Nick's Ski Resort Guidebooks

If you are ever at the top of 7th Heaven on and are thinking of heading over to the Crystal Ridge Area to ski (or to get a waffle at the Crystal Hut), you can take a short cut through the Glacier Express Area. To do this, ski past the Horstman Hut and start down Glacier Drive (Black) into the Glacier Express area. A short way down Glacier Drive, look for Showcase Traverse on your right side (looking downhill). Showcase Traverse leads over to the bottom of the Showcase T-bar. As you come down Showcase Traverse, pick up a bit of speed so you can ski up to and past the bottom of the Showcase T-bar. This will bring you to Crystal Traverse (Blue) which you can then follow over into the Crystal Ridge area. By taking this "back way" route into the Crystal area, you save yourself the effort / time of following the more traditional route which we be to ski out of 7th, into Jersey Cream and then over to the bottom of the Crystal Ridge chairlift.

https://www.whistlerguidebook.com/glacier-express-chairlift-area

Sat Mar 21 - If you have kids today and are looking for softer snow, Lower Blacomb is quite nice right now. You can do laps on the Excalibur Gondola. Village feels Sping like ...

Stats for snowfall in Feb 2026 at (apologies for the delay, forgot to post these at the beginning of the month. Snowfall in Feb was around 138cm similar to what we had in Jan. Low snowfall in Feb is quite normal for WB in recent years. Fingers crossed that March delivers as it has in the past 2 years.

Was interesting to see the rime ice build up yesterday (Sun 8 March 2026) in the 7th Heaven area of on . Must have been some fierce wind and moisture conditions the night before.

Looked it up, and rime ice is a white, opaque coating of ice that forms when supercooled water droplets—liquid water that is below the freezing point—quickly freeze upon impact with a cold surface. It is a common sight on mountain peaks, aircraft, and trees during foggy, freezing conditions. Unlike "clear ice" (glaze), which spreads out and freezes slowly to form a transparent layer, rime ice freezes so rapidly that air bubbles are trapped inside, giving it its characteristic milky white appearance and brittle texture.

> Supercooled Droplets: In clouds or freezing fog, water droplets can remain liquid at temperatures well below $0°C$ (32°F).

> Impact: When these droplets are carried by the wind and strike a solid object (like a ski lift cable, a branch, or a wing), the physical shock triggers immediate solidification.Rapid

> Freezing: Because the freezing is nearly instantaneous, the droplets do not have time to flow or merge with one another. They freeze as individual "spheres," leaving tiny air gaps between them.Directional

> Growth: Rime ice grows into the wind. It builds up on the windward side of objects, often forming long, feather-like needles or "combs" that point back toward the direction the wind is blowing from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rime_ice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercooling

Gotta love the in Village :-) ...

If you have kids (or you are a kid at heart) and love a good sweet treat ... the Great Glass Elevator Candy Shop in BC is definitely worth a stop. This shop was a favourite of my kids and I still stop by on a regular basis. It offers both the option to buy prepackaged candy as well as the option to assemble your own bag of different candies. Also, in case you need a for some reason, they can help out :-) ...

Great Glass Elevator Candy Shop Ltd
Marketplace Lodge, Olympic Plaza, 4350 Lorimer Rd #115, Whistler, BC V8E 1A5
https://maps.app.goo.gl/owUuJKAykahXBTtCA

https://www.greatglasselevator.ca/

This my favourite shot of Village at ... think it captures the wonderful vibe in the village with the nigh skiing lights in the background, cars and trucks moving about and groups of people exploring ...

Another set of favourite photos from my visit to ... the frost covered trees at the top of Mt.Isola at the ski resort. It was quite magical to ski through and around them ...

Annupuri is most Westward in the United group. It sits to the west of the Niseko Village resort area.
https://annupuri.info/en/

There is not much of a village area at the bottom of this area, but you can access Hirafu Village and the other resorts via regular shuttle buses.

Annupuri is known for its family and beginner friendly Green and Blue level runs and is probably the quietest of the resorts at Niseko. It can be broken down into 3 zones:

> The Lower end of Annupuri is serviced by 2 chairlifts. The easiest is the Dream Quad 1 lift. This is for beginners and ski schools and allows skiers and snowboarders to lap an easy green area. The Jumbo Quad 1 lift goes further up the mountain but also provides access to Green and Blue runs that end at the bottom of the resort area.

The Paradise hut is a great small cafe / restaurant near the top of the Jumbo 1 lift and offers food and drinks on the hill.

> The Middle of Annupuri is serviced by both the Annupuri Gondola as well as the Jumbo 2 and Jumbo 3 lifts. This area offers Blue level runs and some glade areas. At the top of the Jumbo 2 lift you can access Gate 7 which leads into an off-piste area with glades and ungroomed snow fields. This is a fun, challenging area for skiers and snowboarders with the necessary off-piste skills. I did a couple of runs here and quite enjoyed it. This off-piste area exits out at the bottom of the resort area near the gondola.

> The Upper / Alpine zone of Annupuri is located above the top of the Annupuri Gondola and Jumbo 3 lift. You can access this upper zone via the Jumbo 4 lift. This is also the route you have to take if you want to ski over into the neighbouring Niseko Village area.

There are 3 backcountry / side country gates at the top of the Annupuri area:

> Gates 1 and 8 lead into a gladed valley that runs along the West edge of the Annupuri area. You can ski into this valley and then exit out towards the left at the bottom back into the bottom of the Annupuri area.

> Gate 2 provides access (via a hike) up to Annupuri Peak. You can then either ski back down into the Annupuri area or down into the Niseko Village area. Alternatively, you can use the ascent to gain access to the back North Bowl of Niseko. Be sure to check out the videos on YouTube that describe how to do this successfully in order to return to the resort.

Weatherwise, similar to the other resorts at Niseko, the Upper areas and associated Jumbo 4 lift are at risk of closure in high winds or other adverse weather conditions. The Lower and Mid mountain areas at Hanazono were almost always open.

For some great videos that provide an overview of the Niseko ski area, check out this playlist I put together:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7H-lp-vr7eXwTLyPem9HTHlIE6aFwq01&si=SIPu7OGtlh-gl9P2

Niseko Village is the middle resort to the West between Annupuri and Grand Hirafu resorts. Village area offers a combination of easy Green runs for beginners, groomed Blues and challenging Black runs. It also gives access to the Gate 11 area and the Upper Alpine zone of Niskeo.

There is a small village area with some restaurants, several larger hotels and other accommodation options. You can access Hirafu Village and the other resorts via buses that run from Niseko Village to the other areas.

Niseko Village can be considered to have 3 zones:

> The Lower end which is serviced by a couple of chairlifts and is mostly Green runs for kids and beginners. There is also a short Gondola that connects the village area with the bottom of the hill.

> The Middle Mountain area that includes both Green and Blue runs on the West side and Black runs and a gated off Piste area on the west side. This is serviced by the Niseko Village Gondola and also 2 mid mountain chairlifts. The Black runs in this area can be quite bumpy and spicy. The Gate 11 off piste area offers some great glade skiing and off piste skiing that ends down towards the bottom of the Niseko Village Gondola. I spent quite a bit of time skiing this gladed area and really enjoyed it. Well spaced glades, good snow and lots of exits out to the main runs if required.

The Lookout Cafe is a great small cafe / restaurant near the top of the Country Road chairlift in this mid mountain area and worth a visit.

> The Upper / Alpine zone above the top of the Niseko Village Gondola. This area is serviced by the Wonderland chairlift (another one person, pizza box lift). This upper area includes a couple of groomed Blue runs and a large off piste alpine area.

You can exit out of the Niseko Village area toward Hirafu at the top of the Niseko Village Gondola. This requires a bit of a hike up a hill over into Hirafu. To access the Annipuri area, you have to take the Wonderland lift up and then ski down into the Annupuri area. If the lift is closed due to weather / wind, then you cannot get into Annupuri.

Weatherwise, similar to the other resorts at Niseko, the Upper areas and associated lifts are at risk of closure in high winds or other adverse weather conditions. The Lower and Lower Mid mountain areas at Hanazono were almost always open.

For some great videos that provide an overview of the Niseko ski area, check out this playlist I put together:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7H-lp-vr7eXwTLyPem9HTHlIE6aFwq01&si=SIPu7OGtlh-gl9P2