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Ski Whistler & Kelowna, British Columbia

photo: Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb

Description

British Columbia, Canada is known for its fabulous skiing and snowboarding - think Whistler and Kelowna. Whistler Village is nestled in British Columbia's Coastal Mountains and is just 75 miles north of Vancouver via a highway that is known for its spectacular scenery. With a visit to Whistler, you'll understand why it has been voted the Number One Ski Resort in North America year after year.

The Village, designed in mountain resort architectural style, is pedestrian-only with everything within walking distance. Parking at one of the day parking lots is free year round and located about a 2 minute walk from both mountain lifts and the Village. Parking is free for 2 hours at both the Marketplace and Village North. There is also a free Village Shuttle that runs from the Marketplace (Village North) to the Upper Village loop daily from 8 am to midnight.

There are more than 200 shops and stores in the Village, as well as more shops in the newly developed Creekside neighborhood and the southern neighborhood of Function Junction. From beautiful Northwest Coast Native art found at the Black Tusk Gallery to a most unusual shop named Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics that features handmade luxury cosmetics and lots of off-beat gift ideas loaded with natural ingredients, you're sure to find the perfect gift to bring home.

Ski Whistler & Kelowna, British Columbia

Whistler Village has a resident population of just about 10,000 people, but the Village has some of the best dining and nightlife in all of British Columbia... There are over 90 restaurants featuring every ethnic cuisine imaginable, including French, Greek, Italian, Japanese and Indian and at all price ranges from reasonable to quite expensive. Best advice - ask a local where they go for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you're bound to come up with some reasonable options.

As the ski lifts close in the evening, come in from the cold to one of the dozens of bars, pubs, lounges and restaurants that specialize in après ski, with fireplaces to warm your hands at and special hot drinks perfect for a cold winter's night, such as Hot Buttered Rum, warm, delicious and unforgettable. Great places to meet new friends or spend time with old ones.

The Village is surrounded by two beautiful mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, that feature over 8,000 acres of slopes to ski on, the most advanced high speed ski lift network in the world and a great range of activities for the entire family from snowboarding, sleigh rides and snowmobiling to cross country skiing, snowshoeing and, of course, downhill skiing.

Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains have been chosen to be the site of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games. They have a combined 33 lifts, at least 200 trails and a lift capacity of almost 60,000 skiers per hour. At both mountains, the longest run is about 7 miles and features a vertical drop of about 5,280 feet at Blackcomb and 5,020 feet at Whistler.

For snowboarders, Blackcomb has three snowboard parks and a half-pipe which was designed for experts only. Whistler features two snowboard parks with both designed for both beginner and novice snowboarders. There are also snowboard and ski schools in the area and back country snowcat and heli-skiing available.

Ski Whistler & Kelowna, British Columbia

A three hour drive east of Vancouver is the Thompson Okanagan area where two of the very best family oriented ski resorts in Canada are located. Fortunately for all the winter sports lovers in Hawaii, Harmony Air has nonstop air from Honolulu to Kelowna International Airport, 12 miles from the Silver Star Mountain Resort and 35 miles from Big White Ski Resort. Combined, the two resorts have nearly 6,000 acres of skiing and boarding with over 225 runs of unsurpassed variety and terrain. Inter-resort ground shuttles are offered each day (fee), so you can stay at one resort and ski at the other with one lift pass.

Several things make these two award-winning resorts different and very special from many of the ski resorts in the U.S., where what you wear is almost more important than whether you can ski or not. Big White has over 24 feet of natural champagne powder per year and the daytime temperature is perfect for winter activities at 27 degrees. The resort is not only British Columbia's highest elevation resort, it is also the largest totally ski-in, ski-out resort in the Province. Mid-mountain Silver Star gets almost as much snow of the same quality and they also have accommodations that feature ski-in and ski-out.

Big White just recently opened Telus Park, a winter playground like no other with intermediate & advanced terrain and rail parks, regular Half Pipe with 12' transitional walls, lights for night riding and a Super Pipe with 17' transitional walls. Silver Star added a new race center for boarders and their Nordic trails bring many Olympic hopefuls to the area.

And then there is the theme of family and friends throughout both resorts. At Silver Star they have the Star Kids, where children from 3 to 12 can learn how to ski and snowboard and even a Star Kids Daycare for newborn to age 6. Big White's award-winning Kids Centre is more like a mountain playground than a ski school, where children 4 to 12 learn new skills. There is also the Tot Town Child Care for children 8 months to age 6 and a Kids After Dark program for children 5 to 12 years old.

Besides Alpine, Nordic and cross country skiing and snow boarding, both resorts have huge outdoor skating rinks, where you can try out your spins and axles, play hockey or just sit around a roaring fire sipping on hot cocoa. Then there is the Adventure Park, home to the Mega Coaster tube ride and where kids can ride their own snowmobile on the Mini-Z Track. And when the lifts close, the resorts come alive with activities for all ages. Meet new friends around the open air fire pits or enjoy the weekly family entertainment, such as Carnival Night, a Skating Party, Movie Night or a themed dinner and fireworks show.

You can discover the natural wonders of winter in an unforgettable snowshoe tour through the snow covered pines and learn some local history at the same time. Or perhaps enjoy a sleigh ride through the woods and the snow to a chalet for a perfect Fondue dinner. Then, of course, you could just curl up with a good book in front of an open fireplace watching the snow fall and sipping on a hot toddy - for what some might consider the perfect way to spend a day.