My ski class in Beaver Creek consisted primarily of Southerners who were connected to the healthcare industry, e.g., running addiction clinics, providing radiology treatments, or coordinating nursing care for patients at home. (Radiology in Memphis has its challenges; one patient had to be sent to the local zoo to be weighed prior to treatment.) One gal was from Minnesota. All of us had arrived in Colorado 2-4 days earlier. All of us were feeling weak and dizzy near the top of the mountain (11,000′ above sea level). All of us would be returning home in 2-5 days, i.e., before we’d completely adjusted to the altitude.
That leads to the question… if people are planning a one-week ski vacation that requires getting on an airliner, why not go to Whistler, British Columbia? The base is at 2,200′ above sea level. The peaks are less than 8,000′ above sea level. The resort is a two-hour drive from the international airport, i.e., no farther than Colorado resorts are from the Denver airport. Why does a person who lives at sea level plan a trip to a Colorado or Utah resort where he or she will be guaranteed to struggle with the altitude and not adjust before it is time to return home?
Readers: What’s Whistler like?
[I visited friends who were renting a place in Beaver Creek for two months. Although they were able to ski, they hadn’t adjusted to the altitude even after two weeks and were feeling weak and headache-y.]
Whistler is nice, but IIRC the snow is not reliable (i.e. often slushy) until you get halfway up the mountain. We didn’t get over to the glacier…
Not to mention the fact that CAD has gone on sale of late. 1 USD buys more than 1.30 CAD.
In my experience the snow has been more reliable in Utah than Whistler or even Colorado.
Denver is a shorter and cheaper flight than Vancouver.
Canada makes you bribe then to get in the country if you’ve had a past DUI.
I’ve never had an issue with mountain sickness.
*Flights from southern flatlands are cheaper to Denver
We just went to whistler a couple of weeks ago. From Chicago it is much harder to get to- longer flights, time zone difference and lack of flights means you kill the whole day at least one way. The weather was bad most of the time. One day it was pouring buckets at the base, and the top was closed due to low visibility. Most of the rwst of the time mountain is covered with fog, so you are skiing half-blind. And it is the weather that’s there 90% of the times.
CAD$ at discount was nice, that’s about it.
If altitude sickness bothers you – go to Utah. Same snow, but much lower. No one I know has issues there.
I spent my teen years in the Vancouver area, and used to live just south of Horseshoe Bay, on the route to Whistler. My buddies and I would often go to Whistler if we had the day off school. This was back in the 70s, before Whistler got expensive (though from what I hear, it’s still cheap compared to Colorado).
I have not skied in Colorado, so I can’t make a direct comparison. I have skied in eastern Canada, and I imagine that the snow in Colorado is probably more like the snow in Ontario than the snow in Whistler. Whistler snow can be quite damp and heavy, particularly at the start and end of the season. The temperatures in Whistler are usually pretty comfortable, and you don’t need to wear a lot of extreme temperature gear to stay warm. The caveat to that is that temperatures at the top can be pretty cold, especially if the wind is blowing. Of course, that’s often where the best snow is, too.
As Denis points out, weather is probably the trickiest thing about Whistler. I’ve had a few beautiful, sunny days on the mountain, but most days are overcast. Sometimes you’ll get rain at lower elevations. I’m not sure that I’d agree with Denis’s comment about the weather being there 90% of the time, but you definitely need to factor it into your planning. I think mid-January through February is probably the best time for a trip to Whistler. Any earlier and you may run into wet weather and closed runs at the bottom.
With the Canadian dollar so low at the moment, a winter holiday in Canada is hard to beat. We went to Ottawa earlier this month, to skate on the Rideau Canal (google Rideau Canal Skateway) and visit the Winterlude festival. We had a great time, and the costs were very reasonable (e.g., skate rental for 4 people, for 4 days, from a local sports shop totaled about $100 US).
If having a headache, make sure to drink a lot of water and to either drink some caffeine or take e.g. small amounts of aspirin or other pain reliever.
Last summer, I spent five days whitewater rafting, downhill mountain biking, and ATV riding at Winter Park Resort, CO ninety miles west of Denver. The resort is at 8000′ and trails run up to 12,000′. I didn’t feel any weakness or headaches during my stay, but I did feel a bit winded jogging up any inclines on my morning runs.
Untrue Philip
We felt fine after 3-4 days going to the gym, skiing, workout, etc…
Maybe they don’t like all the Australians in Whistler. I spent three days skiing there and went a whole day served only by Australians. Every lifty, every bar tender, every barista, cashier etc. (note that I am also Australian – even the bar tender who had mocked my jet lagged self for how I ordered beer turned out the next day to be Australian…).
The year that I went the snow was terrible and it rained. I normally ski in Australia though. I have never spent a week skiing when it didn’t rain. The snow in whistler was an order of magnitude better than I have ever skied here. If folks are concerned about altitude sickness our Mountains here don’t make it above 2300 m.
Why do you think cocaine flows so freely in Aspen. Best altitude sickness invented.
There are many reasons to go to any of a number of ski destinations: travel time, cost, terrain, atmosphere, night life, friends with ski houses, your bucket list…but by virtue of their longitude, latitude and altitude, Colorado and especially Utah have something few other places in the world have: incredibly light powder snow.
I just came back from a week of skiing in North Lake Tahoe, California. In a good season, the mountains there can get insane amounts of snow – they’ve had close to 30 feet so far this season – but the peaks are only around 8000 ft and the snow is nowhere near as light as in Utah and Colorado. It isn’t called Sierra Cement for nothing. That said, it is probably the most extraordinarily beautiful place I’ve ever skied – standing on top of a huge mountain and looking down at Lake Tahoe ringed by snow capped peaks is unrivaled. The terrain is great for beginners and experts alike, the lift system (we skied Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows) is phenomenal. And yes, sleeping at 6000 ft is comfortable. Its a little hard to get to from the East Coast (we flew to SRM via MPL), but a childhood friend owns a great ski house there.
My point is, choosing a place to ski is a multi-variable exercise. And its fun to ski different places.
I meant SMF – Sacramento.
BTW, I don’t agree that “he or she will be guaranteed to struggle with the altitude” I’ve gotten headaches and had trouble sleeping on some trips to Colorado and New Mexico, but had no symptoms on others. As folks have said, drink a lot of water and don’t over do it the first couple of days and you should be OK.
Altitude effects on the body versus age and health are some of the least studied medical issues. Try asking your regular doctor if you will adjust in x days or should get some Ginkgo or other medication to take before you travel to high altitude for skiing.
Most people can adjust to 6000 to 8000 feet in 2 days. But other people take 3-7 days and a small number have real altitude sickness issues and should not travel to these places. But going to the higher altitudes ski places like Beaver Creek (8080) or Breckenridge (9600) is just asking for trouble. Places like Heavenly and Squaw (Lake Tahoe) and Whistler in Canada and the east coast ski areas are much lower so adjusting to that altitude faster is easier.
http://www.visitsaltlake.com/skicity/resorts/altitude-sickness/
And partial long term adaption to altitude takes 1-2 months and effects all your performance abilities depending on your particular makeup.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/446093-how-long-does-it-take-to-acclimate-to-elevation-when-running-a-race/
Oh and Phil I would be very careful going to high altitude with your previous history of diving sickness.
Whistler is great, when the snow is great, and thankfully it is becoming more affordable in its post-Olympics years.
The problem is, to have a great skiing experience, you’re talking about the top of Blackcomb, and the Blackcomb Glacier, so you are experiencing a minority of the runs spread across the peaks.
Pessimistic note: many Americans will find Whistler much too discomforting, with its relatively diverse crowd, friendly attitude and smiling faces.