Whistler Blackcomb’s twin peaks and vast ski terrain

High above the resort town of Whistler in British Columbia, Whistler Blackcomb brings together two substantial mountains, a linked ski area and a purpose-built village into a single alpine landscape. The combined resort grew out of two separate developments in the twentieth century and now offers expansive ski terrain across Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, with glaciers, alpine bowls and long descents forming the core of its character.

Two mountains, one connected ski area

Whistler Blackcomb is an alpine ski resort in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, with the lift system and pistes spread across Whistler Mountain and neighbouring Blackcomb Mountain above the town of Whistler.alpine ski resort in British Columbia The resort’s identity rests on the way these two mountains function as a single ski area, with lifts and pistes on both sides and a gondola link between their upper slopes.gondola began operating to connect Whistler and Blackcomb

The combined ski terrain at Whistler Blackcomb extends across more than 8,000 acres, incorporating marked runs, alpine bowls and glaciers at higher elevations.8,171 acres of terrain, over 200 marked runs, 16 alpine bowls and 3 glaciers Elevations on the mountains reach over 2,200 m (around 7,200 ft), giving the resort significant vertical drop and a long sequence of descents from ridge lines down towards the valley.Top Elevation - 2,182 metres (7,160 feet)

From rival ski hills to a single resort

The story of Whistler Blackcomb begins in the 1960s, when a group of businessmen in Vancouver, led by Franz Wilhelmsen, set out to develop a ski area on a mountain then known as London Mountain above Alta Lake in the Coast Mountains.Franz Wilhelmsen led Vancouver businessmen The mountain opened for skiing in February 1966 with an initial set of lifts, and its name soon changed to Whistler Mountain in reference to the local marmot whose call carries through the alpine terrain.February 1966 — The mountain opened for skiing; London Mountain was soon renamed Whistler Mountain

Blackcomb Mountain, situated on the opposite side of the valley above the growing village, opened later in 1980 as a separate ski hill, with its own lifts and pistes laid out on north-facing slopes.Dec. 6, 1980 — Neighbouring Blackcomb Mountain opened for business For many years Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain operated as competitors, with separate lift companies and trail maps, before a merger in the late 1990s brought them together under the Whistler Blackcomb name and set the stage for the present-day combined resort.In 1996, the two mountains joined forces, merging under the banner ‘Whistler Blackcomb.’

Alpine bowls, glaciers and long descents

On the slopes of Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, skiers and snowboarders find a variety of terrain, from groomed pistes in the treeline to more open alpine areas above. The combined statistics quoted for Whistler Blackcomb speak of over 200 marked runs spread across the two mountains, together with alpine bowls that open out above the treeline and three glaciers that give access to higher, glaciated terrain.over 200 marked runs, 16 alpine bowls and 3 glaciers combined

Vertical figures on the two mountains show long continuous drops for skiing. Whistler Mountain reaches a top elevation of around 2,182 m (7,160 ft), with a vertical drop of about 1,530 m (5,020 ft), while Blackcomb Mountain rises to roughly 2,284 m (7,494 ft) and offers a vertical descent of about 1,609 m (5,280 ft).Whistler and Blackcomb mountain stats Together with the network of lifts and pistes, these figures give a sense of the scale of Whistler Blackcomb as a linked ski area placed among the higher summits of the local range.

Visiting Whistler Blackcomb: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Whistler Blackcomb lies above the town of Whistler in south-western British Columbia, in Canada’s Coast Mountains north of Vancouver. The resort is reached along the highway that connects Vancouver with Whistler.
• The ski area is mountainous terrain, with substantial elevation differences between village and upper lift stations and longer descents on the slopes; movement on the mountains involves gradients and sustained runs on snow.
• The official language is English and the currency is the Canadian dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Whistler Blackcomb

Where is Whistler Blackcomb located?

Whistler Blackcomb is situated above the town of Whistler in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, in western Canada.

What should visitors expect on a visit to Whistler Blackcomb?

Visitors encounter a large linked ski area spread across two mountains, with substantial vertical drop, marked runs, alpine bowls and glaciers above a purpose-built resort village.

What makes Whistler Blackcomb distinctive among ski resorts?

The combination of Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, their shared village and the scale of the ski terrain across both peaks makes Whistler Blackcomb stand out within the regional alpine landscape.