Unique shore excursion: ski in the middle of summer! Sea to sky, baby
Take a shore excursion to Whistler and ski/board in the summer!
Just when gay travelers think we’ve done everything, here’s a new one. Glacier ski in the middle of the summer!
It’s a true Sea-to-Sky experience.
If your Alaska-bound ship (trips are on sale this year! Book now!) visits Vancouver, BC, consider a really unique shore excursion: go skiing! Whistler is the place to do it. It’ll take all day, and it’s NOT a package excursion. But it’s easily done.
Whistler is one of the most gay-friendly resorts in the world (home to a HUGE gay ski week every February). At the top of the resort’s Blackcomb Mountain, the glacier is groomed and skiable generally well into July. You ride a combination of lifts to get to the glacier, and at the glacier two t-bars move you back up the skiable portion.
I (Randall) have done it, and it’s a blast! The skiing/boarding is actually quite good. Plus you can get a great tan in about 30 minutes! (Wear lots and lots of sunscreen!). Here’s a link with more info.
To glacier ski as a shore excursion:
- It will work best if your cruise begins and/or ends in Vancouver
- You’ll need to pre-arrange a rental car. Major agencies are near Vancouver’s main cruise terminal, Canada Place.
- Whistler is approximately 1.5 hours drive from downtown Vancouver. Unfortunately, public transportation is not currently available between Vancouver & Whistler.
- You can rent equipment at Whistler. Be SURE to buy the relatively inexpensive damage insurance!
- Lift tickets are available at the resort, price per person for a half-day of skiing/boarding is about CDN $52 (2009 prices not yet published).
- Fill up your car–take some non-skiers along too. They’ll LOVE shopping around the village, jumping into multiple activities (zip line, cycle, hike) or a ride on the dazzling new Peak2Peak gondola…the world’s highest, longest gondola. Wow.
- For lunch in Whistler, the food and ambiance at Elements Urban Tapas is hard to beat, and most tourists don’t know about it.
- If you’re staying into the evening, consider a Whistler Tasting Tour. The adorable male duo (straight but not narrow!) who run these tours will take you to 5 different, outstanding restaurants for amazing tastes, all paired with luscious BC wines. It’s a very good value, and a lot of fun.
Written & photographed by Randall Shirley
