Whistler Blackcomb Winter Sports and Skiing Resorts

(Whistler, British Columbia - BC, Canada)

The Whistler Blackcomb area has recently been voted as one on North America's leading ski resorts, with very high and reliable levels of powdery snow each year. In 1997, the two former ski resorts of both Whistler and Blackcomb were successfully combined, with the resulting single resort now being seamlessly integrated and home to superb slopes, challenging cross-country skiing, plenty of opportunities for snowboarding, scenic terrain from all directions, and a very lively night scene.

As part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort will be hosting a number of major Olympic events, such as Alpine skiing, ski jumping and also the bobsleigh event, and the area is currently enjoying much upgrading to cope with ever higher visitor numbers.

General Skiing Information

The area's entire ski complex is currently owned and managed by Intrawest, with full-day passes being available for both the Whistler Mountain (2,182 metres / 7,159 feet) and Blackcomb mountain (2,284 metres / 7,493 feet) are competitively priced.

Whilst the main skiing season tends to fall between the middle of November and the early part of June, often lasting well into the summer months and offering North America's very finest summer skiing, with glacial skiing, hiking and also mountain biking being readily available during at this time of the year.

Although some two million skiers and snowboarders descend upon Whistler Blackcomb each year, there are simply so many slopes and runs (more than 200 trails and no less than 12 Alpine bowls), that even during the busiest periods, skiers tends to be spread around fairly thinly. The banked runs and exciting rocky bluffs around Whistler tend to be favoured by snowboarders, although Blackcomb also has much to offer in the way of snowboarding.

In total there are a number main bases offering good access to the mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb, which feature good lift systems, and facilities including accommodation and ski-rental outlets. These include the pedestrianised Whistler Village, the nearby Upper Village and Blackcomb resorts, and to the south, Creekside, which comes with its own gondola and tends to be the cheapest skiing option.