After carving our way through Banff and Revelstoke, Whistler was our final snowboarding stop—and it gave us everything we needed to wrap up our Canadian Rockies adventure: scenery, sunshine, slow mornings, and one last perfect day on the mountain.
Slowing Down in Whistler Village
One morning, Darryl hit the slopes while I stayed behind to let my sore knee rest. Rather than push through, I decided to spend a few solo hours exploring Whistler Village, and honestly? It was bliss.
In truth, I also needed to sacrifice a day on the mountain to work on a university assignment, so with the weather not being top notch, this felt like the right time to do it. Once I had a few focused hours under my belt, I headed out for a solo wander.
Snow fell gently as I strolled through town—past fairy-lit shopfronts, cosy cafés, and the Olympic Plaza sign where they held medal ceremonies during the 2010 Winter Games.
The whole place felt like a ski resort built inside a snow globe. Compact, charming, and incredibly walkable—you can literally wander from your Airbnb to the gondola in a matter of minutes.
While Darryl disappeared up Whistler Mountain, I did a little window shopping, soaked up the atmosphere, and just enjoyed the stillness that only comes with light snow and zero agenda.
Riding the Peak 2 Peak: Whistler to Blackcomb (and Actually Having a Great Snow Day)
The next day, my knee had improved just in time for a big finale. We rode the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, an epic engineering feat that connects the top of Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain across a vast alpine valley. It’s the kind of thing we simply don’t have back home in New Zealand, and the views were jaw-dropping.
Once across, we started the day gently, warming up on Southside and Expressway, which led us to the 7th Heaven Express chair. The perfect greens to ease back in. With some confidence back, we hit up the blues—Cloud Nine and Panorama—which were wide, cruisy, and stunning in the mid-morning light.
Later, we made our way via Jersey Cream to the Jersey Cream Express chair, then found a sweet rhythm exploring the treelined catpaths like Expressway, Easy Out, and Over Easy, using the Catskinner Express to loop them again and again.
In the afternoon, I parked myself over on Honeycomb and Espresso, relishing the gentle blues and looping them off the Excalibur Express. I’m not a wildly adventurous snowboarder—I love the feel of the snow under my feet, the views, the freedom to stop for a photo or a breath. And yes, occasionally bombing (safely) down a wide-open run for the pure joy of it.
We didn’t capture a ton of GoPro footage (we’re still getting the hang of it), and the little we did record doesn’t really do the day justice—but trust me, it was magic.
Whistler Vibes & The Official End of Snow Season
Whistler had that perfect end-of-trip vibe. Sunshine, laughter, warm boots, and strong coffee. But as we made our way back to the Airbnb after our final day on the mountain, my snowboard boots quite literally gave up—the entire sole peeled off mid-stride. If that’s not a sign the snowboarding chapter was over, I don’t know what is.
So, boots in hand and snow still on the ground, we wrapped up the last of our Canadian ski adventures. Next stop? Vancouver—a complete change of pace and the start of our city break.
Want to Keep Following the Journey?
🎥 Subscribe on YouTube for vanlife, travel, and snow-chasing adventures.
📸 Follow us on Instagram for daily travel snapshots and behind-the-scenes moments.
🗺️ Or stick around here on the blog as we trade powder days for Pacific views.
Thanks for tagging along!
The Peterson Odyssey 