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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 20 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Whistler Blackcomb: 1.2 cm on Sun 3rd

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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December 07, 2015
sal
Great skiing now with lots of snow falling this week! More lifts starting to open up now that people are starting to come for vacations!
April 26, 2015
Angela Griffiths from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I am in Whistler right now; arrived on Friday. We were really concerned with the reports of no snow and admittedly we are getting nowhere near the Whistler experience. However, absolutely fab alpine skiing at the top of Whistler and more lifts and slopes opened yesterday to cope with weekend visitors. Still having a wonderful time and some great slopes and skiing available. Probably the best weekend here for a month plus the lovely Canadians have everything under control. I love skiing in France but so refreshing to have safe areas and none of the threatening high speed skiers and polite queues.
April 13, 2015
Leslie from Ski USA - California USA - California
We fell in love with Whistler 15 years ago and keep coming back for the excellent variety of skiing and the variety in the village. We highly recommend the resort in the heart of winter. The Telus festival, in April, used to be a highlight. However, the resort has become increasingly stingy. I can understand the weather dependent activities closing as spring starts to arrive. Good-bye snowmobiling, dog sledding and outdoor ice skating. Inexplicably, the resort now chooses to drop other popular activities: fresh tracks breakfast, food choices in the main eating areas, the number of eating areas on the mountain; these are not weather dependent. This starts a vicious cycle of late season visitors enjoying a less than world class experience. Come in February and March. Take your spring break somewhere that is rolling out the red carpet instead of shuttering its doors.
April 09, 2015
HD from Ski S. Africa S. Africa
I've tried to maintain an annual snowboarding trip to Austria since 2002 but, due to losing my job, my gear has been gathering dust for a year and will continue to do so for years to come. Not being able to snowboard anymore is one of the worst things to happen as our annual trip was always a highlight, regardless of snow conditions. So appreciate being on the slopes and forget about expectations. I have a friend over there right now and he's having a blast. Yes, he says he can see the potential and perhaps not experiencing it as he imagined, but having a blast none the less.
March 25, 2015
Michael from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I'm in Whistler right now with my wife and six year old son. We arrived on 20th March and have enjoyed excellent skiing with fresh snow every day. I've skied all sorts of terrain; piste, off-piste, trees, steeps, wide open snow filled bowls, bumps, untracked powder; you name it, I've skied it. I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that I would not have got close to the variety and expanse of terrain if I had chosen to ski in Europe this week and I've only been skiing on Whistler and not touched Blackcomb yet. It's true that a lot of runs, a couple of hundred metres below mid station level, aren't in great shape and you can just about ski down to each base area but I'm not sure why you would want to. At the end of the day, none of us can control the weather but the resort can help to provide the best possible experience for visitors and Whistler does it brilliantly with friendly, helpful and genuine people who will do whatever they can to make your stay the best; it feels very natural. Ski school is excellent and comes strongly recommended to get the best from the terrain on offer. To another reviewer: I understand you've had a bad season but don't be fooled by thinking Colorado is the panacea; I was there in Snowmass this time time last year and, whilst I had an excellent time, it wasn't much different snow wise and I'm having an overall better time in Whistler. This is my second time in Whistler, last time being in 2012 and I find it to be excellent; I will be back.
March 21, 2015
James from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I came to Whistler for the season under the impression that Whistler is the best resort in North America. Whistler certainly has the best marketing department of any resort in North America and no doubt worldwide. It has only snowed occasionally and often a thick heavy snow and the few times there was a decent powder dump the change in temperature destroyed that snow in less than 24 hours. Admittedly, the terrain if there is snow, is amazing but the recent trend, with global warming, looks like Whistler can no longer be considered a world class powder resort. However, rest assured the marketing department will continue to "incentivise" websites and reviews to place it at the top whilst regularly forecasting snow that is never due to boost weekend ticket sales! If you are in North America head to Colorado where at least if it snows that snow will be light. If you are in Europe stay there for lower temperatures, better huts, food, apres and atmosphere. Don't be fooled by the Whistler marketing department!
March 09, 2015
Paul
I was there yesterday. Excellent on-piste spring skiing, mild temps, clear and sunny, and out of this world mountain views. Get up early, get up high, and you can carve smooth buttery turns on groomed runs. The off-piste surface is firm in many places, but sunnier aspects are ok. If you do venture off trail, choose your line carefully as some spots are difficult to hold an edge. I'm not going to sugar coat it. West of the rockies, it's been an absolutely brutal winter in terms of the low snowpack. The worst long time residents have seen in many years. That said, Whistler has a very good snowmaking system, and they've done a fine job employing it to maintain the skiing to the village. The alpine zone still has a healthy snowpack and good skiing. You can still have a great time up there carving groomers, terrain park, and taking in the views and sunshine.
March 04, 2015
MadPat from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Like most people I had been reading all the different weather/snow reports leading up to my holiday with an ever increasing sense of dismay. The drive up from Vancouver did nothing to alleviate this and a quick look up the mountain, on arrival in WB, confirmed my worst fears. Jokes about having a round of golf, "fresh tracks" on a mountain bike, or "water skiing" were rife. My pals and I thought the skiing days would be short and a great deal of time would be spent in the bar (there's worse places); we couldn't have been more wrong! The resort has excelled itself at maintaining the condition of the slopes, with the best snow making I have ever seen, and I have found the couple of home runs that have been kept open better than my visit last year, when conditions on the mountain were fantastic. Admittedly, there are some tricky areas, very well signposted, where the slopes are like glass and the much vaunted gladed/off-piste skiing is sadly in very poor condition. However, my pals and I have still clocked up many miles and it has just given us something else to work on technique wise. The first couple of hours are the best and surprisingly some of the best piste conditions can be found mid mountain and below because of the hard pistes higher up. I've skied for 30 years and am pretty hard to please; Whistler is a fantastic resort and if this is as bad as it gets I for one can certainly live with it.
February 28, 2015
Rob
Wow, snow really does cause some strong opinions! I think it's really quite simple. Whistler can't control the weather. If you want guaranteed powder stay all season! If you can't do this then mother nature will give you what she wants. If you don't get powder, learn park! If you don't like park, practice switch riding on the groomers, if you don't snowboard, learn to carve on your skis! If it rains buy Goretex or a poncho. You get me, right? What Whistler does well is what it can control; if it's cold and there is no snow, they snow-blow (a lot). If it rains, they were handing out warm-chili in the lift lines! It isn't perfect here, there can be silly city folk who just need to chill out. There can be silly city folk who come to party and forget about the environment around them ; use a garbage can peeps! But this is rare. Overall, Whistler is superb! Expensive, but superb! The terrain is awesome! Just hope the snow gives you the chance to ski it all. After all, it's a ski holiday. Otherwise, hire a bike, if you are bored! Take a look at your life because it's not Whistler that's boring!
February 25, 2015
Annonomous
This is my first time riding in Canada and I can definitely say that this world class resort is top ranked in my books! I have snowboarded in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA and have found Whistler to contain the best range of terrain, runs and variety of activities. Yes, we may have had the snowfalls followed on by heavy rain on some occasions but up the top of the mountain, it has always been a joy and lots of fun to ride! I have had some of the best powder, bluebird and park days up here. No other resort has given me so much variety! To all the complainers out there saying how bad the conditions have been this season, how about you make the most of your time here; nobody wants to hear you whinge about how much better it used to be. The weather is out of the resort's control and Whistler has been working every day and night possible to make as much snow as possible for you. If you don't want to ride what we have, how about you try some other activities or head to the east coast. Also, as I am typing it's dumping snow up at Glacier Creek and has not stopped all morning! See you all up there!