Christmas in Whistler

So to make sure we had a white Christmas, we booked to go up to Whistler for 3 nights - we headed up on Xmas eve and came back on the 27th. We booked an apartment so we had a kitchen, and the place even came with a outdoor hot tub and a heated swimming pool! So we spent a bit of time in those. The apartment was right in the middle of Whistler village, so we were able to walk everywhere. They'd had a lot of snow the few days before we got there, so although it didn't actually snow while we were there, there was definitely plenty of the stuff!

Whistler village is a decent size, for a ski resort, and has plenty of shops, although they're mostly souvenirs and ski gear. It has a real alpine feel to it, and the building are all done in the style you can see here. No cars can drive in the village, so it's a good place to walk around. At one end of the village is where the skilifts are to go up the mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb.



On Christmas day we went for a walk to Lost Lake - this photo is of Andrew standing on the lake - when we were here in November, the lake wasn't frozen at all, despite there being snow everywhere! It was a great walk through the snow to get here, and lots of people out snowshoeing by the lake as well.

It was amazing, there was so much snow - just beautiful! I love how the snow clings to the tree branches, and just has a way of making everything look so pretty.

On the last day we bought a sightseeing pass for the lifts, and went up the top of Whistler peak to check out the views. We'd been so lucky with the weather the whole time we were there, beautiful blue skies every day, and this day didn't disappoint. There were a lot of people out boarding and skiing, but we just hung out and watched the world go by and took in the view.

The gondola ride up to the top was pretty steep, but there were points where you could see the runs below and the view was spectacular, with the village getting smaller and smaller the further up you went. There are some cafes and restaurants up the top, and another gondola that opened about a year ago that goes over to the top of Blackcomb. That one was really high though and I was too much of a wuss to go on it, but Andrew did.
The Inukshuk, which is the official mascot of the upcoming Winter Olympics, called "Ilanaaq" looks out over Whistler village from the top of the mountain. These stone symbols are quite popular in Canada, and even more so the further north you go apparently - having been used for centuries by the Inuit or First Nations people.