Home Vancouver’s Lower Mainland Ski Hills Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort

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 2023/2024 ski season on November 23rd.

 


This article contains information about the following topics:

Whistler Blackcomb in Winter | Current Ski Conditions | Ski Ticket Rates | Edge Card and Day Passes | Ski Season Histories | Whistler on Family Day | Whistler Blackcomb in Summer | 360-Degree Photo | Other Information


 

Whistler Blackcomb in Winter

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

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. 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.

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.

 

Whistler Ski Conditions

As of March 18th, 2024, there has been 876 cm of snowfall so far during the 2023/2024 season. 235 cm remained at the base. There was 52 cm in the previous 7 days (with 0 cm over the previous 48 hours). In the morning it was -1 degree in the Village with sunny skies.

 

Pinnacle Hotel Whistler Village

Whistler Hilton Resort and Spa

 

Winter Ski Ticket Rates

Tickets typically include access to both mountains, and passes used to 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. For the 2023/24 season, a one-day pass on the day can cost up to about $299!

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

 

2023/2024 Ticket Rates

Below are the approximate price ranges for dates in December 2023 and January 2024. These prices are the amounts posted online. The further in advance you buy them the cheaper they are.

  • Adults (ages 19-64) – $229 to $269
  • Seniors (ages 65+) – $206 to $242
  • Youth (ages 13-18) – $195 to $229
  • Children (ages 7-12) – $115 to $135

 

Edge Card/Whistler Blackcomb Day Pass

Each year Whistler offers its Edge Card. This card is for residents of Canada and Washington State. It provides guests with mountain access for two, five or 10 days. When purchasing, folks 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 folks 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 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 folks to ski and snowboard exclusively at Whistler Blackcomb anywhere from one 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 Blackcomb Ski Season Histories

The 2023/24 ski season started on November 23rd. The 2022/2023 season, meanwhile, began on November 24th and came to an end on April 16th. 881 cm of snowfall was reported for that season.

The ski hill closed for the 2021/2022 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 2020/2021 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 2020/2021 ski season for both Whistler and Blackcomb. The 2021/2022 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.

 

Peak of Whistler in Summer

 

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 for 2024 are listed below.

  • Children under the age of 13 can snowmobile for free when accompanied by a paying adult with The Adventure Group.
  • Free entertainment takes place outdoors on the Sunday.
  • Nordic skiing and snowshoeing day tickets are available at discounted rates.
  • Children (ages 12 and under) travel on Whistler Transit buses for free.
  • Other deals for Family Day include discounts on ski and snowboard rentals, ziplining tours and ice fishing.

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 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 2 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 2 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

 

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.

 

 

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.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: