Whistler 04-05/09/2025
The tourist centre of Whistler was originally the 2010 Olympic Village, so most of the buildings are very similar. Much of the centre was pedestrianised and it was pleasant walking around with no cars.
There was some interesting street art around
And there was a stream running through the centre of town, which had sculptures and seats along its length.
And the smoke caught up with us again, giving another dramatic dawn.
This was the only day when the smoke had a significant negative impact on our holiday. The air quality was 10 (normally found in a very polluted big city with a lot of traffic). Not only was there smoke in the atmosphere, you could taste it. The smoke limited the visibility on the mountains, so we did not get the great views. There was health advice to limit physical activity, so we did not walk as far as we would have done.
We spent most of the in the mountains on the Peak to Peak gondola.
This is a wonder of engineering and an amazing trip.
First there was a cable cars from the town up one of the two mountains (Blackcomb and Whistler) which took about 20 minutes.
Then onto the Peak to Peak Gondola. which took 11 minutes.
This is the longest unsupported span (3km between towers)
and the highest cable car (436m) above the ground.
Its a long way down!
Then the 130m Cloudraker Skybridge.
A better view of the drop!
After crossing the bridge it's onto the Ravens Nest Viewpoint, which extends 12.5m out from the cliff.
The bridge was supposed to be one way, with the return via a mountain path. There were brief glimpses of the valley floor.
But most of the time, the view disappeared into the smoke.
Then it was back down.
The Chair lift seemed a whole lot steeper on the way down!
I do like these Olympic Rings with the skybridge in the middle circle.
Then past the bear, into the cafe, a great place to watch the smoke!
Then a short walk to Harmony Lake.
Much of the year, the landscape will look flat under a thick blanket of snow, but in summer, there is an air of desolation about the mountain tops.
After the return trip on the Peak to Peak. It was really strange riding in the gondola, then getting off at a similar altitude on another mountain.
We walked the Alpine Trail, which was among the boulders.
We did get a clear view of Blackcomb Mountain, which had been a vague outline from the skybridge.
Of course, there were small furry animals, marmots?
Then back into Whistler.
Running through the centre of town is a stream fed from snow melt, which gives it a very striking colour.
Along the banks are seats to sit and watch the world go by.
On the handrails of the bridges, there were a variety of artworks.
And all around the centre there were various artworks
The sunset was dramatic
Our last view of Whistler.
Most of the centre was the same basic design as the buildings over the road from our hotel.
When we booked the tour, we had expected the trip to the ferry would be a little more than an hour with a couple of stops. Due to lane closures for a bike ride from Vancouver to Whistler, and an accident, it took close to three hours.
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