Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort

Whistler-Blackcomb

Whistler-Blackcomb is western Canada’s premier ski resort, home to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and a best place for skiing and snowboarding.

For details specifically about the resort town, see our article about Whistler Village. To learn more about the ski hill in winter (and the summer), continue reading. To find out what the snow and terrain conditions are like currently, click Whistler Ski Conditions.

Whistler opened for the 2022/23 ski season on November 24th.

This article contains information about the following topics:

Peak of Whistler in Summer

Current Whistler Ski Conditions

As of March 20th, 2023, there has been 725 cm of snowfall this winter with 22 cm in the past 7 days (including 0 cm over the past 24 hours). 228 cm remains at the base. The resort also reported -2 degrees with wet flurries at alpine levels and 0 degrees with a chance of showers or flurries in the village.

Whistler-Blackcomb in Winter

Whistler and Blackcomb are two ski mountains located right next to each other. Between them they offer over 200 runs and over 8,000 acres of terrain.

The ski hills are in the beautiful resort town of Whistler, less than two hours from Vancouver in good driving conditions.

The ski hills have runs for all levels, from total beginners to world-champion skiers and snowboarders. The resort’s terrain parks are also impressive.

In 2017, based on a poll it conducted with Snow Park Technologies, Newschoolers, which many consider the world’s top skiing website, named Whistler-Blackcomb the #1 terrain park in the entire Northwest region of Canada and the United States! In number three position was Grouse Mountain.

The ski hill closed for the 2021/22 season on May 23rd. The mountain reported 195 cm of snow at the base as of May 17th and 1,149 cm for the whole season.

The 2020/21 ski season at Whistler Mountain was expected to run until May 24th, 2021. Blackcomb Mountain, meanwhile, was expected to operate only until April 18th, 2021. On March 29th, however, BC Health Authorities announced the temporary closure of the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort due to COVID-19. As a result, March 29th was the final day of the 2020/21 ski season for both Whistler and Blackcomb. The 2021/22 season was not cut short and ended on May 23rd, 2022. On that day there had been 1,149 cm of snowfall for the season with 195 cm remaining at the base.

The 2022/23 ski season began on November 24th.

Whistler-Blackcomb is a huge resort, so there is no worry about getting bored or not finding new runs to explore, unless you ski for several days.

360-Degree Photo

To give you an idea of what Whistler looks like in winter at the base of the hill, check out the following photo. It’s a 360-degree photo which means you can swipe it from side to side to see all around. If you click the + and – buttons you can also zoom in and out.

Winter Ski Ticket Rates

Tickets typically include access to both mountains, and passes go for between about $160 to $200 (plus or minus a few dollars) per day for adults online, depending on how far in advance you book them. Tickets are available at the resort, but it’s recommended that you buy them in advance online.

Online and phone-ordered lift ticket prices vary throughout the season and are most expensive over the Christmas season which is from around December 21st until the first weekend in January. They are cheapest up until mid-December and in the late spring.

Ticket prices are also less the more days you ski. And if you plan to ski regularly then further discounts are available through the Edge Card where you prepay for tickets at a reduced rate, plus qualify for a wide range of additional discounts including subsequent days of skiing. (Note: Edge Cards can usually only be purchased up until the beginning of December.)

Tickets are also sometimes available at a fairly good points-to-dollar exchange rate (especially for Gold members) through the Air Miles program.

Whistler Mountains in Winter

2022/23 Ticket Rates

Below are the approximate price ranges for dates in December 2022 and January 2023. These prices are the amounts posted online. The further in advance you buy them the cheaper they are.

Adults (ages 19-64) – $167 to $211
Seniors (ages 65+) – $150 to $190
Youth (ages 13-18) – $142 to $178
Children (ages 7-12) – $84 to $106

Edge Card/Whistler Blackcomb Day Pass

Each year Whistler offers their Edge Card. This card is for residents of Canada and Washington State. It provides guests with mountain access for 2, 5 or 10 days. When purchasing, folk can choose either a restricted or unrestricted Edge Card.

The restricted card offers the same benefits as the unrestricted one except that it’s not available for use on select days during peak season and holidays. The Edge Card also offers folk the option to use a portion of their days purchased at one of Vail Resorts’ other owned mountains.

For rates and other details regarding the Edge Card for the 2022/23 season visit the Whistler Blackcomb Seasons Passes page. (Note: As already mentioned above, you can usually only buy Edge Cards up until early December.)

The Whistler Blackcomb Day Pass was a new option for the 2020/2021 season. It allows folk to ski and snowboard exclusively at Whistler Blackcomb anywhere from 1 to 10 days. Similar to the Edge Card, the Day Pass also allows skiers to choose between restricted or unrestricted passes. Click Whistler Blackcomb Day Pass to learn more.

For both of the passes listed above, days purchased can be used either consecutively or spread out throughout the season. The discount for each pass increases with the amount of days purchased.

Whistler on Family Day

Whistler usually offers special activities and discounts on the holiday Monday of the Family Day Long Weekend in mid-February. Special deals from 2020 are listed below. Not as much happened in 2022, unfortunately.

Children under the age of 13 can snowmobile for free when accompanied by a paying adult with The Adventure Group.
Ice skating at the Whistler Olympic Plaza is free!
Free entertainment takes place in the plaza from 3:00 until 6:00 pm on the Holiday Monday.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing day tickets are half price at Whistler Olympic Park.
Note: Up to three children (ages 12 and under) can travel on public transit buses for free when accompanied by a full-fare paying adult at Whistler. This is always the case – not just on the Family Day Holiday Monday.
Other deals for family day include discounts on ski and snowboard rentals, ziplining tours and eagle viewing tours.

Check out the Whistler Village Website for more details.

Whistler Peak to Peak Patio

Whistler-Blackcomb in Summer

Whistler is equally as exciting in the summer as it is in the winter. Summer is when people are hiking the trails and mountain bikers from the around the world test out some of the best downhill biking trails anywhere.

The chair lifts still operate in the summer, taking mountain bikers up to the tops of the trails with their bikes, and tourists and hikers to the mountains’ peaks.

Speaking of peaks, Whistler’s Peak-to-Peak gondola takes passengers from near the top of Whistler to the top of Blackcomb year-round.

The gondola ride is an amazing trip, with world-class views from the tops of both mountains. At the top of both ends of the gondola are restaurants, a shop and observation areas from which to continue admiring the views.

TIP: We recommend the Peak-to-Peak Gondola anytime of the year, except for when it is very windy – at which times it’s not the most fun.

For information about another fun activity that takes place both in the summer and year-round, see our article about Ziplining in Whistler.

Peak to Peak Gondolas — Peak to Peak Gondola

Other Information

Click Lower Mainland Ski Hills for general information on other ski hills in the area (including a comparison of the different mountains). To find out what’s outside Whistler itself, but in the surrounding area, click Whistler Area.

For more information about the resort, check out the official Whistler website or visit WhatToDoInWhistler.ca.

To learn about events in the area see Whistler’s Calendar of Events.

If you’re from the Lower Mainland and are looking for a place to buy used equipment, click Vancouver Ski Swaps.

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