I live in Whistler and one of the rare complaints I hear from people who visit here is “It’s so busy! I don’t like the crowds and tourist feel.”
It’s true, Whistler may be an amazing ski resort with kickass terrain, but it can get crowded and insanely busy at times. Huge lines at chairlifts and popular restaurants are the norm if you come when it’s busy.
Whistler has a distinct ‘touristy’ feel when it gets busy like this and I can see why people don’t enjoy it as much. It kind of becomes like Disneyland. Very pricy, crowded and some say overrated.
However, that’s NOT the Whistler the locals love and it’s not what made many of us fall in love with this place. Most locals know a very, very different Whistler.
When to visit Whistler (or any other major ski resort)
Visiting Whistler (or any other major ski resort) during a holiday or weekend is fun and convenient, but it’s also convenient for a billion other people. If you come during a holiday or weekend expect to see crowds and expect that tourist vibe.
You will have to queue at many lifts for 15 min. You will be waiting at the local favourite Sushi restaurant for 45 min to get a table. You will find most ski runs crowded and busy. You will be dodging people trying to walk through the village.
However…
if you come during a weekday on a non-holiday period, be prepared to see the real Whistler. What you see during the insane peak holiday periods isn’t what you see a majority of the time and Whistler is entirely different on a quiet weekday.
The crowds are gone. It’s quiet in the village. Entire ski runs are empty. There’s no queues in the lift lines (unless it’s a big powder day).
Whistler suddenly turns into just another small resort town when the big events and holiday crowds go home. Basically you get Whistler’s amazing terrain, minus the crowds… and it’s amazing.
For most days of the year, Whistler is a quiet, happy little town of avid skiers and snowboarders and we get an entire mountain (or 2) to play with every day. No crowds, just some of the most amazing snowboard terrain, your board and your friends.
So basically it’s this… I get that weekends and and holidays are the only time you usually get off to go snowboarding, but if you want to visit Whistler or any other major resort I’d highly suggest coming to Whistler when it’s not Easter or Christmas break or some other holiday.
Think of some of the most amazing snowboard terrain available, but minus the crowds. It’s why every local rigs their days off work to fall on a weekday.
- Jed
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Yes, weekdays are by far the best times to go! I feel like its the best time to learn as well. For me, being a beginner I fall quite a lot. When the courses are full you kind of just have to get up and keep going so you don’t get in the way. On a weekday you can take your time. I like to back to the spot where I fell and see what happened. Usually its because of something I did BUT sometimes I may have hit some weird snow and I can figure out how to better handle the situation next time. Or better yet, hit that same patch of snow on the next run.
Also, nothing beats being on top of the mountain by yourself. It’s such a pristine feeling.
Yep going down the same spots and really getting your technique down is how a lot of the best boarders learn.
I ran into a boarder the other day who had less than a few weeks on snow and was KILLING it with his carving. It was amazing, so I asked him what training he did and he had literally just repeatedly ridden on one of the fast blue runs on Whistler every day for a week to master his carving, but man the results were impressive.
Haha well then maybe I’m onto something!
Actually if you take a job in the mountains, you’re better of finding one where they need most their staff in weekends and on holidays. This way you get payed more (that’s usually the norm) and you’re not in the crowded period. A friend of mine did a season once, and had a job from 17-23h. So he could ride any day he wanted. You get payed less but if you’re in it for the snowboarding it’s the best.
Yeah with jobs I find it’s a whole different issue, mostly to do with getting there early and getting all the good jobs with good evening shifts before all the people arrive for the season and steal all the evening shifts.
How early is early?
I’d assume it’s different for every resort, but in Whistler early is roughly a month or so before the winter season begins.
Hey Jed,
In Ontario there is “March Break” for all elementary and secondary schools. This falls on the second FULL week of March. I do not know if BC schools also have that week off.
So, would you know if it’s a holiday for BC students? If it isn’t a holiday in BC, would you know if it gets busy that week??? Much thanks.
I believe BC students go on break during 3rd week of March.
Here’s the holiday dates for BC students: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/legislation/stdcal03.pdf
If it’s not a holiday Whistler’s usually relatively quiet during weekdays (unless it’s a powder day).
Can’t agree enough. My favourite resort in Hakuba, Japan is Tsugaike. Holidays, the gondola line is a couple of hundred metres long, weekends its a hundred metres long… weekdays? I’ve never queued to ride it, no line at all!