Blogger: Stephanie Lynch
Whistler was definitely on our bucket list during our trip to Canada. It has been said that it is the adventure capital of the world so it was a must to pay a visit and try some of the activities on offer. Whistler is north of Vancouver and home to the world of ski enthusiasts. With more than 8,000 acres over 2 mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, it’s the largest ski area in North America. It co-hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Firstly, the drive from Vancouver to Whistler was just breathtaking. A drive of a lifetime along the Sea to Sky Highway, one of the most scenic routes in the world. It’s was a short 120 km drive (75 mile) from Vancouver. Be prepared for a experience driving on a mountain highway – spectacular.
On our journey, we stopped to give a man a hand who had trouble with his bicycle. It turns out he was on the Canadian cycling team(Jack Burke)…. what a lovely guy who filled us in on all the locals gems throughout our journey to Squamish(a town just before Whistler) with him. Now we can say we know this cyclists when he is off doing the tour de France in years to come.
A few local tips we learned from Jack:
- Squamish is the most popular local spot for outdoor adventures(more popular then Whistler).
- Squamish holds logger Olympics… events like climbing telephone polls etc. Supposed to be amazing to see.
- Sea to Sky gondola in Squamish is a local favourite with better views then the gondola in Whistler(We will be back in a few days to try this when more of our crew arrive in Vancouver!).
- On route to Squamish, he also showed us this climbing rock which is one of the most popular spots in the world for rock climbing. I was able to spot a few climbing as we drove past… it takes some skill to climb it.
We arrived in Whistler and it honestly felt like we had arrived in an adventure wonderland… everywhere we looked was overflowing with adventure. Everybody was walking down the street pushing a mountain bikes! Unfortunately it wasn’t ski season but that didn’t stop the adventures. We got chatting to some mountain bikers off Blackcomb mountain(who were biking down a typical ski slope which will transfer to a winter wonderland in a few months). The town is a compact, chalet-style pedestrian village and we enjoyed the atmosphere and took in all the adventure options.
It was time to go on a big adventure up the Backcomb mountain. We went on ATVs up the mountain with Canadian Wilderness Adventures. Discover Blackcomb Mountain the ‘Canadian’ way on this adventure. As the adrenaline set in, we went up the mountain and enjoyed breathtaking views of the Whistler Valley and snowcapped peaks of the Coast Mountain Range. We explored wide mountain trails ascending to the Backcomb’s beautiful alpine and we even saw a bear or two in the wild. Enchanting forested trails and flowering meadows as we climbed up into the alpine on Blackcomb Mountain.
