April is here and that means time to shed the heavy snow gear and put on the t-shirt and sun glasses for some glacier snowboarding and skiing at Whistler Blackcomb BC, Canada. While most luxury ski resorts shut down around mid April, Whistler offers excellent spring skiing conditions. And while recently getting a bit more snow in late March, will make for some fresh new snow to carve up on the glaciers.

Whistler mountain, nestled away only 2.5 hours from Vancouver, home of the Whistler / Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, will remain open for spring skiing and snowboarding until late April, while Blackcomb mountain typically stays open till around early June. Though be sure to check the latest snow report and conditions before heading up. If you plan on taking a vacation to Whistler and stay at one of the many luxury Whistler accommodations and lodging, don’t worry if you miss the spring skiing. Whistler has numerous spring activities taken in by the locals and travelers and tourists.

From Vancouver International Airport, you can rent a car for the 2-hour, 15-minute drive to Whistler, or take the Perimeter Whistler Express bus (U.S. $33-58) 8:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. during peak snow season). If you are flying between the U.S. and Canada, you must have a passport. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is a 4 1/2-hour drive from the south. Read the rest of this entry »

Is there real estate opportunities in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada among the boom in real estate within Canada over the last few years? Some would think so. With the increase Canadian dollar value and a number of American owners of Whistler accommodations, are taking advantage of the timing timing and selling their properties. Whether it’s the exchange rate advantage of recession in the US (let’s all admit it - it’s a recession), many US home owners of Whistler accommodations are placing their vacation homes up for sale, creating a increase in luxury home inventory for those seeking to get into the Whistler market.

The flip in the Canada-U.S. currency advantage is encouraging some American owners of B.C. real estate to take an exchange-rate gain by selling their properties, realtors are beginning to notice.

“We are seeing some activity that is the result of people assessing the exchange-rate situation and deciding to [sell] now rather than later,” Patrick Kelly, president of Whistler Real Estate, said. Read the rest of this entry »

WHISTLER - Owners of luxury homes in Whistler are looking for rents in the $100,000-a-month range for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“I would say we are looking at $8,000 to $15,000 per bedroom for a 31-day period,” said Sylvia Koltzenburg, who is running an Olympic accommodation matchmaking service.

(*see Whistler Olympic 2010 accommodation services) 

“We’ve certainly got homes over $100,000. It all depends on the number of bedrooms. It’s easy to get $90,000 if you have a fairly high-end home here.”

Koltzenburg has been fielding scores of calls and e-mails since she started advertising earlier this year. Read the rest of this entry »

The rumour-ville is buzzing of a potential Whistler accommodation rental shortages for the 2010 Whistler Vancouver winter Olympic games. Bamja.com, one of Whistler Blackcombs major rental accommodation online community’s of privately owned accommodations and lodging for rent by owners in Whistler, BC, Canada, offers the the solution to help owners help fill their rental property vacanies leading up to, during and after the 2010 Olympics, hosted in Vancouver and Whistler.

A year or two ago when Vancouver and Whistler won the Olympic bid, the Olympic organizers allotted an est. ~1,800 Whistler hotel accommodations, +750 condominiums for officials, sponsors and media, and +1,600 lodging and accommodation rooms under development leading up to the 2010 Olympics.

There is large speculation that far greater lodging and accommodations in Whistler will be required to host the games and all the tourists and travellers visiting the city over the 2 week Olympic period.

While alternative options will be to rent an accommodation in nearby Squamish and Pemberton, and of course Vancouver, anyone travelling to one of North America’s best luxury ski resorts will have a eagerness to take advantage of the opportunity of the Olympic activities and settle their vacation stay right in the city of Whistler and Whistler Village. Read the rest of this entry »

Artists are amazing. Anyone who has the talent and skill to create beautiful works of art using imagination and various tools of the trade are just inspiring. And when I consider that some artists choose nature as the medium of choice, I’m even more awestruck by the artist’s creativity and talents. I’ve seen various artisans create sand sculptures and ice sculptures. But I have never witnessed anyone create snow sculptures. Travelers to Whistler BC Canada during the end of February will get to witness first hand two teams of snow sculptors create one of a kind works out of blocks of packed snow.

This year, from February 27 – 29, as part of the Celebration Whistler 2010 events, visitors will delight in the awe and wonder of two snow sculptures. Thanks to the Whistler Art’s Council, The Canadian National Snow Sculpture Team and Team Alberta will each have 2 days to complete their sculptures. The environmental conditions make The Roundhouse at Whistler Mountain a prime location for such a delicate an intricate art. Read the rest of this entry »