Whistler

I had enjoyed my time in Vancouver and while the city didn't strike a strong chord it is really a city that leans on its surroundings. Thus, to really appreciate Vancouver you need to explore the outdoor experience that both Vancouver Island and Whistler provide. The island represents a vast piece of wilderness and some solid surfing, Whistler is an iconic North American mountain-town that is a mere two hours drive from the city. The island was too big for me to explore by bike. It would require two weeks in itself and my stab at it left me wanting to get off it due to the concentration of traffic that flows along its few highways. Whistler was always going to be a different proposition.

I followed the beautiful 'Sea to Sky Highway' to the city's nearby mountain playground. The town itself sits at only 600ms and the top of the gondola is elevated a further 400ms up. It's quite hard to believe that a snow resort so close to the coast and so low to the ground would be rated so highly. Indeed, for the Winter Olympics that took place there earlier this year trucks had to deliver powder in from elsewhere. Whistler is considered one of the top, if not the top, snow resort in North America. It feels very much like a resort with all the noise associated with city life left at its doorstep in Vancouver.

What marks Whistler out is that it is a four season resort. As it is privately owned it seeks to earn the very best return on its investment. This means keeping the flow of visitors coming and the only reason to come here is to have some outdoor fun. Visitor numbers are not an issue when you have a major city down the road and the product on offer is of such high quality. Indeed, it seems more like a self-sustaining town than a resort. The people here are mostly local or live in Vancouver and have been here enough times that they know it like a local. Whistler is a full-on skate, bike and board town. All are fully catered for here with the gondola running all year round for both skiers and downhill mountain-bikers. It offers something for everyone, pine forests for hiking, pristine alpine lakes for lounging in the sun and having picnics, a skate-board park, plenty of hills for road-cyclists, a fully set-up mountain-bike park catering for people of all abilities, a gondola to reach the downhill trails and of course a snow season to cater for the full gamut of winter sports. On top, it has a very well planned town-centre full of lively bars and restaurants to provide some good fun right off the slopes. Indeed, the whole town looked as if it had been levelled in advance of the Olympics. In keeping with Vancouver everything is very modern.

I am not the quintessential skater, biker or boarder but I can wing it enough to fit in. Whistler is an absolutely outstanding resort that every boarder and biker should make an effort to get to at some stage. It is difficult to separate Whistler and Vancouver. Both are lucky to have each other; their relationship is very much symbiotic. If I had a choice I would live in Whistler and head down to the city for some culture as opposed to living in the city and having to come up to Whistler. It is really Whistler that allows Vancouver to stand out from the global crowd. In Europe, only Geneva, Zurich, Grenoble and possibly Milan and Munich can vouch for having similar possibilities. In North America it might be only Calgary, Denver and San Francisco that can compete on a similar footing. All are major cities with top-class mountain playgrounds within a couple of hours drive.

The unfortunate thing for me is that I am really a 'roadie' and so I'm more interested in a four season road-bike town than the bi-polar world of a snow-resort. I could be converted but I have a few more races left in the legs such that I require a mild winter climate. In addition, I would have to erase all memories of how hard a day on the snow-board can be when you don't have access the slopes every weekend. The last time I wiped out on a snowboard I was left crying for my mom. It bloody hurts; so much so that if I end up in a snow-resort that I'd be keener to throw snow-tyres on my mountain-bike than whip out my snowboard. Unfortunately the snow-biking scene is fairly random as the people who live in these towns love the duality of the seasons. Why on earth would you go snow-biking when you can have fun on a board? Fair point.

In conclusion, Vancouver is redeemed by virtue of Whistler.

Chat soon

Marco

ps: I managed to post some holiday-snaps of Vancouver in the gallery to give you the picture.