Is whistler an Olympic standard resort? Most definitely! Here’s what we thought of a weeks riding there in April 2008.

There are 3 areas in which you can stay at the resort. Whistler village is at the centre of both mountains and hosts the majority of the action. Whistler creek is further around Whistler mountain and has it’s own gondola up, however to get to Blackcomb side you will need to either get the bus or ride down to Whistler village. Blackcomb base is around the other side of Whistler village, slightly closer to the action than Whistler creek. We stayed at Cascade Lodge in Whistler village, a short walk or bus ride to the lifts. We had an awesome room with en suite, balcony, an extremely comfy bed, kitchenette and washing machine. The staff were really friendly and helpful and always greeted us with a smile. The only downside was having to buzz the 24hr reception to let us in, whilst drunk in the middle of the night, because we forgot the code required to get back in after 11pm. Good for security, but not so great for drunken idiots.

The mountains have a total of 38 lifts accessing over 200 runs, 2008/2009 will see the opening of the new peak to peak gondola linking the 2 mountains together. There really is something for everyone. Beginners will find plenty of easy runs to practice on, many of these can be found on Whistler side, which seems to be more family orientated. For the intermediates there are some nice runs along harmony ridge and the saddle although watch out for white outs up here, you may want to check the conditions before you head up. If you’re after some space some nice quiet blues can be found on the far sides of Blackcomb on ridge runner or 7^th Heaven area. The more advanced riders after more challenging runs on Whistler mountain, should head up the peak chair to upper peak to creek for a good choice of blacks. Also check out Dave Murray down hill to creekside. Blackcomb has some nice blacks around the glacier express, and I would highly recommend hiking the glacier. To get to the glacier head up blackcomb gondola then across to the glacier express followed by the showcase t-bar. This takes you to the bottom of the 5-10 minute hike up to the glacier followed by 5 min hike out at the bottom. I am not a keen hiker myself I would much rather traverse across the mountain to find fresh tracks than take my board off and hike, however, I consider this one worth it and would happily do it again. We were there towards the end of April and even though it was spring conditions on the majority the mountains, the glacier felt like mid winter and consisted of a nice powder bowl with plenty of fresh tracks to be had.

Boarders who are into their park riding will love this place it has 6 parks and 1 super pipe, spread across the 2 mountains. including a learner park for beginners. The beginners terrain park and the super pipe can both be found on Blackcomb side. There are also plenty of natural hit and glades to be found across both mountains.

Nightlife is good here with a wide range of bars and restaurants covering practically every market and budget. You will find what your looking for here no matter what your after. We went during the Telus ski and snowboard festival in April. This is a great time to visit the resort but make sure you book early as it is very popular. There are events on all week both on the slopes and off. We caught some of the snowboard super pipe and saw some awesome bands for free including Julian Marley and The Trews. This is a huge event every year and is well worth going for, whether you want to party for the week or just get some good family entertainment for your apres ski.

Whistler Blackcomb has far too much terrain to cover in a week possibly even in a season but rest assured there is something for every level of rider and every type of winter holiday. They are gearing up for the 2010 winter olympics so there are constant improvements being made to the area and its facilities. With all this attention Whistler/Blackcomb is set to continue to be one of the best resorts in the world, so what are you waiting for?

For more information on Whistler/Blackcomb visit their official site. http://whistlerblackcomb.com

Kea are a parrot species found only on New Zealand’s South Island. They are a browny green colour with bright red under their wings. These little monsters like to cause havock in Alpine resort car parks where they can entertain the crowds with their antics. They munch on bits of cars, they are quite partial to rubber seals and windscreen wipers and will steal any loose items that they can carry.

The Kea are a protected species, that are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds in the world. Their social and inquisitive nature means they are happy to hang out and have fun amongst the resort crowds, entertaining with their mischievous acts. Beware of these pesky parrots and be sure not to take your eyes off your beanie.

For more information on how to act around Kea visit the Department of Conservation website: http://www.doc.govt.nz

Kea attacking car

Treble Cone is said to be the best resort on New Zealand’s South Island, they boast the longest groomy and the most intermediate and advanced terrain. We visited the resort in July 2008 and here’s what we thought.

We found Treble Cone to be a well run resort with plenty of challenging terrain. The average annual snowfall here is good for New Zealand standards so if it’s powder days you’re after you have a good chance of getting some here. Whilst we were there they didn’t get any fresh snow and as it was early in the season the base was fairly thin. Regardless of the thin base the groomed terrain was in good condition throughout the resort and made for some good smooth cruising. The non-groomed terrain was full of rocks and moguls. If you’re into that you would have an awesome time here at the start of the season, but it’s really not my thing. My opinion on this resort is that although it is a little on the small side it would be awesome on a powder day.

For the beginners amongst you don’t worry, whilst the resort does cater well to advanced and intermediate riders, they have not forgotten the beginners. At the bottom of the resort near the 6 seater VW chair lift there is a reasonably sized learning area with a magic carpet. Easy rider is a long windy green run that goes right from the top of the VW chair lift back down to the base. From the Easy Rider run there are a few blues that are on the milder side allowing for gradual progression.

For the intermediate riders there are plenty of blue runs from the top of both the VW chair and the top of the Saddle chair. Be warned that some of them, such as cloud nine, may be full of moguls, so it’s worth checking which ones have been groomed. For the more advanced of you there are a couple of nice black runs out towards the Matukituki Basin.

Advanced riders who prefer not to hike have plenty of non-groomed terrain along with some chutes around the saddle track and some mild challenges on the Drop Off and Payback from the saddle chair. Those that are up for the hike should try Tims Table, Hollywood Bowl and Motatapu chutes from the top of the Saddle chair or Hidden valley that can be accessed from either the Saddle or the VW 6 seater. There is also the Super Pipe and a good selection of boxes, rails and jumps in the terrain park, as well as plenty of natural hits.

The drive up to the resort as with most of the NZ resorts is up a decidedly dodgy access road. I would not recommend driving up it unless you are a confident driver carrying snow chains as it is unsealed with no barrier and steep drops off the edge. Buses are available from Wanaka and there is talk of them building a gondola in the near future to take people from the car park. Treble Cone is located in Mt Aspiring National Park just over 100km from Queenstown and 30 minutes from Wanaka.

The night life in both Wanaka and Queenstown is good with plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. Many of the season riders flock to Wanaka every year with Treble Cone passes, this makes for a good riding community in the town. There are plenty of parties and lots of fun to be had.

On the whole a good NZ resort with plenty for everyone, although it is on the expensive side. The drive can be a bit of a downer if your not confident in those types of conditions so hopefully they will build the gondola soon. Until then check that the resort and access road are open before you leave.

For more resort information see:http://www.treblecone.com