We spent a balmy Easter Sunday cross-country skiing at the Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan Valley.

It felt it a bit odd, but it was awesome playing in the snow in a t-shirt while the temperature hit 20° C. We had sunscreen to prevent burns, but nothing to prevent snow rash when we wiped out.

The trails available cover a huge area and offer a wide variety of terrain. There was a good mix of long, flat green runs and hilly blue runs (we stayed off the black runs). The views of surrounding mountains were spectacular. We skied for 90 minutes over 11 km and only explored a fraction of the routes in the park. My only other BC cross-country skiing experience was at Cypress Mountain, where the trails are a lot shorter, hillier and lacking in flat sections.

It was interesting exploring the areas where the 2010 Winter Olympic events took place. The ski jumping ramp and the biathlon shooting range are still there, and they offer biathlon lessons ($20 for a 30 minute marksmanship course or $59 for a 2 hour biathlon course). I’m not excited about firing a gun, but I think I might try it out next time.

Total Cost: $81/person
Day Pass: $22
Rentals: $31
Transportation: $35 (1/3 of Modo car share)

Directions: via Google Maps