Travel Blog

23 Apr

Whistler Done Right: High-Octane Weekend.

TAG: Amped-Up Adventure, Must Dos, Summer Fun

Posted by: Feet Banks

Whistler Bike Park

Warning: The following itinerary is full-on, action-packed and not for the weak-kneed or faint-hearted. There will be very little time (or tolerance) for naps, spas, candlelit dinners or even a decent night’s sleep. Go big or go elsewhere— you can sleep when you’re dead.

FRIDAY

5 PM — The Weekend Starts Now!
If you’re not in Whistler already you need to get up here. The new-and-improved Sea to Sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler is awesome but driving takes energy and attention. To really enjoy the views it’s best to pile your whole crew into a limousine and kick the weekend off with style.

7 PM — Welcome to Whistler
Eat a warm meal and get acquainted with the layout of town. If you feel the only way to do that properly is with a skip-the-line Club Crawl, so be it. The kabobs at Fat Tony’s are substantial and tasty— perfect late-night food.

Whistler Night, Whistler Day

SATURDAY

9 AM — Seize the Day
Sit-down breakfasts are a luxury of the weak. Any decent coffee shop will offer some kind of breakfast wrap, bunwich or croissant. Grab a banana to help with the hangover and damn straight you’re gonna want the extra shot in your coffee. Also, buy a re-usable water-bottle if you don’t already have one, hydration is going to be integral this weekend. Grab a giant cookie or energy bar too in case you’re looking for an afternoon sugar rush!

10 AM-4 PM — Wet Wild Combo
Nothing says, “You’re alive now, bud” like a face full of glacier-fed river water or a few hundred feet of empty space under your toes. The Wet Wild Combo is a day-long adventure that combines the beauty and exhilaration of epic White Water Rafting with the speedy high-flying thrill of Zipline. Get wet, get loud and get that heart rate thumping (PS Don’t take your cookie on the raft unless you like it soggy).

Whistler Rafting and Zipline

4-7 PM — Après
Originally devised as an end to your ski day, in Whistler we now Après after pretty much anything. The sunny patios, beautiful scenery and youthful, diverse population offer some of the best afternoon drinking, nacho eating, and people watching opportunities in the world.

7-8 PM— Shower
Just clean up a bit for dinner: no one wants to eat with someone who stinks. You might even be able to sneak a 20-minute power nap on the couch (just don’t tell anyone).

8:30-10 PM — Dinner (Replenish the tank)
Going full throttle requires a lot of fuel and dinner is your best chance to refill. No need to get too fancy or try to impress anyone with your wine swirling. Go for large quantities of decent quality. The Garibaldi Lift Company has really great daily pasta specials, Sushi Village is always a party (and has the Dumbo-sized sake), 21 Steps is a bit more civilized and serves food late-night, and Creekbread, in Creekside, is the king of local pizza.

10 PM-2 AM — Get to Know the Locals
It seems kind of stupid to drink so late into the night when you know you have a big day tomorrow, but you’ll probably do it anyhow won’t you? Full steam ahead!

SUNDAY

9 AM — Ouch!
You’re allowed to sit down for breakfast today. The Wildwood or Southside Diner are both really good options but there are plenty of spots right in the Village as well. Eat protein and drink lots of water.

10 AM — Bombing Down the Bike Park
The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is the standard all the other parks in the world are held next too. With over 200 km of lift-serviced trails this is downhill mountain biking at its gnarly, flowy best. Full-Face helmets, full-suspension bikes and lap after lap of “Hero” dirt. This is about as high octane as gravity-fed adventure gets.

2:30-6:30 PM — Climb the Via Ferrata
Eat lunch while you upload to the top of Whistler Mountain and then hook up with the Whistler Alpine Guides for Via Ferrata aka “The Iron Ladder.” With fixed safety lines and Iron rungs cemented into the cliff face below Whistler Peak, Via Ferrata offers the same exposure and dizzying heights as an alpine multi-pitch rockclimbing route but without having to learn any of those pesky rock climbing skills. One of the coolest tours in Whistler.

7 PM-10PM — Dénouement
How was it? Is everyone still standing? Relive the glory over dinner somewhere like The Mix or Black’s Pub while deciding how easy it will be to call in sick on Monday and milk one more day of full-throttle awesomeness out of Whistler.

MONDAY (Bonus Round!)

9 AM — Actual Full Throttle, in a Jet Boat
Whistler Jet Boating pilot Eric Pehota has over two decades of whitewater paddling and boating experience and is probably the most experienced jet boat pilots in Canada. He’ll punch through the rapids of Green River up to the base of Nairn Falls while pointing out local wildlife and explaining “hydrology”, understanding the ways rivers move and change.

1 PM — Lunch…and Caesars
No weekend can be considered epic without partaking in Canada’s most popular cocktail. This Whistler day-after staple is all about the garnishes and local establishments have been known to toss everything from hard boiled eggs to mini-sliders to beef jerky on top. Try them all.

Patio time and Airtime in Whistler

2:30 PM — Bungee Airtime
No High-Octane trip would be complete without a 160-foot free fall from a bridge. Whistler Bungee has a perfect safety record and anyone between 50-350 pounds can make the jump. Jumpers also receive a free Whistler Bungee T-shirt to show off at work on Tuesday morning.

Of course, this is just a sampling of the extreme things to do in Whistler in the summer. Customize your own high-octane adventure at Whistler.com and remember to take lots of pictures and tag them #Whistlerunfiltered because in this day and age if you can’t prove it…it never happened.

 

Insider Video

Via Ferrata

YouTube Videos

Whistler Jet Boating: Green River

YouTube Videos

Whistler Mountain Bike Park

Article source: http://www.whistler.com/blog/post/2013/04/22/high-octane-weekend.aspx