Mountain Layout—Snowboarding

Most riders, especially freeriders, prefer the Blackcomb side because of the preponderance of fall-line runs. The Whistler side was originally designed with the mountain's contours in mind, but a lot of fall-line runs have been added in recent years to even the score.

To get out of the crowds and up to the goods on Blackcomb, from the base take Excalibur Gondola or Wizard Express, depending on which is closer. From either, take Excelerator Chair. To access the real extremes above treeline, take the Glacier Express. It seems like an endless chain of chairlift rides, but once at the top of Glacier, taking in the stunning views and over-abundance of rideable acreage, you'll realize it's all well worth it!

From top of 7th Heaven or Horstman T-bar you can drop down into Couloir Extreme, Big Bang, or Pakalolo, some of the more extreme chutes on this mountain. If you're not quite up for that challenge just yet, Secret Bowl is a nice open area to taste some extremes without having to navigate your turns through a tight rocky space. Secret Chute (stay right) is a single-black chute if you decide the Couloir is a little much. Also from Glacier Express you can do a short hike to Spanky's Ladder, which opens to the "Gem Bowls"—Garnet, Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire Bowls—all double-black-diamond bowls and very intense riding.

For more extremes and to get to Blackcomb Glacier, take the Showcase T-bar. This is the highest lift on Blackcomb and offers access to a whole wonderful world of riding on a section of the mountain you can't even see from the other lifts. Just a few steps will bring you to the Blowhole, a double-black-diamond wind channel with a very steep pitch. Stay to rider's left after you exit Blowhole and continue down some great steeps. Or skip Blowhole if you want to hike a bit more to Blackcomb Glacier. The glacier is designated a blue, but the snow alone is worth checking out. On the long traverse out of the glacier, be sure to look up to the left to get a visual of Sapphire, Garnet, Diamond, and Ruby Bowls.

If you want to do some terrain above treeline but aren't ready for the extremes, from Glacier Express ride the Horstman T-bar over to the 7th Heaven Zone, where you'll find an array of ways down. There is even a green trail down, although it may be a bit more difficult than the typical green trail, so beginners be forewarned. This section of the mountain gets a lot of sun, so even on non-powder days the snow is soft and edgeable. If you want to continue to enjoy the sun and views from this part of the mountain, almost all of the trails here end up back at the 7th Heaven Express so you can easily do laps.

Blackcomb cruising runs like those around the Jersey Cream Express chair and the Jersey Cream Wall have some nice little jumps when the snow is fresh. Some flats to avoid, unless you just must go across to the 7th Heaven Express, are 7th Avenue and Expressway to rider's right of the Catskinner Chair.

From Whistler Village, you can ride Whistler Mountain by taking the gondola to the Roundhouse to 6,069 feet. This is just above treeline and to stay above it, head either left to the Harmony Express chair for intermediates and advanced riders, or right to the Peak Chair for experts. If you're an intermediate and have mastered T-barism, head right to the T-bars that run up between T-Bar Run and the Headwall. The big bowls are reached from the Harmony Express.

Below treeline, the Orange Chair region is a favorite for snowboarding but is usually open only for events. Check before heading here. If Orange is closed, try Big Red instead. Intermediates favor Banana Peel and Orange Peel, runs tolerated by advanced riders till they lead into Wild Card and Jimmy's Joker. These are the runs responsible for the t-shirts that said, "Real men ski Whistler" back when Blackcomb first opened.

While beginners can take a green run down from any chairlift (do it for the views on a sunny day), you'll want to practice near the Olympic Chair. It can be reached via the Fitzsimmons Express from the Village. But you've got your own bowl riding too—Ego Bowl just below the Roundhouse, reached by the gondola.

Parks and pipes
Talk about making it simple: Whistler Blackcomb's park rating system runs S-M-L-XL. If you're just beginning on the freestyle terrain, start with the Terrain Garden on Blackcomb, rated S. Then try the Habitat Park on Whistler Mountain, rated S-M, M-L. The Nintendo Park—rated M, L—and the Highest Level Terrain Park—rated XL—are both on Blackcomb. If you're unsure of yourself in the halfpipe, try the Whistler halfpipe, rated M, before moving on to the superpipes on Blackcomb, both rated L.

If giant parks and pipes are what you're seeking, look no further than Blackcomb Mountain. The Nintendo Superpipe is near the Highest Level Terrain Park. The Super Night Pipe—meeting World Cup specifications at 490 feet long with 16-foot-high walls—is on Lower Cruiser in the Base II area, providing easy viewing for spectators. It's open during Whistler Blackcomb's Night Moves on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 5–9 p.m. Access is from Blackcomb's Base II parking lot, or via the Magic Chair.

The huge Nintendo Terrain Park will satisfy the best freestyle riders and intermediate jibbers too. Just below and to rider's left of the Rendezvous Lodge—accessible from Jersey Cream Express, Solar Coaster Express and Catskinner Chair—enter the gate into banked turns, boardercross style, that dump you to a line of different-sized rails. Here is where the separation begins. Those who want to go huge, stay to the left and go into the next gate labeled the Highest Level. However, be prepared to be denied access unless you've gotten yourself a special Highest Level Pass and are wearing a helmet (both required for entering this section). You can obtain one of these C$15 passes, good for the season, at Guest Relations in the Whistler Village Gondola building. If you need a helmet, the Mountain Adventure Centre rents them. After entering the checkpoint you'll find yourself in a world of giants, with tabletops, ramp jumps and rails—all designed for very experienced riders.

If you are not quite up to pro status, stay to the right of Nintendo Terrain Park, where the special pass is not required, and find yourself hucking from still significantly large features including spines, jumps and rails of all sizes and widths, plus a funbox. If you want to keep riding the park, take the Catskinner Chair, which runs the length of the park. Unfortunately, you can't hit the Nintendo Superpipe if you want to catch Catskinner back up. At the bottom of the terrain park to the right is the Nintendo Superpipe. This is the most immaculate pipe we have ever seen. There's also a snowcross course, designed for intermediate to expert riders. Beginners haven't been left out as the Big Easy Terrain Garden here will let you get a feel for catching air.

Take note of the music playing: There are no swear words. That's a clue to your expected behavior. The tunes are pretty mellow in the morning and grow harder as the day wears on. People riding up the Catskinner Chair can hear the music quite well, and since the Catskinner is considered a family chair…well, you get the picture.

On Whistler Mountain, at the top of Emerald Express Chair, you'll find the Whistler Halfpipe. It has walls about 14 feet high and is nicely maintained. The intermediate Nintendo Habitat Terrain Park is just below the halfpipe. The 600-foot-vertical park is packed with at least 15 rails, including a wide rainbow rail and a wide stepdown rail, plus a long funbox, rollers, hip jumps and a jib-proof picnic table. A sound system keeps the beat to your tricks.