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Tags: Whistler Field Trip / Whistler Blackcomb / 2010 Olympics / Olympics Travel / → All Tags

Looking Ahead To The 2010 Vancouver Olympics

In exactly 392 days, The 2010 Winter Olympics will return to North America, and Whistler Blackcomb is the site of many ski, snowboard and other winter events, as well as events in the Paralympics. But this isn't the Whistler Olympics. Several events will be held in Vancouver proper. After the jump is a round-up of what's going on where.

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Tags: Whistler Field Trip / Nightlife / Whistler Blackcomb / → All Tags

Hanging Out At Night In Whistler

Juliana just took a field trip to the Winter Wonderland that is Whistler in British Columbia, Canada. All this week she'll be reporting back on what to do there this ski season. Remember this place will be jammed up for the Winter Olympics in 2010, so you might want to go now or wait until 2011. Any questions? Let us know.

Now that you've arrived in Whistler, skied the mountains and achieved the ultimate wilderness rush, it's time to remove your neck warmer and let your hair out of that ski cap. Fortunately, Whistler appreciates apres ski drinks as much as we do and there are just as many bars as there are ski rental shops in the village.

The Whistler Village is actually split into two different parts--upper and lower. The upper part houses the Fairmont and Four Seasons hotels and a handful of restaurants. But the lower village is where the all the action happens.

We treated ourselves to a fancy Italian dinner the second night of our trip at Il Caminetto Di Umberto. Their pastas are the best dishes on the menu. Whether it's a weekend or a weekday, make a reservation: The place is extremely popular.

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Is Snowmobiling The Ultimate Wilderness Rush?

Juliana just took a field trip to the Winter Wonderland that is Whistler in British Columbia, Canada. All this week she'll be reporting back on what to do there this ski season. Remember this place will be jammed up for the Winter Olympics in 2010, so you might want to go now or wait until 2011. Any questions? Let us know.

There are a ton of other things to do in Whistler besides skiing and snowboarding. (And we're not talking about throwing back Molsons at one of the village bars either.) While we were a little too chicken to try the Whistler Zip Line, we did muster up the courage to go snowmobiling. That's us filming on the back of the bike.

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Skiing The Whistler Blackcomb Mountains

Juliana just took a field trip to the Winter Wonderland that is Whistler in British Columbia, Canada. All this week she'll be reporting back on what to do there this ski season. Remember this place will be jammed up for the Winter Olympics in 2010, so you might want to go now or wait until 2011. Any questions? Let us know.

Just because Whistler is in the Great White North where people are practically born on skis or skates--and the snow is seemingly endless--doesn't mean that only expert skiers need apply. Everyone can ski Whistler.

If you have your own equipment then you're good to go. If not, stand in the middle of Whistler village, close your eyes and point your finger. There's a good chance you will be pointing at a rental shop.

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Tags: Whistler Field Trip / Ski Resorts / Canada Travel / Whistler Blackcomb / → All Tags

Getting To Whistler Before The Olympics Mania Begins

Juliana just took a field trip to the Winter Wonderland that is Whistler in British Columbia, Canada. All this week she'll be reporting back on what to do there this ski season. Remember this place will be jammed up for the Winter Olympics in 2010, so you might want to go now or wait until 2011. Any questions? Let us know.

As is the case for most ski mountains, getting to Whistler Blackcomb is not easy. Vancouver International is the closest airport but the mountains are still about two hours away. We took a United/Sky West jet from Los Angeles which cost around $275, not including the $15 baggage fee for our first checked bag.

The flight was about three hours long and the plane was small, with two-by-two seats in each row of the CRJ700. The ride was "surprisingly smooth," according to our flight attendant who said the flight is usually much bumpier. That's not to say there wasn't any turbulence. If you forgot your Xanax, the $6 Chardonnay will also do the trick in calming your nerves.

Once we landed, we blew through customs (it was 11 pm), grabbed our bags and schlepped to the rental car area. This is the most popular way to get to Whistler, though taking the bus is much cheaper. We round up both options after the jump.

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Whistler Gondola Collapse Traps 53 In Mid-Air

After a support tower snapped in half at about 2:30 pm Tuesday, 30 gondola cars on Whistler's Excalibur lift were stuck in mid-air, most dangling about 30 feet above the ground, including one perilously stuck over a frigid creek. At least 13 people suffered minor injuries, but a crane was quickly brought in to stabilize the lift as skiers were rescued one-by-one by fire truck ladder. Everyone was safely back on the ground by 6 pm.

The lift, which was built in 1994, gets a safety check every year, Whistler says. Tuesday night and into this morning, mountain staff and British Columbia Safety Authority officials were out rechecking every lift at the resort. While skiing is scheduled to resume as usual today, the Excalibur lift will remain closed.

What caused the failure? Whistler's latest statement:

Several factors converged to cause the tower failure. The structure of the tower is such that two parts are spliced together. Water had seeped into the tower which had turned to ice with the recent extreme cold temperatures. The ice build-up caused the tower splice to rupture, an extremely unusual situation referred to as "ice-jacking."

But there's still one very, uh, urgent question that remains unanswered: What happens if you need to hit the head while stuck on a ski lift for more than three hours?

Related Stories:
· Whistler Blackcomb Operations to Resume Following BC Safety Authority Secondary Inspection [Official Site]
· Gondola Tower Collapses at Whistler [AP, via MSNBC]

[Photo: somenice]

Tags: Ski-Resorts-in-Summer / Whistler Blackcomb / Canada Travel / Adventure Travel / Ski Resorts / Summer Travel / Animals / Bears / → All Tags

Ski Resorts in Summer: Safely Seeing Bears

We love that scene in "The Great Outdoors" when John Candy takes the kids to the dump to watch the bears feed off garbage. Things start getting a little out hand after the bears mount the hood of their car, remember? Funny, sure, but it's not necessarily the way we'd go about bear watching. Luckily the folks at Whistler/Blackcomb resort have come up with a better way to do some wildlife spotting.

Bear expert Michael Allen has been studying the animals in British Columbia for the last 15 years. His work with bears has been internationally recognized, and he's the host of the BBC's Natural World program "In the Company of Bears." For $190, Mike will take you out at sunset--in a 4x4 and on foot--to see bears in their natural habitat without having to worry about being disemboweled or otherwise maimed.

You'll drive and walk through old growth Hemlock forests and high-alpine meadows to see bear dens, bear daybeds and--if you're lucky--a mother and cub playing together. Something this precious is usually only reserved for the fronts of Hallmark sympathy cards, so steel your nerves to fend off the tears.

Related Stories:
· Whistler Bear Viewing tours [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kradlum]