This past weekend INTERNeX was invited to join Moose Travel Network and Hostelling International for a trip to Whistler.
Whistler is located about 1.5 hours from Vancouver and is famous for it’s slopes. During winter time the village is packed with people who like to go skiing and snowboarding. But year round there is so much more to do around Whistler, such as mountain biking, hiking, and zip lining! Also, in 2010 the Olympic Winter Games were held in Whistler and that is why Hostelling International decided to build a place where the athletes could stay: Hostelling International Olympic Village. After the Olympic Games the hostel opened to the public and now hosts many international travellers who come to visit Whistler.
The Moose bus was waiting for us on Granville Street and took us to Whistler at 3pm last Saturday June 6th. We had a group of about 13 people which we got to know better during the ride. On our way we stopped at the Shannon Falls, which was amazing, because the weather was absolutely perfect and there was no rush whatsoever. Everyone strolled around for a bit and after half an hour we continued our journey to Whistler. The sea-to-sky highway is incredible. It runs 400 kilometres from the US border, through British Columbia, all the way up north. As mentioned before, the highway is amazing! It runs along the Pacific ocean which means that there are so many beautiful views on the ocean and the surrounding nature.
When we arrived in Whistler the group split up and went to their rooms to put away their belongings. After that Claire, working for Hostelling International, gave us a tour through the building and told us more about the Olympic Games and how the hostel hosted the athletes. The building is quite new, as it was only built in 2010, and looks great!
Both Moose Travel Network and Hostelling International had prepared a barbecue dinner for the group including many beers! We sat outside in the sun on the patio while we enjoyed our beers and burgers. It was a cozy atmosphere. Anthony, working for Hostelling International as well, had organized a Bar Hop for our group, and so we left the Olympic Village for Whistler Village and had a great night out with many more drinks and great people!
The next morning we had to wake up early for an exciting day. We were going to go zip-lining. Zip-lining is when you fly down through the forest while being tucked into a harness. So much fun! Ziptrek Ecotours organized an Eagle tour for us. With awesome tour guides we started our journey through the forest experiencing different lines. The first line was most exciting as no one actually knew what to expect – but it is amazing and went sooo fast! People even conquered their fear of heights, what an achievement!
The zip-lining tour took about 2.5 hours and after that we decided to have a drink to enjoy Whistler a little longer. We ordered some beers and Caesars which made our hangover disappear. As soon as we hit the road back to Vancity most of us fell asleep immediately. Along the way we made another stop at Howe Sound to enjoy the sun a little and stroll around for a bit.
We arrived back in Vancouver at 4.30pm and there’s nothing left to say but thank you Moose Travel Network and Hostelling International for this trip to Whistler. We enjoyed!
INTERNeX Canada 