“Why do you need to ski in Canada when you’ve been skiing all winter in Bulgaria?” my mother asked innocently when I explained our itinerary to her.
The initial reasons for going to Canada were personal; I wanted my family to meet my aunt and cousins. They live in British Columbia, Victoria and Vancouver, respectively. I had last visited Canada more than 15 years ago but have cherished wonderful memories of BC ever since. One of them was a drive up to Whistler Mountain in an old open-top Cadillac. It was September, and we had gone for a day trip. It was left to my imagination to picture the resort in winter.
As my husband is an avid skier, who unfortunately, to date, has had little opportunity to ski outside of Bulgaria, I decided to add a treat to the itinerary which otherwise focused mainly around meeting my relatives. We were going to have a weekend skiing on Whistler!
Not only has it been voted the number one winter resort in North America, but it will also host the Alpine events of the next Olympic winter games in 2010. (Bulgaria can take comfort in the fact that this had been their fourth attempt at bidding for the Winter Olympics.)
In the early 1960s, Whistler was a far-fetched, ambitious vision of a group of Vancouver businessmen to build a ski resort in the middle of nowhere; when it finally opened in 1966, a winding dirt road brought you the 120km (or so) from the city of Vancouver to a gondola, a chair lift and a couple of t-bars.
Today Whistler is a top-notch resort, just a two-hour drive from Vancouver (and about four hours from Seattle, Washington, US).
Thirty-eight lifts (17 of these are high speed) lead to more than 200 marked runs spread out over Whistler (2182m) and Blackcomb mountains (2284m, opened 1980).
Even the town itself now has a permanent population of about 10 000, with all the necessary amenities, compared with the 25 permanent residents in the Whistler valley when the mountain opened 1966.
Deciding where to stay in Whistler was difficult for us, even in the day and age of internet. Not really having a clear picture of what the resort was like or what kind of prices we were talking about, it was a lot of fumbling in the dark. Sometimes the dates we wanted were not available (the last weekend in March), then again we wanted a room to sleep four, or we just couldn’t work out how convenient a location it was.
Eventually my cousin was able to secure a good deal for us at the Four Seasons Resort.
Although not within our original budget, we decided that this really was not something we were planning on doing every year, so we might as well make it special and do it in style…
Four Seasons Resort is situated in the Upper Village with easy access to the Blackcomb base station. Unlike its neighbour (the Fairmont Chateau Whistler), Four Seasons fits comfortably into its mountain setting. Plenty of rough-hewn stone combined with chunky dark timber beams and warm neutral colours. An open log fire in the lobby reflects the warmth of the hospitality one receives here from the first moment on (the children were immediately given a small present at check-in).
We found ourselves upgraded to a Four Seasons executive suite, which was just perfect for a family of our size. Generously laid out with large windows affording spectacular views onto the mountains, there was a separate living area with a queen-size sofa bed (for the children) and a log-effect gas fire (on timer!), and the main bedroom with a king-size bed, leading to a large dressing and bathroom area (one that has inspired me to remodel our own bathroom!).
If you are not travelling with your own ski equipment, there is no shortage of places to hire around town, as well as in the hotel. Most rentals offer two categories of equipment for adults, beginner and high performance, the latter costing about CAD $15 more per day.
We found the skis offered in the beginner category were in no way inferior in quality and thus opted for this category which cost us CAD $200 for the four of us, including helmets for the children.
You can get a discount on your lift passes if ordered in advance online or through the hotel and we were surprised to find our two-day pass actually valid for two out of three days, which is a good idea as it gives you the option to sit out a bad weather or an aching-limb day. Unfortunately we only had two days – so we had to make the most of our lift pass (adult: CAD $145 mid-season rate).
On our first morning, the courtesy hotel shuttle took us to their ski concierge at the base of Blackcomb Mountain, where guests can leave their equipment overnight to find it dry and ready the next morning. Complimentary sunscreen and tissues are available for those who have forgotten.
We decided to ski on Blackcomb on our first day. Conditions could not have been better, with glorious sunshine and a snow cover of more than three metres. The pistes were perfectly groomed and clearly marked. The choice of which trail to follow seemed endless. We made our way to the 7th Heaven ski area from where the views were spectacular.
Young photographers offer to take family photos, which can be viewed without commitment in the village later that evening. (This was well worth it, as we have a great souvenir photo now.)
We truly felt on cloud nine as we made our way down the Cloud 9 run. It was just so different from skiing in Bulgaria. Everything is so orderly and everyone so friendly and polite. Plenty of signs warn of “go slow” areas where runs merge. There are special family areas and runs. There are even considerate touches such as the sniffle stations at the bottom of the lifts, where complimentary tissues are dispensed. Lift passes appear to be scanned only once at the base station and thereafter skiers are free to use the lifts without having to produce the pass each time.
We had an early lunch stop at Horstman Hut (2284m), and were not really surprised to find that the hot chocolate was actually cheaper than on Markoudjik in Borovets!
The choice of mountain food is excellent and after a hearty portion of chili in a bread bowl and a visit to the clean and environmentally friendly washrooms, we continued to explore the runs. From here we could have made our way across to the Glacier, where summer skiing is possible in June and July, but instead we went in search of the recommended Jersey Cream run.(There are daily run recommendations posted at base stations of the lifts).
We just love the names of all the runs!
The next day the weather had turned, and it was actually snowing. We took the cabin lift up Whistler Mountain, which gave some protection from the elements. Again, the choice of runs is overwhelming; there is no way that one can ski the whole resort in just two days. There is an info point where “mountain hosts” give advice on which runs to take or how to get to where you want. They also offer free guided groups according to your ability.
The terrain on Whistler overall is a little more challenging than on Blackcomb. We enjoyed Franz’s Run, part of which will be incorporated in the women’s downhill and Super G – 2010. Another delightful experience was the new eco ski area called Symphony Amphitheatre, which was developed to work within and protect the natural ecosystem.
At times, the weather conditions made visibility rather difficult, although fluorescent trail markers make sure you don’t ski off the trail.
After a hard day skiing, there is still plenty for the Whistler visitor to do. We took advantage of the wonderful spa facilities at Four Seasons and soaked our aching limbs in the outdoor hot tubs and pool.
Whistler Village has an exciting array of shops, bars and restaurants. As most accommodation seems to be on a room rate only, finding somewhere to eat around 8pm was not easy. Bars don’t allow children, even if they serve food, and most restaurants were full. Local guides recommend dinner reservations, but that’s not easy when you are new to the resort and don’t know what’s on offer.
Generally the standard of cuisine throughout seems to be very good (the average cost of dinner for a family of four with drinks was CAD $80 to 100) and we particularly enjoyed the emphasis on fresh fish and seafood.
Our only disappointment was not having more time to explore everything Whistler has to offer. A weekend may be just enough to whet your appetite, but it will leave you wanting to go back for more… (So much for the once-in-a-lifetime experience!)
Better start saving now.
Some travel details
Our accommodation: Four Seasons Resort [www.fourseasons.com/whistler/].
The ski season lasts from November to June (Whistler Mountain closes end of April).
Accommodation and ski info, special packages [www.whistlerblackcomb.com].
Private accommodation can also be found on Whistler [www.ResortAc.com].
Flights, car hire and travel insurance arranged through Jamadvice [www.hrgworldwide.com].
Flight Sofia – Vancouver with Lufthansa via Frankfurt (FRA >YVR 10-hour direct flight).
Time difference between British Columbia and Bulgaria – 10 hours.
CAD $1 = 1.25 leva.
