On top of the Blackcomb Gondola with the Peak 2 Peak Gondola and Whistler Mountain in the background. Credit: Author

Report for August 7-12, 2023

My family loves mountain adventures both in the summer and the winter. Last summer we went to Jackson Hole. This summer we settled on going to Whistler, British Columbia.

I had been to Whistler over a half dozen times in my life, but I hadn’t been back since 2011. I quickly remembered why it is, in my opinion, one of the greatest places on earth for mountain recreation.

It was not typical summer weather as we had rain, clouds, and sun with overall cooler temperatures for the week.

The day we arrived before the rain set in. Credit: Author

That didn’t stop us from maximizing our time, and thankfully Whistler has so many activities, both indoor and outdoor that it’s impossible to be bored.

My kids are ages 11, 8, and 5, so most of our activities were geared toward them, but that didn’t mean the parents didn’t have fun.

Day 1

Our first day brought rain showers in the morning, but as they died down, we went for a bike ride to Lost Lake.

From there we ventured on into town and found two of our favorite spots on the trip, the Fitzsimmons Bike Skills Park, and the Skate Park.

Fitzsimmons Bike Skills Park. Credit: Author

The Fitzsimmons Bike Skills Park has a pump track, multiple jump lines of varying sizes, and technical line features.

The skate Park, in typical Whistler fashion, is top-rate. It is the second-largest skate park in Canada at over 50,000 square feet. It is well-built and super fun. We brought the kids scooters along with our bikes and we were glad we did.

Later that day, as the rain showers picked up, we drove over to the Meadow Park Sports Centre. For only about $25 USD, our whole family was able to ice skate, swim in the pool, and had access to a hot tub, steam room, sauna, gym, squash courts, and more. It was what my cousin would call a HOAD (hell of a deal).

Ice skating at Meadow Park Sports Centre. Credit: Author

Day 2

Given the rain showers on Tuesday, it was the perfect opportunity to ride the world-famous Whistler Bike Park with my boys on Wednesday. Some rain in the summer for mountain bikers is a lot like fresh powder for skiers. The rain cuts down the dust and makes the dirt grippy and fun. The conditions are just better.

Crammed in the gondola with our bikes. Credit: Author

This proved to be the favorite activity for my boys as the rain mostly held off and got partly sunny as the day went on.

Getting some air on the Una Mas trail. Credit: Author

I had been to the Whistler Bike Park 15 years earlier and it was nothing like I remember. The trails are so well built and have something for everyone. Our favorite run of the day was Crank It Up, which is a freeride jump trail.

There was less rain as the day went on. Blackcomb Mountain in the background. Credit: Author

Unfortunately, this year we had to load our bikes in the Whistler Gondola. In normal years, it is the open-air Fitzsimmons Express that whisks bikers to the top of the mountain. However, that lift is being upgraded to an eight-seater this summer. It is quite cumbersome to load bikes into the gondola, but it is short-term pain for long-term gain when the new Fitzsimmons lift opens, which will drastically increase uphill capacity.

Day 3

In the morning we headed back to the skate park for an early session, but the highlight of the day was the Family Adventure Zone.

Rock climbing at the Family Adventure Zone. Credit: Author

The Family Adventure Zone is located at the base of the Blackcomb Gondola and is perfect for kids ages 3 to 12. They have bungee trampolines, a bouncy castle, a ropes course, water rollerz, and more. The kids did them all.

Going high on the bungee trampoline. Credit: Author

The highlight of the zone however is the new Stacyc Bike Track. Stacyc (Stability Cycle) is an electric motorbike for ages 5-12. Kids can take a spin around a pump track of whoops and berms. It made me wish I wasn’t so old.

Riding the Stacyc course. Credit: Author

Day 4

Finally, the weather was clearing, so Friday seemed like a great day for upper mountain sightseeing. We rode the gondola to the top of Blackcomb Mountain. From there we enjoyed a hike before loading the Peak 2 Peak Gondola to take us to Whistler Mountain.

Riding the Peak 2 Peak Gondola from Blackcomb Mountain to Whistler Mountain. Credit: Author

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is an engineering masterpiece that connects the two mountains in only an 11-minute ride. It is the world’s longest unsupported lift of its kind as it spans 2.7 miles. It is also the highest lift, as it is 1,427 feet above the valley floor below.

Once on Whistler Mountain, we were able to hike down to take the Peak Express Chairlift up to the very top of Whistler Peak.

Riding the Peak Express, we could see the Skybridge. Credit: Author

This is where we experienced another engineering feat in the Cloudraker Skybridge and Raven’s Eye.

The Cloudraker Skybridge spans 130 meters from Whistler Peak to the West Ridge, crossing high above Whistler Bowl. The Raven’s Eye consists of a viewing platform with a cantilevered walkway that extends 12.5 meters out from the West Ridge. It has exhilarating 360° views well above Whistler Bowl.

I don’t recommend it if you are afraid of heights. Credit: Author

On our way back to Blackcomb Mountain, we were lucky enough to get one of only two cabins with a glass bottom all to ourselves.

The kids were excited to have the glass-bottom cabin. Credit: Author

Day 5

On our final full day, I woke up early and headed out for a solo mountain bike ride to some singletrack trails around Lost Lake. The sun wasn’t even up yet, so the forest was dark, and the air was cold.

My first trail had a long steep climb with switchbacks for the descent, which made me think I rode it in the reverse direction as intended. It got much better as the trail system delivered super fun flowy and technical trails.

This day also brought full-on sun and warmer temperatures, so we decided it would be a lake day.

We rode our bikes on the Valley Trail to Lakeside Park on Alta Lake. There we spent over three hours swimming, sunbathing, jumping off floating docks, and even renting a stand-up paddleboard.

A great day to be on the lake. Credit: Author

On our way back to Whistler Village, we picked up some Fat Tony’s pizzas and ate them along the Village Stroll.

There was so much more that we did including more trips to the skate park, bike park, pump track, going out for ice cream, and The Whistler Concert Series.

We probably could have spent a few more days at this amazing place. We are already talking about coming back. It would be hard to beat a place like Whistler for a family vacation.

Below is a video that I let iMovie create for me that highlights more of our trip. Thanks, Canada.