I will be there for three weeks from Nov 24th. What's good/bad? Recommended things to do/not do, places to go/shop/eat etc. I'm doing a course, so no doubt the organisers will give us a pile of info as well, but any extra opinions welcome.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Splitz Grill lambburgers
Rimrock for a Pacific fusion splurge
GLC for apres nachos
Crystal lounge for pitcher deals and wings
Amsterdam Cafe & Savage Beagle for hot barmaids (may not be your scene)
Buffalo Bills (if still there) for cougaring (may be your scene )
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?
There used to be a restaurant called the Spaghetti Factory (or something like that) - amazing! Canadian chain I think.
Also get yourself some cinnamon butter to have on toast *drools*
There is (IIRC) a Fire and Ice show weekly which is the instructors strutting their stuff, amazing.
It's brilliant, probably my best all round trip. I have nothing bad to say about Whistler. The queue in the morning can be long but is fast moving and the on-mountain food a bit indifferent but that's the worst of it. Otherwise the skiing is great, you will get every kind of weather but think of that as guarabteeing some powder days, the ambience great, the nightlife and restaurants great. Enjoy, as they say.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Lizzard, Who is the course with ? Daughter is going out for March and April with Yes. We have never been that early so whilst there will be loads to Ski on it will not all be open. We went at NewYear once and most of the top area was closed due to avalanche risk.
Guessing it is too late but flights with Air Canada get you to resort in time to sort your self out, BA is much later and you will be knackered and shops all closed.
I am guessing the course will have a "deal" with a restaurant each night but if not it depends on your budget and where you are staying. Course will also take you to a different Bar for Apres each night where they get a deal. So that will show you what you like.
We have always stayed in the Village but you could be in Creekside which is a long walk or a bus ride ($2 CAD at mo I think) to the Village.
Only been to Dustys in Creekside and the pulled pork sarni is brilliant.
Village
Another shout for The Old Spaghetti Factory on the main pedestrian drag - cheap and good food.
At the other end of the scale is Hys down the other end of the village, in Delta Hotel building. Steaks, steak and more steak all mouthwateringly brilliant no good if you are a veggie.
Mid range Wildwood (at the tennis club) and Carramba (on village stroll) or even Brew House also on Village Stroll.
For years we knew we had to book the day before we were eating a table, so that you can get in at the peak 6:30-8pm slot, however last visit restaurants were all quiet so you maybe ok if it is still the same. They were saying the same qty of people were skiing but more self-catering.
Shopping is cheapest at Nesters (where the locals go) but it is a trek to get out there so would need a taxi. There is a small supermarket just off the village stroll which is very good and handy. Bigger supermarket with more choice is down at the Market place which is right at the end of village stroll down past the Olympic Plaza.
Night clubs - Tommy Africas and Garfunkels if so inclined.
If you are on a course you will get lift queue priority so should have no hassle there and you will be lead over he mountains with little choice of where to go. By the time you get some free time you will have a handle of what you like and hence where to go.
If it's a powder day, get in the lift queue at least 30 minutes before it opens, earlier if possible.
If going up blackcomb at opening time, then walking over to wizard express chairlift can be quicker than queueing for excalibur
Rock 'n' roll / ridge runner / twist and shout are all nice blue runs on blackcomb,.
over on whistler, flute bowl under symphony express is great, the gun barrels are good fun, Seppo's is great, personal fave is Cockalorum. If it's a powder day, the queue at Peak chair can be quite entertaining as the local come out to drop the cliffs - sometimes they do well, sometimes they wipe out spectacularly.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Also, you can do something called Fresh Tracks where you go up the mountain very early, big breakfast, and then you get to ski for about an hour before the lifts open. All of the lifts except the ones from the bottom of the mountain are open, so you can ski lots but just not down to the bottom.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Did 3 weeks in Whistler this March. My favourite resort so far!
I'd read a lot of negative reviews about the food on mountain and how it compared with European resorts. I thought that it wasn't bad at all. I don't normally like to stop for lunch if I do it's not to stop for a large meal with wine etc. The larger canteen style restaurants could get rather busy around 1pm and we would sometimes struggle to find a table. Most of the time we found ourselves skiing down for a late bite at either Merlins (Blackcomb) for a 'Cheesy Porker' or Dustys (Creekside) for the pulled pork sandwich. Having the later lunch meant that we didn't eat until later in the evening didn't need to book tables and could spend a little longer doing some apres at Longhorns.
I would recommend the baseball steaks at Kegs, and Mongolie Grill is also worth a visit. Brewhouse was also good with (as you would expect from the name) a decent selection of local beers. Elephant and Castle pub was also good if you wanted to watch sports. I personally didn't like the Old Spaghetti Factory, but have had far worse meals in other resorts.
Skiing wise... Although we were fortunate enough to have lots of snow, it meant that visibility was often pretty poor. Luckily there's loads of gladed runs 7th Heaven (Blackcomb) and Symphony Amphitheater (Whister) were my favourite areas. As nbt mentioned, don't be put off by the queue at Peak chair, it can be very entertaining.
Fresh Tracks is a must, we booked ours and woke up to 30cms of fresh powder.
We tried the bar crawl. From what I remember it was a good night out, but it's not cheap at $50.
Only negative for me would be the jet lag, but will still be booking for 2014.
Have a great time!
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.
Sorry to be a little negative/realistic - but all this talk about powder, trees, and cliff dropping - note the date of the OPs trip!
If things go well then that is about opening weekend, so unfortunately, even with the blinding start to the season we've had the last few years, its still pretty early and therefore what is skiable is somewhat limited (last year mostly everywhere was skiable by Christmas which is good going)
It has been pretty roasty toasty here (until today when the rainy season has finally arrived), warmer and drier than usual, but hopefully things will sort themselves out for the end of November
I'm sure the food/drinking bit will still work fine at that time though!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
stuarth wrote:
Sorry to be a little negative/realistic - but all this talk about powder, trees, and cliff dropping - note the date of the OPs trip!
If things go well then that is about opening weekend, so unfortunately, even with the blinding start to the season we've had the last few years, its still pretty early and therefore what is skiable is somewhat limited (last year mostly everywhere was skiable by Christmas which is good going)
It has been pretty roasty toasty here (until today when the rainy season has finally arrived), warmer and drier than usual, but hopefully things will sort themselves out for the end of November
I'm sure the food/drinking bit will still work fine at that time though!
Exactly - very early. Even at new year we did not have any of the higher area available as I have said previously. But as it is booked I doubt there is anything to be done other than cross fingers and hope.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Early December is a good time to hit Whistler. Crowds are not bad on weekdays. Coverage can be a bit thin on the bottom. I have had a few really good pow days in years past the week before Xmas at Whistler. But every ski season is different, and the PNW weather this year has been warm and dry. Not to say by November things will not have changed. But I hope things change soon as fall progresses.
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.
stuarth, Jake43, I can't go any other time - I work winter in 2Alpes and it's quite likely I'll be late as it is. I'm not expecting perfect conditions that early, though a spot of snow would be helpful, obviously. I have no problem with jetlag or arrival time, as I'll be visiting family in Vancouver for a few days beforehand.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I went to a tremendous restaurant which served amazing martinis, the only dry thing of my trip, luckily I bought an umbrella.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Cynic,
We've experienced the rain too, for two weeks solid, in resort and at least half way up the mountain
The food at Hy's was good though
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
What is the course? If you have any free days and like the steeper slopes I can recommend "Extremely Canadian". I don't think I have ever skied so many steep slopes in one day as the first of our two days.
Off piste powder got skied out extremely quickly (especially from Peak chair, where you had to catch the lift in the first half hour it was open). Of course much of the off-piste may not even be skiable that early - I don't know: I've only been there once.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Bones, rained when we were there a lot too.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
To counter some of the negativity, apparently early season can also look like:
Looking forward to how you get on. Daughter looked at them and it was a coin toss to choose Yes instead. You will have fun and plenty of snow. Have fun.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Local knowledge needed here, please!
In the UK, the drinking age is 18 but if you're underage you can drink in a restaurant with a meal with over 18s and at home.
Is that the same with regards to under 19s in British Columbia? We're going less than two months before I turn 19 so obviously I'm used to being able to have a drink with dinner - is that not allowed? I look more like 21ish, for reference.
Thanks
(I've tried Googling but this isn't the kind of thing that is easy to find)
They card quite thoroughly in Whistler IIRC so don't expect too much drinking. RCMP are quite tough with fines I think so no restaurant or bar wants to get caught out.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:
(I've tried Googling but this isn't the kind of thing that is easy to find)
Jake43, I was originally looking at Basecamp, but they stopped doing short courses. Alltracks offering looks like better quality though.
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.
Lizzard wrote:
Jake43, I was originally looking at Basecamp, but they stopped doing short courses. Alltracks offering looks like better quality though.
They did look good and Brit run so you will have a great time.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
fatbob wrote:
They card quite thoroughly in Whistler IIRC so don't expect too much drinking. RCMP are quite tough with fines I think so no restaurant or bar wants to get caught out.
+1 Very thoroughly. They get a lot of USA and lowland kids coming up for a good time.
RibenaRockstar daughter is now 21 and still gets checked when out by herself - UK driver licence ok she does not need to take a passport round with her. If she is having a meal with parents then they are a lot less pedantic; but if you are out with mates then they will most likely check. They also have a cute pastime of throwing out underaged people at 7:30 from some of the Apres places. Very strange.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Lizzard, that tells you the law, not what actually happens. I knew the drinking age was 19, but not what the law is regarding with parents, at home, etc.
fatbob, cool, no worries, I don't drink much anyway (2-3 units a week maybe max), but good to know
Jake43, thanks
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.
RibenaRockstar, we (group of 4, 25 YO's) were only asked for ID in Longhorns a couple of times in the afternoon. All the other bars and restaurants didn't ask regardless of whether we were eating or not.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Toadman wrote:
But every ski season is different, and the PNW weather this year has been warm and dry. Not to say by November things will not have changed. But I hope things change soon as fall progresses.
The dry bit now seems to have fixed itself at least!!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
You MUST try Araxi restaurant... WOW! One of the very best restaurants I've ever eaten in.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
stuarth,
And some snow in the alpine in today's forecast.....
"Mainly cloudy. Rain and high elevation snow developing in the evening. High plus 4. Alpine winds southeast near 20 becoming 30 gusting 50 km/h in the late afternoon. Snow: 10-12cm in the evening and overnight."
Though it may not last.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Looking stormy up there....
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
geetee, and so it begins
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?
Strangely it seems snowier here than in Whistler, had 30cms on the mountains here at the weekend, only 10 at Whistler!
It looks lovely and it's super exciting to see the snow on the mountains again (though there was still a load of snow on them in July when littleh_v1.0 and I went hiking!)
http://sdrv.ms/RSLXag
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
)
*drools*
