Whistler and Blackcomb are two distinct mountains joined at the base by the village and at the top by the PEAK 2 PEAK, and locals will tell you they ski completely differently. Whistler Mountain is the gentler of the two, with a mid-mountain fall line that suits beginners and intermediates working their way up, plus alpine bowls like Harmony and Symphony for when they’re ready to push further. Blackcomb has less green terrain and a steeper, more deliberate layout, which is why it draws the harder-charging crowd. The Couloir Extreme off Blackcomb Glacier is one of the more serious inbound lines in North America, and Blackcomb’s 7th Heaven zone is the one everyone name-drops for bluebird days.

With 35% of the terrain rated intermediate, this is not a resort where blues feel like an afterthought, though longtime visitors warn that a Whistler blue can ride steeper and bumpier than a blue anywhere else. Beginners get dedicated learning zones at Olympic Station on Whistler and around the Magic Chair on Blackcomb, both away from the main through-traffic. For advanced and expert riders, the alpine bowls (Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby) are about as close to backcountry as you get inbounds, complete with chutes, cliff bands and exposed traverses.

Snow holds well here thanks to the Coast Mountains catching heavy Pacific systems, though the flip side is that the snow itself runs wetter and heavier than what you’d find in the BC Interior. The driest, lightest snow tends to sit above 1,800 m, which is another reason locals chase the alpine on a powder morning rather than lapping the village runs. Whistler Blackcomb runs on the Epic Pass.