Whistler

What I liked about Whistler/Blackcomb was how huge it was. I would ski from the top of Whistler Mountain all the way to the bottom at full speed and it still took about 20 minutes to ski down the 5,280 feet of elevation.

Here’s my Whistler holiday horror story, which everyone needs to know because it could happen to you. I’m shaking in anger as I type this.

Some buddies and I reserved a house in Whistler for Super Bowl Sunday through to what was supposed to be Wednesday. Did that ever turn out to be a disappointment!

First, there was a huge landslide that covered the highway and forced us to wait for over 10 hours:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070204/bc_rockslide_070204/20070204

Turns out the landslide was likely caused by the blasting of rocks for road construction for the Olympics:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070206.BCHIGHWAY06/TPStory/National

Once we got through, we ended up just staying the night at a rat’s nest hotel that smelled like frying oil in a little town called Squamish.

Then, as if our trip was not already ruined at that point, there was a major accident on the road to Whistler, again. A logging truck collided with a bus:
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=274d66f8-bd3a-4e2c-a68b-cf9ca61d470a&k=96427

It must have been a big mess because the cops closed the road to traffic both ways. We waited for a couple of hours and then were told that it may not open until the following morning.

This seems to be a regular occurance, these road closures on the “Highway of Death”. A closure back in December forced people to wait for 12 hours. One man died of a heart attack in his car, a woman went into labor and people were injured in two seperate collisions:
http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madison%5CWQuestion.nsf/0/F2706976C17A7CD2882572600005F387?OpenDocument

Plus, if you don’t have snow tires, you will get turned around by the RCMP police.

A local in Squamish told us the the Sea to Sky highway has gotten more dangerous since road crews began working on it a few years back to “improve” it for the Olympics.

Just forget about Whistler. We’re not going back. There are plenty of better resorts.

Don’t bother going to Whistler.

Steady decline in soul/energy/real/fun over last 3 or 4 years.

All the original local’s hangouts have been replaced with prefab facades. The locals that gave it spirit have moved on to greener, less corporate pastures.

Good snow conditions have been hit-and-miss since 2003.

Service is substandard (possibly because employees are given substandard wages).

You can’t win: the place is either a ghost town, or too crowded to afford or enjoy anyone’s company.

Better chances of getting your gear stolen now that professional crooks are aware of the lax security. Some friends had a large rock thrown through their windshield at 2am by punks in the village.

The Sea to Sky Highway reconstruction project has made parts of the road sketchy when visibility is anything but perfect.

Good points:
-Not as expensive as Banff
-Located in the most beautiful province in Canada
-Quite affordable during the shoulder seasons, if you’re not into skiing/riding

too much comercialism, great cronic ;)

Super expensive but fun.

Clean air, lots to do year-round, virtually crime-free.

I ended up in hospital with two fractured vertebra. great.

Get to know the person at the front desk of your hotel. If you hang out with them you end up getting the local deals. I skipped lines and got better drink prices.

I’ve actually only been to Whistler in the summer, and definitely want to go back sometime in the winter now. It is really nice up there at this time of year – very warm and pretty. The village is so cute and fun to walk around. I also love all the paths for biking/walking on. I got to go on a nice run while I was there. I definitely will head back up there again.

Great skiing, despite the lack of powder compared to mountains more inland. A bit pricey too, but worth it because it’s a great town, and runs are long, the people are friendly (mainly australians and canadians) and you’re likely to have a fun time!