Need an adrenaline fix? Head over to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada. You may know Whistler and Blackcomb for skiing or snowboarding, since it is the largest skiable or rideable (for you snowboarders) area in North America, but Whistler and Blackcomb offer so much more. Just be ready to spend some money. A lot of money.
Past travelers have placed both mountains on a pedestal. Since booking our flights, I was beyond excited to finally snowboard Whistler and Blackcomb. But, I had more planned, and more to be excited for. I wanted to end 2015, and ring in the new year with an action-packed weekend.
Bungee Jumping
Bungee jumping is something that I promised myself I would never do. The concept of bungee jumping always raised concerns – spine, neck, eye injuries, death, and so on. The activity never made it onto my bucket list.
I learned about Whistler Bungee on TripAdvisor and emailed the company regarding availability. Our non-stop United Airlines flight landed in Vancouver at 11:43 in the morning on December 31, 2015. The Whistler Bungee Bridge is located about two hours north from the airport, and only had a walk-in time of 2:30 PM available for us. I never made reservations because I did not expect us to make it in time.
Never again. As I stood there frozen on that platform, about 48 meters (or approximately 160 feet) above a rock-filled creek, I wanted to cry out of fear and chicken out. The staff instructed that I move my body towards the edge and place my toes over the platform. I could not move. I stood frozen. The staff positioned me as instructed, and I started shaking and uncontrollably flapping my arms like a chicken.
The countdown began. Wait, I was not ready. Okay, one more time. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I was screaming, falling quickly towards the ground. I bounced back up, screaming louder. My entire body was shaking. And just like that, it was time to add another activity to the bucket list.
Information: Whistler Bungee is open year-round. Although the website states pre-booking is required, they do accommodate walk-ins; just contact them beforehand. As of January 2016, first-time jumpers pay $130 CAD (approximately $99 USD). If you have jumped at Whistler Bungee before, then you are a member and pay $80 CAD (about $61 USD). Tandem jumps are available, but the combined weight must be below 330 pounds. Coast Mountain Photography provides professional photographs of the entire experience. By “entire experience”, they mean you get 15 to 20 photos of your jump. We did end up purchasing the photos for $40 CAD (roughly $30 USD), and as you can see, they are great quality. Not bad for a split-second experience.
Whistler Village and Snowboarding
Whistler Bungee is located just minutes away from Whistler village. I booked four nights at the Blackcomb Lodge by Whistler Premier located in the heart of Whistler Village. Making hotel reservations for Whistler Blackcomb was much more difficult than I had expected. Nightly rates for New Year’s Eve weekend were very expensive. Whistler Blackcomb has limited lodging options outside, yet nearby the village. I did not want to have the hassle of commuting to and from the ski resort. I found the best rate on Orbitz and booked the four nights for approximately $1,144 USD, after using a $150 USD promo code.
This better be worth it (I hoped), as this was also the first time that I was staying at a ski resort village, just steps away from the chair lifts. The hotel room was simple and included a “kitchenette”, which consisted of a mini-fridge and microwave.
Food is always expensive at ski resorts. We found a grocery store and bought food for the weekend. It was New Year’s Eve, and we did not make any dinner reservations. Dinner consisted of ramen noodle soup, followed by a nap. We woke up just in time for the countdown. Half asleep, we walked ourselves to the base of Whistler Mountain to watch the “Fire and Ice Show” and waited for the countdown. The event coordinators missed the countdown. We heard cheers echoing from the bars that surrounded the base of the mountain. Finally, some fireworks. Hello 2016.
Our first day of 2016, and first full day of our weekend, consisted of snowboarding. Prior to arriving at Whistler Blackcomb, I purchased lift tickets from Liftopia. The 2 of 3 Day Lift Ticket was on sale for about $165 USD plus tax. Great deal. However, Whistler Blackcomb was not such a great deal. Unfortunately, due to the time of the season, the mountains lacked snow. The runs were super icy, which took away from my love of snowboarding. I spent more time worrying about wiping out, than I did enjoying myself.
Heli-Skiing
Whistler Heli-Skiing price matched Powder Mountain Heliskiing for a discounted “3 Run Classic Experience” rate. The undiscounted rate, as of January 2016, was $738 USD for a 3-run package, $810 USD for a 4-run package, and $1045 USD for a 6-run package. These prices are actually cheaper than most other places. For example, compare Heli Ski Valle Nevado in Chile: $999 USD for a 2-run package. It is hard to give an unbiased opinion on the Whistler Heli-Skiing experience, since my experience with Heli Ski Valle Nevado was drastically different. The group size definitely affected the experience. In Chile, the helicopter only accommodated three people – my brother, a friend, and me. In Canada, the helicopter accommodated a group of 11 people.
The day started out with a safety briefing. Afterwards, we were stuffed into a helicopter and flown to the first run. The terrain was not intimidating. I remember flying over the Andes, questioning my abilities after visually analyzing the mountains from above. The runs were longer than in the Andes, but flatter, much flatter. In Chile, the pilot could not land the helicopter due to the steepness of the ridge where he was dropping us off. Instead, the helicopter hovered, and we jumped out and grabbed our snowboards. Fear was absent in Canada. For each run, the helicopter landed on a flat, open area. You did not need any expert abilities to heli-ski with Whistler Heli-Skiing.
Due to the size of the group, wait times were quite annoying. The guide stopped multiple times down the mountain, and each time, we had to wait for the entire group of 11 to reach the designated spots. All three runs were packed with powder, but given the terrain, areas of the run slowed down and stopped skiers and snowboarders.
Based on my experience, I would not recommend heli-skiing in Whistler Blackcomb to advanced-intermediate or expert skiers or snowboarders. However, I do believe that this would be a great opportunity for a less-experienced skier or snowboarder who may be intimidated by the idea of heli-skiing.
Crystal Hut Fondue by Snowmobile
In comparison to other places in the United States, snowmobiling in Whistler is expensive. Canadian Wilderness Adventures also price-matched other local companies that offered a ten percent discount for pre-season bookings. The undiscounted cost is $199 CAD per person sharing or $239 CAD for single riders, plus $20 CAD for driver collision coverage, plus tax. If sharing, this comes out to about $310 USD. The cost includes a fondue dinner atop Blackcomb Mountain at the Crystal Hut. The ride up to the Crystal Hut is about an hour. Snowmobiling up a mountain in the dark is a unique experience. However, due to the slow pace and frequent stops, the ride was anything but exciting. I would not recommend this activity to anyone looking for an exhilarating experience.
Bobsleigh
Speaking of exhilarating experiences, bobsleighing is a must. The Whistler Sliding Centre is home to the fastest ice track in the world. The Public Bobsleigh Program allows you to ride inside of a four-person bobsled down the track. The bobsled is guided by a trained bobsleigh pilot, allowing you to sit back and relax while your heart drops down to your stomach through the ten twists and turns at speeds of 125+ kilometers (about 78+ miles) per hour. The feeling of the acceleration of up to 4 G forces as you reach the track’s final corner is something else. The experience is rather pricy; costs around $169 CAD (about $129 USD) plus tax. But, it is definitely worth every penny.
Skeleton is also available to the public. Unfortunately, I was too intimidated by the sport to partake this time around. Both activities run rain, snow, or shine. The Centre is located just minutes away from the heart of Whistler Village.
Getting There
Non-stop flights to Vancouver are available from most large-city airports in the United States. I find that car rentals from Budget are always the cheapest when compared to other rental car companies. Budget always has numerous promo codes floating around the Internet. I play around with the codes and use the one that gives me the greatest discount. We rented a standard vehicle for five days and paid about $130 USD. The drive up to Whistler via the Sea-to-Sky Highway Route from Vancouver is breathtaking. You definitely want to have your camera ready for the drive. The highway route offers many areas to pull-over and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
I do not typically buy travel insurance. However, I felt that I needed travel insurance for this trip. Our schedule was jam-packed with rather expensive activities. I bought travel insurance from World Nomads. World Nomads’ Explorer travel insurance covers all adrenaline-filled activities such as bungee jumping, heli-skiing, snowmobiling, bobsleighing, and even car rentals – definitely worth the $72 USD.
