Canada – BC Road Trip Day 5 – Travels with Carolyne

Whistler – Day 5 of a 12 Day BC Road Trip

We had a full ski and snowboard day planned at Whistler Blackcomb. It was an absolutely beautiful day – clear skies and sun! Whistler Blackcomb consists of two mountains – Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. The day ski lift ticket gives access to both mountains. There are chair lifts from the base which lead to the easier runs (about 1/3 way up the mountain), and gondolas leading up to 2/3 of the mountain where you can access more chair lifts to reach the peak of the mountain. There is also a Peak-2-Peak gondola connecting the two mountains, which is included in the lift ticket.

Day 5
Whistler

To start our day, we stopped at Purebread for breakfast. We ordered two savoury pastries, which were delicious! Purebread has a great selection of pastries – savoury or sweet.

We then drove to a parking lot closer to the ski hills. The ski hills are about a 10 minute walk from Summit Lodge, but since our parking was up at 10am, we decided to park closer to the hills. After getting set up with rentals and picking up our reserved tickets, we headed up the Whistler mountain chairlift. For warm-up, we skied/snowboarded down the green level alpine trail, Lower Olympic. For our next trail, we took the Whistler Village Gondola up the mountain. The gondola stops at the 1/3 mark, as well as the 2/3 mark of the mountain. Riders have the option to get off at either. We skipped the first stop and continued to the 2/3 mark of the mountain. As we exited the gondola, we were graced by a mesmerizing view of the mountain. The Roundhouse Lodge and Peak-2-Peak Gondola are located beside the gondola exit.

My boyfriend headed to the Peak Lookout to try out the advanced trails, while I stuck to the beginner trails. At the peak lookout, there is a gorgeous view of the mountains. It is also the location of the iconic inukshuk, Ilanaaq.

After a few runs, we reunited and headed up to the Little Whistler Peak to ski and snowboard the Burnt Stew Trail, a green trail. The top of the mountain is breathtaking. There are designated trails, but there is also so much open space.

I did not particularly like the Burnt Stew Trail. The first part of the alpine trail is great due to the open space. However, it eventually becomes narrow and flat, which makes it difficult to snowboard. I was not picking up enough speed on my snowboard to clear the flat parts, nor had I perfected my control, so I was not very comfortable at the narrow parts. Good thing he was on skis and could pull me along at the flat parts using his poles!

It took us longer than expected to reach the bottom. He got one more advanced trail in while I took my gear back to the car. Next stop – Apres Ski! We selected Bar Oso, a spanish tapas restaurant, for apres ski. They have $20 charcuterie and $20 1/2L wine between 2:30-5pm. We did not have any wine, but we ordered the charcuterie to share. The charcuterie plate came with cured and fresh meat, as well as cheeses and crostini. It is a perfect afternoon snack after a busy day of skiing and snowboarding.

After Bar Oso, we headed back to the hotel to wash-up and rest before dinner. After re-energizing, we walked to High Mountain Brewing Company for a pre-dinner drink. We both ordered a beer flight. The brewery is also a restaurant, but we did not stay for dinner.

High Mountain Brewing Company

I had made reservations at Araxi for dinner. Araxi is located in the heart of Whistler Village and is praised for its food. For drinks, we ordered Up the Creek and the Peach Sangria. The bread and butter were complimentary.

For dinner, we selected from their three course meal (a special deal only available for a few weeks). I chose the freshly shucked BC oysters, duck breast, and passion fruit mouse cake. He chose the tuna tataki, salmon, and cheese cake. Everything was delicious! The BC oysters were dressed in 4 ways – thai salsa, raspberry mignonette, bloody mary + pickled cucumber, and creme fraiche + trout caviar. I was also impressed by the tuna tataki. I originally thought the pearls on top were roe, but they were actually ponzu pearls. The duck breast and salmon were both perfectly cooked! I particularly liked the duck breast. Both desserts were delightful and came with spiced pear sorbet and coconut sorbet. Note: Araxi also has a pretty good apres ski deal between 2:30-5pm. $19 for ten oysters is their highlight.

Passionfruit Mousse Cake + Coconut Sorbet

With our bellies filled, we headed back to the hotel for the evening.

Complete Day 5 Itinerary

*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.

8:00am: Stop at Purebread for breakfast (1 minute walk from Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel).

8:30am: Head to Whistler Blackcomb (12 minute walk from Purebread). Go skiing/snowboarding!

3:00pm: Go to apres ski at Bar Oso (8 minute walk from Whistler Blackcomb).

5:00pm: Head to High Mountain Brewing Company for a pre-dinner drink (5 minute walk from Bar Oso).

7:00pm: Dinner at Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar (7 minute walk from High Mountain Brewing Company).

12-Day BC Road Trip Itinerary

Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 12-Day BC Road Trip Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip in BC!

12-Day BC Road Trip Itinerary Download