Launching into 2020 like Eddie the Eagle with a ski trip to Whistler-Blackcomb, Canada - myself and the Egyptian Eagle made the decision to embark on the ski trip of a lifetime (well for me anyways as I had never skied outside Australia let alone experienced "powder" before) with only two weeks preparation! The thermals were purchased and packed, the goggle lenses buffed and de-fogged, and fingers and toes crossed the Ecco kicks would survive trampling around the snow (but more on that later).
Whistler Village's design was possibly based on The Hunger Games futuristic city "Panem" - the Whistler Olympic Plaza is at the hub - with the "Longhorn Saloon" and its infamous flaming firepits and rowdy apre-ski DJ sessions taking centre stage in front of the Village and Lower Olympic runs, from there the Village sprawls out into a labyrinth of cobble stoned streets and laneways. They call it the Village Stroll and technically you should be able to cover it's span in around 20-25 minutes, all by foot as the Village is strictly pedestrian.
We opted to stay at the Westin, who offer as close to a ski-in ski-out package as actually skiing in and out of your accommodation. You pick up your ski's from Can Ski which operates out of the Westin and at the end of the day leave them with the Westin Concierge Hut set up outside the Whistler Village Gondola. Also, a bonus if you tell them it's your honeymoon (technically it was) they will write you a hand written note and leave a bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries in your room. the champagne followed us to Vancouver, but sadly departed our company courtesy of Airport Security at Seattle International Airport after the Egyptian Eagle packed it in his carry-on.
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| Bye-bye ill-fated champagne...certain to be enjoyed by Seattle Airport Security staff |
If you have never skied or snowboarded before, take advantage of the Whistler Ski School which offers lessons for beginners up to advanced levels. We had two full day lessons, the second day was with a really great instructor Ray - who was celebrating his 28th season as a Whistler Ski instructor. Unfortunately he was not so good at taking photos...
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| Ask for Ray - best ski instructor on the mountain! |
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There are so many great runs at Whistler Blackcomb but it would be redundant of this blog if I focused on the actual holiday and not the food!
Truth be told, Whistler Blackcomb does not have amazing food. Not in the same way you can travel to real foodie destinations and be spoiled for choice. Here
you are the captured market. However there were a few treats worthy of blogging about and you can rely on me to fully document them for your viewing pleasure!!
On the Whistler side of the mountain Chic Pea Hut is renowned for their cinnamon buns. The hut is located at the end of the Upper Whisky Jack run which you can get to from the Garbanzo Espress chair lift. They make the buns fresh on site and they are served drizzled (liberally I might add) with cream cheese icing, maple syrup and a good dusting of cinnamon. Just the right kind of pick me up when the blood sugar starts to drop and you can no longer feel your fingers!!
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| Cinna-bunny glory |
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| Re-Fueled! |
In terms of other foody things to do on the mountain and whilst I can't vouch for any of them, we were recommended to try the waffles at Crystal Hut on Blackcomb Mountain which we just didn't get to. Also apparently "Fresh Tracks" at the Roundhouse Lodge is the go-to. A mountain size buffet breakfast which will see you getting on the Whistler gondola between 7:15 and 8:00am, and then enjoy the first run of the day before the mountain is open to the public. In theory it sounds phenomenal, but considering it doesn't start getting light till 8:00am there was no way I was cracking the curtains that early. Maybe next time.
One of the must-go places at Whistler (even if you can't afford to stay) is the Chateau Fairmont - a luxuriously decadent 5-star hotel - quite appropriately described online as "warm quarters in a posh retreat". They have a great bar with an amazing cocktail list and a never ending supply of bar snacks. The bartender, Ansel gave us a whole bunch of tips for Whistler as well as gifting me a "take home pack" of the crack-like snacks they serve which are called "Christie Bits and Bites Original Snack Mix", and as I have eaten a lifetime's quota of the stuff its rather fortunate I can't buy them in Australia
but you can buy them here In hindsight and one million calories later, even though they probably hold absolutely no nutritional value, I'm pleased to know they contain zero trans fats and are baked not fried.
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| The bar at the Fairmont Chateau |
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| Amazing pickled green beans |
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| Bloody Mary |
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The Fairmont also has live music, so be sure to check out the line-up online. On the subject of live music, local Whistler band "The Hair Farmers" is also great and worth checking out. They tend to mainly do covers and have their own website so you can check upcoming shows. While we were there we saw them at the Four Seasons Resort on Blackcomb Way, which is a lovely walk from Whistler Village via the Valley Trail.
As I mentioned earlier the bartender at the Fairmont gave us a number of foodie tips, and we did follow up a few of them, one that we didn't manage to was was called Riverside Cafe and Catering. It's run by friend's of his and he said the food was honest with good serving sizes and well priced. It gets a 4.6 on google reviews, so it's a shame we didn't make it. It's a 20 minute drive out of Whistler so well worth it if you have a car, which we didn't.
So what is worthy of being included in a self-confessed foodie's blog you might ask??? Well Number One ranking goes to Purebread, a delightful bakery on Main Street. Everything is insanely good, but special mention goes to the sour cherry buckwheat scones (SCBS)- if you can get your hands on one!! Egyptian Eagle and I practically visited daily, mostly searching to see whether the elusive SCBS were on offer, as they tend to sell out early. Lo and behold one afternoon there was not one, but two scones in the display cabinet...I was standing in line and I could hear the people in front talking about the SCBS and then I heard the two girls behind talking about how good they looked (dammit!! why can't you just pick the flourless chocolate brownie!!) shock horror the couple in front nabbed one of the duo SCBS, and it was down to me, the two girls behind and who was going to get served in the queue first....I made my move and managed to score the last scone of the day, eureka!!
Everything is made in house daily and the smell is divine. They also do coffee, so you can dive into your sugary treasure chest of goodies whilst indulging in a hot cup of joe. If you visit Whistler and do not visit Purebread it is a travesty against everything good and right in the world. Unshackle yourself from your paleo-refined sugar free diet with me for a delicious moment of unbridled carb-loading love...
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| Is that a SCBS in the foreground I see...be still my beating heart! |
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| No wait, I see a single lonely SCBS on the bottom right |
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| Don't judge me because I don't look pretty...I will end up haunting your dreams |
Life is all about balance so after filling up on sugar laced carb-loaded treats, it was important to get back on the paleo wagon at
Splitz Grill and order burgers in lettuce cups, or a bed of spinach. We went twice and had both. Must say the lettuce cup is infinitely more satisfying as a "pretend" burger - because at least you can pick it up and eat it like san choi bau...whereas the spinach base was more like "meat and salad".
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| Meat and Salad |
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| Lettuce Cups |
Next door to Splitz is a pie shop owned by an Aussie called Peaked Pies. They offer up unique combinations of meat pies with gravy + mushy peas + mashed potato (uh....hello Harry's Cafe De Wheels???). Its very popular even with the locals, but who ever thought a meat pie could be so darn expensive. If you go for the Tiger (oops, sorry I mean the "Get Peaked") it will cost you $12 CAD plus taxes. I just can't help but feel that price for a humble meat pie, is very Un-Australian (thank-you Pauline Hanson).
Also on Main Street is gastropub Hunter Gather, serving smoked meats and craft beers. The Family Style Farm Platter (below) includes a selection of beef brisket, BBQ chicken, pulled pork as well as ribs, coleslaw, collard greens and jalapeno corn bread for $59.00. I'm not sure why collard greens are a thing in North America and not in Australia because I sure do love them. The corn bread was also pretty good, and truth be told we struggled to eat all this food even though it was a platter for two.
Fun Fact: Did you know Collard Greens are versatile and you can eat them cooked or raw! On our last morning in Whistler I headed to The Green Moustache an organic vegan cafe which had been on my hit-list since day one of arrival. It is literally around the corner from Purebread, so slightly dangerous if you make a wrong turn. Anyone who knows me knows I am the
Queen of Green so finding this cafe amidst the carbohydrate and protein fueled debauchery that had preceded the past few days was a Godsend. I had a Dr G's Ultimate Green Juice - a blend of kale, lettuce, cabbage, bell pepper, Swiss chard and apple and a Green Mo' Wrap filled with quinoa salad, hummus, carrots, beets and sprouts rolled in a raw collard leaf. This is the kind of food I dig on a daily basis and highly recommended if you are into the whole organic and vegan movement. There's also a funky homewares and clothes store that is attached to the back of the cafe called 3 Singing Birds. Clothing is pretty pricey but guaranteed you can pick up something unique.
Also close by (and deadly close to Purebread) is Ecologyst - Canadian branded clothing store who make sustainable and reliable quality clothing all made in Canada. The range is simple and designed for everyday use but excellent quality. Eygptian Eagle and I both bought a couple of pieces which were wool and they literally became our uniform for the remainder of the trip. I'm hoping once Winter rolls around in Australia, I might be able to unpack them out of storage.
The Sales Assistance at Ecologyst who was a Whistler local recommended a Japanese restaurant called Harajuku Izakaya which he said was frequented mainly by locals as it was off the tourist track. It's located on 4000 Whistler Way and still part of the Village although more on the outskirts and closer to the main road taking you in and out of Whistler. It's a funky Japanese restaurant and if you do not book it's likely you either won't get a table at all or will be waiting 1-1.5 hours. We found that out the hard way on an impromptu visit and returned the next night with a booking. The deep fried Brussel Sprouts and Pork Gyoza are the standout dishes, and there's plenty of sake on the menu if you are so inclined.
Now if you are going to visit Whistler you must, must, must, visit
Scandinave which is a bath and massage spa which incorporates a series of outdoor spas, cold pools, and rest and relaxation areas. Unfortunately you cannot book the spas, unless you book a massage so it's basically a first come first serve basis. They only let a certain number of people in at a time to avoid overcrowding which you appreciate when you are there (nobody likes an overcrowded outdoor spa....aaaah hello who's foot is that???). There a multiple heated areas for example hot sauna, steam sauna, heated outdoor spa and the idea is you spend 10-15 minutes in one of the "hot therapies" before hitting one of the cold therapies for 20 seconds up to 1 minute. These are cold showers, a cold waterfall. Following this you head to one of the relaxation areas e.g. lounge chairs by the fire, sitting around a firepit outside, lying in heated hammocks for 10-15 minutes, and then you repeat the hot-cold-relax process 3-4 times. There are no phones allowed so no photos which means people have to remain
present - which is bliss in and of itself. No time constraints, no restrictions on where to be when, just enjoying the process of creating calmness and introspection. I would thoroughly recommend heading here of an evening around 5-5:30pm, you will most likely have to wait 30 minutes or so, but you still get a good 2-2.5 hours in the spa with ample time to have a shower and freshen up at the end as it closes at 9:00pm. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and worth the effort, especially after a long day on the mountain!
