Whistler Wonderland 2016

I have lived in Canada for many years now, and even though this country is known for super long and sometimes, harsh winter conditions, somehow, I have not developed an interest in winter sports.

I blame that in part to the saying, “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.” After all, this old dog grew up in a tropical country and had not seen snow until she moved to North America for good.

However, I do not completely agree with this saying. I firmly believe that if one in is motivated and determined enough, there is still a chance to learn new things and develop new habits. The only reason why I say it is impossible to teach me new tricks, that is, “winter tricks” in particular, is because I am not exactly the athletic type, I have a poor sense of balance (in my opinion), and I am not a fan of downward motion (because it makes me queasy). If I cannot even tolerate riding the Ferris wheel or the roller coaster, I do not think it would bode well for me to engage in downhill skiing, sledding, snowboarding, skating, and such. I could try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, but somehow, I never had the chance.

For this reason, I did not feel compelled to visit any ski resorts. When I was new in Vancouver, I was too busy checking out museums, parks, gardens, islands, and cultural attractions. I went to Grouse Mountain a couple of times, but only because it was close enough to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Usually, when we entertained out-of-town guests, we would take them to both attractions since they are in the same area and but a stone’s throw away from downtown Vancouver.

This is quite ironic because Vancouver has many ski resorts, the most popular of which is the Whistler-Blackcomb Mountain Resort.  I did not get the chance to go there until I was requested to…at work. This was followed by several other visits, with two memorable ones with family.

Whistler 2016

My most recent visit (yes, it’s been a while) to Whistler-Blackcomb Mountain Resort was a bit different. I was with my husband and son at that time on a summer trip. It was a short and sweet visit to the resort because we left my aunt’s house in Vancouver closer to lunchtime (my husband is NOT a morning person).

My husband had originally wanted to hike at Garibaldi National Park, but I reminded him that the Garibaldi Lake Trail is long and strenuous and may not be suitable (yet) to our six-year-old boy. I told him about the trails on the summits of Whistler-Blackcomb and suggested we could do a small loop. But I also said that what I wanted our son to experience was the chair lift and gondola rides. He had been to the Mont-Tremblant Resort in Quebec, but the Whistler and Blackcomb Resort is much bigger.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us that day. It was grey and cloudy, with a foreboding of rain. We still went because we had other plans with the family in the succeeding days and we did not want to shuffle our schedule during our limited time in Vancouver.

The weather actually worked to our advantage. The slightly blustery condition meant less people, short (to almost no) line-ups, and discounted rides! The gondola operators told us that it was still safe to go and that it is less likely for them to close the rides…but because there were very few patrons that day, they were charging only 50% of the original price.

Our son declined the chair lift ride and firmly declared that he would ride only the gondolas because they are safer. My husband and I did not push the issue. With the wind and chance of rain, an open-air ride was out-of-the question. So, we got on the Whistler Village Gondola all the way to the Roundhouse Lodge.

At the summit, it felt like a totally different place from what I had previously visited. While it seemed like a party ground the last few times, this time, it felt like a ghost town with only a handful of people milling about. The thick fog and mist even added to the somewhat dreary atmosphere.

But while this might seem bleak to some, especially the sunshine-loving people out there, I found it comfortably pleasant. Aside from the absence of heat, glare, and humidity, the sweeping ambience evoked an air of mystery and magic. I also appreciated the refreshing gusts of wind, even though it was a bit chilly.

We spent our time just walking around the various viewpoints, but the mountain views were obscured by the clouds, so we ended up eating our snacks and getting some drinks at the bar and then shopping for souvenirs at the gift shop.

Then I pulled my boys to the Peak-to-Peak building for that much-awaited mountain crossing via the huge gondola. Again, there was no line-up, and we had the gondola all to ourselves. The horizon was still misty and as our son peeked at the valley below, I asked if he could spot a grizzly bear. He simply said, “It’s too cloudy…and the bears are probably taking their naps because it’s nap time.”

When we reached the Blackcomb side, I asked my boys what they wanted to do. I told them about the two options available on Blackcomb Mountain – a gondola ride to the Upper Village and then a ten-minute walk to the Village Centre, or two short chair lift rides down, then a gondola ride that would take us directly to the Village Centre.

Our little boy was hell-bent on not taking any chair lift rides, so Option 2 was scrapped. But instead of going down Blackcomb, he instead suggested that we do a roundtrip, meaning, go on the Peak-to-Peak gondola once more to return to Whistler Mountain and then go down the gondola from that end. After all, he said, “There is no gondola like this at the Mont-Tremblant Resort.” Smart idea!

At The Village, we just went from shop to shop, and bought a couple of sweaters and some novelty items to take home to my husband’s family. We didn’t eat there, but we bought some ice cream and hot chocolate from Cow’s. Our little boy even fancied a cute stuffed cow, so we took that along as well. He named her, “Betsy.”

We left shortly and had our dinner instead when we reached Vancouver. I had a craving for peri-peri chicken, so I asked my husband to drive us to Nando’s restaurant in Burnaby that I used to frequent when I lived there. There is only one Nando’s outlet in Ottawa and since it was far from where we live, I hardly went.

On the way back to my aunt’s place, my husband said we should definitely go back to Whistler to hike…on a sunny day. And I added…in the EARLY morning next time!