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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 1480m altitude

Issued: 4 am 13 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Whistler Blackcomb: 0.5cm 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.

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

February 16, 2011
michael
To Will from UK and everyone I arrived in Whistler yesterday to 50+cm of fresh powder and it hasn't stopped snowing since. This morning was far and away the best skiing I have experienced anywhere (Chamonix, St Anton included). Whistler is amazing. Mick
February 14, 2011
Team100
I am amazed every time I come to Whistler. The mountain is immensely explorable and it the views usually spectacular. I love skiing above the clouds and Whistler is a place where that happens a lot. We find accommodations expensive, but not more than any other base area villages we have been to. We stay in Pemberton or Squamish 30 -50 minutes away and enjoy the drive up after a coffee. This morning they had 55cm fresh Pow! And who can not like that!
February 14, 2011
Dan from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
WILL from UK - Oh you've never been how nice of you to give a great judgement!! The snowpack is Bomber stable due to the moisture. We are having dumps now and the snow is perfect, so much terrain even when busy and with weekend warriors you can find fresh lines every time when you know where to go. Cliffs , chutes, drops, trees and bowls were so good today. But hey you know best right.... so please stay on icy the east coast !!
February 10, 2011
will from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have never been to Whistler but I hear it is generally not very good as it is too close to the sea. The precipitation is mixed with moisture so often it falls as rain! and in my opinion there is much better skiing in North America like Aspen, Big White and maybe even in the east like Whiteface in New York state.
February 10, 2011
Dan
Whistler: Ski trips are expensive periods. Whistler is only slightly more than other BC destinations (which don't really touch Whistler's terrain, nightlife or lift accessed ski touring), and prices are comparable to some US and top resorts in Europe. The wet weather at times can be a drag, but the rewards are well worth it. Rarely are there rocks to hit, green forests, new snow all the time and a stable snowpack for skiing steep lines. More than 75% of the Whistler working population lives in the community, only 25% commute. Whistler has the best quality resident housing program in North America hands down. 10,550 folks live in Whistler year 'round and 1,000 of them are kids in primary and secondary school. Additionally, the ski resort Whistler/Blackcomb only owns the ski area, the village was planned by the local government to create a safe pedestrian oriented space. Yup, I can walk a km in the village without having to worry about my kid being run down by a car. More than 90% of the commercial spaces are not owned by the ski resort. Went there in '87 when I was 13. Lived there since 1994.
February 05, 2011
frank
My wife is Canadian so she's going to kill me for this...but Whistler is not really worth it. The two things for me that kill the place are the village and the low village base. At village level there's always a high chance of rain. I've never been boarding at a resort where there are rain storms at base - ruins the vibe. The village itself has no soul and I'm not an alternative kind of guy that likes to live in the woods with no running water...but when your village resembles an outlet mall (with outlet mall brands) there's something wrong. There's no character whatsoever at Whistler. The mountain itself, in terms of terrain, is awesome. But the snow is heavy and slushy lower down. Up towards the top it can be a bit icy in places. A couple more minor gripes, and not really a shock for North Americans, is tipping and crazy tax levels at restaurants. I work in Shanghai and ride in Niseko, Hokkaido every year where the food is fantastic and affordable. Sure the terrain is not as breathtaking as Whistler but throw in the atmosphere of a real village, real hot springs and real good seafood for reasonable prices and there's no comparison. Oh and the snow is dry...powder on tap. I really wanted to like Whistler but the rain, the prices, and lack of any character ensures I won't be back.
January 29, 2011
Ski for life
Whistler is great but expensive. If you want a true ski (and I mean ski resort) you need to go to Kicking Horse in Golden BC. Best snow and terrain bar none.
December 20, 2010
Jonny
Ski bummed a lot of the world. Whistler is the best resort in N America, hands down. You want the best, you pay for the best. Yes weekends, American long weekends, and Christmas times are busy. Might rain and get a few heavy dumps to cake to the rocks and make a great base. Better than cold powder that blows away and leaves you, rocks everywhere year round. The other 145 pow days are great! My favorite place year round. Too bad we have to go to the Island for surfing. I guess you can't have it all. Sounds like it sux to be a tourist here though from the responses. Spread the word please, Whistler is awful don't go there. Grouse, Park City, Big White are awesome!
December 15, 2010
Dan from Ski USA - California USA - California
Whistler is absolutely the complete resort. It's pricey, yes, and not intended for the limited-budget visitor. Of course, the drop in the value of the dollar against the loonie has affected the cost of a vacation for Americans, but that's a problem anywhere we go nowadays. What you get for your money is phenomenal: two huge mountains and a great village. World-class dining and plenty of shops. The Olympics probably drove the prices up and most likely will increase the crowds too, but my family is going again for Christmas this year anyway. It's our hands-down family choice. This is our fourth trip in five years, and we only stayed away last year because of the Olympics.
November 29, 2010
Wendelin from Ski Germany Germany
Cement for snow, quite often rain, some of the highest priced lift tickets in the world, the ambience and charm of a used car lot? There is much better value to be found somewhere else.