Exploring Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains with the Peak to Peak Gondola

Whistler, British Columbia offers so many wonderful activities that it’s hard to choose how to spend your precious time and money. Thrill seekers should definitely try ziplining through the mountains, while those less daring can opt for another way to see the beautiful mountains of Whistler. The Peak to Peak Gondola is consistently rated as a top activity due to being family-friendly and reasonably priced for the hours of entertainment it provides, for the jaw-dropping views of the stunning landscape, and for its access to 50+ km of incredible hiking trails. It is the world’s longest and highest lift and offers a phenomenal perspective of British Columbia, at a more affordable price than a helicopter tour. There are free tours daily and many paid customized tours to choose from as well, depending on your interests. We already were blown away by the helicopter tour of the area so weren’t sure if this would add anything to our already amazing experience. When we found a way to do it for free, we were in.

The tickets for the Peak to Peak 360 Experience are $49.95/adult, $42.92 for youth ages 13-18 and seniors 65+, $24.95 for children ages 7-12. Children age 6 and under are free, which makes this a great value for families with young children. The attraction can easily entertain you for an entire day if you plan to do some hiking while up there. The ticket includes the gondola ride to and from the top of Whistler or Blackcomb Mountain (depending on where you start), the gondola ride between the peaks of Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains, an open-air chairlift to the summit of Whistler Mountain, alpine videos at the Alpine Theatre, and access to the Peak to Peak Viewing Gallery to watch the incredible machinery in action. If you would like to enjoy a Mountain Top BBQ including live entertainment on Whistler Mountain during the summer, tickets are $69.95/adult. So for an extra $20 you get an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring several kinds of delicious BBQ, salads, side dishes, desserts, coffee, tea and soft drinks. We were considering this option when I read in a local tourism magazine that you can visit Whistler Activity Central for discounted tickets to local attractions and activities.

So we walked to the office, which is located right next to this bobsled above, and while exploring the list of activities, a saleswoman from Club Intrawest made us a proposition we couldn’t turn down. She offered to give us a $150 gift card in exchange for attending a 90 minute timeshare presentation at their Whistler resort. We initially said “no thanks” due to the high pressure sales tactics for which timeshare salemen are notorious, and told her about a terrible experience in Sedona that made us vow to never attend one of those presentations again. She promised that our experience in Canada would be different, and that we would not be pressured into buying something that didn’t work for us. We were still reluctant to attend, since we had only one day left in Whistler and didn’t want to waste a few of our precious hours left on a sales pitch. Her suggestion was to take a hold on our credit card for the $150 gift card that she gave us in advance, so that if we decided to skip the presentation the following day, they would just charge us the $150, and it would be an even exchange. So, we decided to give them a chance, since we had nothing to lose. So with the $150 gift card we purchased two tickets for the Peak to Peak Gondola and Mountain Top BBQ, and even had a few dollars left over for a drink at the cafe in Roundhouse Lodge. When we showed up the next morning for our timeshare presentation, they had overbooked and did not have a salesperson available, so they let us leave and keep our $150. We were in slight disbelief that it was so easy to earn $150. I was expecting them to tell us that we would have to wait an hour for their next available time, but no. They let us help ourselves to their coffee, tea, and snacks while they offered us a free gift in exchange for our time. We had the option to purchase a package at their Whistler resort at a tremendous discount. Club Intrawest offers condos with a kitchen, which would be perfect for a return trip with our kids and my mom. However, the package had to be used within a time frame that would not work for us, so we didn’t purchase it. We were sad to let such a great deal go, but next time we are in Whistler, I’d happily sign up for their presentation again for another $150 gift card and to get a tour of their beautiful property, knowing that they are different than other timeshare companies we’ve dealt with in the U.S.

Now let me bring you back to the Peak to Peak Gondola. While purchasing our tickets with our gift card, we asked the ticketing agent for suggestions on hikes since there were so many options (18 different trails). After listening to what we wanted to see and how much effort we were willing to make, she suggested the High Note Trail (9.5 km round trip) or Half Note Trail (1.2 km) on Whistler Mountain for a moderate difficulty hike with amazing views of Whistler Mountain and Cheekamus Lake, which is vibrant blue. She also suggested the Alpine Walk on Blackcomb Mountain for a easy hike with stunning views and alpine flowers. The ticket counter provides a detailed map with descriptions of their hikes, which is also helpful in choosing your plan of action.

We rode up Whistler Mountain in the Whistler Village Gondola and enjoyed nice views of the ski slopes, forests, and viillage below. At the top we had fun taking photos with the Olympic Rings and the stone structure that is Whistler’s symbol from the olympics. We were unable to do the High Note Trail because the Peak Express Chairlift was not running.  It closed earlier in the day, which I feel the ticket agent should have notified us about, since she recommended a hike that requires this chairlift to access. So make sure it is running if you plan to take any of the hikes that start further up the mountain when purchasing tickets. We were definitely disappointed as we’d heard that the Peak Express Chairlift offered the best views of the entire Peak to Peak experience since it goes into the clouds at the summit of Whistler Mountain. We planned on asking for a raincheck from the ticket desk to return the following day, but decided against it after seeing that rain was forecasted, which wouldn’t make for a fun hike on a cold windy mountaintop.

We then took the world record-breaking Peak to Peak Gondola over to Blackcomb Mountain, which is 3.024 km long and boasts an elevation of 436 meters. You have the option of waiting for a glass-bottom gondola but we opted for the shorter line since the regular gondolas still offer breathtaking 360 degree views of the mountains, lakes, glaciers, and forests. Make sure you plan your visit early in the day because the Peak to Peak Gondola between the mountains stops operating at 5pm. The gondolas that take people back down to the village operate much later, and they also provide a free shuttle to return people if they do not want to take the gondola back down.

Once at Blackcomb Mountain, we decided to take the recommended Alpine Walk, which was an easy loop up into the mountain. Several other hikers spotted a bear not too far off the trail, but we unfortunately missed it. We did spot this little guy, a hoary marmot, nicknamed “the Whistler” because of the whistling sound it makes. Whistler was originally named London Mountain, due to the heavy clouds and rain, but they renamed it after these cute little animals to make it more marketable as a resort.

Our hike worked up our appetites, so we took the Peak to Peak Gondola back to Whistler Mountain and enjoyed the Mountain Top BBQ at 6000 feet and Roundhouse Lodge. I managed to capture a photo with my smart phone of the rainbow over the mountains before it vanished just minutes later, and before I could grab the camera from Bertaut. I was so glad that I had a glimpse before it disappeared, since it was picture perfect. 

I don’t think there’s a better view for dinner in Whistler than at Roundhouse Lodge, so we definitely recommend the Mountain Top BBQ, which is available during the summers on weekends only. The food was surprisingly good for a buffet and offered a huge selection that would satisfy almost anyone’s tastes. You can enjoy the scenic patio or the inside dining area, which has floor to ceiling windows as to not obstruct the panoramic million dollar view. Wine and beer is available for purchase, but we had a bottle of champagne chilling at our hotel to enjoy in the rooftop jacuzzi, so we held out for that. I will write another post about our food experiences in Whistler, so stay tuned for more on some affordable meals we enjoyed in the village. Have you taken any hikes on Blackcomb or Whistler Mountains, and if so, which ones do you recommend? What wildlife did you spot?

This is the only bear we spotted on Whistler Mountain! 🙂 If you liked this post, please sign up for our RSS feed for updates on every new blog post and our email newsletter to get tips to travel like a millionaire.