In 2003, Whistler (and Vancouver) won the bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. This was quite a feat as construction of the new town centre that would become Whistler Village only began in 1978. Whistler is just one of three resorts in the world that attract more than 2 million visitors per year. It comprises three alpine hamlets, Whistler Village, Village North, and Upper Village and is dominated by two peaks, Blackcomb Mountain at 7,494 feet and Whistler Mountain at 7,160 feet.
These two mountains offer 13 alpine bowls, three glaciers, and more than 200 marked trails. Whistler has over 8,000 acres of terrain and a vertical drop of exactly 1 mile. There are 38 lifts of which 17 are express. The ski season from November to June is the longest in North America and Blackcomb Mountain receives an average of 33 feet of snow per year.
For a unique all-year-around adventure try zip-trekking. Steel cables have been strung across the valley on ancient fir trees. With a harness and tackle, zip-trekkers fly along these cables for hundreds of feet. Visitors shouldn’t forget to wear ski gear and goggles when zip-trekking in winter so that they can both keep warm and see where they are going when it is snowing.