Friday
8:30 p.m.
1) Aprθs, Before
Step out of the cold and into the warmth of Aprθs (103-4338 Main Street, 604-935-0200), a 50-seat wine bar and restaurant that seems more South Beach than Pacific Northwest. Your jaw will drop when you see what became of a space once occupied by Mail Boxes Etc. Aprθs's executive chef, Eric Vernice, offers his take on slow food with an emphasis on local ingredients and regional wines. Wash down some cherrystone clam chowder with crisp cod cake and parsley oil ($10.50) with a flute of Domaine Ste. Michelle champagne ($14). The local pan-roasted, free-range pheasant breast stuffed with bread, crisp pork belly and jus tranchι ($29) goes well with a glass of King Estate pinot noir ($13).
10:30 p.m.
2) Beer on Premises
Stroll through the village and relax by the fireplace at Whistler BrewHouse (4355 Blackcomb Way, 604-905-2739). The rustic wood and stone chalet with high ceilings is typical of the local architecture. "Drink fresh beer" is the slogan, and the selections brewed on premises can be eclectic, including the current seasonal special, maple hemp ale ($5.50 a pint). Other offerings have included India pale ale and a wheat ale called Hefeweizen. Your children can join you here or in any other Whistler licensed establishment until the early evening.
Saturday
8 a.m.
3) Canadian Bacon
Near the Telus Whistler Conference Center is the Gone Bakery & Soup Company (4205 Village Square, 604-938-1957). It's the place where Whistlerites go for fresh-baked goods and hearty meals. The Canadian bacon, scrambled eggs and Texas-style whole-wheat toast ($6) provide the ideal fuel for a day of outdoor play.
9 a.m.
4) One-Mile Drop
Blackcomb Mountain is the newer of the valley's two ski and snowboard areas and offers 5,280 feet of vertical skiing. That's about 260 feet more than neighboring Whistler Mountain, and enough to make it the continent's longest drop (4545 Blackcomb Way, 800-766-0449; www.whistlerblackcomb.com). Get outfitted at the basement of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler hotel (4599 Chateau Boulevard, 604-938-8000; equipment rental starting at about $35), and then head to the slopes via the Solar Coaster Express and Seventh Heaven Express chairlifts (adult day passes are $48 to $63). A variety of intermediate trails sit in the shadow of the peak. Expressway and Easy Out offer relaxing tests. Brush up on your skills and get a tour at the same time from one of the mountain's skilled instructors (half-day lessons starting at $77).
Noon
5) Lunch in Thin Air
Cold cranberry juice ($2.50) and a steaming crock of garden vegetable soup ($4) never tasted so good as at Rendezvous (800-766-0449), a roomy deli-cafe in a lodge 6,102-feet above sea level on Blackcomb. If you'd rather take it easy, Christine's (604-938-7437; open for the season starting on Dec. 16) offers table service. It's at the convergence of the Jersey Cream Express, Solar Coaster Express and Catskinner chair, in the shadow of imposing 7,494-foot Blackcomb Peak and the glaciers beyond.
1:30 p.m.
6) Olympic Anthem
The Vancouver 2010 Whistler Information Center (604-932-2010) is a renovated construction trailer near the BrewHouse that's worthy of Olympic billing. Admission is free. It's open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and tells the story of what's to come in 2010 when the Winter Games and Paralympics arrive. Since opening in January 2002, more than 150,000 people have come to pose on the podium, sit in a bobsled or shoot a puck. This is where you can sometimes meet local Olympic athletes. Maybe even Ross Rebagliati, a local snowboarder who won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
3 p.m.
7) Into the Trees
Ever wonder what a tree 15 stories tall looks like from the top? Find out on the TreeTrek Ecotour ($34; 866-935-0001; www.ziptrek.com), in a strip of forest near Fitzsimmons Creek between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. The proprietors of Whistler's Ziptrek have constructed a walkway network over and around the tops of centuries-old Douglas firs, western hemlocks and red cedars. Tour groups meet daily at the Carleton Lodge in Mountain Square. The more adventurous might want to try gliding over the trees on Ziptrek's systems of ziplines, above, a sort of horizontal version of bungee jumping ($84).
5 p.m.
8) The Spa Who Loved Me
The half-hour Rapid Rub ($56) at Sacha Spa (4-4308 Main Street at the Delta Whistler Village Suites, 866-368-0888; www.sachaspa.com) is the perfect way to wind down from a high-energy day of skiing and hiking. Arrive early and enjoy a cup of herbal tea next to a soothing indoor waterfall. Choose from themed rooms, which will take your mind to China, Thailand, Morocco, Japan or Italy as your body relaxes.
8 p.m.
9) Seafood in the Mountains
Head to the Four Seasons Resort Whistler's Fifty Two 80 Bistro and Bar (4591 Blackcomb Way, 604-966-5280) to sip a Mountain Passion martini - lemongrass-infused vodka, passion-fruit purιe, lemon juice and fresh ginger ($12) - and share the seafood platter ($21 a person for two or more people only). It's a bucket full of the day's catch, fresh daily from Vancouver's docks. The firecracker roll ($9) is a taste explosion.
10 p.m.
10) Green on White
The slopes may be white, but Dubh Linn Gate Old Irish Pub in the Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside Hotel (4320 Sundial Crescent, 800-387-3311; www.dubhlinngate.com) is the place to wear your green, dance a reel and enjoy a pint of Ireland's greatest export, Guinness ($6.50). There is traditional live music nightly.
Sunday
9 a.m.
11) No Shoes Like Snowshoes
Lost Lake Park's trails, surprisingly close to the village, are well marked, so you won't get lost when you don snowshoes or cross-country skis. Cross Country Connection, beside the ticket booth, rents snowshoes for $15.50 a day for adults (604-905-0071, crosscountryconnection.bc.ca; open for the season early or mid-December). A day pass for the park is a bargain at $2, especially if you only have an hour for the Lost Lake Loop.
If You Go
Whistler is two hours north of Vancouver via the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Perimeter Bus will pick you up at the Vancouver airport and take you to your hotel in Whistler for $58 one way (877-317-7788, www.perimeterbus.com). Tourism Whistler (888-869-2777, www.mywhistler.com) has maps and information.
You won't need a car; the village is so compact, you're close to the slopes no matter where you stay.
The Coast Whistler Hotel (4005 Whistler Way, 800-663-5644; www.coastwhistlerhotel.com) is a good budget accommodation, starting at $119.
The Crystal Lodge (4154 Village Green, 800-667-3363; www.crystal-lodge.com) has been renovated and expanded. Rates start at $131 but almost double during the holidays.
The Four Seasons Resort Whistler (4591 Blackcomb Way, 888-935-2460; www.fourseasons.com/whistler) offers luxury accommodations beginning at $296.
