In a few months time, this mountain resort will be the focus of the world, as much of the Winter Olympics unfolds on its slopes Feb 12 to 28, 2010. For now, it is a wonderful place to soak up the atmosphere of anticipation and say: “I was there before the world came to town!” The symbol of the games, this massive inuksuk gazes down impassively upon Whistler from high atop Blackcomb Mountain.
The resort town of Whistler is looking ready for its days of glory that will come shortly. All is ready. The town is spruced up and ready to rock. Actually, it’s always ready to rock, as any of the young workers who make the town tick will tell you. I stayed at the impressive Fairmont Chateau Whistler, perched in the Upper Village by Blackcomb Base. First class in all respects. Just down the road from the hotel is the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, a new way to learn about the Squamish and Lil’wat peoples and their culture.
The landscape around the town is magnificent. Snow-capped mountains virtually surround the town and small glaciers sparkle in the sunshine in their folds. The lift system makes it easy for everyone to ascend high on to Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains so that the high peaks are accessible for everyone. Whether you want to ride the gondola up for a hot chocolate at the mountain restaurant or to embark on a strenuous hike – it’s all here in Whistler.
The Peak 2 Peak gondola is Canada’s latest world-class engineering marvel. It connects the two mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb in truly spectacular fashion with the world’s longest unsupported lift span. The journey time of 11 minutes is a wondrous journey over Fitzsimmons Creek where you feel suspended between heaven and earth in an eagle’s glide over the mountainsides.
Whistler has become the soft adventure capital of Canada. There are more ways to safely thrill yourself in and around Whistler than there are hopes of Canadian Olympic medals in the upcoming Games – and that’s a fair few. I ziplined with Ziptrek Ecotours 200 feet above Fitzsimmons Creek on their longest, highest, mostest tree-top zipline course. I took a Hummer tour into the surrounding wilderness accompanied by the smell of fresh fries, as even the gas-guzzling Hummers are powered by biofuel here. And Whistler is made for mountain biking – perfect cross-training for my upcoming marathon. Even the wildlife cooperated in this sense of adventure, as we spotted two black bears from the gondola.
