Whistler

 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 there is a short walk to the Peak Chairlift, which takes around 8 minutes to reach the mountain peak at 2183 metres.  

Then the 130m Cloudraker Skybridge.   

Crossing the bridge is a bit disconcerting - it's a metal grid floor and a long way down.

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!

And the walk back to the Peak to Peak gondola was the hardest of the day!

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. 

And in the other direction, a view of some of the ski runs

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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Jasper and Maligne Lake

 Jasper and Maligne Lake 02/09/2025

We were booked on the 09:00 boat trip on Maligne Lake, and left the hotel at about 07:30.

After passing a family of deer at the edge of town, attention turned to the sunrise. 

Medicine Lake Viewpoint

Medicine Lake

A few minutes later the sun had risen above the peaks and the reflections on the lake were magnificent.

Then it was onwards to Maligne Lake. The first view was the mist still clinging to the water.

The Lake had a fairy tale feel about it

Being on the lake early, meant there waters were not disturbed so the reflections were sublime.

 

The most stunning view was when passing the snow field

Which when we were closer did look dramatic

The boat trip went as far as Spirit Island.

We were able to get of the boat for around 15 minutes to get a better look.

The obligatory wake photograph.

There was a hazyness which obscured the more distant peaks throughout.

Heading back from Maligne Lake we saw traffic

Maligne Overview

Maligne Canyon was closed because of the wildfires, which burned approximately 125 square miles of forest.  

We could see along the roadside and more so when we stopped there was so much colour among the devastation from wild flower growth.

Pyramid Lake

We then picked up a picnic and headed for Pyramid Lake.

But although it was a sunny day the haze, blurred out the mountain.

We then parked up, and had a wander round Jasper and had a few drinks.

I think we both preferred Jasper to Banff.  There were tourist shops, but these were mixed in with shops supplying a small town.  The bars were also cheaper.

When the sun was low the haze took on an eerie glow.

We are used to seeing Canadian Geese at the local bird sanctuary.  We were watching these as a very long train passed them and they did not react at all.

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