Everybody here talks about it: if you’re going to be a Vancouverite you can’t sit around and ignore the ski culture. Everyone skis. You learn this very quickly (alongside these other 6 things). You’ll see people carrying their snowboard or skis on their shoulders on their way to a bus stop in the city. It’s literally just a 1 hour and 45 minute bus ride to Whistler! I have yet to learn how to ski, but was curious what made Whistler in particular so special. As I have zero snow skills, I didn’t want to pay $200 for one day of skiing (which is literally what a day pass costs), so for now the plan was to see the town and explore the area.
whistler village
We had booked a very early (6:20 AM) EpicRides bus to Whistler for $43 (round trip). When the sun started to rise, the mountains were an incredible sight in the early morning light! Once we arrived at the bus loop, we followed the crowd into the village. It’s a charming little centre with restaurants, bars, and shops. Watching people around us full of anticipation for their day in the snow was like watching Disney figures happily skip through the forest with birds singing on their shoulders. Couldn’t blame them – it was a gorgeous morning and the weather forecast for the entire day was perfect.
We started our day grabbing a map at the visitor center and having a closer look at it over a coffee. Estimating roughly how long it would take to walk around the area, we decided to go and see what the lakes around Whistler are like. As we didn’t bring our hiking shoes (and you’d need more serious gear in these conditions!), we went for walking trails.
lakes in whistler
We started walking toward Lost Lake, a small lake with a park and beach. It’s supposed to be really beautiful and open year-round. The further we went out of the village, the more snowy the paths got. A true winter wonderland, we enjoyed the crisp air, the huge trees, and the surrounding snow-covered mountains. Unfortunately, Lost Lake turned out not to be accessible at the moment unless you were nordic skiing. We decided to turn around and head to the biggest lake instead, which was Alta Lake, to the west of the village.
By the time we were on a trail around Alta Lake, quite some time had gone by, and walking around the lake itself took us around 2,5 hours. Some paths were made snow-free, other parts were icy or had thick layers of snow. Wintery beauty was all around us, so we stopped often for pictures and taking in all the sights. The weather stayed sooooo good throughout the day – it was 3 degrees but bright and sunny!
holiday seasons in whistler
On the way we saw such beautiful neighbourhoods with lovely houses in the mountains or by the lake. If we didn’t see people walking around, they’d be running, or nordic skiing with their dog(s) running alongside them. Also: houses that obviously looked like abandoned holiday homes… Perhaps they belonged to people that prefer the lake in liquid state! It was a bit hard imagining what it would be like in summer, with the lake completely frozen over and covered with snow… But Alta Lake actually has three beaches which are very popular in summer. I’m told summers in BC are absolutely stunning so I guess it’s not surprising that people like to come up here!
Once we reached the furthest tip of Alta Lake, we had finished most of our food, so with our empty backpacks we looped back via the other side of the lake. I must say the view over the lake is much more impressive from the west overlooking the east than the other way around. But it’s all beautiful nonetheless.
enjoying the village
Back in the village, we took a table on a patio under a heater and ordered a poutine to share. It was delicious! After a while, the entire patio was filled with people, and the village was buzzing with folks re-energizing after a day on the slopes. As good as this restaurant was at poutine, they were just as bad at steaks… That was a bit of a bummer 😉
We strolled a bit more through the village, visited some shops, added a Whistler mug from Starbucks to our collection, and laughed at some seriously funny t-shirts. With 1,5 hours or so left before our bus ride back to Vancouver, we went to Earl’s Bar & Kitchen (popular chain here) for a drink until it was time to head back. Arriving at the bus loop, we had the funniest bus driver welcoming us in and waving us off once we were back in Vancouver.
is it worth (it without) skiing?
So… As non-skiers and walking/hiking lovers we had a great time. The mountains are huge and stunning. I’d imagine the weather conditions can make or break the experience – the sunny weather made it amazing, so check the forecast for the best day in the week. There are more options than just walking around though. You can buy a sightseeing day pass and take the gondola up the mountains. You can go snow tubing, or even snowmobiling (like a snow scooter). There’s a distillery to visit as well. Plenty of options, but you should try to book it in advance. We went without much prep, knowing we can return easily by bus if we want to.
As I’m currently not much of a snow enthusiast, I’m not sure I’d find it worth $200 to ski in Whistler when there are other more affordable skiing areas close by. But I can imagine that if skiing or snowboarding is in your bones, this would be a bucket list destination. It was the 2010 Olympic Winter Games location after all! Once I’ve taken (a) lesson(s), I’ll have to come back to give it a shot to really see if it’s as amazing as they say. I’ll let you know when that moment comes! 😉
