Whistler (Winter)

The setting is magnificent — snowcapped peaks, dense green forests, transparent lakes, sparkling rivers, and a stylish, cosmopolitan village right in the middle of it all — but it is the skiing and snowboarding that makes Whistler one of the world’s great resort towns. The Whistler Valley has seen incredible development in recent years and is now British Columbia’s third most popular tourist destination (behind Vancouver and Victoria), attracting around two million visitors annually, although this number went even higher in 2010 when the resort town co-hosted the Winter Olympic Games. The crowds and the costs might not be for everyone, but ...

The setting is magnificent — snowcapped peaks, dense green forests, transparent lakes, sparkling rivers, and a stylish, cosmopolitan village right in the middle of it all — but it is the skiing and snowboarding that makes Whistler one of the world’s great resort towns. The Whistler Valley has seen incredible development in recent years and is now British Columbia’s third most popular tourist destination (behind Vancouver and Victoria), attracting around two million visitors annually, although this number went even higher in 2010 when the resort town co-hosted the Winter Olympic Games. The crowds and the costs might not be for everyone, but there are many things to do in Whistler, and the village takes full advantage of its magnificent natural surroundings, making a trip north from Vancouver well worthwhile at any time of year. Away from the mountain, there is heli-skiing, cross-country skiing, ice-skating, and sleigh rides.

About the Expert

Over the last 20 years, Andrew Hempstead has authored and updated more than 60 guidebooks for Avalon Travel, Frommer’s, Michelin, Odyssey, Dorling Kindersley, Michelin, and Sasquatch Books, including many books on Canada.