IF YOU ever thought you were too old for skiing, then a trip to Whistler will change your mind.
Although the Canadian resort’s two mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb cater for all ages, I was staggered by the number of more elderly people on the slopes.
They weren’t just skiing, either. It’s a bit disconcerting to see a man who is clearly older than your father in the ski lift with a snowboard attached to one leg.
Perhaps these seasoned skiers have graduated from European resorts, attracted to the more gentile approach to the sport in Canada.
Everything is very well organised and the people bend over backwards to help. The ski lifts and chairs are fairly new and there’s none of the ‘queue rages’ that you get in France, where everyone jostles you out of the way to get to the chairs.
After a 10hr flight to Vancouver and a 2hrs 30min transfer to our hotel in Whistler, we received a welcome call from Ski Independence’s resort manager David. He insisted this was normal practice and we weren’t getting special treatment just because I’m a journalist. We met up for a few beers and David gave us the rundown on Whistler.
Despite an 8hr time difference, we went straight up Whistler mountain the first morning and had lessons for three days. There are instructors for every level of skier and I was thought to be an aggressive intermediate, who could do with improving technique. Although the instructors were excellent, I was disappointed we had different teachers on each day – I would have benefited from some consistency.
If you book before you go, lessons are discounted but still work out around £46 a day. A nine-day ski pass in peak season costs £216.
There are enough runs on both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains to satisfy any level of skier although they can take a bit of getting used to. There are no red runs in the resort, just green, blue and black although some of the blue runs are easier than the greens, which are supposed to be for learners.
Whistler has great ski conditions but not always great weather. Take your goggles and be prepared for snow storms.
When you need refreshment, avoid the huge, school canteen-like Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler, which is teaming with people between 12pm and 2pm Instead, ski down to the much nicer little lodge, Chick Pea, where you can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Whistler is a very convenient resort where everything is within walking distance and it comes to life in the evening. There are a huge range of pubs and restaurants and two of you can easily have a decent meal and a bottle of wine for about £40. Take Canadian dollars travellers cheques, which you can use like cash.
Whistler is a bit cut off from the rest of the world – Vancouver is at least 2hrs 30mins away and the only news you get on the television is about the US and Canada. This might suit many people on holiday but, being a journalist, I had to go to an Internet cafe every few days to catch up on UK news and football results.
Whistler already has 2m visitors and there seems no end to its popularity.
One of my instructors bought a house there in 1987 and its now worth six times what he paid.
Go and enjoy it now before it gets as crowded as some of the European destinations.
air canada business class
Flight: London Heathrow to Vancouver, 10hrs.
Aircraft type:B767.
Service: the staff were efficient although not particularly friendly. We were told off for attempting to hang up our ski jackets rather than storing them away in the overhead lockers.
Seat: were very comfortable.The seats reclined a long way and was easy to fall asleep in. Luckily, we were at the front and had even more legroom than normal.
Food: excellent and varied choice, catering for meat eaters, vegetarians and fish lovers.
Entertainment:good range of English and Canadian newspapers and magazines. Individual monitors in arm rests but the scheduling of the films was disappointing. There was no timetable or announcement of when programmes would start, so it was a bit of a lottery trying to catch your chosen film from the start.