Skiing & Snowboarding Whistler Blackcomb: 8,171 Acres, Best Zones & Non-Skier Winter Activities

By every measure, Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski and snowboard resort in North America: covering 8,171 acres (3,307 hectares) of skiable terrain across two side-by-side mountains, serviced by 37 lifts, receiving an average of 10.8 metres (35.5 feet) of annual snowfall, and boasting a knee-burning 1,609-metre (5,280-foot, one full vertical mile) continuous vertical drop from the summit of Blackcomb to the valley floor.

1. Crucial Money-Saving Rule: Buy Your 'Epic Day Pass' Before December

Whistler Blackcomb is owned by Vail Resorts (part of the Epic Pass network). Walking up to the ticket window in January to buy a single-day lift ticket on the spot is the most expensive option; check current window and online rates on the official site. However, if you buy a 1-to-7-Day 'Whistler Blackcomb Edge Card' (for Canadian and WA residents) or an 'Epic Day Pass' (for international visitors) online before early December, you cut the daily lift ticket rate by 40% to 50%.

2. Best Ski Zones by Level & The 'Peak to Creek' 11-Kilometre Run

• Beginners & Families: start at the mid-mountain Olympic Station learning area on Whistler (or Magic Chair at Blackcomb base), then progress to the gentle, scenic green runs of Burnt Stew Trail (inside Harmony Bowl) and Whiskey Jack.
• Intermediates (Blue Cruisers & Alpine Bowls): ride the Harmony Express and Symphony Express chairs on Whistler for wide-open, tree-lined powder bowls, or test your legs on Peak to Creek, an 11-kilometre (7-mile) continuous intermediate blue run that drops 1,530 vertical metres from the very top of Whistler Peak all the way down to Creekside.
• Advanced & Experts: drop into Spanky's Ladder (leading to Ruby, Diamond and Sapphire Bowls and the Blackcomb Glacier) or ride the 7th Heaven chair on sunny mornings.

3. Not Skiing? Five Amazing Winter Activities for Non-Skiers

You don't need skis to love Whistler in winter: ride the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola on a pedestrian sightseeing pass, slide down the 1,000-foot snow chutes of the bubly Tube Park at Base II on Blackcomb (no experience needed), ride a real Olympic Bobsled or Skeleton at 125 km/h down the ice track at the Whistler Sliding Centre, take a snowmobile tour to a backcountry fondue cabin in the Callaghan Valley, or skate for free under the lights at Olympic Plaza.