Whistler Village is a purpose built ski town two and a half hours from Vancouver in the Coastal mountains of British Columbia. The Village is car free meaning it is easy to walk around the town. There are bars, restaurants, shops, and clubs to suit all budgets and tastes. The Peaks guys will often head to the bars at the bottom of the slopes for a few beers and legendary Canadian wings and ribs after a day on the hill.
On days off there is loads to do – don't miss out on cross country skiing around the stunning Lost Lake.
The Meadow Park Sport's Center is a 5 min bus ride from the Village center. It incorporates a gym, swimming pool, fitness classes and an ice hockey rink. (It's worth going down there to check out the locals matches which happen a few times per week.) Buses run regularly and they do good prices for locals membership. If you fancy even more adrenaline off the hill check out Ziptrek eco-tours, bungee jumping and sledding (skidoo driving).
The Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival runs for ten days in April and hosts loads of arts, music and sports events. Most of the festival is free and takes place on huge stages in the centre of the Village. The best place for all of the current info is The Pique – Whistler’s local newspaper. http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php
The surrounding mountains in Whistler are truly stunning and are home to incredible wildlife, the most famous being black bears. Enormous efforts are made to help animals and humans live side by side including bear proof bins and replanting certain foliage for the bears to feed on. Don't be nervous though as bears hibernate all winter! Marmots are also very common in Whistler. They live in colonies high up in Alpine areas and have a distinctively loud warning whistles. This lead to people referring to the animals as 'Whistlers' and is where Whistler Mountain originally received its name.
Make sure you leave enough time to visit Vancouver one of the world's most spectacular - and BC's largest – city. Vancouver was recently named the Most Liveable City in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit. You can easily visit downtown Vancouver easily and cheaply by bus to watch the Vancouver Canucks ice hockey matches or hop on one of the small passenger ferries. The ferries cruise through False Creek to the island which is famous for its year-round indoor farmer's market, boutique micro-brewery, street buskers, artisan studios and live theatre.
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