Whistler Blackcomb requires no introduction. This Canadian ski resort holds the crown as North America’s largest ski resort. Whistler Blackcomb consists of two adjacent mountains that offer more than 1,500 m (5,000 ft) of vertical and boasts a lift capacity of almost 70,000 skiers per hour. With 8,171 acres of expansive terrain, over 200 ski runs, and 16 alpine bowls, the resort offers an unparalleled experience for skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels.

Whistler Blackcomb is all about zone skiing. Groomed runs, gladed trees, alpine bowls, steep chutes, and freeride terrain can all be found within the confines of the resort.

Given the considerable choice available here, the hardest decision of your day will be which mountain to start on. Luckily, with the Peak 2 Peak Gondola joining both, you can switch mountains in less than 15 minutes. Let’s explore the many different zones that make up this iconic ski resort.

Whistler Mountain

Whistler mountain is more suitable for beginners and intermediates due to its gentler mid-mountain fall line. Whistler’s alpine offers advanced skiers a place to call home with ample access to steep runs and freeride terrain.

Emerald Express and Red Chairs: These two chairs sandwich Roundhouse Lodge about two-thirds up the mountain. These zones are full of green and blue groomers. It's a great spot to warm up while you wait for other zones to open up or to do some runs with the kids in designated “family zones”. The Emerald zone also houses the Whistler Terrain Park which consists of small and medium features.

Garbanzo: Offers a strong mix of blue and black groomed runs with some sneaky gladed areas. It’s an area frequented by fast skiers looking for high-speed carves. Black-groomed runs like Raven and Seppo’s are both local favourites.

The Peak: Whistler’s advanced playground is home to the mountain’s steepest lines. Besides a few groomed runs, the peak is almost exclusively off-piste. Double black diamond areas are plentiful but you need to know where you’re going. The Couloir, Cirque, and West Cirque have wild entrances with considerable exposure. Peak to Creek is Whistler’s longest groomed run and it begins as you exit the chair.

Harmony: One of Whistler’s alpine zones on the resort’s backside. This area offers front and back bowls off of Harmony Ridge. Terrain is rated intermediate and above. Expect to find more off-piste terrain here than groomed runs.The Horseshoes consist of several gnarly entrances into Harmony bowl where skiers are required to drop cornices or narrow chutes to enter. On the backside, Sun Bowl drops off into Symphony.

Symphony: A large backside alpine area like harmony but less steep. Upper Symphony consists of a few great bowls, a hiking area, and some wide-open groomers. Lower Symphony’s more gradual fall line provides several very fun rolling groomed runs with tree islands in between. This area is like another ski resort tucked away on the backside of Whistler mountain and is a great place to spend a bluebird day.

Olympic Station: Whistler’s most extensive learning area. Several magic carpets are placed around gentle learning slopes. Olympic Chair services three easy green runs for graduates of the magic carpets.

Creekside: This zone runs below the backside of lower peak and is usually the quietest place on the resort. It has its own gondola, steep blue runs, quiet glades, and milder temperatures. Grooming can be hit or miss here so be sure to check the daily report before venturing over here.

Blackcomb Mountain

Welcome to the darkside. Blackcomb is adored by hardcore skiers and for good reason. It was designed by ski resort planners so it flows better, it’s got a steeper fall line and it’s home to the legendary Blackcomb Terrain Park. Unfortunately for beginners, limited green terrain makes learning difficult here.

7th Heaven: This area is one of the best at the resort. The majority of 7th Heaven is above the treeline. It consists mainly of wide-open blue groomed runs that you can absolutely rip. There’s also a decent amount of bowl skiing here around Lakeside Bowl and Xhiggy’s Meadow. Lower down you’ll find some tighter glade skiing. The superb terrain here also draws a crowd so expect large lines most days.

Crystal: On the far left side of Blackcomb lies Crystal, another area full of sneaky tree skiing and some of the best rolling groomers on the map. Ridge Runner is one of my favourite blue groomers. Steeper sections combined with flat rolling stretches create a wonderful environment for relaxing skiing yet carving deep.

Excalibur, Excelerator and Blackcomb Gondola: These mid-mountain zones are full of gentler blue groomers and a single green cattrack. They’re not terribly busy but the grooming is hit or miss. Higher up in this area, you’ll find Catskinner’s more novice terrain as well as the Blackcomb Terrain Park. Blue groomers like Springboard and Ross’ Gold are notable mentions due to their long consistent fall line.

Jersey Cream: Consists of a lower groomed area and an upper bowl zone. The upper bowl houses a ridgeline of double black terrain through dangerous cliff areas. The lower section consists of shorter groomed blue runs which see a lot of traffic.

Glacier: The chair you take to get to the goods. This alpine lift allows you access to Spanky’s Ladder and Blackcomb Glacier. Glacier Bowl is another wide-open bowl that funnels into a single-groomed blue run down the guts. It can be absolute chaos when not groomed though.

Spanky’s Ladder and Blackcomb Glacier: Home to Blackcomb’s most advanced terrain. It’s the closest you can get to backcountry freeriding while still being inbounds. Sapphire, Diamond, and Ruby Bowl are very steep bowls with cliffs throughout. Expect chutes, drops, avalanche debris, and exposed traverses. It’s truly an experts-only playground. Blackcomb Glacier offers a more mellow black diamond bowl down the glacier.

Conclusion

There’s no easy way to sum up the terrain at Whistler Blackcomb. There’s just so much variety and truly something for everyone. Despite growing frustrations like unpredictable weather, massive crowds, and inflating costs, Whistler Blackcomb still delivers the goods. The allure of this resort’s thrilling terrain continues to entice skiers and snowboarders from around the globe to make a pilgrimage to its slopes.