Spectacular views are the norm in Whistler, B.C., Canada. (Courtesy Blackcomb Helicopters)

Whistler, B.C. has something for both adventure travelers and golfers

By Jason Scott Deegan,
Senior Contributor

WHISTLER, B.C. - You've never seen mountains until you're looking down at them, hovering like a bird.

A mountain lake, alongside a tiny makeshift hiker's hut, sits peacefully between two peaks, its greenish water looking like a pool choked with chlorine. The snow on another nearby peak sparkles in the sun. Jagged rock rises and falls all around the majestic 8,450-foot Mt. Currie.

It's a surreal experience - especially considering that just 20 minutes earlier, I was playing golf at Big Sky Golf & Country Club in Pemberton.

My helicopter pilot from Blackcomb Helicopters points out various landmarks on the horizon. As we swoop into a fairway at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler resort hotel appears palatial, a sort of kingdom onto itself.

Sound like a great golf adventure?

Welcome to Whistler, the hip mountain getaway two hours north of Vancouver that's becoming almost as popular for golf as it is for its outdoor adventures.

You can play 18 holes in the morning and be mountain biking down steep trails by noon. Or ride a jet boat up a secluded mountain river in the morning and tee off at a world-class country club just hours later. While the golf courses in Whistler are astounding, so are its off-the-course pursuits. If you're brave at heart and long off the tee, Whistler's the place for you.

Whistler golf

Like mountain golf? The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones, is scenic and satisfying. Many of the downhill tee balls soar against a backdrop of peaks and pines.

How about championship tests? The par-71 Jack Nicklaus North Golf Club, the only course in the world designed by Nicklaus with his name on it, hosted the 2005 TELUS Skins Game with Vijay Singh, John Daly, Nicklaus and Stephen Ames.

Want a country club setting? The Big Sky Golf & Country Club in Pemberton, 25 minutes north of Whistler, oozes with class at the foot of Mt. Currie. The 7,001-yard Bob Cupp design is parking-lot flat, but still a challenge to play with seven lakes and a crafty creek.

How about hip-hop golf that's priced just right? The 6,676-yard Whistler Golf Club, designed by Arnold Palmer, started the local golf craze, opening in 1983. The four add up to one of the top golf destinations in North America.

Jet boating

The morning mist is just clearing off the Lillooet River as we set off in our jet boat, run by a guide from Adventure Ranch in Pemberton.

Our three-hour tour navigates some rapids, but the highlight isn't during one of those 360-degree splash-filled spinouts on the river. Following the route taken by the first gold seekers of the 1860s, we stop for a visit with the natives still living off the land - the In-SHUCK-ch Indians.

Two women host us in a Salish pit house, which looks like a giant, wooden tee-pee with a fire pit in the middle of a dirt floor. They serve up fruit cobbler and home-made biscuits and share stories and traditional songs with us. It's an incredible cultural experience.

Zip trekking

My heart skips a beat. For the first time, natural instinct screams stop!

The first zip-trek over Fitzsimmons Creek, which flows furiously downhill between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, was no problem. All it takes is one step off the ledge built among the tallest of trees and within seconds, the short ride is over. This time, the task seems more daunting.

The zip cord is more than triple in length. It swoops more than 150 feet above the creek in the canopy of ancient trees, some as tall as 10 stories. It will be 30 seconds of pure adrenaline, part fear. I take the step - never has education been so much fun.

Ziptrek Ecotours Inc. takes visitors on a unique tour of Whistler's ecosystem, while throwing in the thrills of a rollercoaster ride. Tour guides preach Whistler's commitment to preserving the environment and explain how the forest of Douglas-firs, Western Red Cedars and Hemlocks has survived for centuries. The tours, roughly 1 ½ hours, cost $39 for adults, $25 for kids under 14.

Other adventures

There's much more to explore than just boats, helicopters and zip-treks. Whistler is one of the world's mountain biking meccas. There are 100-plus kilometers of trails serviced by three lifts, dropping some 4,800 vertical feet.

It wouldn't be an adventure destination without bungee jumping. The brave-hearted can make the leap form a 300-foot-long pedestrian bridge that spans a canyon gorge with a river below. Guided fishing, alpine hiking and kayaking/canoeing tours are also popular. For information, visit tourismwhistler.com or call (877) 991-9988.

Several local companies offer superb whitewater rafting, like Whistler River Adventures (whistlerriver.com) or Wedge Rafting (604-932-7171). Driving Hummers and ATVs are available through Cougar Mountain at Whistler (cougarmountain.ca).

Stay and play

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler has a place among the elite hotels in Canada. Service is king. The gold floor at the Chateau Whistler boasts its own one-person service department and a lobby with free Internet, food and drink. Guests there feel like royalty.

Dining out

With 93 restaurants, Whistler's menu is as diverse as many large cities. The Wildflower Restaurant, inside the Fairmont, has Whistler's only four-Diamond rating by AAA/CAA and was named to Wine Spectator's "Best Of, Award of Excellence" for 2004. Hy's Steakhouse (hyssteakhouse.com) serves Alberta Steaks to die for, if you save enough room after the cheese toast.

The food and atmosphere at the chic Bear Foot Bistro (bearfootbistro.com) transcend good dining. They're about living the good life. The Den Restaurant inside the clubhouse at Nicklaus North features a winning "golf and dining" package. It's hard to fathom which you'll enjoy more - the golf or the grub.

The verdict

I've visited some of the world's best golf destinations - Pebble Beach, Ireland, Kohler - but none offer as many new fascinating experiences as Whistler. The food's first-rate, the golf inspiring and the adventures one giant thrill ride.

April 24, 2006

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed more than 400 courses and golf destinations for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Click here to read his golf blog.