Winter Activities in Whistler

When you finally make it to Whistler as a skier or snowboarder, if you are like me, all you really want to do is hit the slopes. On the off chance you don't ski or snowboard, or want to throw in a mix of activities, here are a few that I've explored in Whistler.

Tubing

Who doesn't want to sit on a big inner tube and go plummeting down a hill? The great thing about adding the tubing to your activity list is it doesn't need to interfere with daytime activities on the mountain. We ventured to the hill for nighttime fun and got a little bit of a discount and very few people on the hill. This meant we got to ride with no wait time. Not a bad way to add some activity to the evening.

Whistler Coca-Cola Tube Park

Snowmobiling

There are several outfits located in Whistler Village that will take you out for a few hours of full throttle fun. We visited a few offices after skiing the one day to determine which outfit offered the longest ride for a descent price (CanadianWilderness Adventures). We picked an intermediate level trip, but realized after a while that we could have gone with an expert package. For $200 and some odd dollars we got a few hours on a sled with a hot sausage lunch. It was a guided tour up a logging trail with a few stops along the way. They took us to a fresh powder bowl and set us loose for 30 minutes or so. I was full throttle the entire time and even got a little bit of air over a hidden jump. Our guide told me later that he was about to tell me to slow it down. What? We also rode on a frozen pond, which wasn't as thrilling as I expected, but still fun!

Canadian Wilderness Adventures tour around the Callaghan Valley

Whistler Slide Centre

The plan was to bobsled like an Olympian, but the plan was thwarted by the professionals. I'll be honest, when I learned that they start the bobsled further down the track, I got a little bored with the idea of a slow, less thrilling, ride. So I decided that watching the professionals whiz by was more exciting, even if it was luge instead of the bobsled. Who was the first person that said, "Hey, let's ice a curvy track and sit on a small-ish sled and go super fast with little control!" Definitely worth a stroll to the track, especially if you can see some action!

Luge at the Whistler Slide Centre

Village Trail

On a rainy day, when hitting the slopes was not going to give us the best bang for the buck, we wandered the Village Trail circuit. Despite the off and on rain, it was a fun way to see more of the Village and get a feel for life outside of the main hotel area. We arrived at the Lost Lake area too late to rent snowshoes or cross country skis, but that would definitely be an activity I'd try on a return visit.

Peak 2 Peak Gondola

The ride comes with your lift ticket, so make sure you take full advantage of the ride. At least one time wait for the silver, glass-bottomed car. I'm afraid of heights, but the glass-bottom is worth the ride across the valley. On my last visit to Whistler, the winds picked up so much that Peak 2 Peak closed for the afternoon. I was told it's rare for the gondola to close, so it's no wonder we couldn't get up high that day.

Fire & Ice Show

Will your stay fall over a Sunday night? Head to the base of Whistler Mountain for a Fire & Ice Show. Skiers and boarders will flip and twist through a ring of fire. It's worth a gander before heading to dinner.

Snowboarder flying through the ring of fire

Activities I want to do if I ever return to Whistler

• Heli-Skiing
• Free mountain tour - a mountain host meets skiers for a tour of the mountain.
• Ski Lesson - avoid the lift lines and get an expert improving your form, ah yes!