Katie86

Whilst Whistler still has many charms to keep my interest, I was starting to feel the pressure of living constantly in the Whistler 'bubble'. Whenever I've previously wanted to get out of Whistler, I've usually always headed down to Vancouver to enjoy some shopping and noodles from the Food Court in the Pacific Center. This time, I decided I would head over to Vancouver Island, to the quiet town of Nanaimo for some rest and relaxation. I was in a bad mood when I set off and the journey down to Nanaimo wasn't particularly enjoyable. The Greyhound route along the Sea-to-Sky highway was beautiful as ever - offering views of the various lakes and snow covered mountains. I left Whistler on Sunday afternoon, along with many of the participants of the "tough mudder" event that took ... read more

Another great team building activity this week was a Snowmobiling Wilderness Tour. There have been a couple of trips organised by my manager, and today was my turn! Myself and five colleagues got the opportunity to go on a 3pm Wilderness tour with Canadian Adevenure Tours. We met at the booking office site in the Carlton Lodge in Whistler and filled out our damage waivers. From there it was a short walk over to the shuttle bus. The journey over to the Callaghan Valley took about 20-25 minutes. On the drive over, our guide talked to us about the tour that we would be doing. I was definitely nervous about going snowmobiling as I had heard how physically challenging it could be and I was also nervous about using machinery on snowy/icy ground. The guide was ... read more

Living and working in Whistler for a season entitles you to Spirit Pass. Getting a lift pass for the whole season means that you need to attend a Spirit Pass session. The Spirit Pass session basically informs you on the history of Whistler, the main rules and tips on staying safe on the mountain and also, as a worker in Whistler, how you can improve the overall experience of the people who visit each year and make it the great town that it is. The session was hosted by local celebrity Mike Douglas - pioneer of the first ever twin-tip ski amongst other things! To be honest, I'd not heard of him before todays session, but afterwards, I was wondering how I could not know about him. His relaxed, friendly approach to his presentation meant that ... read more

The snow has finally arrived here in Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb has opened up the mountain! Opening day was a little sketchy, with only a few of the 200+ runs open, and not all the way down either. Since then, snow has fallen pretty much every day - with 25cms falling last thursday. Theres a big high pressure weather system moving this way so there's the expectation of snow and a low of -20 degrees celcius down in the village. The cold weather combined with the new festive decorations makes it feel like Christmas is really on the way.... read more

After a final breakfast of bagels and fresh fruit and the third check of the hostel room, we checked out and headed for the bus stop. We had booked the $15 bus ticket to Whistler Village the week before so we all we had to do was turn up at the bus station and check in out luggage. I hadn't really gained any baggage from my week in Vancouver so my baggage allowance was fine and I headed out towards the bus. The other girls had gained even more luggage since arriving in Vancouver and had to pay a fair amount extra for the extra baggage weight. We boarded the bus and settled in for the the two and a half hour journey to Whistler Village. The views were amazing on the drive up - I ... read more