- In Whistler -

 

The area around the Conference Center and hotels in Whistler is bustling with options for shopping, dining, and other things to do. The main pedestrian street, "Village Stroll", takes you in 10-15 min from the Olympic Plaza in Village North to the Skiers Plaza in the Village Center where the Whistler-side gondolas (Excalibur and Fitzsimmons) are located.

 

Cross between the Parking Lots 1 and 2 over Blackcomb and Fitzsimmons Creek to reach the Upper Village with the Blackcomb Gondola and a few more shops around the scenic Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

You can find an Interactive map of Whistler here. An overview map is linked here.

 

Here are some activities that are recommended by your Chief Entertainment Officer (CEO). The listed prices are for adults. Please refer to the webpages which activities are also available for kids and what the prices are.

 

Museums

The Audain Art Museum (https://audainartmuseum.com , C$22, Thu-Mon 11am-6pm; holiday hours might differ) showcases art from coastal BC. It is located between Village North and Upper Village, between Parking Lots 3 and 4 (#39 on the map)

 

The Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Center (https://slcc.ca/, C$25, open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm) is a First Nations Museum, Art Gallery, and Gift Shop. It is located north of the Upper Village (#68 on the map)

 

The Whistler Museum (https://whistlermuseum.org/, open by donation, C$5 suggested, open Thu-Tue 11am-5pm) tells Whistler’s stories from early fun-loving summer lodge operators, to the creation of Whistler Blackcomb, to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and beyond.

 

Dining

There are plenty of options for having a great night out! Here are some recommendations.

 

Pub? Dub Linn Gate Irish Pub - right in front of the Excalibur Gondola. Unless you just want to stumble out of the conference center into Tapley's Neighborhood Pub…

 

Comfy food? The Old Spaghetti Factory and the Mexican Corner have quite decent food for good prices. Earls Kitchen and Bar and 21 Steps Kitchen and Bar are also good options.

 

Like vegetarian sandwiches and smoothies? Try out the Naked Sprout Café and Eatery.

 

Looking for an unforgettable dinner with some good old friends? Check out this guide to the best restaurants here in Whistler. You will not regret eating there but we highly recommend to make a reservation! These are the CEO's top 5 restaurants in Whistler:

 

Fun (adventurous) things to do (at your own risk!)

You came to Whistler not just to listen to the talks during the NN2024 and look at posters, right? Whistler is the right place to get some adrenaline kick and do some adventurous activities. And we are not talking about hugging a bear (highly NOT recommended!). An overview of Summer Activities that you can book can be found here. Maps for hiking can be found .

We are presently in negotiating with various providers and the Whistler Blackcomb Gondola provider about group discounted tickets for some activities. We will send an email soon to see how much interest exists in various activities. The number of interested participants will set the price for these activities, so see the prices listed here as upper limit. Note that the cost of these activities are NOT included in the conference fee, and all activities are at your own risk.

If you have questions about these activities and group booking, please send an email to NN2024@triumf.ca with the Subject line "Activities".

 

For these activities we highly recommend a stable pair of hiking boots or good sport shoes, and layered clothing - you are in the mountains and the temperature difference between Whistler Village (675m), in the forests and up on the mountain (>2000m) can be 10 deg Celsius or more [For our US colleagues: deg C *9/5 + 32 = deg F].

 

Ziplining: The CEO highly recommends the "Eagle Tour" with Ziptrek Ecotours which starts at the Whistler Gondola and uses 5 ziplines and 4 treetop bridges (ca. 3h, https://whistler.ziptrek.com/tours/eagle/ ). It is the best deal in terms of price ($180) and a bit of hiking through the treetops. If there are at least 10 participants interested, a group booking is cheaper! If you don't like ziplining but still want to wander around the treetops, Ziptrek offers a Treetrek Tour for C$70 (https://whistler.ziptrek.com/tours/treetrek/)

 

Summer Bobsleigh: Interested in riding as a passenger on the track that was used for the Winter Olympics in 2010? The Whistler Sliding Center offers rides in a real bobsleigh, driven by a trained pilot, through the twists and turn with speeds up to 90 km/h. BYOBB - Bring your own barf bag! Price: C$129 for adults. More info here.

 

Whistler Via Ferrata Guided Tour: You like to do a bit of climbing and exercise, and get nice views but with the safety of a harness? The guided tour of the Whistler Via Ferrata will bring you up on Whistler Mountain for some breathtaking views. You are afraid of bears? No worries, the mosquitos in this altitude (2000m) might be your biggest enemy (believe me!), so bring a long sleeve, long flexible pants and a good mosquito repellant! More info here.
The Via Ferrata requires a lift ticket and costs $259 during the week. If there are at least 6 participants interested in this tour, we can book a private tour which is a bit cheaper!

 

Whistler Skywalk Guided Tour (ca. 2h, $200 with lift ticket, $120 without): Hike up and along the edge of Whistler Mountain overlooking amazing mountain views! After the gondola ride to the top of Whistler Mountain, the guide will give you a helmet and harness to wear. The group hikes and when we arrive at the cabled portion of the tour everyone clips into the safety cable so we can all enjoy the amazing views high above Whistler. The hike gradually continues up along the cliff edge and crosses small bridges and ramps. More info here.
The Skywalk also requires a lift ticket and costs $200 during the week. For up to 8 participants we can book a private tour which is cheaper ($620/8=$77.5 plus lift ticket )!

 

E-bike ride: More info will follow soon!

 

Canadian Wilderness Adventures offers a bunch of activities like ATV, a Glacier Safari Jeep Tour, an Offroad Buggy Tour, canoeing, etc.