Lodge in the Foothills of Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort
Most people come to Whistler Village for one thing: to tackle the trails at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort. When the snow begins to fall, skiers and snowboarders take over, zooming down more than 200 marked pathways spanning a 1-mile vertical rise. You can easily access the mountain in any season from Blackcomb Lodge, a ski resort located in the heart of Whistler Village, about two hours north of Vancouver.
Hotel and studio rooms look out onto Whistler’s pedestrian-friendly streets. Both the studio loft and studio suite have full kitchens, but if you don’t feel like cooking, you can find plenty of restaurants in the village a short walk away. After the lifts close, check out Whistler’s après-ski bars, many of which have live music and dancing. Several establishments also feature outdoor fireplaces where you can enjoy local bands and breathtaking mountain views.
Whistler, British Columbia: Olympic History at North America’s Largest Ski Resort
Connected to Vancouver—about 80 miles (130 km) south—by the scenic Sea to Sky Highway, the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort spans two mountains, each more than 7,000 feet in elevation. Since the resort contains more than 200 trails and more skiable terrain than any other resort on the continent, it makes sense that Condé Nast Traveler readers ranked it the No. 2 North American Ski Resort in a 2011 poll.
The mountains gained worldwide recognition in 2010, when they were the site of the alpine skiing, bobsled, and luge events of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The Whistler Museum tells the stories of those games with exhibits of athlete memorabilia, including the uniforms of local gold medalists and an Olympic torch you can hold yourself. Although skiing and snowboarding are the main draws (visitors usually number more than 2 million annually), the area is also well-suited for snowmobiling, ice climbing up frozen waterfalls, and dogsledding across the Soo Valley Wildlife Reserve. For a break from the outdoors, peek inside the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which celebrates the cultures of two peoples indigenous to the region via displays of their goat-wool weavings, dugout canoes, and rock paintings.
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