 Poster: A snowHead
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@fixx, That is trouble with the flights when they have sold the cheap tickets they charge more and if you need specific dates then it is not easy. There are 2 direct flights (well after you have slopped down to Heathrow) BA & Air Canada. But if you want cheap have a look at Air Transat it is from Gatwick so even more pain for us northerners. I have also see people book to Iceland then out from there as that seems cheap. Personally I don't want to waste half my life messing about so just do Manchester-Heathrow-Vancouver. BA often do "free" UK connections so do check as that helps overall cost. AC is better though as it gets in earlier in the night.
We tend to just get a package as when we look we can not match the prices DIY so do check and add every thing in. Bus from Airport for example.
Also don't forget to get a lift pass for your last day too as you can ski until 12 or even 1 if you change quickly. The pickups are not until 2pm (need to check locally, road can shut!). So with a fresh tracks pass you can get 5 hrs skiing in. If you have your own gear fresh tracks is worth doing on the 1st day too as you will be awake at 4am  anyway.
Dollar is brilliant we have had 1.35 on one trip so getting 2 is very handy.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kind of what they said. I know nowt about package stuff.
You can always get into YVR if you don't mind going via somewhere else, but that takes longer and increases your baggage risk. If you want the direct flight, and you're picky about the date, well they tend to fill up at xmas time with people going back home and all. So as I like those direct flights, I tend to book it around now.
The AC flight gets in earlier so you can easily get to Whistler on the bus or driving. The BA flight gets you there but it'll be midnight if you're using the bus. And sometimes they're late. AC generally have better beer, their AV systems are better, and they generally have USB or better power in the cheap seats. Plus BA is a nightmare if anything goes wrong: the helpdesk for their cheap seats is in India, enough said.
Accommodation wise, well it's Canada, so I've just rocked up on xmas eve before now, walked into a hotel and it's all sorted. That way you'll not get the cheapest rates though (well, last year, you would ...!). If you're doing it yourself you can always book then cancel of course. Or stay in Pemberton where it's cheaper (make sure you park on the free parking lot, not the tourist ones). Or in a good year (or December 15 last year) you can just stay right in the airport Fairmont and ride the city hills. Ok, that's not a cheap hotel, but it's good and you can get to the city hills on public transport. Or in a proper year you can drive in other directions than North and find ski hills just about everywhere... Translation: if Whistler's full of tourists, there are plenty of other places which are pretty easy to get to which won't be.
Holy **** 2 dollars to the pound. Jeez. Hasn't been there for years, wow.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| philwig wrote: |
| Holy **** 2 dollars to the pound. Jeez. Hasn't been there for years, wow. |
I have got my cash for March now as I am not convinced it could get any better and there is no interest in money in a bank any more so its under the mattress ready. Now all I have to do is remember to take it, and not do that silly thing in Italy when I realised I had brought the CAD$ stash and not the Euros. Doh
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks all for the advice! Some of you seem to be mindreaders, as I was going to come back and ask about experiences with Air Canada, but didn't need to 
I've gone DIY in the end, as none of the packages that I found were very competitive for just 1 person - and going DIY I can get accom better suited to me (e.g. I really wanted something with a kitchen for cooking, not a hotel room etc), and the better Air Canada flight times.
So flights and accom booked - just off to do transfers, lift passes, and some lessons now! Accom I'm happy with, and can cancel free of charge until 2 days before I fly, which is good. I've actually found something I like better on OwnerDirect, but I'm double and triple checking that before I commit!!
Very excited 
Edit: Transfers, lift pass and 4 day "The Camp" now also booked at the discounted rates direct with Whistler central booking line.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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A dusting down to the village today
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I hear that Golden is opening early with about 1.2M fresh in the last week. The highway cams are looking white down to Revelstoke. I'm going to be north of that line, but it's looking promising that the line should move south, considering where we are so far.
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| fixx wrote: |
I've gone DIY in the end, as none of the packages that I found were very competitive for just 1 person - and going DIY I can get accom better suited to me (e.g. I really wanted something with a kitchen for cooking, not a hotel room etc), and the better Air Canada flight times.
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Well we get a full kitchen at the Delta. A lot of the suites in Whistler are really apartments inside a hotel. Can't see much difference other than a maid comes in each day which I could probably manage without for a week - where as the apartments that are rented, generally direct, are often in same buildings if you are aiming for the centre. There is full washing and drying machines too.
I would be very interested to see what the total cost comes to as we have never managed to get close to a package price - appreciate that the single supplement issue my skew the figure for you. Interesting that Tax on the flight is over half the cost of the flight at over £350 - which is why I think going via Iceland works out so cheap as they must have little or no long haul tax.
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@Mr Pieholeo, Your getting about, Anncey to Vancouver now. Following the skiing? Have a great time oh to be young and be able to get a VISA.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Jake43 wrote: |
| @Mr Pieholeo, Your getting about, Anncey to Vancouver now. Following the skiing? Have a great time oh to be young and be able to get a VISA. |
Annecy was better.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Jake43, I did see that a lot of the accommodation included kitchens which is ace! Got a nice 1-bed condo for just under £700 for 2 weeks (including 2 double sofa beds for friends popping up from Vancouver), plus £631 for flights, and £55 for return transfer. I've since found a better deal on another condo, but I'm happy with mine I just wish I'd booked flights when I first looked a few months ago - under £500! (But I didn't know until recently that money/work would allow.)
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@fixx, Where is the condo as that does sound a very good price.
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@Jake43, Market Place Lodge, so far end of Village stroll. But I have touring boots with a great walk mode so I'm not bothered Final bookings done through TripAdvisor/FlipKey, who have quite a lot of options on there! I am going towards the end of the season tbf (Mar 20th - Apr 3rd), and it's a two week booking, so I think it helps.
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You know it makes sense.
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That is a good place to be, and it is over Easter so good deal.
If you have your own gear you can rent a locker underneath the Carlton Lodge (10M to lift) and just put boots on up there. We tend to carry boots up and down but leave the skis.
There is also a free bus if you don't want to walk but it is not far and not really worth the faff from that close.
We hire skis and that comes with free storage which is handy.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@fixx who did you book your transfers with? We are heading to Whistler 3rd week of January and transfers are the last thing to sort
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Poster: A snowHead
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@fixx, who did you book your transfers with? We are heading to Whistler 3rd week of January and transfers are the last thing to sort
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@PisteQueen, I phoned up the main Whistler office, as I had a few questions re. transfers, and lessons. They just talked me through all the options, and gave me all the quotes including tax to make it a little easier for me Very friendly and helpful, CC payment over the phone, and detailed invoices and instructions sent through by email:
https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Jake43, good tip re. lockers! I may well do that - I'll be bringing my own skis, 2 pairs probably, so can leave them both in there and take out whichever pair best suits
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@fixx, great thanks for the tip, i'll take a look!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@pisteQ: You can get there (and back) by Greyhound or there's a direct shuttle from the airport run by http://www.perimeterbus.com/
The tourist office will help with it all if you need it. It is Canada though, so it's really easy.
The Greyhound terminal is separate from the airport, although you can get to it on the Skytrain. It's not in a great part of town, mind. All the buses stop at the bus loop (no ****), and there are village shuttles for a buck or two which get you from there to most places. Or you can get taxis easy enough. Perimeter will take you to most major tourist hotels - the bus stops outside some of the hotels on the way to the loop, and they have mini-buses to take people further. In summary: it's all designed for pubic transport.
You can get a taxi up there one-way for about $200, but many of the drivers don't have suitable vehicles, and although it's just up the road they may have never been.
You can hire cars, more expensively from YVR than from downtown. Most hotels will charge you to park, and you would not need it.
--
If you look at where the furthest public parking lot is, most locals happily walk that distance in ski boots. I think the local village shuttle buses are free.
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@philwig, thanks for the extra information, we will be stopping in Vancouver for a few days first so mainly looking at transfer from the city rather than the airport to save us having to make our way back there. I've seen several options on the Whistler website so hopefully get sorted. The other half is keen to hire a car and then drop off in Whistler and re-hire for journey home but seems like a lot of faff! We definitely wont need it when we are there as staying in whistler village pretty close to the lifts (Adara Hotel)
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@PisteQueen, If you have never driven the road I would say don't. Just getting out of Vancouver onto the 99 is crazy alone. Not to mention you will miss all the great views, it is a great trip. The busses above that @philwig, mention pickup downtown near all the normal hotels you could be staying in.
If you do insist on car then Avis is the hire place and they are not far from your hotel when you drop it off. Use the Avis.Com site to book as I found it cheaper than the avis.ca site. May not be now with currency changes but worth checking.
Dump car asap as they charge a fortune to park at hotels and one of the best bits about Whistler everything is walkable and mainly pedestrianised.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Avis have an agency in the Cascade Lodge lobby in Whistler centre. 1 way rentals to and from YVR are an option.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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What they said, about the down-town pickups. Those companies do like you to book, although not months ahead or anything and it should be cancellable.
A 1-way car hire makes no sense at all to me, for visitors to the resort. If you have money to burn then a taxi's about $200 one way, probably cheaper if you book it in advance. You can likely get a limo if you like that sort of thing. Or burn it on a helicopter transfer from the waterfront and get some riding in too (I have an interest in this company): http://powdermountaincatskiing.com/about-us/vancouver/
If things continue as they have been you can also do day trips to the city hills (Grouse, Cypress) on public transport from down town, just catch the water bus and then another bus. Carry your boots then swap shoes out when you get there - they have free lockers for that. Most likely it will be raining down there though - keep a close eye on the freezing level for coastal skiing. When it's not raining, those places can be good, with crazy views.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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We were a family of 4 so a 1 way rental for approx $80 was a no brainer and and quicker than the coach transfers. On the way back we were able to stop at the waterfalls and in stanley park for lunch.
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| fixx wrote: |
| @Jake43, good tip re. lockers! I may well do that - I'll be bringing my own skis, 2 pairs probably, so can leave them both in there and take out whichever pair best suits |
If you have your own skis do not forget the free trial place. There is a Yurt outside the Roundhouse main entrance (past the ski racks). If you leave your skis they will let you try any that takes your fancy for 1/2 day at a time. They can be persuaded to let you go full day if no queue for the ones you have.
Also don't forget the free mountain tours that set off from the light board opposite the Yurt (for Whistler). These are locals that take you off round an show the bits of the mountain you may never find by yourselves in the level you want to go at. Think it is 10am but check.
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You know it makes sense.
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And more great tips, thanks @Jake43
Free trial skis – any possibility they’ll have ones with tech/pin bindings, or would that be a long shot? I love trying new skis, but have just got new boots, and I don’t think many places will be willing to try and shoe-horn them in to alpine bindings…
Free tours – yep, had seen those, will definitely be taking advantage!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@fixx, Nope sorry pretty sure they are all "normal" bindings so you are out. Always worth a drool though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Jake43, I suspected not, ah well. I knew that was the price to pay when changing to a tech set-up. I still have my old boots for UK demo days, but really don’t fancy dragging them across the Atlantic! I’ll definitely go drool though, and if anything looks too tempting I suppose I could hire boots for the day over there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Series of small storms pushing in starting Tuesday. Fluctuating snow levels but could see somewhere in the neighborhood of 45CM-60CM over the next 5 days.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Toadman, good because high winds have blown a lot of the snow off leaving it icy in places
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Yes, definite need for a nice refresh, and looks like longer range forecasts 8-10 days out have storms continuing into next week, but still too soon to be positive. But let's just say the forecasts for the PNW/British Columbia are showing more promise than other regions.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There are several storms forecast to hit British Columbia, all way down into Washington State. These storms coming off the Pacific initially will bring warmish moist air, and thus the FL will start out around 1,800 meters or so, then drop as the storms pass, as will the precip amount decline. Top of Whistler should be okay, but the first one that just came in late last night is accompanied by high winds in the 100 + KPH range, so things will be a bit rough up top, and expect the alpine won't open. But the good news is that there are several more storms forecast to hit the British Columbia Coast Range, and into the interior, and there should be a decent amount of snow accumulation. Not sure if they will see 105 inches, but I have seen several forecasts indicating 60 inches to around 80 inches.
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Not sure about Whistler but it's raining hard and pretty warm here (10C at 7am) - this weather pattern is feeling somewhat familiar 
The peak needs all the snow that it can get, so hopefully this storm will fill it in a bit at least - was skiing up there last weekend and the glacier clearly got quite a beating this summer
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@powderAdict
That photo si from Whistler HeliSki, so it's not reflective of the actual resort. It's probably taken from a spot a few dozen KM inland, and on some peak at 2,500 meters. Current FL is right around 2,000 meters. Supposed to start dropping to around 1,400 meters or so later this afternoon. This is just the first of many storms that will pass through, so just need to keep an eye as things develop into the weekend.
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Some pics and quick report from Whistler over Thxgiving weekend at
https://gortonator.wordpress.com/2015/12/03/whistler-at-thanksgiving/
Looking promising from about 1200m upwards for the next few days for plenty of snow. Hopefully that will help fill in the Peak. The run down was pretty fun after you dodged the rocks at the top on Friday, but I imagine it was pretty beaten up by the Saturday hoards.
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FAQ
