Not any more. Now, you can jump on the Peak 2 Peak and switch mountains in 11
minutes, rather than fighting your way back down to the valley floor to ride
a gondola all the way up the other peak: in effect, you double your options.
As such, it’s going to be an invaluable asset - by far the most enduring piece
of infrastructure to come from the 2010 Winter Olympics, which Whistler,
together with Vancouver, will be hosting.
What none of the above communicates, however, is the sheer sense of wonder the
crossing generates. I’ve been writing about skiing and snowboarding for 14
years. In that time I’ve ridden thousands of lifts, and I can’t remember
ever being so thrilled by a confection of pylons, cables and metal boxes.
Sailing out into such a vast space, between two muscular mountains, is an
eye-popping experience, especially at the moment when you reach the central,
unsupported span, and the trees below you, wreathed in snow, fall away.
Admittedly, I was lucky with the weather. As part of a small group of
journalists and resort managers, I had a preview a couple of days before the
official launch, and we glided across under a canopy of blue, with the
forest in the valley below shrouded in lowlying fog.
It was like flying through the setting for a fabulous childhood dream. After a
couple of minutes, we abandoned any sense of propriety and rushed about
taking pictures, babbling all the while like idiots.
The only shame of it was that we weren’t allowed to stay on board and come
straight back.
TRAVEL BRIEF
Independent travel: Air Canada (0871 220 1111, www.aircanada.com
) flies direct to Vancouver; mid-January returns from £520. Return transfers
with Pacific Coach (www.pacificcoach.com
) cost £63. The Four Seasons Whistler (00 1-604 935-3400, www.fourseasons.com
) has doubles from £158, room-only; or try the Alpine Chalet (604 935 3003, www.whistlerinn.com
; from £75, B&B). For information, visit www.britishcolumbia.travel/ski
.
Tour operators: with Inghams (020 8780 4400, www.inghams.co.uk
), a week at the five-star Fair-mont Chateau Whistler starts at £1,190pp,
room-only, based on two sharing, with flights and transfers. Or try Ski
Independence (0845 310 3030, www.ski-i.com
) or Frontier Travel (020 8776 8709, www.frontier-travel.co.uk
).
Timing your trip: in contrast to the snowy start to the winter in the
Alps, Whistler has had a rotten December so far. At the time of going to
press, the snow was thin and many of the lower pistes were still closed.
Colder weather may be on its way, but wait until there’s been at least one
big blizzard before you commit to a trip.
