Find Luxury Hotels in Whistler

If you take a car to Whistler from Vancouver, don't forget to pull over at one of the many viewpoints along the route.

• Skiing Whistler Blackcomb operates the Alpine ski hills, which have lift service right out of town up both Blackcomb mountain and Whistler Mountain. Whistler is consistently ranked as one of the top 3 ski destinations in North America. With more than 5,000 feet of vertical drop and 8,000 skiable acres, it is by far the largest ski resort in North America. Whistler Blackcomb offers a steeply discounted "4BUY4" season pass to university students aged 17-25 studying in BC and Washington who buy before the season. They also offer adults from Canada and Washington an "EDGE Card" which offers discounted lift tickets and a variety of discounts on food and retail items. Another option is to purchase your lift tickets at the 7-11 convenience store in Squamish.

• Heliskiing - Whistler offers great heliskiing, with miles of backcountry terrain available to such visitors.

• Hiking There are a number of hiking trail in and around Whistler. For the casual walker looking for a pleasant walk through an ancient grove of cedar trees, Cougar Mountain provides an easy hour loop. More aggressive day hikers might head to Brandywine Meadows, a six hour trip up much steeper terrain. And multi-day backpackers also have a variety of options including the Helm Creek trail to Garibaldi Creek and the Black Tusk. Of course, the ski lifts and gondolas of Whistler Blackcomb operate in the summer to offer hikers a relaxing short cut into back country.

• Biking/Downhill During the summer time the skiing paradise turns into a biker's paradise. Single trails and fast race tracks with spectacular jumps can be reached comfortably by the chair lift carrying both biker and bike. Some Northshore elements have also been built and the number of tracks is enough to keep even the advanced riders busy.

• Rock Climbing Whistler also offers some excellent sport and trad/gear climbing. Within the city limits there are several small, single pitch crags collectively known as Nordic Rock. The area offers 23 vertical routes, most of them sport, up to 20m long ranging in difficulty from 5.8 - 5.13a (French: 5 - 7c+). For more information on the routes in Whistler and area, there is no shortage of quality guide books describing the climbing in the Sea to Sky corridor.

• Outdoor Adventures There are a number of companies that specialize in outdoor adventure travel such as whitewater rafting on the Green or Elaho Rivers with companies such as Canadian Outback and ATV (all terrain vehicle) tours (to name a few examples). Depending on your particular tastes, some or all of these can be extremely entertaining and are generally professionally run.

• Back country Skiing and Cross Country Skiing are popular in Whistler as well. There is cross country skiing around Lost Lake, including night skiing if the conditions are right, and Back country Skiing throughout the valley, particularly off of the tops of Whistler and Blackcomb. The Callaghan Valley is just south of Whistler (turn left before Function Junction)and will host the Nordic Skiing events for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Callaghan Country hosts guided ski touring, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing tours in this region.

• Whistler Backcountry Adventure, tel. 1-888-297-2222, [3]. Offers a variety of outdoor activities ranging from dog sledding and snowmobiling to fishing and ATV (all terrain vehicle) rides.

• Whistler Tennis Club, [4]. Rates start at $32/hour for indoor courts to $16/hour for outdoor courts.

Regardless of what type of food you're looking for, the best way to find good food in Whistler is to take a walk around the village. Surprisingly (it seems relatively random) the Greek food in whistler is quite good. The two main restaurants and Zeuski's and Kypriaki Norte. Zeuskis is more suited to children.

For a ski hill, the food available on the slopes is surprisingly good and varied. Though you'll pay a small premium for the high altitude service, you udon bowl ($10) or salmon steak ($12) is similarly priced to the village below and though the seating arrangements may be less comfortable than in Whistler, the dining views can't be beat. One special on-hill treat is enormous waffles topped with berries, cream, and chocolate at the Crystal Hut on Blackcomb Mountain.

• Apres Whistler Restaurant, 4338 Main Street, Tel: 604-935-0200, [6]. Whistler's only contemporary French restaurant. Located in Whistler Village. Offers regional delicacies such as freshly caught Queen Charlotte Island Sable Fish, Cowichan Bay pasture-raised duck, and Dungeness crab. Produce is brought in from the Pemberton Valley, 30 kilometers north of Whistler, during the summer and extensive use is made of organic produce from local growers. Après subscribes to artisanal food production, small scale agriculture, and sustainable approaches to fishing and farming. You can book a reservation, secured with a credit card, on their web site.