Our fragile little Southern Californian bodies braved the cold to try out snowshoeing, and Whistler…read moreOlympic Park was the perfect place to do so. We rented our snowshoes from the main lodge, which also had cross country ski rentals (apparently 90km of cross country trails, whatever that is in miles), snowboards, tobogganing, and so many more wintery things that are completely separate from my understanding of normal outdoor activities. I mean, where else can you find biathlon lessons? Obviously the surrounding area is gorgeous in winter, a wonderland of quiet white stillness, forests and forests of evergreens, and creek beds lined with powdery snow and ice. There are frequent signs and maps to keep you oriented along the snowshoeing trails, which was great for us noobs. You can do anything from short out-and-back trips to several miles of strenuous trails. One star docked because I thought the snowshoes were pretty pricey for a rental - a flat rate of $16 regardless of the time you spend with them. They definitely did not seem to be in high demand either as there were dozens of pairs behind the register. Maybe instead do an hourly rate instead? This is in addition to a per-person entry fee to the park. Also, some of the cross county skiers were surprisingly rude when we stepped on their track - I get we were in the wrong, but have a little grace and chill out just a bit.

It was cool getting to see where the Olympics were held - especially seeing the ski jump sans snow…read more Definitely pay and do the biathalon shooting!! The staff was SO nice and patient. The gun is surprisingly easy to shoot and aim compared to a "real" rifle (hello, confidence booster). I could've stayed out there all day shooting.

Flying in a helicopter has been on my bucket list since forever. I had to take the opportunity to…read morebe in one while in Canada since the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Andy was such a friendly person and we are truly grateful to have had him as our pilot. He welcomed us when we first arrived and then introduced himself to each of us in the group before takeoff. The safety video you have to watch before going on the helicopter was informational on what to expect and was quick & to the point. The views were breathtaking. I am so glad that we decided to do this tour. Takeoff was smooth as well as landing. We always felt super safe and Andy was informational on everything that we flew over. Truly such a spectacular guide & ride! 10000/10, I would do this all over again!

Amazing views on an amazing flight! It was out first ever…read moreflight in a helicopter and it was incredible! Blackcome fit us in without even a booked appointment! They were a fun and inviting batch of people who made the experience fun, safe and a memorable experience. The pilot showed us around the mountains and took photos with us. We would recommend this to anyone wanting to experience going up in a helicopter!

Would not go back. They only let us ride for an hour and the snowmobiles are really uncomfortable…read moreto drive. Not like a touring snowmobile. VERY expensive for such a short ride that was supposed to be 2 hours. Our guide Tammy was super sweet and did her best to accommodate but it should have been a lot longer. I wouldn't waste your money on this place

Don't waste your time and money…read more tl;dr - go somewhere else. We did the family tour. It sucked. There is a lot wrong here: 1 - The whole tour is "follow the leader" at an excruciatingly slow pace. There's no fast part of the trail, nor any area where you're allowed to really experience any adrenaline at all. I can't emphasize this point enough - this is an extremely calm, slow, uninteresting tour. Your heart rate will not go up. 2 - The trail is poorly maintained and you'll be bobbing up and down an obnoxious amount. 3 - The machines are old and poorly maintained. My windshield fell off (by itself) twice on the ride. 4 - The process to geared up and get going takes so long (because there isn't enough staff) that your 2 hr tour will be 90 mins max. 5 - The whole operation is disorganized and you'll spend a lot of time waiting around for them to figure out who/what/where. As for the positives: 1 - The tour guide was nice and she tried her best. 2 - Nice that they provide transport to/from Whistler village. I've had much better experiences on other tours. Go somewhere else and have actual fun.

Very high level of professionalism, care, and competence. Hannah and Harry took very good care of…read moreus. They were very patient and gentle with our 10 year old especially. They put safety first, communicating very clear instructions the entire time about what to expect. Their enthusiasm for their work shined through in every interaction. Ziptrek is lucky to have such excellent employees.

Went on the Eagle tour. Really enjoyed the first zipline which let you race against a friend…read more Website says you must be able to hike but it's quite an easy walk. However you do end up doing a lot of standing, especially when the group before us got delayed when someone got stuck! The views were superb and the guides were great!

Brittney was fantastic. So much fun for family and friends. Highly recommend bringing a water…read morebottle but the staff at the snack bar will provide any recommendations and they are the experts!! Thanks Brittney

We paid $56 per person to enter this attraction which included a shuttle ride at no extra charge…read more the whole experience took us around an hour to complete, going at a moderate pace and fully completing each station along the walk. the visuals and audio were amazing, props to the designers on that. It was beautiful to witness and the surround sound truly made you immersed in the experience. However, where this fell flat for us was the story. There is a new trend in family friendly media of assuming the child needs a dumbed down story, therefore doing lots of telling not showing. The whole premise of the story is to figure out what happened to the grandfather and granddaughter, but it essentially tells you in the beginning leaving no room for mystery. At our showing at 8:30PM there was one young kid there, the first part of the forest had a very creepy ambiance and completely set the kid off wailing. His poor parents had to practically run through the whole experience until they got to a quieter area near the end. With the experience either being far too late (earliest time slot is 8PM) or just too loud and spooky for most young kids; and with a story that assumes the audience is stupid, it truly begs the question, who is this story for? Even with all that, I do think it is a worthwhile experience. Me and my friend really enjoyed ourselves and the propane firepits back at base camp were a lovely addition to our night. The audio and visuals truly save this attraction and i commend the visual effects and audio engineer teams who worked on this project.

Like everyone else, I'm pretty sure this year has been feeling like one of the longest never ending…read morestories of our lives!!! 2020 please end soon ... please!? Needed this dayscape - via the magnificent Sea-to-Sky Highway to the majestic mountain enclave - Whistler - in beautiful British Columbia! Folks be prepared - you will be tempted to stop several times on the drive up. Spectacular views during the daylight hours will leave you breathless!!! This review is done under - Whistler - but encompasses the drive up, the beautiful scenery, the mountains & forest that are all part of an amazing nature built province ('State' - for all those in Merica) of BC. And no, BC does not belong to Britain but to Canada. Don't laugh I've been asked this question before! I won't get into the whole Commonwealth technicality but yes if one is leaning towards that angle I guess you could say - the Queen does own the whole of Canada as we pay mega bucks as in millions each year to the UK - to be part of the British Empire! Oh how lucky we are!? So Harry & Megan got tired of this British royalty life & escaped to a quieter environment in ... Hollywood!?? Ok then!!! The big draw to Whistler is in the winter - skiing & snowboarding. The Blackcomb & Whistler mountains are world wide renowned & super popular! Hiking & mountain biking takeover in the summer. Whistler is mighty expensive so bring all 5 of your credit cards! There are a few good restaurants as well but please make reservations ahead of time or you'll be left hopping around to find whatever's available. Of note & in no particular order but worth trying, Oso Bar (Spanish) - make reservations this spot is fire (thank you manager for the complimentary dessert), Lucia Gelato (try the Ginger flavour), Fat Tony's Pizza (open till 3am so could be a real life saver), El Funiture Warehouse aka All Food @ $5.95 Everyday - that's like $3 bucks US right!?! Everyone eats here, superstars, the rich, the average Joe - there's no class rules when your starving & don't want to blow a lot of money - you will save money eating here!!! Avalanche Pizza, Splitz Grill (can be pricey but it's the burger you design so blame yourself for the hunger causing your mind to go crazy with so many toppings) & finally tacos at La Cantina. There's a few more spots including fine dining but that will be for an update after covid-19 ends. I'm real hesitant to go inside & prefer to stick to patio dining for now, as much as I can. The Whistler Village area is real easy to walk around in & you'll only need to drive if you have to go further up the mountain. I have been coming to Whistler since the early 90s & have stayed in many hotels & condo rentals. Definitely shop around & prebook your stay before coming up here. However, today's trip was just a day trip escape from the big city & was thoroughly enjoyed. The drive from Vancouver takes 90 minutes or less depending on how fast you drive - longer if you stop along the way & or make a pit stop in Squamish, a beautiful town & worth the stop - see my Squamish review. Whoa got the shock of my life while walking about! Five years ago on a cruise in the Caribbean, our group met the super charismatic, charming, & so awesome Cruise Director (entertainment) Matt! Check him out on Instagram @ mattcruisedirector. Merica many of you might be very familer with him from the Carnival Cruise Line!!! Couldn't believe he's now living here - currently on the Sunshine Coast of BC but will be relocating to Vancouver. It was a pleasure to run into him & his wife! I had vivid fond cruise flashback memories while chatting with him. That awesome cruise back in 2015 on Carnival Breeze was phenomenal!!!!! It was a total awesome riot! I discovered my island paradise - Curaçao! Side note - Vancouver & Whistler hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics! I can tell you from first hand experience with actually being involved in the Olympics as a volunteer - it was so spectacular an event!!!!! Vancouverites today still speak highly of it! Super natural Whistler is highly recommended if you've never been - so do check it out! Come experience Whistler & be wowed!!! You will exhale & feel that - we got this ... life is good after all!!!!!

Just a heads up to those of you thinking to get the edge or season passes. They've made the refund…read moresystem as much difficult as they possible could. I purchased the 5 days edge pass in May without realizing that my mom will need a knee replacement surgery this coming winter. As soon as I know the surgery is happening in this coming winter, I put in a request online to refund my money at the beginning of July. They not only asking you to fill out a mile long form with all those emails going back and forth, you are also requested to get all the signed documents from the doctors for approvals. It's been 2 months and I am still waiting for the refund. I've been going to Whistler for more than 30 yrs, this year is the worst experience ever.

Not sure why I have never reviewed this before as it's is an engineering marvel as the highest and…read moreat one point the longest gondola between two mountains! Connecting Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, each gondola is large, comfortable with lots of viewing space. There are some with glass bottoms that arrive approximately every 20 minutes but there is plenty to see on the regular gondolas and those lines are remarkably quicker. The ride is very smooth with exceptional views and we buy the summer passes that give unlimited rides on Whistler, Blackcomb and Peak to Peak throughout the summer season which is economical if you plan to take multiple trips ! A must do when visiting Whistler

We went up to Whistler for the day and the Peak to Peak Gondola did not disappoint. We went in…read morespring so most of the snow had melted. I think it was the last weekend of skiing so it wasn't very busy. I recommend wearing good shoes with traction because you will be walking in the snow if you're going when there is still snow on the mountain. With you ticket you can spend as much time as you want on the top and going from peak to peak, so we did go back and forth a few times. However once you come down the mountain, your journey comes to an end. We also explore the villages and it was pretty quaint and fun to check out all the little shops and restaurants. We definitely want to come again during the winter months and maybe get a few runs in on the mountain as well. When we saw the people skiing and snowboarding, we were a little jealous and wanted to do a few runs as well, but alas we didn't bring our gear. Next year for sure! We'll be back!

Rented E bikes from their Whistler Village location. Bikes worked great, staff was friendly, easy…read moreexperience and recommend. Allow us to see a few lakes in the creek nearby much more efficiently than walking.

Ever feel like the challenges of life are closing in on you? Sometimes it just feels like it is…read moreonly a matter of time before you succumb to those pressures and demands. It feels not so much a question of if, but when, you'll finally be consumed by them. And then, often by accident, life takes an unexpected turn and you are provided an opportunity to choose to push the eject button (that's been right in front of longer than you realized) and propel yourself into what feels like an alternative universe. A place that allows you to unplug from the breakneck pace of today's society, take a deep breath, and finally linger in the bliss of just being present. No chirping cell phones, no calendar reminders, no bills to receive, no health concerns to ponder, and no need to make plans for the future. An all too brief respite from what emotionally entangles you and seeks to rob you of your peace and your purpose. Without planning it, we fell into such a rabbit hole while floating down the River of Golden Dreams (its actual name). A little rowing (and a lot of just floating) later, we arrived at Green Lake and just allowed the wind to help us drift across glacial waters so green we felt like they can be seen from outer space. We dipped our hands into that water, splashed it around a bit, and pondered just how much time and attention it voluntarily sacrifices to the stresses of today. It whispered its response back to us, "None." So what to do if Green Lake doesn't happen to be in your backyard, and yet an escape is exactly what you need right about now? Good question! We're on this journey right alongside of you, so while we're pursuing our "Green Lake escape", we wish you good fortune in discovering yours! (In keeping with Canadian tradition, we were careful to pack an "Oh Henry!" bar as part of the emergency rations for us and our tour guide Peter.) And that's...Henry's Take. #celebratelife #justbreathe #wetadventures