Whistler Blackcomb Is the Best Ski Resort In North America. Here's Why. 

THANK YOU!!

I’m headed there this week for the first time! Where should I head to get to these secret spots for the more advanced skiers?

@@RainTheYounglook for any snow, there's little to be found. Let everyone know when you find it.

I skied there once. It was actually May 1st. They only had the top of the mountain open but it was great. I thought the facilities and food were great. The scenery was gorgeous. What I thought was really cool is how the lift takes you to the top of the mountain. There is a lot of cool terrain there. The snow was very heavy.

@@RainTheYoung haha - that's a bit of a loaded question. The resort is HUGE. You're probably already done your trip, but hopefully this helps a bit for the next time... I'm a pass holder and have been skiing at this mountain all of my life. I'm still surprised when I find areas I've just either forgotten about, or just didn't know about. Plus, there is a whole new generation making goat track lines that didn't exist before, all as the upper limits of the sport progress. As the video states, you really need to try and follow the conditions. This year, snow coverage was lean at the start of the season and then a huge part of the base was wiped out by rain in late Jan (I can't imagine how bad the people who showed up had it for those 8 days - ug...). So, coverage is still thin. That being said, there have been at least 8 serious powder days so far this season and drifts can easily hit 30-40cm in certain areas. You have to explore and these locations can change every dump, just due to wind and weather conditions. What could be a foot+ of blower pow on one dump, might be crusty and wind affected a different day. If the day is really busy, try and stay off the most popular lifts. These are for sure 7th Heaven on Blackcomb (probably the MOST busy) and The Peak Chair and Harmony on Whistler. For sure, they offer the best access to the best alpine terrain and people will camp those lifts before they open to get the first chair rides up. You either wait at the start and ski fresh tracks or wait later and ski crud. Overall, this review is pretty damn accurate. I would add the following: -since Vail's purchase, food quality has taken a serious nose dive. This is probably the single biggest downside from Vail purchasing the mountain. -Prices are up - day tickets are just insane. Vail doesn't give a sh!t about local skiers - it's all about funneling max profits to shareholders. -Grooming can be extensive, but long time locals complain that the overall quality of grooming has descreased. -And crowds. You have to know how to deal with them. If it's puking on the mountain, you need to either: a) get there super early or, b) just plan to upload mid / late morning and either find secret stashes or have fun skiing crud (which can still be awesome). Stay off the most obvious runs during powder days and don't be afraid to explore. On the deepest days, most people will hit the same lines: explore and maybe hang a right or a left when everyone else goes straight. Have Fun!

It’s really wild - lift ticket prices increased by ~35% vs. last year alone!

Back when Hugh Smythe was running blackcomb and competing against whistler in the legendary rivalry that built the mountains. Hugh said that you could ride free if you made it mid mountain, there would be no lift pass checks. So there would be like a thousand people hiking up everyday lolol, looked like a giant Himalayan mountain trek. When whistler was a community ran by the community it was a special place. Vail has definitely changed the vibe.

same here. went almost 20 years ago for my first ever snow + ski/sb experience. didnt realize how lucky i was until many years later. hopefully ill have the chance to go back at some point now that i have some experience.

You should visit Verbier , Switzerland . It is bigger thand Whisler , better modern lifts , and the largest ski station in the world . Whisler is nothing next to Verbier . I am canadian and from Montreal , it is easier to fly to Verbier , Switzerland for the same time , cheaper and better quality of ski stations , cleaner hotel , better food and so much cultural ... Nothing cultural in British Colombia .

@@user-iw4jl6bc8h I don't like the alps mountais i've skiid as much, and i refuse to give switzerland any of my money specifically

Hi, I'm thinking of doing the same, how was finding accommodation? I heard it can be pretty bad

If you work for the mountain, you get cheap accommodations, like ridiculously cheap, but they’re definitely not the best. Shared rooms, tiny, cold at times. But it’s right on the mountain and you’ll meet some interesting people so it’s worth it if you have a high tolerance for tomfoolery

I live in Vancouver and know a few other folks who skied at whistler once and fell in love with it so much that they moved here in the 90’s. I don’t think any other ski resort in the world can claim that!

Doh!!!

Whistler Mountain used to be named London Mountain because of the fog.

I feel so sorry for you. The 8 days at the end of January were absolutely brutal: 5C and torrential downpours. 35-40cm of snow base was melted away. It's been a challenging season and climate change for sure is contributing to this. Fortunately, there have been several amazing Pow days as well, including a couple of massive dump blue bird days. Sorry you missed those.

Whistler-Blackcomb are awesome mountains with spectacular terrain, but also unbelievably busy with poor lift logistics and marginal snow quality. If we're considering ranking based on "on it's best day" I get it. But on an average day Whistler is kind of brutal.

If I'm going to make one big ski trip a year, book in advance for thousands of dollars, I'd easily choose Alta, Aspen, Revelstoke, etc.. before Whistler.

@@jeffreyk4345 its not worth going on the weekends anymore, that alone makes it impossible to rank as a top resort

Funny, I went to WB last January, all non-holiday weekdays, and never waited more than 2 minutes to catch a lift. Did you go during March when different provinces have school breaks?

I hope you had fun despite the crummy weather!

Thank you!

Big white/silverstar are the best value proposition resort experience in North america imo.

@@dootdoot1867 Haven't been the Silverstar, but I was really impressed by Big White although we did get Big White Out for most of the 10 days we were there.

@@bigslydoc If you have the time I'd do all three of Sun Peaks, Big White, and Silver Star all are great mountains with close proximity. I'd also throw Revelstoke in there but its a bit further.

I’ve skied every major resort in North America (western NA) and IMO whistler and altabird are at the top of the league table.

Never been to whistler but AltaBird is life changing

@@randomsockpuppet Soon as I have the money... and maybe in a season or two, once I'm better at skiing and more confident on double diamonds... I'm definitely going for a week trip.

@@josiahsimmons9866 that’s exactly how I feel about Jackson- it’s an ultimate bucket list item for me, but I’d rather wait until I’m good enough to get the most out of the mountain before I go

Stratton is coming soon!

thx!!

Thank you Ryan!

You have to watch the weather. But if you hit it on the right days WB is insanely good

@@dhowe5180 Just like a lot of west coast ski resorts. Just hope a warm air mass from the pacific doesn't come in on the days you're planning to ski.

Imo Whistlers terrain is so good it makes up for it, I’ve skiied Les Trois Valles in France and WB is still my favorite mountain period, imo it’s that good

Thanks for the comment! If snow quality and weather consistency are your priorities, there are better options out there.

⁠​⁠​⁠@@PeakRankingsI’ve started to use a personal weighting system where certain categories don’t exist. Facilities mean nothing to me as I’m there to ski and not eat $20 hamburgers and navigation can be figured out if it’s worthwhile. It’s the first five categories that I focus on. Snow/resiliency are mostly what I care about. I love Telluride and Crested Butte but rarely go because it’s hard to plan for months in advance since there may be an off year. Where WBC seems to stand out is lifts. Getting a 10 is something I may have to see for myself. From this list Lake Louise and Snowbird would be my standouts. Going to have to put LL on my bucket list.

Try Japan

Telluride gives WB a run for its money on scenery especially on the surrounding highways towards Ouray or to the south towards Cortez. Nothing beats Lk louise tho (at least in North America)

Personally, I think the drive to Lake Louise, or sunshine is nicer and easier drive

You want to go wait in long lines, whistler blackcomb is the place to go!

Chamonix isn't very big, but it's an epic resort for hot skiers if the conditions are good. For large resorts, Val d'Isere/Tignes and the 3 Valleys are the ones to compare.

Have you been to Telluride?

@@user-fb9jy8rk7j yes I skied there in 2021. Awesome mountain and town with incredible views.

Thanks Michael! Powder Mountain’s 8,400-acre footprint claim is significantly misleading, as 3,200 of those acres are not open to the public (only accessible via guided tours) and an additional 2,000 acres are not lift served. So in reality, Whistler is a lot bigger.

I guess there is some trickery in play. Some ski mountains are more tricky than others, especially when ity comes to reporting snowfall.@@PeakRankings

You can ski the whole 5600 foot vertical at revelstoke in one go. I’ve done it. I think it can be done at whistler as well although it might me trickier to link runs. Re acreage, most ski areas measure it by their permitted acreage which is usually more than what they actually use.

@@dhowe5180 Easy to link top to bottom runs on WB: with three different bases, there are many ways to get from the alpine to the different areas of the village.

it may not be the best quality but the base is usually deep and it snows all season not unusual to get snow in March

@@keithscothern3398 not usual to get snow in April / May! Last year, two massive dumps late April and early May!

Thats the case in all of the west

I learned how to ski for real there. I wish I remembered the instructors name. He taught us hooligans, completely out of our element, how to ski backcountry. Parents were terrified when we told them what we'd been doing all day (in his defense, we begged nonstop for like three days before he finally let us do it).

My son absolutely loves Whistler Kids in Creekside!

We said “snow quality” lol

🤣

Let me save everyone some time. Perpetual long lines, 720 feet of vertical takes 2 minutes to ski down, half the people who go there can't ski/board well, unvarying and boring terrain, man made snow quickly turns to sheets of ice, and ski passes cost more than at Whistler (excluding regular lift tickets). Why bother making a video about such an unremarkable ski destination?

@@KolendoTV facts

They closed the horstman T bar, not showcase

Showcase was last operated & closed at 2:46pm Sunday, Apr 16, 2023. They close it due to avalanche activity in the Spring, but I assure you it will be open again this season when weather permits. You can also hike into Blackcomb glacier when it's closed, but you need to have a trip plan & avy gear.

Ohh my bad. The first thing i saw on the map image was the showcase when he mentioned t bar and i jumped. Thx for clarifying

& it's crowded...

I got 6 days at Whistler in late January last year for $415 and everything is basically 25% off in Canada if you’re coming from US with the exchange rate so not sure what your point is.

@@alabmourdinson2131 my point is that for the same six days skiing at whistler, the price on their website is just under $1200 US. That’s almost three times the cost of Ski Arlberg in Austria. And I’m comparing one of the most expensive resorts in Europe to Whistler, which is not one of the most expensive in North America. It is a shame that skiing here is so ridiculously expensive

No, with the most minor amount of planning where you buy a 6 day pass that you can use any days at Whistler it's ~$400. Or you can just buy the epic pass for $900 and ski as many days as you want. Yeah you're right though about one thing - if you want to act like a total gorb (which seems to be your mindset) oblivious to Vail/Alterra business model then you can just pay the in season window ticket prices and get your head busted. @@ajf0092

Really? Bad/long? What time of year?