Whistler Questions in order to make it perfect. - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metaphor_ 

• The village is a train wreck. 

Was walking back from dinner with a local WB friend tonight and commenting how nice it is to be able to stay for a week (s) and never have to use a car. I usually get into town, then drive up to my bud's house on Alpine Way, and leave my car there - no point giving the Hilton $35 / day. End of trip, go and pick up car and drive back to airport.

Granted, the village may not be to everyone's liking, but it's so nice to be able to walk to the food stores, liquor store, Fanatyko and the lifts and not have to worry about the car. I can't think of another resort in NA that's as convenient, with probably only Breck coming close, but then you're stuck with Breck, and here you have WB.

Agreed it's nice to not drive. Mind you, I've also never driven when at Whiteface, Big White, Silver Star, Hemlock... and at those resorts was spared the consumer frenzy of "boutique" stores selling overpriced clothes, soaps, teas, baubles, nevermind the "we're in Vegas" attitude at the bar scene... none of this stuff adding any value to skiing and all of it designed to suck more money out of visitor wallets. 

For a less commercialized WB experience, my suggestion is to stay in creekside. It's quieter, more intimate and less of a giant advertisement. And you can still walk to all necessities. Unless you urgently need a corriander pine needle bath lotion or an emergency mood ring. In which case the village is a ten minute bus ride away.

No matter where you stay though, the skiing will be great. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metaphor_ 

Agreed it's nice to not drive. Mind you, I've also never driven when at Whiteface, Big White, Silver Star, Hemlock... and at those resorts was spared the consumer frenzy of "boutique" stores selling overpriced clothes, soaps, teas, baubles, nevermind the "we're in Vegas" attitude at the bar scene... none of this stuff adding any value to skiing and all of it designed to suck more money out of visitor wallets. 

 

For a less commercialized WB experience, my suggestion is to stay in creekside. It's quieter, more intimate and less of a giant advertisement. And you can still walk to all necessities. Unless you urgently need a corriander pine needle bath lotion or an emergency mood ring. In which case the village is a ten minute bus ride away.

 

No matter where you stay though, the skiing will be great. 

C'mon, who doesn't occasionally have the need for an emergency mood ring or some Moose Poop shower gel? Puleese. You know the saying, what goes on in Whistler......

Anyway, I love the village to be able to do what I want and need. Creekside seems sorta low rent.

 Ketchum (Sun Valley) comes close, and it's a far, far better town. But still, Whistler does get the edge for being even more walkable--In Ketchum you are always taking the bus some (which is easy and free, but still). I also don't like the gift stores and such but do love the convenience of having the necessities--grocery, drugstore, liquor store, bookstore, boot fitter, and heck, the medical center and the wheelchair rental place, which was handy when my sister in law fractured her tibial plateau--within short walking distance of every place I've ever stayed.

If your a low end skier, I don't recommend Whistler.  If your an expert, you know how to deal with it?

Aspen is the best walkable ski town in NA!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Posaune 

Put an X in the correct box -

The 4 Seasons, The Pan Pacific, The Hilton Whistler Spa, The Fairmont Chateau Whistler, The Westin Spa (etc, etc, etc), or we could just say all of the 5 star rated hotels in Whistler are in:

____The Village     _____Creekside

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHREDHEAD 

If your a low end skier, I don't recommend Whistler.  If your an expert, you know how to deal with it?

 

 

 

 

Aspen is the best walkable ski town in NA!

Hmm. Massive long smooth blue runs that my intermediate buddies all love? Must be another mountain I'm thinking of...

Aspen is the most pretentious ski town in NA, for sure. But most walkable? The historical part of Park City has a lift in the middle of town, y'know. Ketchum's not bad either. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by snofun3 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Posaune 

Put an X in the correct box -

 

The 4 Seasons, The Pan Pacific, The Hilton Whistler Spa, The Fairmont Chateau Whistler, The Westin Spa (etc, etc, etc), or we could just say all of the 5 star rated hotels in Whistler are in:

 

____The Village     _____Creekside

Oh, I get it.  Your idea of a slum is anything without concierge and room service.  You would REALLY dislike my cabin!

Quote:

Originally Posted by beyond 

Hmm. Massive long smooth blue runs that my intermediate buddies all love? Must be another mountain I'm thinking of...

 

Aspen is the most pretentious ski town in NA, for sure. But most walkable? The historical part of Park City has a lift in the middle of town, y'know. Ketchum's not bad either. 

 

It's the weather that most low end skiers complain about.  Like I said, experts just deal with it?

Ketchum's a nice town, but it's a bit of a hike from the lift.   Park City is not even close and the mountains lame.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Posaune 

Oh, I get it.  Your idea of a slum is anything without concierge and room service.  You would REALLY dislike my cabin!

 

 

I said Creekside is "sorta low rent" compared to the Village, and you're getting your panties in a bunch while apparently agreeing . Wow .

I also said nothing about a slum, however, when I'm on vacation, I like to have a full range of amenities, and be pampered. If this is a problem for you, please feel free to get over it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHREDHEAD 

 

Ketchum's a nice town, but it's a bit of a hike from the lift.   Park City is not even close and the mountains lame.

 

Concurred. With WB it's a real hill that has gondolas that literally dump you out right at the bars, restaurants and stores, although the Aspen mention was a good one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by snofun3 

I said Creekside is "sorta low rent" compared to the Village, and you're getting your panties in a bunch while apparently agreeing . Wow .

 

I also said nothing about a slum, however, when I'm on vacation, I like to have a full range of amenities, and be pampered. If this is a problem for you, please feel free to get over it.

 

No bunched panties and no agreement (what was I agreeing with?), either.  I just thought that your statement was funny.  I really thought you were making a joke.  Creekside is hardly low rent, after all.

You are correct and I was wrong, you wrote "low rent" and I mistakenly remembered it as having to do with "slumming."  Either way it seemed funny to me.

skidude, metaphor : thanks, interesting though generic list, appreciate the suggestions though. 

BTW--I found the Advanced/Expert guide to Whistler at Snociety, a ski shop about halfway between the base and olympic plaza on the walkway through the village--on the right if you're heading towards the olympic plaza. I think that book can be hard to find.  The trail map is semi useless for black/double black/triple black in the alpine (no triple blacks for me, thank you). 

The trouble with Creekside is an extra lift ride if you're headed for the Peak Chair, Harmony or Blackcomb.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldgoat 

BTW--I found the Advanced/Expert guide to Whistler....

Is that the one that's in a small booklet style and features suggested lines overlaid on aerial photos?

If so, I got that also; it's a great resource, especially for a place as massive as WB.

There's also an Intermediate one...if we're talking about the same guide, that is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dustyfog 

skidude, metaphor : thanks, interesting though generic list, appreciate the suggestions though. 

Oops, I missed the question... was there something specific you were looking for? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skierish 

Is that the one that's in a small booklet style and features suggested lines overlaid on aerial photos?

If so, I got that also; it's a great resource, especially for a place as massive as WB.

There's also an Intermediate one...if we're talking about the same guide, that is.

 

small paperback book--184 pages. It also includes a list of recommended groomed runs.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldgoat 

small paperback book--184 pages. It also includes a list of recommended groomed runs.

I just dug mine out, and my Advanced/Expert one is 160 pages.

If it's by Brian Finestone & Kevin Hodder, it's the same thing, tho.

Great guide for someone who can find one!

They were selling loads of them in the ski shop beside the "rentals" shop near the Zog's at the base of the mountain. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the store. It's the store that sells $30 poles. Anyway, shouldn't be hard to find a copy of it in Whistler. Kind of neat, they overlay photos with run lines and labels. Kind of like the Whistler 3d app, but paper.

Metaphor, just wondering, since real estate in Howe Sound, Horseshoe Bay area all start north of $500k and higher, was wondering how can regular Canadian jobs support that, and that is an entire neighborhood. Though folks have done well in small mining companies and struck it pretty big but still, that entire area on the mainland along West Vancouver looping into Howe Sound and Gibson's Bay is beautiful and perfect to live in, visually anyway but to raise a family, not clear on what kind of careers can one start. Just thinking about it, that is all. Plus, my understanding is commute into Vancouver over that bridge unless it's at an ungodly hour is brutal. I have been over that bridge and it is ridiculous! So narrow, was actually stunned, but c'est la vie!

Quote:

Originally Posted by skiwhitblu 

Just got back from Whistler. It was amazing!! 2 bluebirds and 2 powder days so I can`t complain. It was pretty cold the whole time though so that made for our amazing trip and conditions.

I have powder skis, Line 115mm, and they certainly help out a lot in powder or any snow off groomers. I would definitly rent something bigger if I were you as you`ll end up missing the best runs the mountains has to offer. 7th heaven, Harmony, Symphony are all basically big off-groomer bowls and with skinny skis you`ll will not enjoy it as much. The peak you will be able to get away with it a bit as there are amazing groomers running off the sides of it (Bagel Bowl, Peak to Creek, esc), but you`ll still miss some of the best runs down the bowls. As well you will probably miss the Blackcomb Glacier completely, kinda of a must see thing.

 

Weather wise never check weather.com or the weather network for ski resort weather as others have said. 

Use whistlerblackcomb.com weather forecast for me it was 100% accurate 4/4 days. Snow-Forecast.com is pretty good not as accurate though. 

 

Enjoy your trip. You`ll love it.

I was skiing there April 1st to 6th (2nd trip of the year) to get my 15 days on a real mountain. Still had great conditions from the dump the previous week. Pounded nicely on the 2nd and 3rd. Alpine opened up on the 4th (I got in line for fresh tracks at 07h00 as well, first person down the Dave Murray!) and got some great lines in Harmony and Symphony before the crowds clued in. The 5th and 6th I took the Extremely Canadian steep skiing clinic and we had bluebird for both days (just a bit of cloud ion the afternoon).

I took my Peak78s and my Jimi110s but never took the straps off the Peak78s, I rode the Jimis all 6 days. A wider platform would have floated better in the (plentiful) powder but the Jimis were great and I have no regrets. They got me down Sapphire, the Couloir and the Blowhole as well the the gunbarrel chutes in Harmony without any problems. Anything 110 or over should be fine for 7th Heaven, Harmony, Symphony or Blackcomb alpine (Jersey Cream and Glacier Express chairs, Showcase t-bar).

Well, not quite no problem. I was blowing out of my bindings in the (heavier afternoon) crud too often when I bent the ski. I should not have trusted the tech and should have checked my DIN (rookie mistake, I admit it...). My Extremely Canadian guide told me to check the DIN - tails were at 5! One toe was 6 the other was 7. I am 5' 11" and 195lbs. Cranked them to 8 all around and problem solved. I'm going to dial them up to 9 for good measure - and will ALWAYS check them after they come back from the shop from now on, I promise...

FYI, a few of my group were on Rossi S7's, our guides are sponsored by Rossi and on super-7s and one bloke was on S3's. Seem like nice skis but some locals told me they have some issues with the durability. A few of them epoxy the top sheet to keep it from scratching/cracking. One bloke in my group was skiing the couloir on the Rossi S7 and broke both toepieces. He slid a good 50+ metres. Our guide had to call in ski patrol with a couple of skis (mismatched, different lengths) so he could ski out. Could have been worse, he was in the middle of the run when it happened and missed the rocks...

Best of all, I charged up my Edge card with 10 days for next year ($600) and got the spring skiing pass for $80 - 6 days of skiing Whistler/Blackcomb for $80. Good thing it'll probably not snow hard again, I would almost have to go back 

I use their iphone app for weather but I find skitrax is more accurate tracking speed. It'll drain your battery though, so make sure you dial down the level at which it shuts off and charge your iphone to 100% overnight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by awegrzyn 

I can go April 25- April 29, but I'm not sure about the conditions.

Don't worry, it should be too late for powder, so you should  be fine (although there is some this morning ).

Quote:

Originally Posted by dustyfog 

Metaphor, just wondering, since real estate in Howe Sound, Horseshoe Bay area all start north of $500k and higher, was wondering how can regular Canadian jobs support that, and that is an entire neighborhood. Though folks have done well in small mining companies and struck it pretty big but still, that entire area on the mainland along West Vancouver looping into Howe Sound and Gibson's Bay is beautiful and perfect to live in, visually anyway but to raise a family, not clear on what kind of careers can one start. Just thinking about it, that is all. Plus, my understanding is commute into Vancouver over that bridge unless it's at an ungodly hour is brutal. I have been over that bridge and it is ridiculous! So narrow, was actually stunned, but c'est la vie!

I've been thinking about making a move from Toronto for a couple of years as well. The trade is giving up $ you can earn here for West Coast lifestyle. A couple of colleagues made the move and they're happy but one took a year to find work. A few other people (non-IT) I know tried for a year and came back - cost of living way too high... "Regular" jobs cannot support a decent standard of living in Vancouver but if you live in the 'burbs you have the commute you mentioned. Then again, "decent" is relative... Most Whistler locals seems to live in Pemberton or Squamish.

Renting is not bad. A friend in North Van tells me rents are relatively low given property prices. He's also cautioned that alot of wealth in that city is tied to the real estate market so if/when it corrects things will not be pretty.

snofun3, enjoy the pow today. And get a couple of turns in for me - please!

I leave for Whistler in 2 weeks (arrive Jan 31).  

We are staying at Crystal Lodge, and are looking forward to exploring the town.

The plan for maximizing skiing is get up top early and stay there.  If fresh snow happens I'm looking forward to hitting all the great stuff.

Let's hope the current warming trend ends and the snow gods unleash onto Whistler!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kermit88 

Let's hope the current warming trend ends and the snow gods unleash onto Whistler!

????? Yesterday was -14c in the village.

Big temp inversion this week has been warmer in the alpine. This am -7 village +2 peak. But winds in forecast to get things back to normal; replacing the sunshine with new snow

and clouds .  

Boy, The weather at Whistler is tough to track. 

Question:  I'll be there for the Super bowl.  Where is the best place in the village to watch the game and enjoy some Wings & a brew?

Kermit, while I'm not a superbowl viewer, I remember it was insane at every bar during the superbowl.