With so much terrain available it’s difficult to know where to begin. Both mountains offer excellent skiing and boarding and there is more than enough to keep you busy and tested if you return here year after year. Improve your technique on mile after mile of well-groomed marked trails, or test your off-piste skills in the high alpine terrain.
About half the trails you’ll find are graded for intermediates and many are quite long. Blackcomb has some great skiing and riding in the areas around Solar Coaster, Crystal Chair, and 7th Heaven Express. Ridge Runner from the top of Crystal, and Panorama off 7th Heaven are not to be missed. Blackcomb glacier is also possible for confident intermediate skiers with some off-piste experience. On Whistler Mountain try the Marmot Trees near the Emerald Express area, a new gladed run has formed here after trees were cleared for the construction of the Peak to Peak gondola. The Symphony Amphitheatre is a great place to get introduced to powder and tree skiing. Intermediates can also ride the Peak chair, from the top check out Highway 86, then Franz’s trail all the way down to Whistler Creek.
It is wrong to assume that heli-skiing is only for experts. Heli-skiing certainly means backcountry and powder, but it doesn’t have to be neck-deep and steep. Fat skis are available and a day’s guided heli-skiing is within the capabilities of most confident and aspiring intermediates. It very much depends on the prevailing weather conditions and having the local heli-ski operator select terrain that is appropriate to your group’s abilities.
