Outdoors -- A Peak Experience -- Whistler-Blackcomb More Popular In Summer Than Winter

BLACKCOMB PEAK, B.C. - "Welcome to the top of North America."

So says the sign at the top of the Seventh Heaven chairlift on Blackcomb Mountain, a ruggedly handsome peak that draws plenty of skiers' "oohs" in January and hikers' "aahs" in July.

Like most things at Whistler-Blackcomb, the $200 fleece pullover capital of the free world, the sign is a bit of high-altitude hyperbole. This isn't the top of North America, not even close.

Blackcomb Peak is only 8,000 feet (a mere 5,200 American feet, if you figure in the exchange rate), a far cry from Mount McKinley's 20,320. But it is one of the highest places around one can reach without ever breaking a sweat.

And certainly one of the grandest, at any height.

From Whistler's Upper Village base area, Blackcomb's Wizard and Solar Coaster chairs zip a continual stream of summer tourists to a midmountain restaurant, where a fleet of school buses kerchugs them east, to the spectacular Seventh Heaven Express chair.

The final ride is chilling, both from the icy breezes that sweep up from the Hortsman and Blackcomb glaciers and from the 360-degree alpine wonderland view, which locks eyeballs in a rock-and-ice full nelson.

The summit is a magnificently barren world unto itself. However one gets here - by chairlift for most, foot or mountain bike - it is difficult not to be swept up in it all.

To the east is the vanilla-yogurt surface of the Horstman Glacier, where T-bar-assisted skiing continues into mid-August. To the south, Black Tusk and Castle Towers rise 7,500 feet. To the North, Mount Weart, Wedge Mountain and Mount James Turner form a 9,000-foot, icy barrier to Pemberton and Nairn Falls Provincial Park. And below, to the West, lies the Cheakamus River drainage, including milky, raging Fitzsimmons Creek and bustling Whistler Village.

Surrounding it all is Garibaldi Provincial Park, filled with some of the most rugged, volcanic terrain on North America's West Coast.

Many people come here to hike, others to ski or snowboard, most just to gape and reflect. Others merely relax in the village below, mountain bike on Whistler's grand, 20-mile Valley Trail system, fish in local streams and lakes, shoot rapids in kayaks or rafts, cruise streets on inline skates, or get airborne in a floatplane - or even on a flying trapeze.

The rich mix of chilling scenery and thrilling outdoor play has made Whistler a summer recreation magnet. The pull gets stronger every year. So strong, in fact, that Whistler-Blackcomb, the perennially top-rated ski area in North America, this year will have more visitors in summer than winter. And it was no slouch of a ski year at B.C.'s premiere destination resort area.

It's easy to see why. Whistler's summertime fare is impossible to digest in a single weekend, and a weeklong stay is merely enough to get most people's feet wet.

Here's a sampling of Whistler-Blackcomb's summer menu. Don't forget your fleecy. It gets cold at night.

Hiking

Whistler Mountain's manicured ski slopes are laced with a substantial trail network, where hikers can take short strolls or embark on multi-day backpacking jaunts into surrounding Garibaldi Park. Day hikes on the mountain can be assisted by a chairlift ride up ($16 Canadian, chairs run through early October), or undertaken all on foot from Whistler Village. Wildflowers are out now, and views are outstanding.

The wealth of good selections includes the Harmony Lakes area (1 1/2 to 3 1/2 mile round trips), the Glacier Bowl viewpoint (1.5 miles) and the Musical Bumps Trail, a 12-mile jaunt to Singing Pass.

Plenty of cat-track (in the summertime, gravel road) walking and alpine scrambling also are available at Blackcomb, where chairlifts ($15 Canadian) run through early September. Blackcomb is developing its own alpine hiking-trail system, with a main trailhead planned for the top of the Solar Coaster chair.

Many spectacular day hikes also are available throughout Garibaldi Park. A good one near Whistler is the Cheakamus Lake Trail, which winds through old-growth forest.

Cycling

Whistler's Valley Trail, smooth, level and beautiful in the south end and rough, rocky and partially under construction in the north, is a gas. Winding along rivers, streams, golf courses, ponds and lakes, the trail connects with many impeccably maintained parks and greenbelts. It's like the Burke-Gilman trail, only more scenic and far less crowded. Total trail mileage: About 25 miles, about two-thirds of which is paved.

The side-by-side ski mountains also offer excellent single-track and cat-track riding. Unfortunately, only Whistler Mountain has lift-assisted mountain biking, and only as part of a guided tour, which costs $47 Canadian, including bike rental. No word on what they do to mountain bikers caught riding on their own.

Mountain bikes are allowed on designated trails in Garibaldi Park. Details: (604) 898-3678.

Skiing

You just missed it. Summer skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier begins in June and lasted until last weekend. Just as well: Snowboarders on hand until the very end this past weekend rated the snow "skanky."

Rafting

Guided trips are available on the Green, Birkenhead, Elaho-Squamish and Lillooet systems. Trips range from $30 to $100 U.S. Details: Wedge Rafting, (604) 932-7171, Whistler River Adventures, (604) 932-3532.

Fishing

Hike-in and fly-in fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden and steelhead is highly rated throughout the area. Best bet: Hire a guide. Most, if not all, are catch-and-release oriented, and rates range from $150 to $225 Canadian. Try Whistler Fishing Guides, (604) 932-4267 or Whistler Backcountry Adventures, (604) 938-1410 for seasons, reservations and prices.

Camping

Unless you're packing lots of cash or willing to endure the obligatory 90-minute condo sales pitch, camping is a good bet: Even during summer and even with the favorable (35 percent) exchange rate, rooms at Whistler-Blackcomb are pricey and often booked far in advance by people in BMW station wagons.

Provincial-park car camping is available within 40 minutes of Whistler at Alice Lake, Brandywine Falls and Nairn Falls; walk-in sites are available at Garibaldi and Cheakamus lakes and at Russet Lake near Singing Pass. Car campgrounds usually are full by Friday night. Call B.C. Parks (604) 924-2200 for information and advice.

More information

Call the Whistler Activity and Information Centre: (604) 932-2394.