Fifty-five percent of the 3300 total hectares at Whistler Blackcomb are categorized as blue (intermediate) trails, which means that it won’t take more advanced skiers much time at all to find intermediate runs to explore the entire ski area on. On Blackcomb, we were particularly fond of the groomed slopes next to the Solar Coaster Express (Springboard, Ross’ Gold and Cruiser) and the 7th Heaven Express (Hugh’s Heaven, Panorama and Cloud Nine). But the ones around the Blackcomb Excalibur gondola are also great intermediate runs.
On Whistler our favorites were Jeff’s Ode to Joy off the Symphony Express chairlift and Harmony Ridge off the Harmony Ridge chair. The combination run of Franz’s and Little Red Run, which runs off of the Roadhouse Lodge at 1850 meters down to the base of Creekside at 653 meters, is also an appealing one. If it’s an ungroomed adventure you seek, you’ll find your match in the trails Ridge Runner, Backstage Pass and Rock’n Roll, which run down from the upper terminal of the Crystal chair to the base terminal of the Excelerator chair.
Another real treat is the Blackcomb Glacier run. A five-minute tow with “Showcase” will get you to the so-called back bowl that it’s located in. Ambitious skiers can challenge the trail Peak to Creek, which takes you all the way from the upper terminal of the Peak Express chair out to Creekside. Thanks to the Peak2Peak gondola, you can easily change peaks mid-mountain.
If it’s a really memorable experience you’re looking for, you might want to consider taking advantage of the Heli-Skiing offer for at least one day.