Whistler, BC, Canada 3 September 2016

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Whistler BC Canada 3 September 2016



During our return visit to Vancouver, with the hire car, we drove up to Whistler. What a beautiful drive. We followed the Cheakamus River on one side and incredible rocks the other. It was a beautiful day.



We drove along Howe Sound between Vancouver and Squamish which is generally considered to be one of the most scenic routes in the world. Historically, the Sea To Sky Highway also had a reputation for being one of the deadliest scenic highways in the world, but was significantly upgraded and widened prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics, and is far safer today.



The drive took us 1 ½ hours and arrived at Whistle Village finding a car park with ease. We drove around Upper Whistler Village first before parking.



It was a busy village in summer and we wondered what it would have been like when our son Adam went snow-boarding there is winter. There was music playing and all the restaurants were packed.



The town of Whistler sprawls out around the valley, but the heart of the Whistler experience focuses on the European-style villages built as planned communities around the base of the gondolas. Most of the accommodation, restaurants, bars, shops and the Blackcomb and Whistler gondolas are in Whistler Creekside (Old Alpha Lake), Whistler Village and the Upper Village, at the foot of Whistler and Blackcomb. Village North (Blackcomb Village), built around the old base of Blackcomb, is smaller but still has a number of restaurants and hotels. Whistler Creekside is built around the original gondola on the south side of Whistler Mountain. There is a new southern town site at the former Olympic Village Site called Cheackamus; the location of the Whistler hostel, 20 min from Whistler Village.



The information booth told us the best thing to do was to catch two gondolas up to Mt Whistler summit. She showed us on video-cam what sort of view we would expect. It was clear at the first stop, Roundhouse, but the Mt Whistler summit was blanketed in cloud. It didn’t matter as we had a spectacular view of the valley below.



There were Olympic rings at the Roundhouse so of course we had our photo taken while we stood on the winner’s blocks. Whistler got its Olympic wish fulfilled in 2010, when it hosted sliding events and certain ski events for the 2010 Winter Olympics.



As we got closer to the summit in the second gondola ride, it was very cold. We got off the gondola, had a quick walk around then got back on so that we could catch the Peak 2 Peak gondola across to Blackcomb mountain. Spanning the distance between Whistler & Blackcomb Mountains, the world record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is a breathtaking, 4.4 km journey. It certainly redefined the Whistler summer experience by creating limitless new ways to get up-close-and-personal with the mountains. It was beautiful



When we got to Blackcomb Mountain we went into the restaurant had had the BEST cappuccino we had had in Canada. It was lovely. While sipping our coffee we noticed it was sprinkling with rain. We seem to do the right thing at the right time. It didn’t matter that is was showering as we were inside. When we were ready to leave the shower a ceased.



The next stage of our mountain experience was going down the Solar Coastal Express, then the Wizard Express which were open ski lifts but some had covers to pull over us if needed.



On arriving back to the Creekside of Whistler Village we had a 15 minute walk. It was a beautiful area with flowers and statues dotted through the park.



After getting back to the Village, we found a lovely restaurant under an umbrella and in the sunshine and had a drink and did some serious people-watching.



Tom had gone back to the car early to buy more parking time and found we had got a parking ticket as we were 30 minutes over our time. Oh well, $20 not too bad!



At about 4.00pm we hopped in the car as we were ready to enjoy our drive home. We stopped more frequently at all the viewing spots to enjoy the scenery. There were a lot more autumn leaves showing their face so it was extra beautiful.







You might be interested to know that before the skiers and boarders came, Whistler was a logging town with the name Alta Lake, which was well-known for its snow. After Squaw Valley hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, a group of Canadian investors hatched a plan to build a ski resort on London Mountain in the Alta Lake area in the hope of attracting the 1968 Winter Olympics. It was soon realized that the name "London" was terribly inappropriate because to most people, the term "London" referenced a major Western European urban metropolis with flat terrain and a severe air pollution problem, which was completely incongruent with the preferred image of a pollution-free skier's paradise. London Mountain was eventually renamed Whistler Mountain after the high-pitched whistling or chirping sound made by the hoary marmots native to the area. The Olympic dream wasn't realized immediately, but the first ski resort at Whistler opened in what is now the Creekside area in January 1966.



Of course there is no snow in the summer, so skiing is replaced by bike riding. There were 100s of bikes and some serious helmets and protection gear worn. It is 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.



More beautiful memories to take with us.

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