it will be different snow depending on the weather the week before we arrive.

We cross country skied the second day around Lost Lake and saw some chipmunks or whatever the locals call them. Temperature was perfect at 39F. There is a warming hut on Lost Lake but we did not need it. On one of the chair lifts we talked to a guy. He told us that Lost Lake has summer swimming with a sandy beach. It was frozen solid when we went around it. Wow, big changes in temperatures. I would like to mountain bike around that lake in summer and then jump in the lake at the end of the ride !

Third day we walked around and bought some snacks at the grocery store and watched dvds in the hotel room. Since a lot of Canadians speak french, the dvd had french instructions setup. But we eventually figured out how to change it back to English. The next people who are French or Quebecers, will say "Sacre Bleu" when they turn on the dvd player. *smile*

They are widening the hwy up to Whistler for the next winter olympics there. So there were two construction stops on the way. Some of the blasting must be done at night, and then the boulders moved away all day. Some of the bolders were right on the hwy so there was no shoulder for emergency stopping at that spot.

Next time I will request a room that can see the ski mountain. Our room faced another hotel on the back side. Also the Pinnacle Hotel website does not say anything about the pay for parking lot under their hotel. There is a little sign that says "$15 dollars parking CAN". And I made a face I guess and the hotel clerk saw me, so he wanted me to be happy I guess so he gave me 50% off the price for some reason. Hmmmm, he's got the power !!!! LOL

Anyway, I can post more if people have any questions about the place.

Jonathan