Whistler Events and Activities

Quick Facts

  • Elevation: Village  670m (2,198ft)
  • Population: 9,248 permanent residents as of 2006.
  • Approximately 125kms (78 miles) north of Vancouver
  • Accommodations: 115 hotels / condos / B&B's offering more than 8,400 rooms.
  • Restaurants / Lounges / Bars: Approximately 93
  • Retail Shops: Approximately 207

Services:

  • Public Library
  • Museum
  • Swimming Pool
  • Ice Rink - public skating
  • Indoor tennis courts
  • Spa facilities / Beauty Salons
  • Movie theatre and video rentals
  • Church Services

Why choose Whistler?

Our stats and rankings speak for themselves. Here's a brief overview:

  • Greatest vertical/usable terrain for skiing/riding and other winter sports in North America.
  • Consistently ranked in the top 5 for North American resorts selected by industry magazines such as SKI, SKIING, Powder, TransWorld Snowboarding and more.
  • Best parks & pipes in North America.
  • Largest above tree line terrain and bowls in North America.
  • Long ski season with spring skiing and riding until mid-June.
  • Amazing BC après ski and nightlife.
  • World class shopping and dining.
  • Glacier skiing – the only resort in North America where you can ski or ride on a glacier, right in the heart of the British Columbia mountains.
  • Luxurious homes and townhomes nestled into the mountains
  • And last but not least, we are also known for our friendly, Canadian hospitality!

Events and Activities

July 2011

Summer is on the horizon and longer days make it ideal to get out and enjoy the best Whistler has to offer. Where else can you experience a triathlon of activities choosing from four championship golf courses, the world-renowned Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Blackcomb Glacier skiing and riding until end of July (wrapping up North America's longest ski season), kayaking, paddleboarding, cross-country biking, hiking, and more? Summer in Whistler also provides endless opportunities to explore a variety of culinary experiences. Cheer on the competitors at the Canadian National BBQ Championships, enjoy a slow stroll with wine glass in hand through the popular Feast of Fields event or pull up a chair at one of 90+ restaurants, bars and patios serving up tastes from all over the world. Can you think of a better way to end your triathlon day?

WHAT'S NEW

Araxi Longtable series @ North Arm Farm
Whistler's acclaimed Araxi Restaurant presents Araxi Longtable @ North Arm Farm, a series of outdoor dining experiences at Pemberton's picturesque North Arm Farm taking place on July 30th, August 27th and September 11th. With dozens of ingredients grown just footsteps from Chef James Walt's outdoor kitchen, each event begins with a reception and farm tour with North Arm Farm's proprietor Jordan Sturdy, followed by a four-course menu featuring the valley's freshest local produce, beef from its pastures, day-boat catches from our coastal fisheries and wines from leading producers.  www.araxi.com

Family Saturdays with Whistler Museum
The Whistler Museum and Archives Society looks forward to a July full of family fun! The museum welcomes Isobel MacLaurin, Michael Allen, and the Whistler Naturalists to the Whistler Museum as they guide the activities and share their knowledge of all aspects of Whistler's culture and history. www.whistlermuseum.org

WHISTLER NEWS

Billabong Ante Up - July 1
Billabong Ante Up is the marquee kickoff event for the 2011-2012 TTR World Tour snowboard event, taking place Canada Day, July 1st, 2011 at Whistler Blackcomb at the top of the Whistler Village Gondola near the Roundhouse Lodge. The day will feature thirty (30) of the world's top snowboarders competing for $50,000 in cash. www.billabong.com/anteup

Canada Day Weekend Celebration - July 1-4
Whistler celebrates Canada's 144th birthday from July 1 to 4 with live music, sports, kids' crafts, family entertainment, art, food and drink, and fireworks. Whistler's newest cultural venue and community gathering place - Whistler Olympic Plaza - will play host to Canadian acts such as Ashley MacIsaac, Hannah Georgas, Fred Penner, the Canada Day parade ceremony and entertainment for everyone. On July 1, the Whistler Canada Day parade will make its way from Town Plaza to Mountain Square starting at noon. More fun continues in the Village throughout the weekend bridging our Canada Day celebrations with those of our American neighbour's July 4th celebrations. www.whistler.com/events/july

ArtWalk - July 1 to August 31
ArtWalk returns to Whistler Village for summer 2011 with approximately 15 to 25 non-traditional host galleries exhibiting artists. ArtWalk features the work of regional artists in Whistler cafés, retail outlets, commercial galleries, hotels and restaurants. Artists from Lions Bay to Lillooet showcase works of painting, photography, multi-media, pottery and jewellery. ArtWalk bridges the gap between tourism, business and culture in this free two-month walking tour that brings local art to high-traffic venues. Don't miss out on the opening receptions in Whistler Village and their Block pARTy in Function Junction. ArtWalk is presented by Whistler Arts Council. www.whistlerartscouncil.com

Seduction of Spirit, Meditation & Yoga Retreat - July 3-9
Join Deepak Chopra, davidji, and the Chopra Center staff for a life-changing journey of meditation, celebration, and inner transformation at Seduction of Spirit. This is a rare opportunity to step away from life's daily pressures and connect to your essential spiritual nature. Each day Deepak will guide participants in a deep meditation technique taught nowhere else, the wisdom and practice of the 28 sutras. www.chopra.com

BC Bike Race - July 9
BC Bike Race is much more than the challenge of a ride ... it's about everything experienced along the way spectacular scenery, fascinating culture, interesting people, and tantalizing tastes. The stages of the BC Bike Race wind through nine beautiful west coast communities over eight days, each showcasing unique qualities and elements that make British Columbia a world-class destination for athletes, adventurers and visitors alike. www.bcbikerace.com

Sea to Sky Trail Challenge - July 9-10
The Sea to Sky Trail Challenge is a 150 km mountain bike ride from Birkenhead Lake to Squamish with an overnight in Whistler. It's non-competitive in nature and attracts riders of all ages (previous youngest rider was 8 and oldest 72 years young). www.worca.com

VANS Community Skate Jam - July 10
Free event, open to all ages. For each Jam, three features in the park are selected. The competitor who scores the best trick wins $1000 in Vans + Showcase prizing at each event and $500 in cash prizing at each event. All judging is done by fellow skaters. New for 2011 - a separate Grom Class for those 12 and under.  www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo

Bearfoot Bistro World Oyster Invitational - July 10
In true Bearfoot Bistro fashion, the First Annual World Oyster Invitational is host 18 of the world's best shuckers in three qualifying heats. The leader of each qualifying heat will then go head to head in the finals- one will be named winner. With the world's best in one arena they have been offered the opportunity to attempt to break the current Guinness World Record of Oyster Opening - most in a minute. The current record is 38 and we look forward to seeing which of the shuckers will take on this challenge. Guests of the event will also be able to participate in judging the best mignonette. Proceeds of this event are being donated to the Canadian Red Cross Japan Relief. www.bearfootbistro.com

Whistler International All Star Hockey Tournament - until July 11
Come watch the stars of tomorrow as 69 teams from Western Canada and the US participate in 23 days of non-stop hockey action. This elite youth tournament brings together players ranging from 9 to 18 years of age, all with a high level of commitment to their sport. Games take place at Meadow Park Sports Centre. Spectators are welcomed.  www.whistlerallstarhockey.com

Kokanee Crankworx - July 15-24
In less than a decade, Kokanee Crankworx has become the authoritative free ride festival. A supercharged magnet for the world's best riders and the definitive domestication of dirt in the service of epic endurance, supreme flow, monster air and gravity-fuelled mountain biking. Opening weekend showcases concerts include K'Naan, Hot Hot Heat and local performer Kostaman. Over 10 fearless days in July, the venues at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park serve as a modern day Colosseum to the world's best mountain bike athletes. www.crankworx.com

Canadian Cheese Rolling Championships - July 23
This UK-style, century-old tradition has contestants running and tripping down a mountain chasing after an 11-pound cheese wheel to win the cheese (and Whistler Blackcomb season passes). Free to watch or compete in the hilarious races, sample Canadian cheeses at the farmers' market and chill out as the kids let off some steam with plenty of entertainment. Access the site via the Excalibur Gondola in the Whistler Village Skier's Plaza. www.canadiancheeserolling.ca

Canadian BBQ Championships - July 29-31
The Canadian National BBQ Championships competition is the highlight of the Pacific Northwest's competitive BBQ circuit, and a draw qualifier event for the American Royal World Championships in Kansas City as well as the Jack Daniel's World Championship BBQ event in Lynchburg, Tennessee. www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo

Feast in the Mountains - July 31
Feast in the Mountains showcases BC's culinary bounty by transforming Whistler's Rebagliati Park into a roaming gourmet sampling of local and regional foods. Spend a summer afternoon amidst the beauty of the Coast Mountains, wander the park and savour the creations and samples from BC's award-winning chefs, farmers, food artisans, vintners and brewers. www.feastinthemountains.com

Whistler Secrets 

  • Learn the traditional art of Squamish wool weaving with Chief Janice George in a two hour workshop at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre.
  • Sea to Sky Community Ride invites all bikers, trail runners and families to explore the newest addition to Sea to Sky Trail and Cheakamus Crossing Trail that winds through the magnificent valley forest below Black Tusk on July 17
  • The Knitty Gritty Knit Night is every Tuesday evening at 6 pm at Gone Bakery
  • Ladies nights are on in Whistler Mountain Bike Park and on Whistler Golf Course
  • Last day for summer Blackcomb glacier skiing and riding is July 24
  • Don't forget to enter the Whistler ""Win-It-Your-Way"" contest. This contest gives the lucky winner a chance to experience Whistler's summertime vibe with six grand prizes to choose from. www.whistler.com

WHISTLER STORIES

Growing the sport of mountain biking with women - Trek Dirt Series

Trek Dirt Series mountain bike camps were created with the intention to grow the sport of mountain biking among women. Typically, this sport is dominated by men, leaving women riders sometimes feeling intimidated. With their male counterparts often a level or two or three ahead of them, women riders can find themselves frustrated at the back of the pack, the end of the trail or the bottom of the hill. Not the best way to embrace a new sport. The answer? The Trek Dirt Series mountain bike camps provides the opportunity to not only improve skill level, but also open the door for women riders to empower themselves in a non-competitive, gender exclusive environment. Women in the Trek Dirt Series camps draw strength and support from each other.

Now in its 12th year, the Trek Dirt Series delivers instruction with the goal of developing and building skills with a ‘learn by trying' process that motivates riders, giving them the skills and experience to advance. The women-only camps offer full-weekend instruction designed to help riders of all levels, from beginner to expert, hone their mountain biking skills in a safe, education and fun environment.

As a result of the Trek Dirt Series camps, more women than ever are becoming passionate about mountain biking and confident enough to go head-to-head with men on the trails. For details on Trek Dirt Series camps visit www.dirtseries.com.

EVENTS
Coming Soon....

  • Warrior Dash - August 6-7
  • Whistler Children's Art Festival - August 13-14
  • Slow Food Cycle - August 21
  • SEARS Great Canadian Run - August 27
  • Jazz on the Mountain - September 2-4
  • RBC GranFondo - September 10