 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I'm looking for any info or tips on booking a ski holiday in the US/Canada, probably Whistler but open to other options.
We tend to ski in Europe (generally France or Austria) each year and are off to the 3V at the end of January. Last year to booked a second trip to the 3V in March which was great but we're open to heading a bit further afield this year. We skied in Winter Park about 10 years ago, which was great although we did find skiing the same hill each day a bit limiting over 2 weeks so would probably be looking to go either for 10 days, or at a push 7.
So, has anyone had a 7 day ski trip to USA/Canada, and if so was it worth it or do you really need to bank on 10 days?
Is is possible to "do" Whistler on a budget? Most 10 day trips Ive seen (room only or bed and breakfast) work out at about £1200-£1300 including flights, accommodation and transfers. We obviously need to add lift passes onto this and possibly also travel from Scotland to a London airport, but I wondered if there any any other options which would keep the price at the lower level?
If you regularly ski in 3V, Espace Killie or SkiWeld, have you found Whistler to have enough runs/lifts/trails to be interesting?
Thanks for any tips or suggestions or experiences.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For a one week trip Eastern Canada is more practicable. We did Tremblant last Feb, very cold but doable in terms of time / travel even from Scotland via Amsterdam with KLM.
Skiing is brilliant and more than enough for a week but in Feb you are dealing with extreme cold, -26 C on our visit so no sunny lunch outdoors.
Whistler/Blackcomb is huge, great etc ... Plenty of more knowledgeable posters than me (I was last there in 2010/11) and less cold I suspect.
Anywhere the other side of the Atlantic will be dear given weak FX from where we are (and we are even weakening agst the Euro...)
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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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Yes it possible to do Whistler on a budget but the lift pass will always be steep. The vest way to fly is Canadian Affair - Canada 3000.
There is a regular bus service from Vancouver airport to Whistler
Find accomodation online - private condos with hottubs etc often go for a reasonable rate online.
The Canadian dollar is better than it has been so things are more reasonable.
It's a long flght so ten days makes it worth it. Vancouver is an awesome city so well worth an overnighter and a day exploring.
Is the trip to Whistler worth it? Oh yes....
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Just looked at Canadian Affair website for the first time in years. Looks very reasonable. I'd give them a call. Not sure whether it's worth booking a hoilday with them or flight and accomodation. I reckon you should be able to get a flight and good accomodation in March for about £800. http://www.canadianaffair.com/flights/flights-to-canada
Transfer is 76$ which works out about £37. https://snowbus.com/book/
6 Day lift pass is about £330 -
You might be be able to get that price down by shopping around and looking for sales on flights.
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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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I went to Whistler for a week and it was fine. Nine hour flight, but do your best to stay awake.
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Whistler is a bit different to Europe. Yes there are defined runs but few that get Groomed Daily. You have to think of it more as a 8000 acre playground so there is more than plenty to do as long as you specifically like off-piste and no groomed snow. Even if you only want groomed runs there are 20(ish) per day on each mountain. Note they can get a load of snow in the day so even groomed runs can be tricky by 11am on the busy ones.
We always tend to go for a week as it is little worse to me than the trip to Italy I do to. Yes the flight is long but so what you loose a day - you do that going to Europe too. Yes I know there are options to get very early/late flights but it never works that way for me so loose a full day on both ends travelling. Note the flights back are over night so you can ski at least 4hrs on the last day too as pickups for the airport are normally 2pm ish. Hence you actually get more skiing that you think you would.
| Quote: |
| Nine hour flight, but do your best to stay awake. |
I personally like a snooze on the plane on the way out, then stay up as long as possible when in resort but what ever floats your boat.
Yes £1200 is about the package cost but there are deals to be done. Others have found that DIY works too, though never done it myself. We normally budget £2000 each all in - though that is eating out every night and DIY breakfasts.
If you fly with BA then a connection from up north tends to be either free of very cheap. We generally use Ski Independence and Air Canada as they get in earlier to resort.
We keep going back because of the direct flights from London (even though we like you have to get a plane to get down there too). Used to be a Jazz plane that started in Manchester and dropped down in Glasgow to pick up before heading across but they went bust ages ago. Over £300 of the flight cost is TAX so getting it much cheaper than £700 is very unusual. I have seen people going via Iceland as that seems to be very cheap, presume Iceland does not have long haul tax, but would you really want the hassle. Air Transat (Csnadianaffair) only fly the Manchester route in the summer (WHY?) I think that is also true of the Glasgow-Vancouver route too.
There are 2$CAN to the £ at the moment so it has never been cheaper for us in the last 10 years.
There are loads of other Whistler threads on here that have huge amounts of info but if you want anything specific do ask. There are at least 3 posters here that are locals.
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Do 2 weeks to acclimate.
Stick to the west side of North America. Snowier and bigger.
Whistler is the best in Canada, but rains a lot at resort level (semi-maritime climate).
Jackson Hole and Aspen are the two best in the US. Park City, Breckenridge and a few others get very close. Snow quality is far superior to anything found in the Alps (drier, smoother and fluffier).
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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: |
| Quote: |
| Nine hour flight, but do your best to stay awake. |
I personally like a snooze on the plane on the way out, then stay up as long as possible when in resort but what ever floats your boat. |
Guess it depends on the timing of the flight. Whenever I've gone to visit big bro in Toronto I try to sleep on the plane but fail horribly. Last time we went it was a flight at about 10am and then 11 hours via Schipol, didn't sleep a wink and then just stayed up until about 11pm EST. Felt fine the next morning but probably helped by the fact that I'm not a morning person, so while I can easily sleep to midday in the UK it just means that I get up at a reasonable time when I'm on the other side of the Atlantic 
It's the trip back that always causes me the problem and I need an extra day off work to recover a bit.
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Definitely do-able and worth going for a week. Have done seven days in Banff at Feb half term and it didn't feel any worse or less worthwhile than doing a week in Europe.
Obviously better if you can go for longer than a week - we're doing ten days in BC (inc 3 days' catskiing) next month .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don't rule out Banff either as there are some great deals to be had there also. We are booked for the end of January and with the current exchange rate the prices are very reasonable. We are travelling with Air Canada as they are the same price as BA but also do free ski & boot carriage to N America. The flights were £605 each. We have gone for 11 nights in a suite in a fairly nice hotel and with 7 days lift passes for two adults that is £1950. The lift passes include the bus to the slopes.
We generally go for 11 days and find that a nice amount of time. Usually 6 or 7 days skiing with a couple of sightseeing days in the middle.
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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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Learnt to board in whistler. Loved it .. Great place. Will probably never go back as it's far far away.
Can't see why you would bother with the Alps two hours away.
You can get 6.30 am flights and be on the slopes for a half day. And a 5 pm flight home and get a morning in. If you have the time and cash go do it. But Europe is better.
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| taylor6971 wrote: |
| Don't rule out Banff either as there are some great deals to be had there also. We are booked for the end of January and with the current exchange rate the prices are very reasonable. We are travelling with Air Canada as they are the same price as BA but also do free ski & boot carriage to N America. The flights were £605 each. |
I'm toying with the idea of a late season trip to Banff with my brother...suspect that money may be the limiting factor. What I did notice though is that if I fly to Toronto to meet up with my brother I can get a flight in April with Icelandic that's £351 return!! You have to do a 90 minute stop in Iceland but still seems remarkably cheap, especially as so many flights go via Schipol anyway.
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You know it makes sense.
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@SnoodyMcFlude, been looking at the icelandic route myself , looks interesting , don't forget your pound goes a long way in canada at the moment 
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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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@Renmurew, Have you flew that far west before? Jet lag affects us all differently, flying out west tends to floor me at some stage the best thing is apparently to stay up as late as possible on the first day.
I like @Jake43, analogy of thinking of Whistler of more of a 8000 acre play ground, if you like 100's of km's of pristinely groomed corduroy you may be a little disappointed, but if being able to ski what you see appeals due to everything 'in-bounds' being patrolled/avi checked and bit more variety under your skis then Whistler could be for you.
In terms of size/cope Whistler compares favourably with the big European resorts. The way the season has started this year is certainly skewed in North America's favour although like anywhere huge amount of snow aren't guaranteed. We've had the full spectrum of weather in Whistler from glorious sunshine, huge amounts of snow to rain and low cloud which many seem to associate with the coastal mountains in BC.
We have family in British Columbia (some in Vancouver, some inland, and some on Vancouver Island) so when we've been it's always been a holiday with skiing rather than just a ski trip. All things being equal I wouldn't go all the way to Whistler from the UK just for a weeks skiing due to the extra cost associated in the main with the distance of the flight.
However if you can commit a bit more time 10-14 nights with time spent in Vancouver and surrounding areas it's a beautiful part of the world.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Renmurew, If you aren't looking for off piste, you might find basing yourself in Salt Lake City (or Park City), rent a car and doing Utah instead more interesting. That way you can choose which area to ski each day and move around according to conditions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Fifteen years ago, the States was well ahead of Europe in terms of infrastructure. Although, on papaer there seemd a lot less lifts in resorts, they were high speed and queuing was mininimal. INvestment in Europe has seen many resorts catching up and queueing is not such an issue as it was.
Whistler does get rain, altough the bowls high up are snow sure and that's where Whistler's real appeal lies. For the lower, tree lined stuff, you may as well be in Austria.
THe Canadian dollar is weak so now is the time to go. The American dollar is strong so probably not the best time to go tho the States. I searched for Iceland flights but couldn't find any.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Renmurew, Be aware that I know Whistler has a low/med/high price for seasons then a "special" price for the 2 weeks of Christmas/New Year everywhere. Mountain and Restaurants. Surprised me when we went as there were just as many bank holidays at Easter when we normally went.
Mind now we don't have to do school holidays it is sooooo much better
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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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Friends of mine have skied in Whistler more than once, but now avoid it because "We have been to Whistler together but I was put off by the young kids who like to spook beginners and oldsters by ‘just missing’. Watch out for that and be ready to give chase.. One boarder went between us as we were walking across an empty piste to another one. I could have swiped him (Missus didn’t see him coming) and I wish I had." Has anyone else found this sort of behaviour in Whistler, as we've just booked 10 days there come 2016/17 season?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Madwoman wrote: |
| Friends of mine have skied in Whistler more than once, but now avoid it because "We have been to Whistler together but I was put off by the young kids who like to spook beginners and oldsters by ‘just missing’. Watch out for that and be ready to give chase.. One boarder went between us as we were walking across an empty piste to another one. I could have swiped him (Missus didn’t see him coming) and I wish I had." Has anyone else found this sort of behaviour in Whistler, as we've just booked 10 days there come 2016/17 season? |
No
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Not seen it mentioned, but avoid using the official web site for booking accommodation, it is a lot cheaper to go direct to owners using Allura (http://www.alluradirect.com/whistler/) or AirBnB (not used it myself for Whistler, but worth a look).
Lift passes are expensive. They are a lot cheaper if you buy them out of town, e.g. at the 7Eleven in Squamish. Technically you have to live in Washington or BC to be allowed to buy them there, I have done it several times and never been asked for any kind of ID. Worst case they won't sell them to you and you have to pay full price in the resort. EDIT - I *think* Allura will also get you passes at a discount, something to check when you book.
You can get transfers from the airport, prices are very reasonable. However, I've always rented a car because that too is pretty cheap. It's not as cheap as a transfer, but I've tended to stop off in Vancouver to see friends, and having a car is handy in the resort for shopping etc. Worth checking both options here. If you do drive it is worth pointing out that the journey is hard work after a long flight...  Otherwise, it's a very pleasant drive.
Talking of flights, it is often a cheaper to fly to Seattle. The downside there is the drive is a lot longer. If I did this again I would definitely stay in or near Seattle on the first night, the drive was far too much on top of the jet lag.
New Year is very busy at Whistler, I'd seriously consider going at any time other than NY. Personally I'd ski Austria at Xmas (tend to be quiet right up until NY itself).
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I would not use Seattle SEA for access unless you really have no alternative. The border crossing isn't always easy: they can easily be confused by English people travelling in that direction. You'll need an ESTA. You may well have to pay for the rental to work across the border and I'm not sure what the US tyre laws are. I regularly travel up there, often with US nationals, and mostly they avoid SEA for these reasons.
| Madwoman wrote: |
| Friends of mine ... "...have been to Whistler together but I was put off by the young kids who like to spook beginners and oldsters by ‘just missing’. ... Has anyone else found this sort of behaviour in Whistler, as we've just booked 10 days there come 2016/17 season? |
No. They have more "slow skiing" zones than anywhere else you'll visit and they're significantly better policed. I'm not actually sure if you can buy alcohol on the mountain - culturally, you're hugely less likely to find drunks on the slope than some places I could mention. If anything I'd say the standard of on-slope behaviour is very good - just check out how polite the lift lines are, for example.
I think that anyone (like me) who doesn't like crowds would probably avoid the resort at busy (local) holiday periods. You'd likely not stop for lunch when everyone else does, or get up late like they do. You'd probably read the piste map and ride some of the easy to get to lemming-free snow out there. Note the shape of the resort on the map and think about how that works with tourist rush hours (morning, lunch and afternoon).
Beginners on expert trails may find "Family" slopes a better experience - those are speed controlled and designed for slow people.
Overall, it's hardly a quiet back water so you should expect crowds at busy times.
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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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^+1 philwig if you come off Whistler on Upper Olympic run between 3pm and 3:34pm then yes it is chaos. But then that is no different to any mountain when there is only one main way off and you have a mix of fast people and very slow snakes.
Both this and Emerald, which is above, are marshalled, which helps, but when it is busy it is tricky. You can always down load of course or Use Other routes off or just come off later/earlier. Tokum & Crabapple (both blues but sometimes moguls) for example.
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@Madwoman, I haven't seen anyone "spooking" other skiers. We have been to whistler a few times in the last 10 yrs. Going next week.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Went to Whistler 2 years ago at Easter. Great skiing. Combined this with a few days in Vancouver. Flights with BA from Manchester connecting via Heathrow. Slow skiing was an issue and I got "pulled" but fairly amicable. Whistler is like nothing in Europe and I'd recommend just for a look. I loved it and I have been to a lot of European resorts.
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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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Huge development plan announced - so years away from actually happening but not before time as this trip most of the lifts were busier than I would pay silly money for. http://renaissance.whistlerblackcomb.com
We have just come back and I did have an issue with a daft snowboarder. On a slow cat track run he came along side me with his back to me then just turned in to me. He bounced off me so no issue for me, but what a daft thing to do as he must have seen me as he was going faster than me. No one else got anywhere near us so guess just a one off aberration from the guy.
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My thoughts - yes would love to one day.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Madwoman wrote: |
| Friends of mine have skied in Whistler more than once, but now avoid it because "We have been to Whistler together but I was put off by the young kids who like to spook beginners and oldsters by ‘just missing’. Watch out for that and be ready to give chase.. One boarder went between us as we were walking across an empty piste to another one. I could have swiped him (Missus didn’t see him coming) and I wish I had." Has anyone else found this sort of behaviour in Whistler, as we've just booked 10 days there come 2016/17 season? |
No sounds like harseshit. There will be the odd overconfident idiot and if you walk across a busy run then someone may get uncomfortably close but that's a busy ski resort for you.
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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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| Jake43 wrote: |
Huge development plan announced - so years away from actually happening but not before time as this trip most of the lifts were busier than I would pay silly money for. http://renaissance.whistlerblackcomb.com
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Not sure all of this will have any impact on the on mountain business, think it is more targeted at what to do in the valley when the weather sucks - which low down it does for quite a chunk of the year. So a good plan.
Cynically you could say it is a response to several other possibly better ( for 3 seasons at least) options popping up. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@stuarth, Well there is some movement on the dire need for more lifts actually in this plan (again) no dates though to open up Whistler Westside with the 2 new lifts in a new lift served area (2000 more acres had been mentioned before).
Finally put a Gondola all the way up from Creekside to top of Dave Murray - this will relive the crazy queues at Red Chair.
New Franz chair faster and longer.
All good news but no dates
I agree with the water park thing - the town was trying to get other firms involved to provide one so maybe WB thought they had better pull-their-fingers out. Or maybe releasing the pictures will put off other investors enough so that they do not need to start building it for years.
Who knows just nice to see some actual investment going on - well planned
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FAQ
