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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 1480 m altitude

Issued: 4 pm 12 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Whistler Blackcomb: 1.3 cm on Fri 15th  (after 8 AM)

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

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January 23, 2020
Colin Peverley
Since Vail took over the Whistler experience has deteriorated, way too crowded with long lift lines. No longer fun.
January 20, 2020
pgtB from Ski USA - California USA - California
Vail has greatly diminished the ski experience at Whistler by prioritizing the creation of a year-round resort over the experience of the skier. The mountain is understaffed and poorly managed. It is the middle of January, there is over a 7 foot base and management is unable to consistently open the Alpine terrain. The Glacier bowl at Blackcomb has yet to open and the Symphony, Harmony, and peak Express chairs at Whistler have been open less than 25 hours this season. The lift lines are long, there is no management or control of the lines and the restaurants are crowded with mediocre food selection.
January 14, 2020
George from Ski USA - California USA - California
Don’t believe the negative reviews. I skied 16 resorts on a Mountain Collective pass last year and this is still the king of N. America. The resort management has kept folks safe with this years unusual and unstable snowpack, keeping certain terrain closed but all lifts are open now. As with many resorts that are part of the Epic, Ikon and Mountain Collective multi-resort passes, there are more skiers. That’s because it’s actually more affordable to ski a bunch of days. Plan ahead: but a season to enjoy.
January 10, 2020
Fred
If you live near Vancouver then Whistler is the only decent resort. So Vail can impose their effective marketing strategy: -not grooming -not making snow -charging 180$ for one third of the lift open This is why I fly to Italy and ski for cheaper in the Dolomites where the lift ticket is 90 CAD and allows you to use 450 lifts. Yes 4-5-0!! (all open given the great coverage of snow-making machines visit dolomitisuperski.com/en/Live-info/Open-lifts) Vail board of directors shall try to ski in a real ski resort... and if they need lessons they will save even more because in Whistler the cheapest adult group lessons is about 300$ for 3 hours!
January 10, 2020
John Treacy
It is now Jan. 9, 2020 and only half the runs are open with a 190cm base. What is wrong? As far as I can tell, the peak chair at Whistler isn't even open yet. Again what is wrong? Charging $180.00 for a day ticket
January 09, 2020
Kd
I have been coming for 25 years. Owned for most of that. 3 weeks a year. Getting s bit tired of all negative comments. Yes, things have changed. Yes, things have got more expensive. Most complaints seem to be based on change. Some seem to resent progress. I have skied around the world and nowhere has the consistency of snow. Nowhere seems to invest as much capital in improving the skiing experience. Last summer they cleared the 3 main traffic jams at Blackcomb Mid, Emerald and Catskinner. Previously harmony. Next year restaurants. Gondola at Blackcomb has been a godsend. Whenever I have a complaint they respond 100% of the time and the next year it seems to be addressed. From lazy lifties to insufficient safety officers. This year has been testing for snow but still had 5 excellent days before the insanity of the last 2 days. Powder above the knees. Safety, I suspect, is behind some lifts still not open
January 04, 2020
PBR
It seems as if every year the gondolas are breaking down more and more. While we had little snow in December, Vail has cut back on its grooming ie: Creekside and lower Franzes had more than enough snow by Christmas to make a track out. Vail is cutting corners and it's not the same experience
January 01, 2020
Keryn
We have visited Whistler every year for the past 7 and sadly this will be our last. The village is beautiful but since Vail took over its vale to Whistler. The grooming is pathetic, there is not enough man-made snow on the lower runs, even on Blackcomb coming down to the gondola it’s like skiing in Australia over patches of grass. And don’t try and blame the weather because it’s been snowing since we arrived, so you could have made an effort to improve with man-made snow but you haven’t bothered. With only a third of runs open, it’s a rip off. Way too expensive. Vale to Whistler. We will be giving our $30k we spend each year on our ski holiday to Japan next year.
December 31, 2019
pgtB
The lack of management and supervision at Whistler-Blackcomb is changing the customer experience. No one can control the snowfall; however, the lift operators can be trained, the signage can be clear and the hazards can be marked. The main gondola at Blackcomb is inconsistent in operation and stops running several times a day. Shame on Vail for failure to operate in a safe and professional manner.
December 16, 2019
Curtis Cash
How can a company justify $180.00 after tax to ski on 10 runs covered in man-made slush...which are crowded. Should this not be discounted heavily? Or is this a deterrent to avoid too many negative reviews? Either way, once it does finally snow it will take three hours to get up to ski anyway.