comScore pixel
Whistler Blackcomb resort snow
Lat Long: 50.11° N 122.95° W
Ski Canada - BC

Whistler Blackcomb Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Whistler Blackcomb at 1480 m altitude

Issued: 10 pm 12 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Whistler Blackcomb: 0.4 cm on Wed 13th  (after 9 PM)

Visitor reviews for Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort

Whistler Blackcomb Ratings

Overall: 3.9. Based on 269 votes and 199 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.1

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Whistler Blackcomb is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.5

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Whistler Blackcomb has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.2

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.4

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.7

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Whistler Blackcomb

Public Transport: 3.9

  • There are no buses or taxis to Whistler Blackcomb
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.2

  • No places to stay in/near Whistler Blackcomb
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.0

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.7

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Whistler Blackcomb

Ski in/Ski out: 4.2

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.8

  • There are no child care facilities at Whistler Blackcomb
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 3.9

  • Whistler Blackcomb relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.8

  • There are no snow groomers at Whistler Blackcomb
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Whistler Blackcomb are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.7

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Whistler Blackcomb is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.4

  • If snow conditions are poor at Whistler Blackcomb, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.0

  • Whistler Blackcomb usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.0

  • The staff at Whistler Blackcomb are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Whistler Blackcomb are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 2.7

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.3

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.5

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.1

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.4

  • No intermediate terrain at Whistler Blackcomb
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.6

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.4

  • Not even a kicker at Whistler Blackcomb
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 4.0

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Whistler Blackcomb
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 3.7

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Whistler Blackcomb has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.0

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.3

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 4.4

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 4.2

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 4.1

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 4.1

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.1

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.2

  • Overall, Whistler Blackcomb is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.3

  • Overall, Whistler Blackcomb is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

Latest
Oldest
Most useful
Top rated
Lowest rated
March 14, 2012
Jamie from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I've lived in Whistler and worked for the mountain, and I've also been a weekend warrior - traveling up from Vancouver at the weekend. Here is my take on things: The terrain available is breathtaking. Whistler is not as steep as some of the big resorts in Europe, eg Chamonix, and it certainly isn't as steep as the likes of Kicking Horse and Revelstoke. It snows an eye watering amount through the season. It is not uncommon for the alpine areas of the mountain to open with +50cm. It gets INCREDIBLY busy at weekends. I've waited 30min for a chair while it is operating. If you want fresh tracks you can't take any prisoners. If you don't know the mountain, you will literally watch the entire Alpine get tracked out while you wait in a lift line. Another reviewer describes Whistler very well. Born and bread Canadians are rare. Accommodation is generally expensive and hard to come by. It is not uncommon to hear of people +4 people literally living in one room. The night life is a big attraction and it doesn't disappoint. My personal conclusion: Whistler is a massive mountain which has great potential. Unfortunately, it is highly commercialized. If you're serious about skiing and night life isn't a factor chosen a mountain along the powder highway.
February 13, 2012
Richard McLaren from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Third year to Whistler. Yes, it takes a bit of effort to get here but worth every penny. So much choice...... Excellent.
February 07, 2012
glen
$1300 for a season pass, bargain, considering most Australian resorts charge $1500 for 350m vert, 1/10th the snowfall, 4/5th the actual season length. Whistler is epic, do your research and know what to expect and you will love it.
January 29, 2012
Donkey
Am disappointed in some other Aussies here - why have a rip, u knew you were coming to a ski hill come with more then a bad attitude. Whistler: 28 - Jan 12. What can I say, this place is huge, you imagine skiing it it's here, pow, pillows, bowls, cliffs, groomers, glaciers, bumps, trees, park - wow - and there more then 1 of everything! Weekends are super busy but ride smart and ask the locals and you can avoid the crowds till about 12 if you are sitting on a chair at 0820 in the morning. Tracked fresh (although it was in the order of 7-10cm yesterday) on one of the runs under the chair until 1030 - a Sat! Yes, it's under lifted but Monday to Friday it's better then ideal, the snow ATM is in great shape, however, some lower elevation rain always make it tricky - but how can anyone whine - go to another resort with 1km of vert that's high elevated, however, there is nothing like dropping the glacier and skiing the 1.8km vert (11km) back to the village after a good day's riding! Steep here is steeeep and the expert stuff is off the handle! Food prices are fine in town and shopping is survivable - I'm here for 2 months on extended holiday and am by no means well off but I'm getting by comfortably - the Canadians are amazing, the true spirited Aussies here are great - look out for the weekend and holiday yanks and the ass Aussies - five stars - will be back!
January 29, 2012
John Young from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Just returned from Whistler yesterday after skiing thirteen days straight in the best snow conditions we have encountered, bar Cat skiing at Mustang, in over forty years of skiing in New Zealand, Canada and Japan. Skiing is all about luck, being in the right place at the right time, certainly the right time in Whistler this year. It was relatively cold one day at minus 30 in the wind, with fresh snow most days coating the trees in the village. Snow quality was excellent right to the bottom of the lifts, at these temperatures even the snow makers down the bottom were producing powder. All the staff we encountered on the ski field and in the village made you really welcome, whoever is running the program for repeat business needs commending. The variety of runs was fantastic, still making heaps of new discoveries at the end of thirteen days, the runs off the trail to Seventh Heaven through the trees was almost as good as cat skiing when we were there. The only bitch, nothing to do with Whistler, install a program to train the young dudes how to cut a decent line and not waste all the good snow with wide sliding turns on their fat skis and snowboards. Plenty of powder for everyone then. We will be back.
January 27, 2012
Adam
The high alpine areas opens late on days after fresh snow has fallen because of the need to perform avalanche control. This is hardly unique to Whistler, it's the case at any mountain with high alpine terrain. There's no way around it, unless you particularly want regular news stories about hundreds of skiers being buried in avalanches.
January 27, 2012
Sean Ongers from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
My wife and I visited Whistler for our first Canadian experience, what an amazing place! So much snow, over 100cm has fallen whilst we have been here! The slopes have been kept in great shape, being an intermediate boarder and this being my wife's first time the learners area on the Whistler side is fantastic. A magic carpet, 2 very wide learning slopes. One was groomed to perfection each day and the other was a powder field. Who would have thought a beginner could start out on pow and love it! Off the slopes there is also lots to do, Dog Sledding (a little expensive but great), the Peak 2 Peak gondola, a Cinema, fantastic bars and restaurants and great shopping opportunities. The prices are a little expensive but less than most European resorts I have been to. The list lines are a little long on weekends however they are run with a great attitude, no pushing and shoving and always a smiling lifty, Find that in Europe, I think not! If powder is what you seek, head over to the Symphony and Harmony lifts on Whistler but there are some long Cat tracks on the way back to the sort if you don't hit the right lines on the way back. Alternately, head over to the Crystal lift, the runs through the trees are awesome! We will definitely be coming back! Whistler, we love you...
January 26, 2012
Sal
Great skiing. Now lots of fresh snow although a bit wind affected. It has been blowing up to 135kmh!! Trees have enough snow now! And yeah, it's crowded on weekends but not midweek!!
January 25, 2012
Geoff
Thought I'd represent the families - we came from Australia for 2 weeks skiing after the Olympics, where my wife was working. And we just came again for another 2 weeks, bringing our 3, 5 and 7 year olds, who are all in ski school. They love it! The facilities for kids at Blackcomb are fantastic compared to Australia / N.Z. Staying in the Chateau, it's expensive, but you can see the ski-school out the window! I agree the lifts are a bit old school, we only ski during weekdays so doesn't impact us that much. A few more 8 person chairs with the big black comfy seats ala Europe would come in handy. It's been snowing since we got here. I'm a groomed run guy, and I find, while there is a lot of powder, it is quite damp, even in the high areas. Last time it was sunny, and quite nice for groomed runs up top, and slushy at the bottom. Overall, awesome for young families. Can't comment on the night life or drugs, obviously.
January 24, 2012
Gui
Whistler is definitively over-rated. I went there for the first time on Saturday 10 days ago. Crowded! It has been 10 years since I had to wait so long at the lifts. They opened the top at 12, and they close at 3pm. Is that a joke? Is that why I paid 100$ ? 6h of skiing (including 2 waiting in line at the lift) !! The mountain is the biggest in the area but is nothing compare to what's in Europe (where the pass is 35 euros a day and you never, never wait at the lifts). So I'll try again on a weekday and if still busy and not worth then I'll stick to the backcountry...