by Cameron Scott

Created on: May 24, 2009   Last Updated: May 26, 2009

An easy two-hour day trip outside Vancouver is the city of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, home to Whistler-Blackcomb, the largest skiing area in Canada. Besides skiing, available activities in Whistler include hiking, biking, spa facilities, and an award-winning pedestrian shopping village. So popular is Whistler as an end destination that it is a matter of some debate which should be the base and which the day trip!

In the winter, enjoy over 33 square kilometres of pristine powder on one of over 200 ski slopes from bunny hills to double diamond, serviced by 33 ski lifts. The highest lift elevation at Whistler-Blackcomb is a jaw-dropping 2240 metres, over two kilometres of drop! If that is not enough, Whistler also offers heli-skiing. If skiing is not your style, why not make your apres-ski into an apres-sleigh? The Coca-Cola Tube Park offers tubing fun for all ages. Check out back country snowshoe and dog sled treks, or relax with a cozy sleigh ride.

Whistler is an all-season resort. In the summer, the Fitzsimmons and Garbanzo high-speed quad lift replaces every second chair with a bike rack, so that mountain bikers at Whistler's Bike Park can mount their bikes and ride in the next chair themselves. Hike or ride the back trails, or for a different kind of challenge, try your hand at rock climbing on climbs ranging from beginner to expert. See the world from a bird's point of view on the suspension bridges of TreeTrek, or zipline through the treetops on the Skyline Zip Line Tour. If you want to sink a few putts, Whistler offers four championship golf courses, each more beautiful than the last. The only danger is that your golf game may suffer when you get distracted by all the gorgeous scenery!

With more than 300 walkable shops, restaurants, and bars, Whistler does not disappoint. From bar food to fine dining, enjoy cuisine from around the world in the space of a few comfortable blocks. Afterward, dance into the wee hours to live music, or sample some of the many offerings from Whistler's wine bars and draft taps. British Columbia is home to a wide variety of excellent microbrews, and many of them are featured in the pubs of Whistler.

Reaching Whistler is easy. By car, take the scenic Sea-to-Sky Highway (BC #99) from Vancouver, rated the 5th most beautiful highway in the world by "The Guardian." If you come in from West Vancouver, this route will take you across Vancouver's famed Lions Gate Bridge. You can also catch one of the frequent express shuttles which connect Whistler-Blackcomb to Vancouver International Airport and the major city hotels. By rail, make Whistler part of your Rocky Mountaineer vacation when you board the Whistler Mountaineer in North Vancouver, or take the old Yellowhead route from Jasper.

When the 2010 Winter Olympic Games come to Whistler, the rest of the world will discover what Canada has known all along. Come to Whistler, and fall in love.

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