The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, Glass-Bottom Cabin, Cloudraker Skybridge & Snow Walls

If you only do one paid activity in Whistler, make it the Summer Alpine Experience (or Winter Sightseeing Ticket): a single pass covering both mountains, three gondolas (Blackcomb, PEAK 2 PEAK and Whistler Village), the open-air Peak Express Chairlift and the 2,182-metre Cloudraker Skybridge. Allow 3.5 to 5 hours for the full circular mountain-to-mountain loop.

1. Step-by-Step: The Best Clockwise Loop (Start at Blackcomb Base)

In the morning, the longest queue forms at the Whistler Village Gondola. Beat the crowds by walking 5 minutes across the bridge to the Upper Village and boarding the 10-passenger Blackcomb Gondola first:

1. Stage 1, Ascend Blackcomb Gondola (1,860m): glide up over Blackcomb's ski runs and look down, as you will often spot wild black bears grazing on clover beneath the cables. At the top, step out at Rendezvous Lodge for a 20-minute walk on the Alpine Walk and Overlord Trail.
2. Stage 2, Ride the World-Record PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola (4.4 km in 11 Minutes): opened in December 2008, the PEAK 2 PEAK holds two world records: the longest unsupported lift span between towers (3.024 kilometres in mid-air) and the highest cable car above ground in North America (436 metres above Fitzsimmons Creek). Twenty-six cabins are red, while two cabins are silver with a glass floor panel. There is no extra fee for the Glass-Bottom Cabin; join the marked Glass Floor lane inside the terminal and wait 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Stage 3, Ride the Open-Air Peak Express Chairlift to Cloudraker Skybridge (2,182m Summit): step off on Whistler Mountain at Roundhouse Lodge (1,850m) (home to the second set of 2010 Olympic Rings and the Umbrella Bar), then walk 5 minutes down the gravel path (flanked in June by 4-to-6-metre-tall ploughed White Snow Walls) to board the Peak Express Quad Chairlift. At the 2,182m summit, cross the 130-metre Cloudraker Skybridge over Whistler Bowl to the Raven's Eye Cliff Walk facing volcanic Black Tusk.
4. Stage 4, Descend the Whistler Village Gondola: ride the chairlift back to the Roundhouse and take the Whistler Village Gondola straight down into Whistler Village for après-ski drinks.