Whistler, April 2010
With the both of us having four days off work we decided to make the most of it and take a coach trip up north to the Olympic hosting town of Whistler.
When we weren’t dozing off, we spent most of the journey viewing lush green mountainous landscapes and waterfalls.
We hopped off the coach at our not quite final destination of Whistler Village. We decided to gather our thoughts with a hot caffeinated beverage and popped into the local coffee shop. We soon discovered that this was most certainly a tourist dominated town, every accent to be heard was British or Australian!
With the both of us having four days off work we decided to make the most of it and take a coach trip up north to the Olympic hosting town of Whistler.
When we weren’t dozing off, we spent most of the journey viewing lush green mountainous landscapes and waterfalls.
We hopped off the coach at our not quite final destination of Whistler Village. We decided to gather our thoughts with a hot caffeinated beverage and popped into the local coffee shop. We soon discovered that this was most certainly a tourist dominated town, every accent to be heard was British or Australian!
Shortly after our much needed beverage, we hounded the tourist information desk where we discovered that the bus to our hostel is only available four times a day; thankfully we didn’t have to wait long for the next one to arrive. The bus journey took us all the way out of the village, through Whistler Creekside and up into a more remote area at Alta Lake. Adam had to lug my fetching pink suitcase down three sets of steps to the hostel. As we reached the bottom of the stairway where we were confronted by a peaceful still lake, topped with a collection of pine encrusted and snow topped mountains. It was truly beautiful. We already knew it was going to be a memorable trip.
The hostel itself was entirely wooden, very old and had heaps of character. Every morning we would thoroughly enjoy our breakfast with a lakeside view. The hostel was quite small which provided the perfect atmosphere to get to know some really nice people from all over the world.
One evening we encountered a beaver having a nice evening swim, it was very cute and around the size of a small dog.
One evening we encountered a beaver having a nice evening swim, it was very cute and around the size of a small dog.
The first time we got a real taste of Whistler was after splashing out on the ‘Peak 2 Peak’ gondola ride. It was expensive but worth every penny in my opinion. The ride boasts the longest unsupported lift span in the world at 3.024 kilometres (1.88 miles) and it is the highest lift of its kind at 435 metres / 1,427 feet. The views of the alpine surroundings were spectacular.
Peak to Peak Gondola ride from Whistler to Blackcomb Mountain.
The Inukshuk was originally created by the Native people to mark hunting grounds and to ease navigation. The figurative stone landmarks are now recognised throughout Canada as a symbol of hope and friendship.
When we weren’t in the mountains we took time to explore the village. It is very tourist orientated with a large array of restaurants, cafés and bars. It is certainly not the best place to visit on a small budget. The resort is rather like a rich man’s playground. To save money we simply purchased our food from the supermarket and cooked it at the hostel.
The final day and highlight of the trip was taking skiing lessons on Whistler Mountain. Adam entered the beginner group and I took the level 2 class. It was incredibly fun and we both felt very lucky to be skiing in such picturesque surroundings. Adam did however nearly spoil his experience by attempting to ski down a slope that was far too steep, after nearly crashing twice and having no control whatsoever he thankfully made it down in one piece, both skis intact.
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