For skiers and non-skiers alike, a resort like Whistler (with Blackcomb) in British Columbia, Canada is a really great destination for a winter holiday. There's no shortage of activities to fill your days and no shortage of food & drink to fill your afternoons and evenings. Click here to jump to the food section if you want -- I get it. :-)
The Skiing
Of interest to skiers, Whistler has arguably the most skiable terrain to be found in North America, as well as typically good snow (although January can be iffy, as we learned). It is a ski destination for all types of skiers, but it seems geared more toward advanced skiers than real novices. (Their green (novice) runs seemed a bit more challenging than many beginner runs I've seen/ encountered). That said, they have specific learning and kiddie areas which are appropriately gentle. For ski nerds, download the Epic Pass app onto your phone (even if you aren't using one as your lift ticket) and you can have it monitor and report your runs and vertical. Plus, it has an interactive ski map which will show you where you are and allows you to decide which runs you want it to show or hide (ie no expert runs, only groomed runs, only lifts which are open, etc.); it's pretty nifty and probably equally useful should you ski at other resorts which are part of the Epic Pass for that matter.
The Non-Skiing
For non-skiers, there are all sorts of activities available, although you should be warned that most require advance reservations (like 3 days minimum for tubing), which can be kind of a drag. Not surprisingly, many of the off-slope activities are weather and snow-dependent (ie ice skating, dog sledding, (guided) snow shoeing, heli-skiing, tubing, the Vallea Lumina (walking in a lit forest in the evening), snow mobiling, bungee jumping, and zip lining -- yes, even in winter). For those looking for serenity (and warmth), there are spas, local art galleries, and an escape room (but plan ahead!).
Now, while there were certainly families there (even though I chose a non-holiday time period in mid-January), the vibe at Whistler is much more of a young-adult/ party one than a family-friendly one. Après (ski) is a party scene reminiscent of South Beach or spring break from my perspective. If I had younger kids, I would be careful about what hotel I booked and what side of my hotel my room was facing as the bar scene seemed to last until about 10pm (at least on the weekend nights).
The village at the base of the mountain is rife with all sorts of shopping to satisfy any and all retail therapy proclivities and requires no car to get around. The offerings are typical touristy kitsch, as well as ski/winter/athleisure gear and wear, as well as shops which sell local and native art good enough that I broke down and bought two bears for a collection I SWORE I wasn't collecting for any longer but "needed" as Western Canada is where the collection began and the ones I bought "went" perfectly with the others! (Happy early birthday to me!). There is the Olympic Plaza, too, which is interesting for the Olympic enthusiasts out there -- the games took place in 2010. Rest assured, there are also grocery, liquor, and drug stores in town should you need anything...
The Food
To be clear, Whistler is a foodie destination in and of itself. There are more dining establishments here than I have seen in any other ski resort in the world, and many serve food which would be delicious even not at a ski resort. The tonier restaurants, at least, fill up early, so make reservations as soon as possible. Being the planner that I am, I was able to get us into all but one of the desired restaurants 5 months in advance.
While we had many delicious bites, and ate at a plethora of gourmet restaurants, we found Araxi to have been our best meal of the trip. It is an oyster bar as well as fine dining (seafood forward) restaurant, and before you think why would you get oysters and seafood in the mountains, remember that the pacific coast and Vancouver are only about 2 hours away. The seafood everywhere was delicious and fresh. But at Araxi, the Lobster and Matane shrimp sushi roll was sublime and the bucatini pasta 'Mentaiko' (humboldt squid, white wine, lemon cream, spicy cod roe, parsley, garlic chips, seaweed breadcrumbs) was out of this world. From what I've heard, their Après menu (the fondue specifically) is TO DIE FOR, and had we had the opportunity to be hungry in the mid to late afternoon, we would have definitely tried this.
Other great bites and restaurant thoughts:
Steeps (the restaurant in the lodge at the top of the Whistler gondola) had amazing 'ski'caers (Caesars, the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary, is made with clamato juice rather than tomato juice, and is delicious) and just phenomenal food. Be warned, the drinks are stiff and food plentiful, so decide ahead of time how much you want to ski afterwards... (I took the gondola down after lunch.) Make a reservation if you don't want to eat at the bar. We liked it enough to eat here twice!
Beacon Pub & Eatery -- fine, standard pub fare in the village.
Il Caminetto -- fine dining and a solid "fancy" meal. Great cocktails but the food was less tasty than the descriptions or plating made you think it would be. (Case in point, the burrata appetizer sounded and looked great, but the beets were slightly under cooked and the burrata itself didn't have as much flavor as many I've tasted -- see pic below).
Wild Blue -- very cool vibe, inventive gourmet food and more great cocktails. Best bite was a Hamachi Crudo with fennel, ponzu gelée, shiso flowers. Their oysters were also delicious and fresh.
Alta Bistro -- Very good food and a tasting menu (with wine pairings, if desired). More casual vibe than Wild Blue, Il Caminetto, and Araxi, but similar level of food (and price tag).
21 Steps -- Good solid place to have a hearty dinner after skiing.
Ohyama Ramen -- Delicious ramen place in the village. At least for lunch no reservation was required.
Snow mobiling (or taking a snow cat) up to a fondue dinner -- didn't do this as our meals were already reserved and we didn't have the weather to make us want to do this at the expense of missing a great dinner we already had reservations for. Click here for more info.
Other Stuff:
Lodging -- much of the lodging at Whistler offers kitchenettes and are condo-style, so keep that in mind (especially as there are very few coffee/ breakfast places open before 8am, as I so rudely learned my first morning there). Plus, there are some hotels just at the base of the mountain, which is extremely convenient. We stayed at the Pan Pacific Mountainside which had a ski locker room as close to the lifts as one could hope. It's not a fancy hotel, but it is nice and comfortable, and the location cannot be beat. The Westin is more luxe and has a ski concierge to whom you can just hand your skis when you get to the base (so you don't need to schlep them to the hotel which is not far at all, but not "right" at the bottom of the gondola). If you get a room overlooking the village, things could be loud. (Our room did not face the mountain or village, and it was on a high floor, so it was nice and quiet).
Ski equipment-- bring your own or rent. There are tons of rental providers, and there is even one which will bring your equipment to your hotel room (or lodging) and test for fit -- they don't call it Black Tie for nothing! The convenience of that service is amazing, but first check to see if there is a rental outfit in or adjacent to your hotel (as there was at ours -- if only I'd known!).
Transportation -- Whistler is roughly a 2 hour drive from Vancouver airport with little traffic. The road is windy and in winter can be hairy. We chose to book rides on the Whistler Shuttle but be warned that the last ride from the airport leaves on or before 11pm. Our flight from the east coast was delayed and we missed the shuttle. (Luckily we got a ride with a new friend who was driving). There are plenty of car rental options, as well as car services and buses that can get you to Whistler.
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