Skiing holidays in Whistler, Canada
| country: | Canada |
| location: | Canadian Rockies, British Columbia |
| departures: | Regular departures throughout the year |
| price: | From £649 (8 days) inc flights from the UK based on 4 sharing a self catering apartment. This trip can also be booked without flights. Day lessons from £34 and 3 day child ski camp from £166. 6 day lift pass from £165 per adult and £141 per child |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Amidst the spectacular scenery of the coastal mountains of British Columbia lies one of the most exciting ski resorts in the world. Ski magazines are unanimous in their praise of Whistler/Blackcomb and travel writers from around the globe are fast running out of superlatives to describe what must be the best on mountain experience in our solar system! Whether you are about to try skiing or boarding for the first time or are a seasoned veteran, Whistler will surpass your expectations for a truly memorable winter sports holiday.
An impressive network of high speed lifts access over 200 marked trails and ten magnificent powder bowls spread across two mountains. Every ability level is catered for.
A relaxed, west-coast atmosphere pervades the attractive resort designed by skiers for skiers. Convenience and quality are the keys to Whistler’s success. Be warned, once experienced, it is difficult to consider anywhere else for a winter sports holiday.
Intermediates: Both mountains have exceptional intermediate terrain for all courage levels. The trails are groomed to a very high standard and are clearky signposted, a necessity as both mountains offer a hugh choice of runs. The 4 day Ski Esprit Group tuition package offers a fun sociable way to improve your skiing. Alternatively, a 'Supergroups' day offers small groups of skiers the opportunity to benefit from more personalised instruction.
Advanced: The expert skier is spoilt for choice with an incredible range of varied and challenging terrain on both mountains. Whistler’s crowning glory, are 5 bowls which offer great back bowl powder skiing, alternatively you could test yourself in the almost vertical "Blow Hole" run.
Snowboarding: Both mountains offer a fantastic variety of terrain for all abilities. The state-of-the-art lift system gives high-speed access to an enormous variety of runs ranging from gentle greens to wide open powder bowls. The area also offers several snowboard parks and half-pipes.
Apres Ski: The extent of the skiing at Whistler is only equalled by the diversity of nightlife. There are bars and clubs to suit everybody’s tastes. Whistler is famous for its restaurants and deciding which one to visit can be a tough decision: Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Seafood, or local specialities. The choice is almost limitless.
Children: There are excellent creche facilities for children aged from 3 months to 3 years, and a Ski-Kindergarten for children from 3 years. We recommend Whistler/Blackcombs 5 day Adventure Camps. For age groups 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-12 years and 13-17 years, these programmes offer 5 days with the same instructor and the same group resulting in fast friendships, excellent skill progression and tons of fun.
An impressive network of high speed lifts access over 200 marked trails and ten magnificent powder bowls spread across two mountains. Every ability level is catered for.
A relaxed, west-coast atmosphere pervades the attractive resort designed by skiers for skiers. Convenience and quality are the keys to Whistler’s success. Be warned, once experienced, it is difficult to consider anywhere else for a winter sports holiday.
ski information
Beginners: Whistler is an ideal choice for the first-time skier. The standard of instruction here is extremely high and beginners will soon be enjoying the many gentle, scenic, tree-lined runs, which wind their way back to the village on both mountains. Intermediates: Both mountains have exceptional intermediate terrain for all courage levels. The trails are groomed to a very high standard and are clearky signposted, a necessity as both mountains offer a hugh choice of runs. The 4 day Ski Esprit Group tuition package offers a fun sociable way to improve your skiing. Alternatively, a 'Supergroups' day offers small groups of skiers the opportunity to benefit from more personalised instruction.
Advanced: The expert skier is spoilt for choice with an incredible range of varied and challenging terrain on both mountains. Whistler’s crowning glory, are 5 bowls which offer great back bowl powder skiing, alternatively you could test yourself in the almost vertical "Blow Hole" run.
Snowboarding: Both mountains offer a fantastic variety of terrain for all abilities. The state-of-the-art lift system gives high-speed access to an enormous variety of runs ranging from gentle greens to wide open powder bowls. The area also offers several snowboard parks and half-pipes.
Apres Ski: The extent of the skiing at Whistler is only equalled by the diversity of nightlife. There are bars and clubs to suit everybody’s tastes. Whistler is famous for its restaurants and deciding which one to visit can be a tough decision: Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Seafood, or local specialities. The choice is almost limitless.
Children: There are excellent creche facilities for children aged from 3 months to 3 years, and a Ski-Kindergarten for children from 3 years. We recommend Whistler/Blackcombs 5 day Adventure Camps. For age groups 3-4 years, 5-6 years, 7-12 years and 13-17 years, these programmes offer 5 days with the same instructor and the same group resulting in fast friendships, excellent skill progression and tons of fun.
how this holiday makes a difference
We recognise that there are negative impacts associated with ski activities over which we have no influence. But there are many other impacts, both negative and positive, over which we and our partners do have control.
We are working to design and implement a comprehensive environmental strategy that can be modeled by other resorts.We support the National Ski Area's Association Sustainable Slopes Charter and have aligned our EMS with its guiding principles. Our EMS will continue to serve as our main tool as we move toward sustainability.
Whistler Blackcomb won the 2001 Starfish Award. The Starfish Award was created and sponsored by environmental charity Oceans Blue Foundation (Canada) to recognize a tourism business that has demonstrated innovative efforts to prevent and/or reduce its environmental impacts through planning and practice design.The Golden Eagle Awards were established to recognize the environmental contributions of the North American Ski Industry. Whistler Blackcomb's environmental programs have received recognition and awards from the Golden Eagle Awards for excellence in environmental stewardship. We were awarded the 2003 Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence.
Whistler Blackcomb has signed on as an Early Adopter for the Whistler Sustainability Initiative. This initiative represents a group of local stakeholders working together to make Whistler the first sustainable resort community in the world. We have partnered with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Fairmont Hotel, the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment, Tourism Whistler, and Whistler's Foto Source to move toward sustainability using the Natural Step sustainability framework.
Whistler Blackcomb has established a community-based group for those wishing to take a more hands-on approach to helping the environment. The group has been active since the summer of 1998. The Habitat Improvement Team (HIT) runs from May until September and involves people going out into the community to work on projects for local groups. We provide the tools, transportation, instruction and refreshments after each session. HIT carries out projects for AWARE (Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment), the Whistler Fish Stewardship Group, the Municipality, and the Bear Task Team.
- A Do’s and Don’ts Code of Conduct is on our website and is covered at all client ski briefings by our reps in resort
- Environmental tips for skiers are available on our website and include advice on avoiding skiing over shoots when off piste and throwing cigarette ends out of ski lifts.
- General tips for responsible travellers are available on our website and cover such issues as energy and water conservation, littering, and buying locally.
- At our start of season staff briefings, we task our overseas staff to identify 3 long-term initiatives that will bring positive benefits to the economies, communities and environments in which they live and work during their season.
- The Travel Foundation have produced a DVD aimed at introducing overseas staff to the principles of responsible tourism. All our ski staff will take part in this new training at the start of this ski season.
- We have introduced a Responsible Travel Award for our ski accommodation suppliers in recognition of their contribution to sustainable business practices and highlighting the winners in our brochure with a special logo. We hope that the added kudos will encourage more of our suppliers to take part. The additional informaton also helps our customers to make a more informed choice about where they take their holidays.
We are working to design and implement a comprehensive environmental strategy that can be modeled by other resorts.We support the National Ski Area's Association Sustainable Slopes Charter and have aligned our EMS with its guiding principles. Our EMS will continue to serve as our main tool as we move toward sustainability.
Whistler Blackcomb won the 2001 Starfish Award. The Starfish Award was created and sponsored by environmental charity Oceans Blue Foundation (Canada) to recognize a tourism business that has demonstrated innovative efforts to prevent and/or reduce its environmental impacts through planning and practice design.The Golden Eagle Awards were established to recognize the environmental contributions of the North American Ski Industry. Whistler Blackcomb's environmental programs have received recognition and awards from the Golden Eagle Awards for excellence in environmental stewardship. We were awarded the 2003 Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence.
Whistler Blackcomb has signed on as an Early Adopter for the Whistler Sustainability Initiative. This initiative represents a group of local stakeholders working together to make Whistler the first sustainable resort community in the world. We have partnered with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Fairmont Hotel, the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment, Tourism Whistler, and Whistler's Foto Source to move toward sustainability using the Natural Step sustainability framework.
Whistler Blackcomb has established a community-based group for those wishing to take a more hands-on approach to helping the environment. The group has been active since the summer of 1998. The Habitat Improvement Team (HIT) runs from May until September and involves people going out into the community to work on projects for local groups. We provide the tools, transportation, instruction and refreshments after each session. HIT carries out projects for AWARE (Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment), the Whistler Fish Stewardship Group, the Municipality, and the Bear Task Team.