For the 2021-2022 season, I bought the Epic Local pass. Skiing is a naturally socially distanced sport and would be perfect to keep me entertained through the winter when hiking and other summer activities are less accessible. I typically go to my local mountain, Steven’s Pass, but the local pass also offers 10 days at their sister resort, Whistler-Blackcomb. 

This was my first time in Whistler and I would absolutely go back again. You truly get the apres-ski experience. I’m really not sure how people are built for it, but maybe I’ll work my way up to it next time!

Three days before the trip

Since I was crossing the US-Canadian border before Covid restrictions were lifted, I had to get a negative Covid test within 72 hours of crossing the border. This was a little stressful since you had to be tested within 72 hours of crossing the border and have results ready to present. I got my Covid test done at a Curative site in Seattle. Booking was super simple on the website and easy to check in and get tested. I got my Covid results back about 2 days after getting tested. 

Check restrictions and requirements here.

Day 1

The drive from Seattle to Whistler is about 4 hours. It’s pretty straightforward and road conditions were good. Driving through Vancouver, of course we had to stop at a Tim Horton’s for some donuts. Full Canadian experience!! 

Whistler lifts were open 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM and we weren’t able to check into our accommodations until after 4 PM, so we decided to get some skiing in first. We ended up arriving in the Whistler area around 12:30 PM. We stopped at Whistler Creekside to park in the free ski parking structure to get to the lifts. That late in the ski day, there were plenty of parking spaces available in the garage. It was very easy to get up on the lifts and up the mountain. Depending on mountain conditions, it can be tricky coming down. On a good snow day, definitely just ski all the way down the mountain. On an icier day, I would just recommend riding the gondola back down to the base. 

We finished up skiing, packed up, and drove to Whistler Village to check into accommodations. We stayed at the Pangea Pod Hotel. Checking into Pangea with luggage and skis was quite tedious. There is not a lot of space for loading/unloading, so you have to wait for other cars to leave the loading area before you can pull in. Once you unload, you have to carry your items around the building and up a set of stairs to reach the lobby. Once in the lobby, you do a self check-in and get a wristband that is your “key” to getting into the pods. Depending on which pods you are in, you may have to bring your items up another set of stairs. There are lockers and ski/snowboard racks. Pangea had limited parking spaces so we parked off-site at the Whistler Conference Center that cost about $20 CAD per night. You do have to come back and pay for parking each day.

I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect. I had stayed at hostels before in college so I assume it would be similar to that. The pod hotel provided towels, toiletries, lockers, and ski/snowboard racks. The pods look pretty tiny but they are pretty cozy. It was a little difficult to organize our belongings, but I would blame that on the amount of clothes required in the winter. Once inside, there is a fan that makes white noise to help cover any noises in the other pods, but it was relatively quiet all of the nights that we stayed. 

For dinner the first night, we went to Crepe Montagne. Very cute French bistro specializing in (you guessed it!) crepes. Expect a wait for larger groups. My group of 2 was seated very quickly. They also do fondue and raclette, perfect for a long day of skiing. We had a could drinks (Bloody Mary & Negroni) and tried the petit raclette, escargot, and strawberry salad. Everything was lovely and service was impeccable. I loved that there were plenty of hooks around each table so people were able to hang up their winter coats. 

Day 2

A huge perk of staying at Pangea is the proximity to the gondola on Blackcomb. You don’t have to walk very far and it’s near the hustle and bustle of Whistler Village. You’re not far from any of the restaurants, bars, or shopping. 

On the mountain, we stopped by the Crystal Hut because we had heard about the legendary waffles, but unfortunately they were not serving any hot food. Maybe next year! After our day skiing, I went to Hot Buns Bakery across from Pangea for some snacks. I tried their cinnamon bun that they kindly heated up and added icing to. We explored the village and did some shopping too. 

For dinner, we ended up at Ohyama Ramen. Its in a little strip connected to Japanese-style convenience store that also sells snacks and meals during the day time and another restaurant, Harajuku Izakaya. I tried the chicken karaage, shio ramen, and chashu donburi. So warm and yummy!

Day 3

I was on the hunt for another cinnamon roll. While on the mountain, I made a point to stop at the Chic Pea and tried their amazing cinnamon roll. This was my favorite of the whole trip. It was so light and fluffy. A huge mound of icing, but not overwhelmingly sweet at all. 

Since it was our last night in the village, we decided to make it special. We did the vodka tasting in the Ketel One Vodka room at Bearfoot Bistro. The vodka tasting included shots of 4 vodkas and we added the caviar bump to it. This was definitely a treat and an experience I would probably do only one time since it was so pricey. 

After having all that vodka, we did a mini food tour through the village. First, we went to the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub for baby Guinness shots and chicken wings. The line was crazy on a Saturday night. Come early if you want a larger table. We were let in immediately and circled the restaurant once before finding a place to sit. After our appetizer, we went to Sachi Sushi and tried a couple rolls and had some sake. Just like Dubh Linn Gate, we were lucky to skip waiting so long since we were a small group. For dessert, we stopped by Peaked Pies for the apple crumble pie. 

Day 4

We checked out of the hotel at 9 AM. Checking out of Whistler in the morning can be tricky because just about everyone is checking out at this time too. You’ll have to duel with shuttle buses and other patrons in the loading zones to get a spot to pull off to unload. Checkout was easy – we just left our wristbands at the front desk and brought out items to the car. 

We stopped Creekside on the way back to grab some treats from brEd. As a budding sourdough enthusiast, I was so excited to try some of the treats here and get some inspiration for my sourdough adventures. The sourdough sticky bun and “beans on toast” were so dreamy. Parking Creekside early in the morning is definitely a nightmare. Parking spaces fill up quickly, drivers are extremely aggressive, and people park pretty terribly. We were lucky to find a 15 minute space – enough time to pick up our treats and head back to Seattle.

Read about my last adventure: Big Island, Hawaii Vacation Itinerary (November 2021)