Looking to arrive in Vancouver about the 18th December till the 23rd. Would like to get up to Whistler for skiing. Is this a busy time of the year or are they all shopping. Re costs is this top season . Also weather wise does this cause much of a problem getting around etc.

You are talking about the busy family holiday season then and Whistler especially is busy that time of year. Although the very busiest time in Whistler is from about December 23-Jan 3rd so you should be able to still find a good selection of hotel rooms available but the rates will be high season. A month or two before arriving in Whistler it would be a good idea to book times at some of the restaurants that you want to patronize especially those days that fall on a weekend. In Vancouver you should be able to get shoulder season rates for hotels but good restaurants are packed during the weeks prior to Xmas.

I'm not sure what you mean about 'weather wise... getting around etc.'. The weather in Vancouver at that time of year is usually dreary and wet but rarely cold enough for ice and snow. However that cold damp weather translates to snow and poor driving conditions on the road to Whistler. It's not a road I would drive at night at that time of year but daytime travel is usually not a problem so long as you drive with caution. In Whistler itself you don't really need a car so again there should be no problem getting around.

Hi,

I was in Vancouver from 1st to 4th January this year and there was sonw on the ground and all around Stanley Park. ( Beaver lake was frozen). The tempreature was cold ( -8 in the morning not including windchill) but the sun was shining and it was beautiful. Most of the pavements and roads were clear and it was only in the outlying areas ( like UBC) where thr roads and pavements had sonw ( not too icy). All the tv reports said this was uncommon weather.

I hired a bike and cylced aarouns Stanley Park, there was snow on the beach and icicles on the rock face by the Lions Gate Bridge. In the sunshine, this was magnificent.

As long as you wrap up properly it is not a problem ( if the tepmreature falls to -30 then it is more of a problem as they had in interior BC)

Regards

TBS

Re: the cold snap this January. Actually it was the worst cold snap in a few years and lasted from about Dec 27th to Jan 5th. By the 7th the snow was gone and it's barely been below freezing since then. Right now it's 15C, the flowers are out and it feels just like spring. Then again we could get a cold snap and 10 inches of snow next week. It has happened but as with the cold snap in early January it's never a good idea to bet on it.

And by the way - it's never been anywhere near -30C in Vancouver. I've lived here all my 61 years and the coldest temp ever was -17C in 1950 and global warming pretty well assures us that that's not likely to happen again.

Do your skiing the first week. Whistler turns into a zoo over Christmas school holidays.
Then you can move down to Vancouver and enjoy what is the usual city scene of panicked shoppers.
Definately high season prices in Whistler, but maybe some vacancy left for the first week. Top spots would be booked already for Christmas week.