group of Vancouver businessmen founded Whistler with the dream of bringing the 1968 Winter Olympic Games to British Columbia’s Coast Mountains. They lost that bid and four more before Whistler—by then the largest ski resort in North America—finally hosted the games in 2010.
Despite its epic proportions, Whistler unfolds on an intimate scale, in the style of European mountain resorts. The pedestrian alpine village is built around seven plazas and squares, which are mostly crowd-free during winter days, when skiers are spread out over the resort’s vast terrain. The sprawling size of the resort and the array of amenities mean that Whistler caters to all guest desires, whether they come to ski, enjoy some après ski, or skip everything ski-related altogether.
First, a few figures: Whistler and Blackcomb mountains have more than 200 runs spread across 8,171 acres. The longest run on each mountain is seven miles long. There are 37 lifts with the capacity to move 80,692 skiers per hour. The average alpine snowfall is 35.8 feet.
In addition to the seemingly endless downhill options at Whistler and Blackcomb (both of which are part of Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass), the destination offers a range of backcountry experiences through outfitters like Extremely Canadian, Whistler Heli-Skiing (main image), and Blackcomb Helicopters. “We help skiers push personal boundaries to ski better and enjoy it more,” says Jill Dunnigan, co-owner of Extremely Canadian. The company’s guides lead guests on everything from backcountry ski excursions to off-grid winter camping trips.
Whistler Heli-Skiing, meanwhile, has exclusive access to 432,000 acres of backcountry, with 173 glaciers and 475 runs—an expanse that guarantees skiers fresh, untracked powder. Blackcomb Helicopters also offers heli-skiing, as well as sightseeing tours and “heli-weddings.”
Non-skiers can also find adrenaline-pumping adventure in Whistler. Among the community’s Olympic legacies is the Whistler Sliding Centre, where luge, bobsleigh, and skeleton competitions took place in 2010. “This is still the world’s fastest track,” says Bruce MacMillan, the center’s managing director. “Sliders can reach 80 miles per hour and experience a 4G-force for four seconds.”
The center offers visitors several Olympic experiences. Bobsled rides seat two or three passengers plus a pilot—often an Olympian. Guests can also try the skeleton track—or, a new addition at the center, the luge. Part of the experience includes live commentary and real competition, including a leaderboard showing the fastest times for the day. “Visitors don’t slide and run,” MacMillan says with a laugh. “Many stick around to see how they rate against others.”
For a far more leisurely winter adventure, the Peak 2 Peak gondola offers a scenic ride that links the tops of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Some of the gondolas have glass floors, affording a full view of colorfully dressed skiers and snowboarders below as they dart about like tropical fish in an aquarium.
Whistler is home to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which has a long house, galleries, and theater; the Whistler Museum; and the Audain Art Museum. The Audain is a $30 million gallery housing a collection focused on British Columbian artists, including hundreds of First Nations’ carvings and masks, as well as 24 works by the renowned B.C. painter Emily Carr.
Whether following a day of gallery hopping or skiing, après is an art of its own in Whistler. The Longhorn Saloon & Grill, across from the Whistler gondola, draws a lively crowd with its champagne gondola and champagne guns—perfect for a festive spray. Across the plaza, the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub keeps the party going with live music performances.
The top fine-dining destinations in town include the Bearfoot Bistro, where culinary director Dominic Fortin oversees a 30-member team that creates dishes for a maximum 156 diners—an impressive chef-to-table ratio. The bulk of the menu is local to British Columbia, while the 20,000-bottle cellar spans the world of wines. Many guests end the evening in the -25-degree Grey Goose Ice Room, tasting a flight of vodkas. Parkas are provided.
Other fine-dining options range from Sidecut Steakhouse at Four Seasons Resort Whistler (think grass-fed Alberta beef and olive-fed Wagyu from Japan) and the three-year-old Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar, which has received just about every best-new-restaurant award (including North America’s Best New Restaurant for 2023 by the World Culinary Awards). Wild Blue’s culinary focus marries coastal influences from Italy and France with Pacific Northwest cuisine. Creativity also flows from bar manager Zach Lavoie, who created a series of “milk punches” from a 1711 recipe. It starts with mixing milk and citrus to remove protein and color, then incorporates Hendrick’s gin, pistachio, blood and Seville oranges, and elderflower. It sounds bizarre, but it’s dangerously smooth.
At the base of Blackcomb Mountain sit two resorts that each received two keys in the recent Michelin Guide: the Four Seasons and the Fairmont Château Whistler.
In addition to Sidecut Steakhouse, the Four Seasons is home to the Braidwood Tavern and offers pop-up afternoon wine tastings as well as Moët & Chandon pool parties. The resort’s spa incorporates products from an indigenous skincare brand, Skwalwen Botanicals, into treatments such as the Sacred Space Journey.
The Fairmont recently doubled its number of Fairmont Gold rooms, which act as a hotel within the hotel. Gold-room guests have access to a concierge and a private lounge. The lobby-level Mallard Lounge, meanwhile, is a popular après spot for locals and guests.
About 15 minutes by car from Whistler, Wedge Mountain Lodge is a 10-bedroom mansion available for buyouts. The two-year-old property has a wine room, gym, spa, theater, two kitchens, and a heated pool and hot tub.
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