With the recent announcement that the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, all eyes are on British Columbia’s Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, 72 miles north of the city. Consistently ranked among the top ski destinations in North America, Whistler and Blackcomb will serve as venues for Olympic skiing and snowboarding events. To get the scoop on the area, vacationers can make an autumn visit to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler with the resort’s “Wild for Bears” package (604-938-8000; www.fairmont.com)
THE DEAL
$551 ($471 plus 17 percent tax) for two for the “Wild for Bears” package, valid through Oct. 31.
Includes: one night’s accommodation in a “Fairmont Room,” buffet breakfast in The Wildflower restaurant at the resort, the Black Bear tour, a smoked salmon plate upon arrival and one stuffed black bear to take home.
Not included: Gratuities.
THE ALTERNATIVE
Of package-equivalent items, if purchased separately:
Lodging: $252 ($215 plus 17 percent tax) for two in a “Fairmont Room,” for hypothetical date of Sept. 17.
Breakfast: $39 ($18/person plus 7 percent tax) for buffet breakfast for two at The Wildflower).
Black bear tour: $261 ($122/person plus 7 percent tax).
Smoked salmon plate: $24 ($11/person plus 7 percent tax).
Stuffed black bear: $29 ($20 plus $9 shipping, from justteddybears.site.yahoo.net).
Total: $605.
Difference: $54 less with the package.
BEYOND THE DOLLAR SIGNS
Collectively known as Whistler, the two mountains and the pedestrian-only village nearby attract an international crowd, especially in the winter for skiing and snowboarding. During the warmer months, the focus shifts to golf, cycling and hiking. The village is home to an ever-expanding lineup of restaurants, pubs and boutiques.
Dozens of hotels and condos border the village and lower reaches of the slopes. One of the largest establishments is the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, a 550-room hotel right at the foot of Blackcomb. Part of a chain of venerable Canadian resorts, with Chateau Lake Louise Banff Springs and Le Chateau Frontenac its sister hotels, Chateau Whistler is not old enough to have achieved classic status, but it is imposing nevertheless because of its size and setting.
A lesser-known but well-regarded Whistler activity, the Black Bear Tour is a three-hour expedition in search of the active bear dens, daybeds and feeding sites of the 50 black bears who live in the old-growth hemlock and cedar forests of the region. The four-wheel-drive outing runs May through October, led by local black bear enthusiast Michael Allen. Profits from the tour go to support the construction of a mountain ecology and black bear research center on Whistler Mountain.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you’re visiting Vancouver this fall, a one-night sojourn at Chateau Whistler makes sense–Whistler is less than two hours by car from the city. And as a way to get off the beaten track and into the woods of British Columbia, the Black Bear Tour is quick and easy, especially if you’re not an avid backcountry hiker. Even without the plush bear memento, available only with the package, “Wild for Bears” represents a savings, so you might as well go for it and put that ferocious stuffed black bear on your pillow back home.
