Ok we’re done with Vancouver. Time to get out into the WILDERNESS.

Today we’re driving up to one of Canada’s most famous ski towns: Whistler. In terms of international name recognition, it is probably second only to Banff, which is just across the British Columbia border in Alberta and is like 10 hours away from here.

For me personally, Whistler first appeared on my radar not for skiing, but for mountain biking. Even though I was very much NOT into biking, and lived in a decidedly flat part of the world, my older cousin Jake introduced me to a mountain biking film called “Roam” from Whistler-based group The Collective when I was a wee lad in the early 2000s, and I watched it on repeat for months on end. The soundtrack had a big impact on me as well; I am definitely going to be pulling from it for some upcoming “Track of the Day” picks. I’m not sure where to officially find this movie nowadays, but somebody uploaded this low-res version of it to YouTube and all the other 2000s kids are having a love fest in the comments section. If you want to see some cool (albeit, slightly pixelated) footage that is mostly from BC, this should whet your appetite for the series that follows.

Driving To Whistler From Vancouver

We already talked about how close into the mountains Vancouver is. I have never seen anything like it—at least not for a city as big as this. Northern Vancouver is literally built into the sides of the Cascades, with its streets and buildings sloping up the sides of the mountains as far as physics will allow. So when you start driving northward from Vancouver, you will find yourself in the mountains pretty much instantly. The drive up follows the coastline of a rugged Pacific fjord that comes to a head in the gorgeous little town of Squamish, and from there it’s all mountains. Here’s a map of the trip. It might not look like a huge distance on the map, but’s 2.5 to 3 hour drive to get up there from Vancouver.

We stopped for gas in the Squamish area and two things happened. First, I got out of the car and realized that it was REALLY cold. The temperature was dropping fast as we made our way up towards Whistler. I was getting worried that I was under-dressed. Second, when we pulled out of the gas station, we went by a HUGE Black Bear on the side of the road. I have seen plenty of Black Bears in my day, but this one was particularly formidable. Not bad for our 3rd day in Canada! Here are some snaps from the drive up…

The Town of Whistler

Finally, we rolled into the actual town of Whistler. As we made our way over to a public parking lot, I figured that I had missed my chance to get a picture of a bear for that day. Maybe I’d come across one later in my trip, but what are the odds of twice in one day? Especially since we weren’t even planning on getting too far off the beaten path on this particular excursion. We got out of the car and OH SHIT THERE’S ANOTHER BEAR RIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT—

…sorry I lost my cool there. Back to the article…

We were arriving in Whistler at sort of a weird moment in time. The final ski weekend of the season had apparently been just days before our arrival. I think they actually throw a big party that weekend. But now the season was officially over. It would not be long before summer was in full bloom out here in the Cascades, and Whistler would transition from a dreamy wintery ski town to the sunny hub for trekkers and mountain bikers across the region… but during our visit, we were decidedly in-between seasons. The clouds hung low over the town, obscuring the tops of the mountains. It was somewhere between warm and cold. It was raining on and off. Not exactly postcard weather.

But even so, I was completely charmed by Whistler! Walking through the town, it was difficult not to picture what it must look like on a snowy winter night. And then it dawned on me that I have never done a snowy trip before, ever! I need to make that happen. It would amazing to come up to one of these ski towns in the winter, or do Christmas in Northern Europe. Sigh.

As we walked, and I thought about how idyllic this place must have been a few months ago, and would likely be again once summer arrived, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out. And I could feel a melancholy energy in the air; the collective emotions of all the ski bums who just had an awesome winter together and now needed to figure out what to do with their summers.

Anyway, let me show you some pictures of the town itself. In the town square, you will see pictures of the Olympic rings. In fact, much of the 2010 Winter Olympics took place here! Officially they were held in Vancouver, but all the skiing, snowboarding, etc. happened right here in Whistler!

While the actual town of Whistler is very charming, if a little bougie, the main reason people come out here has nothing to do with the town itself. The town is just a jumping off point into the beautiful Canadian Cascades! And if you hadn’t guessed from the bear in the parking lot, all of that wilderness picks up the instant you stray from the main drag of the town.

We did some walking through the area immediately surrounding the town. Off in the distance, in almost all directions, you could see ski slopes, still covered in snow, even as the rain came down. Across a fast-moving mountain brook, we found ourselves at the foot of some of those ski slopes. A live map of which ski slopes and gondolas were still open sat mounted in a grand wooden frame beneath a clock at the base of the hill. And on a ledge nearby, a single, solitary mitten sat, forgotten. I love that shot of the sad, lonely mitten in the gallery below. It really captures the melancholy I was describing. Good times were had. Snow gear was misplaced. Another season has come and gone at Whistler.

The summer sports were clearly on their way! in the hills surrounding a large skate park, a small army of mountain bikers were moving in with shovels. While we explored, they were hard at work reviving last season’s ramps. At the base of some ski slopes, beneath a sign that said “Whistler Kids” in a sloppy Comic Sans, there was a new crop of riders learning getting a group lesson. These are the kids who will be starring the the “Roam” style movies in 10-12 years!

Driving Farther Noth Into The Cascades

It wasn’t exactly hiking weather, so we decided to just drive further north and see where the road took us. Eventually, we ended up parked near a golf course that looked out over a gorgeous mountain lake, with a few bush planes floating peacefully off shore. At one point we noticed that we were driving down a street called “Golden Bear Way,” and then we realized, this was a Jack Nicklaus golf course! That was significant to us because he’s from Columbus, Ohio like us, and he uses imagery from Columbus in his signage from time to time. For instance, the “Golden Bears” are the mascot of Upper Arlington High School, which is the Columbus suburb where he was born. We don’t know the guy personally or anything, but it was funny seeing the Columbus connection out here.

Anyway, it was clear that there is a lot of money up here. Whistler itself clearly catered to some expensive tastes, but the economics of this place didn’t really set in until I saw all of the vacation houses out here. Luxurious log cabins literally dot this gorgeous landscape. Let me tell you, I would NOT mind living in one of them. Here’s a gallery with more from our explorations before we eventually turned around and began the long, winding drive back down to Vancouver.

I think this mountain air really did me some good. At this point I was really struggling with my anxiety (as you may recall from my Vancouver articles), but as difficult as my transit to British Columbia may have felt, it was actually a strategic choice to come up here instead of a more urban setting. Vancouver was just the gateway to the Canadian wilderness, and that is largely where we will be spending the rest of our series. Whistler was, however, our only foray into the Cascades. From here we’ll be headed down to the ocean to make the crossing to Vancouver Island, where we will spend the rest of the trip.

I am so glad that I got to come up here though. I will 100% be coming back here in the future (either to Whistler or Banff), preferably in the snow. But, for now, it’s time to bid farewell to the really big snowy mountains. Don’t worry though! There is some incredible stuff coming soon. For now, I’ll leave you with a “Roam” favorite. ⛰🚴🏻‍♀️