You can ski like an Olympian at Whistler’s hidden Nordic gem

Life, Outdoors, Snow Sports, Travel Seattle

WHISTLER, B.C. — A skier huffs and puffs to catch the leader in a pursuit race. The crowd gasps as a ski jumper soars through the air at dizzying heights and sticks the landing. A biathlete steadies her breath and nails a bull’s-eye. As I skate-skied around the Whistler Olympic Park in late December, I observed these scenes of Nordic sports and imagined them at their competitive finest, with Olympians vying for medals in place of these snow-loving amateurs.

While European mountain resorts are abuzz with Nordic events all winter, North Americans are less enamored of these disciplines — including in the powder-hungry freeride ski and snowboard culture of the Pacific Northwest. But for two weeks in 2010, our region was the world’s Nordic epicenter when the Olympic Games came to Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.

The CA$120 million facility, which opened to the public in 2007, is an enviable legacy of the 2010 Games for residents of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. With 120 kilometers of world-class trails nestled in the Callaghan Valley, this skinny ski paradise is like having a cross-country network over half the size of Methow Trails within an easy day trip of Puget Sound. Here’s what Nordic ski enthusiasts need to know.

A gem hidden in snow

Over 15 years after its debut, Whistler Olympic Center remains a relatively undiscovered gem along the Sea-to-Sky Corridor. While some 2 million annual skier visits at Whistler Blackcomb qualify the alpine resort as a top global ski destination, its Nordic neighbor sees an average of 75,000 skier visits per year.

On a weekday just before Christmas, it felt like I had the trails entirely to myself. Single-digit Fahrenheit temperatures and a blizzard that made roads impassable in Vancouver were big factors — but I was told in general not to expect overcrowded trails in this quiet corner just 16 miles (about 25 minutes) from the bustling ski resort.

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In truth, there are two cross-country ski areas here: the relatively new Whistler Olympic Park and the older, vintage Callaghan Country, first established in 1980. Today, the two adjoining ski areas operate as Ski Callaghan under a single ticket (CA$30-$33 for adults; CA$16.50-$18 for seniors 65+ and youth ages 7-18). While there are separate entrance booths and day lodges, trails connect the two ski centers for a seamless day exploring majestic Callaghan Valley. (See st.news/Nordic-map for a full trail map.)

I focused my visit at the Olympic Park, where a gorgeous wood-and-stone day lodge anchors the facility. Downstairs, a well-stocked rental shop can outfit you with classic or skate skis and boots (CA$32 adults; CA$17.75 seniors 65+ and youth ages 7-18; CA$9.50 children 6 and under). Pulks are also available for hauling littles in the snow (CA$21 for two hours). Upstairs is a generously sized cafeteria with exceptionally tasty fare like salmon chowder and Thai chicken soup (soup and sandwiches from CA$8.50-$16.75).

I lucked out with clear weather, which afforded panoramic views inside and out of the surrounding peaks at the edge of the Powder Mountain Icefield, a stretch of glaciers to the valley’s west. But it’s an even bigger glacial complex to the north that keeps a healthy snowpack at the Whistler Olympic Center, which hovers in elevation from around 2,700 to 3,050 feet.

“More often than not, we tend to be just above the snow line, partly because we have an arm of the Pemberton Icecap just up the valley,” said managing director Tim Hope. “That keeps it a tiny bit colder in this valley.”

Last month’s frigid temperatures are a rarity this close to the coast, but they allowed for excellent grooming as I explored the legacy venues easily reached on the beginner Neverland trail, which winds 4.2 kilometers between the lodge, ski jumps, cross-country stadium and biathlon range. While the average walk-up visitor isn’t going to launch off the 140-meter ski jump hill — though the ski jump’s run-out doubles as a sledding hill for families — the biathlon range offers daily shooting lessons for ages 10 and up (CA$35 for 40 minutes).

The park’s clever trail design allows multiple cross-country races to take place simultaneously. Try your hand at the Olympic red or blue courses, both marked difficult at 5 kilometers each. Or bring your dog along on select trails in the southern part of the park (CA$7-$7.75 per pooch) with both on-leash and off-leash areas.

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If you can’t bear to give up a resort day, the park flips on the lights until 9 p.m. Wednesday nights through March 8 (CA$10). Ski Callaghan also maintains 42 kilometers of well-marked snowshoe trails that don’t feel like an afterthought as they often do at other Nordic centers (snowshoe rentals CA$18.75 adults; CA$10.50 seniors and youth ages 7-18; CA$6 children 6 and under).

And if you do crave the frisson of competition, Whistler Olympic Park will reflect its full glory from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, when the park hosts the FIS Nordic World Junior/U23 World Ski Championships. Some 500 elite athletes from more than 40 countries will converge on the Callaghan Valley to compete in cross-country, ski jumping and Nordic combined. Spectators are welcome, and trails not in use for competition will remain open for skiing and snowshoeing. The park will sell a CA$5 day ticket for spectating only (ages 6 and under free).

While the junior athletes will surely be laser-focused on the course, only a few miles away there will be likely ski tourers exploring the Coast Mountain wilds. I didn’t venture out into the Callaghan Country trails, which make long loping loops through the backcountry reminiscent of the treasured Rendezvous Trails in the Methow Valley. But I’m eager to return for an overnight stay at Journeyman Lodge, a ski-accessed backcountry inn that Seattle-based evo bought in 2021, to explore the valley’s upper reaches.

Trails that can meet rigorous international competition standards while leading into pristine backcountry wilderness area are a rare combination and part of the unique appeal that should draw you back to this under-the-radar Nordic paradise on your next Whistler trip.

Whistler Olympic Park is open for the season through April 9. Open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekends, and 3-9 p.m. Wednesday nights. 1500 Callaghan Valley Road, Whistler, B.C.; 604-964-0059; whistlersportlegacies.com.