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Ski Whistler Accommodation
Book your Whistler ski accommodation direct with owners chalet apartment or hotel.
Whistler started as a ski area in 1965 with the 'village' consisting of a few ramshackle buildings in what is now called Whistler Creek, a few miles from Whistler proper. It catered largely for day skiers from Vancouver. Whistler village was built in the late 1970s on the site of what used to be the area's rubbish tip. Blackcomb village was developed in the 1980s. Both are traffic-free. The architecture is varied and, for purpose-built resorts, quite tasteful.
There are lots of chalet-style apartments built on the hillsides. The centres have individually designed wooden and concrete buildings, blended together in a master plan and built around a series of squares. There are no monstrous high-rise blocks. But there are a lot of large five- or six-storey hotel and apartment buildings. The Japanese like the resort so much that they've bought up a substantial properties.
Whistler is the main resort, with nearly all the bars, restaurants and shops. It is built around two main squares - one at the base of the gondola and the other, the Village Square, a two-minute stroll away. Whistler North is being developed on the edge of the central area. Blackcomb is much smaller and quieter with a limited range of shops and restaurants. Its 343-room Chateau Whistler hotel, built in true chateau style, dominates the views down into the village from the mountain. Whistler Creek, a ten-minute bus-ride from the main Whistler village, is rather out on a limb with limited nightlife and eating and drinking places, though there are plans to develop it further. There is a free bus service between Whistler and Blackcomb, with fares charged for going further out. But if you're staying centrally it's just as quick to walk between the two.
- The biggest ski area in North America, with the largest vertical drop of over 1600m
- Spectacular 'Alpine' scenery with lots of ski-anywhere' above-the-tree-line skiing
- Good skiing for all standards
- Sea to Sky coast road from Vancouver is one of the most beautiful approaches to any ski resort in the world
- Modern pedestrian-ised resort built in pleasant 'West Coast' style with varied architecture
