Whistler ski trips

Groups with every level in them. Across both mountains the resort rates its terrain 20% easiest, 35% more difficult, 25% most difficult and 20% experts only (Whistler Blackcomb), so a first timer and a strong skier can both have a full day, as long as each one starts in the right place.

Whistler and Blackcomb rise side by side, with 1,530 m (5,020 ft) of vertical on Whistler and 1,609 m (5,280 ft) on Blackcomb, and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola joins them at the top: 4.4 km in about 11 minutes, riding as much as 436 m (1,427 ft) above Fitzsimmons Creek. Up high there are 16 alpine bowls and three glaciers; lower down, long groomed runs through the trees.

For a family with mixed levels we book private instruction by level rather than one lesson for everyone, and plan the day so the group meets again for lunch on the same mountain. Our guide to family ski lessons explains how that split works.

From late November through the deep of winter. The 2026/27 season is targeted to open on November 20, 2026, weather permitting, and the closing day has not been announced (Vail Resorts). In January and February the average daily high is about minus 2 C (28 F) (Tourism Whistler).

New this winter, the Showcase surface lift on Blackcomb is replaced by a quad chairlift, an easier way up to the Horstman Glacier and Blackcomb Glacier terrain. Christmas, New Year and the February holiday weeks fill first, so for those dates we book the instructor before anything else; our guide on when to book a ski trip covers the timing.

Fly into Vancouver International Airport, 135 km (84 miles) south of Whistler and approximately 2 to 2.5 hours by Highway 99, the Sea to Sky Highway (Tourism Whistler). Winter tires are required on that road from October 1 to March 31, and helicopter transfers run when the weather allows (Tourism Whistler).

Private aircraft use the airport's South Terminal. Travellers from outside the United States may also need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) as well as a passport, applied for online before the flight (Government of Canada). We arrange the flights and transfers by road or by air, and check the entry papers with you before you fly.

Whistler Village is pedestrian only, with the lifts, restaurants and evening life on foot (Tourism Whistler). Creekside, 4.2 km to the south, is the original base of Whistler Mountain, with its own gondola and a quieter, family pace (Tourism Whistler).

Children's ski school meets in the Village, the Upper Village or Creekside, so for families we choose the base around where the youngest skier starts each morning (Tourism Whistler). We do not sell from a fixed list of hotels: we look at who is coming and how they like to spend the evening, then tell you where to stay, and why.

Everything between the flight and the last run: where you stay, a private instructor for each level, lift passes, transfers from Vancouver, equipment and a concierge on the ground, with one point of contact from the first message to the flight home.

Patagonia Living is a ski travel agency based in Patagonia and operated worldwide, and skiing is all it plans. The full list is in what a private ski trip includes. Plan your next trip with us: talk to us.