WHISTLER/ BLACKCOMB
BRITISH COLUMBIA
This year marks the completion of a longawaited upgrade to the lift system at North America’s largest resort, at 8,171 acres. Among the recent changes is a new gondola up Blackcomb Mountain, which eliminated a primary bottleneck, making it a cinch to shred the resort’s 419 inches of annual snowfall.
IT’S WORTH IT TO SPLURGE ON LODGING: If you’re flying to Whistler from afar, make it easy on yourself by staying at the Fairmont, at the base of Blackcomb Mountain. It’s spendy, but the lift is directly out the lobby door, and the lines here are way shorter, thanks to Blackcomb’s new gondola. Also, the Mallard Lounge, inside the hotel, is where locals hang out post-ski, so you know it’s good. Plus, the complimentary cars will take you anywhere in town.
SEE A NEW KIND OF NORTHERN LIGHTS: Last summer, the visual arts company Moment Factory, which has created shows for the likes of Madonna and Arcade Fire, installed Vallea Lumina, a multimedia light show in the woods outside town. “We’re all pretty excited about it,” says
Max Issac, who’s worked in Whistler for nearly two decades. “The experience is inspired by old mystery tales and takes you on a walk through our oldgrowth forests. It’s great.” And if that description sounds delightfully, well...half-baked, just wait until you see the show.
ROMANCE THE HUT: One of the mountain’s overlooked opportunities is Blackcomb Snowmobile’s “mountain fondue.” Essentially, you get to drive a snowmobile (or ride in a heated snowcat) to a backcountry hut, where you gorge on fondue. It sounds contrived, but after an evening ride, melted cheese will never taste better.