Whistler Olympic Park hosted the Nordic events at the 2010 Games and now teaches beginners on the same trails. A lesson is included, the technique is basically walking, and somebody else drives the Sea to Sky in winter.
When dates open they appear here with the fare. The lesson is part of the day, not an extra you book separately.
Dates not open yet
We put seats on sale one season at a time, and this one is not up yet. Nothing is hidden and there is no list to pay to join. Leave your email and you hear the day the dates open.
Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
A Parkbus guide leads the group all day, so you do not need to know the trail.
Beginner classic skiing with the lesson included, as easy or as brisk as you make it.
Whistler Olympic Park hosted the Nordic events at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It now spends its winters teaching people who have never had skis on. There are over 55 kilometres of cross-country trails through old growth forest and open meadows, with climbs to viewpoints over the surrounding ranges, and a good share of it is beginner terrain.
The lesson is the part that matters. Classic technique is the one to start with: your skis run in set tracks, your arms and legs swing in opposite directions, and it feels close enough to walking that most people are moving within the first half hour. Skate skiing is the other option and it is more like ice skating, which is more athletic and takes longer to enjoy.
After the lesson the afternoon is yours to practise. First timers usually head out on Neverland, which starts right at the Day Lodge and is rated double green, and there are instruction and play areas by the lodge to work on balance before you commit to a trail.
The Callaghan Valley sits away from the crowds, and the temperature hovers around freezing, which sounds cold and is in fact the comfortable end of winter for learning something new outdoors. There is a licensed café in the Day Lodge for when your legs have had enough.
The technique is walking. The setting is the 2010 Olympics.
The lesson first, while you are fresh. Then the trails, at whatever pace you have discovered you like.
We pick you up
In front of the Bentall Centre Courtyard, where you will also see a TD Bank. Get there fifteen minutes early.
We pick you up
38551 Loggers Lane #106, Squamish. The town's main visitor hub, right on the Sea to Sky Highway. Useful if you are already up the corridor.
The Nordic and biathlon venue for the 2010 Games, in the Madeley Creek basin in the Callaghan Valley west of Whistler. Rentals, the lesson, the café and the beginner trails all start at the Day Lodge. Trails run through old growth forest and open meadows with climbs to viewpoints over the ranges.
Good to know:
Facilities: Day Lodge with a fully licensed café, Ski, pole and boot rental in sizes from toddler to men's 16, Instruction and ski play areas
Note: Classic lessons are available from age five, skate from seven. For a first time on skis, classic is the one to pick.
We drop you back
The bus calls at both pickup points on the way back, so you get off where you got on.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
Winter layers and not much else. The skis are there.
Light, breathable synthetic or wool layers. Not cotton. You will be warm within ten minutes of starting to move, so the ability to take a layer off matters more than the ability to add one.
Think winter hike, run or cycle rather than a day standing about on a chairlift.
Cross-country skiing takes whatever effort you decide to put into it, from a casual saunter to a brisk march. The beginner trails are gentle and you set the pace.
You will fall over. Your heel is not fixed to the ski, so getting back up is easy, and the groomed snow is soft.
The lesson is part of the day. The equipment is a rental package at the Day Lodge with Rossignol skis, poles and boots.
The live listing is not clear about whether that rental is inside the fare or paid at the park, so confirm when you book rather than turning up assuming.
This one runs in winter, when the Callaghan is groomed and sitting around freezing.
Placeholder dates · the real ones come from our booking system
We are Canada's outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken more than 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring layers. We handle everything with wheels, including the winter highway.
The easiest way into cross-country skiing is to be taught it. An instructor covers balance, the kick and glide, stopping, and gentle terrain, so you leave with technique rather than bad habits.
Your skis sit in set tracks and your arms and legs move in opposite directions, the way they already do. It is far easier to learn than skate skiing and quicker to get to the fun part.
Your heel is not locked to the ski, so standing up again is easy. The snow is groomed and forgiving and you are on flat or gentle ground while you learn.
One of the best drives in the world, and demanding in winter. Arrive rested and ready to learn instead of tense from the road, and enjoy the view on the way home.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
“I have always had excellent experiences with Parkbus. I have been to many of their destinations, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The ambassadors have been knowledgeable and friendly. The drivers drive safely, and with the passengers’ comfort in mind.”Sharlene Haye · Google
This is a great service if you don't have a vehicle or just don't want to drive. I'm so happy to have discovered this. There will definitely be more Parkbus trips in my future!James Taylor Wilson · Happy Parkbus customer
Speaking from someone who doesn't drive. This is a must!! I highly recommend this!Linda Ann · Facebook · Jun 2024
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
And you get to say you learned on an Olympic trail, which is technically true.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
