Sports and Fun in Whistler British Columbia

Privacy and Location at Lake Placid
This is an excellent option if you are either a family or a couple wanting extra privacy. The condo was a one bedroom, but could have slept four. We made the reservation through Resort Quest, whom upon checkout gave us coupons (buy one get one night free) to return for ski season. The condo was nice, but there was no reservation desk at this lodge. You had to check in at the marketplace lodge in the vilage. This wasn't very conveniant, but it was worth the discount and the privacy we enjoyed at Lake Placid.
Ammenities: The condo had a communal heated pool, hot tub, and barbecue area. Each room came stocked with dishes, dishwasher, full size fridge, and stacked washer and dryer. Although we don't have kids this seemed to be a great environment for families. There seemed to be several families utilizing the outdoor common area. Inside there is a large communal area with a grand fireplace that I am sure would be great in the winter. The condo also has underground secure parking. This is a fantastic option during ski season. Really, who likes to scrape snow from their windshield?
Also, there is a market store just around the corner from the condo, and the condo is located on the bike trail,which is the cross country ski trail in the winter. Also, since the condo is located in Whistler Creekside it allocated the privacy that staying in the village would not have. Furthermore, it is cheaper to stay in Whistler Creekside. This made it much more private and secluded while maintaining it's conveniance. Don't worry about getting to the village, it is only about one mile away and parking is free.
The accommodations were very clean, and the concierage called the week before we left and made several reservations for us. I found him extremely helpful and patient. The phone in our room called the main lodge, and was helpful for assistant since there was no desk at our lodge (note this may not be the case during the winter). The concierege went as far as to give us his cell number. Now that's sevice!

Warm and Cozy
The Caramba restaurant calls itself Mediterranean, but it also has a very local flair by incorporating local specialties into traditional dishes. The service was more professional than is common in a lot of BC restaurants, especially the mid-range options.

We arrived fairly early for dinner, and there was already a wait. I would suggest reservations, as not, to be put on the wait list, which was being mismanaged to put it lightly. However, shortly after we arrived a manager stepped up to the hostess stand, and things seemed to proceed in a more orderly fashion.

The decor is very Mediterranean with rich deep colors, with tasteful candles on every table giving the room a warm glow. There is an open kitchen, which boasts a wood burning pizza oven. Our waiter was friendly and honest. He suggested an artichoke and spinach appetizer that I was reluctant to choose, but turned out to be the best I have ever had. The timing was excellent and our salads came out with just a slight pause after the appetizer.

I had the salmon in a vodka cream sauce, which was excellent. Unlike most pasta dishes, it was not drowning in sauce. The bread was served room temperature, which I didn't care for, but was quite tasty. My husband got a Mediterranean pizza, which was superb. The meal was so good we could not save room for dessert

The wine list was excellent with many choices. Unfortunately, our waiter did not seem to know a lot about some of the wines. He did do an excellent job serving the wine, and brought us a taste of the wine we inquired about. I thought this was a particular nice touch, since he admitted to not knowing about it. Again, he was very honest and attentive.

SCARY! SCARY! FUN!Whistler Downhill Mountain Park is the extreme of all mountain biking. This is what you see in magazines and in videos. This is not your backyard trail. The park is expanding next year and is suppose to add on another 34000 feet of trails. This is unbelievable, because the trails are already so long. After the gondola ride it would take us nearly 15-20 min just to come down the mountain, and we were going at a somewhat conservative pace.

Basic Information: The bike park requires a pass, which is approximately 35$. There is an extended play ticket on certain evenings from 3:30 -8:30 for $25. This ticket also comes with a coupon for $10 off food at the Garibaldi Lift Co. The extended play seemed like the best deal to us, because we were unable to ride for more than five hours, plus it was warm while we there and cooler in the evening. There are packages for two or three days, as well. Tickets can be bought at the base of the mountain by the gondola.

You can rent equipment almost anywhere in the village. Get the package that comes with the armor and the full-face helmet. If you already have some of your gear, you may be able to talk them down a little. We also found that if you waited for extended play hours (after everyone else had pretty much gone home) you could haggle a little bit on the rental. There are tours and lessons available, but we did not feel we needed them (and we are pretty intermediate). I do not recommend riding anything but a full suspension bike for these trails. In addition, airlines typically charge 75$ each way to bring your bike, so you will need to ride for at lest three days to make it worth it.

This was the best riding I have ever done. Whistler has spent a lot of time in engineering and building the log rides, teeter ladders, and trails. My husband agrees, and we both feel like BC trails are incredibly more sophisticated than their Rocky Mountain counterparts. The money spent on this part of our trip was well worth it. I highly recommend coming to BC in a time of the year when you can experience all the sports it has to offer. We were able to snowboard in the morning and mountain bike in the late afternoon.

However, if your a novice or you simply want a less extreme ride there are tons of free trails throughout whistler. There is also a practice park with log rides and BMX style jumps behind the day parking lots. These are great for smaller kids and beginners.

There is also a paved trail loop that winds throughout Whistler that is excellent for families (especially adults with child carriers).

We went on a zip line ecotour with Ziptrek Ecotours The cost is 98 Canadian dollars for adults and 78 Canadian dollars for children. This was pretty pricey, but National Geographic Magazine reviewed it and said it was fun. I have now cancelled this magazine due to all the bad travel information I have gotten from this magazine on several trips. Anyway, the package boasts three hours of zip line fun through a river gorge between the Blackcomb and Whistler Mountain. This is technically true. However, most of the time is spent waiting around and not zipping. You actually wind up going down about six zip lines, which if you totaled up your entire time zipping would be 10 minutes at best.

The guides were excellent and did a great job explaining forest ecology and ecotourism, but honestly, that was not why I signed up for this. I was on this trip with my husband, and we were placed with a family. They seemed like nice people, but I felt the whole time that I was placed in some weird family vacation movie and the grandma might have a stroke at any time. Luckily, she made it, and I can easily say that this is suitable for ages 9-90. Needless to say, if you’re looking for extreme adventure, look elsewhere. An overall complaint with all the guided tours we did at Whistler is that they are "funned down" to the lowest denominator. This means that if you are on a trip with less physically fit adults or a grandma, then you are bound to have less fun, because they are going to modify the trip to suit the physical limitations of this person. I realize the necessity of this for safety, but I would suggest if you love extreme sports and are coming to BC for these types of activities you sway away from group trips and pay the extra money for private guides.

However, I think this would be a great family activity and great for kids. In fact, I would highly recommend it to parents, because it is extremely safe, fun, and educational. There was some sort of Scout troop behind us, and they were having a blast. I think if I had kids I might do it again, but otherwise I would not. If you are looking for adventure or extreme trips, this might not be enough adrenalin for you. It was not for me. If you’re looking to see your family squeal with delight, this is for you.

Basic Information: We went on the glacier tour with Whistler Alpine Guides they are located next to the Market Lodge in the Whistler Village. The price was approximately 100 US dollars per person including lunch and gondola ticket. The phone number for the shop is 604.938.3228.

First, let me start by saying this was a group tour, and we did not know the rest of our group. My husband and I are both in pretty good physical shape; we were grouped with two people in their early sixties and their overweight college son. For this reason, our trip was designed to their physical constraints. This was unfortunate for my husband and I. We saw other groups doing much more challenging routes and climbs, while we were on part of the glacier that did not really need crampons. While learning to use the crampons, and being tied in was interesting it really wasnÕt necessary. The view was beautiful and you arenÕt allowed on the glacier without a guide, so overall it was worthwhile. If I had it to do over again, I would pay the extra 25$ per person and hire a private guide. The girl who made my reservation said it was intermediate. I thought it was pretty easy.

Furthermore, we walked down a road on the way back, which is basically easily accessible to anyone. I thought we should have at least climbed down the glacier. If I had wanted to do the regular hike, I would have just purchased the gondola ticket. The guide messed up our lunches and we got turkey (we are vegetarians). He did not seem overly concerned with his mistake. He made several rude comments about American politics, some of which I agreed with, but were not asked for, and I felt they were inappropriate. There are several other glacier guides in the village, and this may just be my personal experience with this particular company. I think it would have been much better if we had a younger group with more hiking experience, or a private guide. Everyone in the Alpine Guides Store seemed quite nice, and maybe another guide would have also been better. Overall, it was probably worth it, but I wouldnÕt do it again.