Its Easter but its not too late to get away to the snow one last time. Whistler, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, has a ski season which extends all the way into June.
Whistler Ski Resort, British Columbia, Canada
Whistler is perhaps as not as trendy a ski destination as some of the Rocky Mountain ski resorts, but the little town a few hour’s drive north of Vancouver is home of some of Canada’s best skiing – which is why it will host the next Winter Olympics.
Whistler the town is located between the two mountains: Blackcomb and Whistler, which together provide 3300ha of skiable terrain. A new cable car, caled the Peak 2 Peak now runs between the two hills: those with a fear of heights may want to avoid it though as it covers 4.4km in 11 minutes 436 meters above the ground!
Whistler is all about skiing: it was designed as the perfect location for skiing when it was created for the 1962 Winter Olympics: these days it can manage 65,000 skiers an hour. The runs are long, wide, covered with powder snow – and nowhere as crowded as most American resorts.
Now subtle is not something you can call Whistler – the run’s names say it all: Banana Skin, School Marm to mention but two. The village itself really doesn’t have the character to compare with say Banff or a European resort – but it makes up for it with a real luxury hotel: Four Seasons Whistler
Four Seasons, Whistler
The Four Seasons Whistler takes out the hassle factor at the start of a ski holiday – on arrival boots and ski fittings happen in the hotel’s own ski shop. The ski concierge will have your gear waiting for you each morning, minutes from the hotel and will even supply you with hot chocolate right on the slopes!
Apres ski is of course welcome at the end of a long-day – with a Peak 2 Peak Martini available in the hot tub after the apres ski massage sounds like a good start to the evening.
The Four Seasons also offers of course a full-sized skiers breakfast buffet – everything from Canadian bacon to home-made granola should set you up for good day on the slopes. The hotel’s signature dining room is called the Fifty-Two 80 Bistro – named for the number of vertical feet of Blackcomb’s mountain- a view of which is available from the bistro along with both indoor and outdoor seating and a huge roaring fireplace in winter.
Apres Ski at the Four Seasons, Whistler
