For the casual holiday maker it won't be hard to find a package deal to this resort although I have a funny feeling that you'll have a tough time finding any accommodation during the olympics (unless you're a millionaire..). In general- other than a few hostels- finding short term places to stay will be a pricey affair so if you're going on a short break you'd better dig deep.

 

The backcountry skiing is amazing at Whistler, as there is a lot of steep wilderness out there and plenty of it isn't too far's walk from the lifts. The wet coastal snow tends to stick to some seriously steep stuff so if you want the gnar you can definately find it. Possibly the best part though is that you don't actually have to go backcountry to get those awesome lines. There is just so much good, long and potentialy hardcore terrain within the bounds of the ski area that you don't really need to do any hiking if you don't want to. One small tip: don't get lost in the forest as this can be a very serious mistake!

 

So you've heard that Whistler is the place to be? Well how feasible is it to do a season there....

 

First off lets mention season pass cost- it's gonna cost you $1500 at the early bird rate (usually mid October) to get your unlimited pass. This is definately the option to go for in my opinion...

 

Accommodation is a real stinger unless you land a job with that thrown in (we'll come to that in a minute). It's very difficult to find an affordable place to stay for a season in whistler. There are hostels which may allow long term stays, but other than that you'll be lucky to find somewhere at all and you can expect to pay $600 a month and probably still have to share a room. This all applies unless of course "you know someone". Sometimes it pays to make friends in high places!

 

Jobs should be reasonably easy to come by if you have a valid work visa and you get onto the scene early enough: if you arrive after the start of November then you might find it quite tricky. Intrawest (the company that owns just about everything in Whistler) runs a job fair somewhere near the end of October. This event would be a good time to get a job

 

You may have seen the Whistler terrain park in the movies.... you may have. The main park is on Blackcomb mountain and has plenty of great features, in fact I would go far as to say they are "Cawabungus". But...but... On those perfect bluebird park days the place is absolutely rammed and it can get quite frustrating- there's definately no shortage of attitude either... Luckily there are so many natural hits, drops and tree jibs around the place that you should always be able to find something cool to session.

 

Is the awesome terrain- from steep stuff, natural hits, park, pipe, back country, trees to those sweet long, wide groomers where you can really just go wherever you want. Maybe more important than the terrain though, is the standard of skiing (rippage if you prefer) and enthusiam which give the slopes a special vibe which is common of many North American resorts but almost non existant in Europe. You can't beat a good old stampede when the lifts open on a powder day; gettin heckled to drop that cliff ("drop it you pansy!"); or gettin burned by some old timer with a beard an a set of 210 telemarkers. It's also very easy to chill out too. At the end of each day we would race down the vertical mile's worth of downhill from the top of Whistler Peak to Creekside Village. Then its time for wedges and beers at Dusty's- not a bad existance really. If you are unfortunate enough to have kids...I think they'd probably love it: for a start you could spend all day just adventuring through trees right next to the pristine groomers. You could also spen all day riding in an enclosed cable car/gondola if the weather is cold and nasty.

 

It is busy and it can be grey grey grey. With the olympics coming and two large cities (Seattle and Vancouver) within 4 hours drive of the resort, the word is on the street and the slopes are getting quite crowded. Or rather, the lift lines, are getting crowded- the mountains are just so big that you can always find space (not in the park on a sunny day you won't). Being on the west cost of Canada means that there are often a lot of clouds in the sky and skiing in almost zero visibility is a fairly common occurance. The upside of course, is that refuge in the amazing tree skiing can often turn a wheezy blizzard day into a steamy lizzard day (ssssssssss!).

 

Whistler is a great place to do a season because there's so much kick ass terrain and so many kick ass skiers. The social scene is big and bouncing and you should be able to able to find work (if you've got a visa and you get there early- pre November) although a place to sleep might be tricky or wallet killing. Just get drunk every night and sleep in your car- you'll be fine!!.

 

If you're visiting on a short term holiday then weather and crowds are a serious issue. If I were you I definately wouldn't write it off though: instead why not go on a late season mission (end March onwards). You'll likely get decent snow, fewer people and a good chance of sunshine. The Telus World Ski Invitational event at the end of season is usually a really kick ass event to see. If you've never seen professional tricksters doing their thing, its a great chance to let your jaw drop (The big air comp gets a bit dull though- go watch the half pipe, trust me!!).