Bring on the Night – Whistler Nightlife at a Glance

Written by Iris Dineen for the Whistler The Magazine Winter 2006 / Spring 2007 edition. Published solely to promote tourism to Whistler’s nightlife, music and pub scene throughout the year.

Whistler in the winter is best known for its great skiing and snowboarding, but its after-hours scene is fast approaching the same level of recognition among repeat visitors. Let’s face it: Whistler’s vibrant nightlife makes it an extremely popular place to party.

Part of the equation with Whistler’s nightlife is an abundance of great local talent: brilliant resident DJs and local bands keep everyone hyped and the nightlife scene fresh. Clubs in Whistler still regularly mix up the entertainment scnee by booking big-name bands and world-famous DJs.

While finding social activities is easy it’s sometimes hard to decide where to go, because Whistler has so much to offer, especially in nightlife. There is enough going on to satisfy all your social desires. If you’re a “social butterfly”, the eye candy, dancing, socializing, good times and laughs are just a few of the wonderful joys you will encounter in Whistler Village nightlife. Here’s the inside scoop on the pubs and clubs from a locals’ perspective.

It starts with Whistler Buffalo Bill’s, also known as, the cougar bar, which always draws a large crowd. Whether you’re twenty something or fifty something, you will have the time of your life with a gread dance floor, pool table, and video games. Buffalo Bill’s is a fabulous choice and a great place to meet new friends in Whistler. Across the way is Moe Joe’s, where you can always find a great DJ or live show during nightlife. This underground Whistler club is always packed and has the juiciest floor filling entertainment in town.

As you wander down and around the corner in Whistler Village to the jungles of Tommy Africa’s, prepare yourself for a great mix of music and fabulous staff. The vibe here is electrifying and it’s a frenzy of fun every night of the week from’80s night to special events, and the best part is the funky jungle atmosphere. Right in the Whistler Village Square you can venture down into Maxx Fish, which features theme nights, and costume parties; this palce is always full of late-night energy. Just a few doors down is the Savage Beagle, the perfect all-purpose destination in Whistler nightlife with a classy lounge atmosphere upstairs and a wild dance floor downstairs. Last but certainly not least on the Village Stroll in Whistler is Garfinkel’s Night Club, one of the locals’ favourite clubs with Whistler’s hottest dance floor. Some of the best DJs spin at this Whistler club and celebrity sightings are part of the Garfinkel’s legend.

The pubs in Whistler have a cozy yet buzzing atmosphere and are something you will definitely want to explore. You can often catch live entertainment in the late afternoon and early evenings. Check out Merlin’s The Dubh Linn Gate, Tapley’s, Black’s Pub, Brandy’s at The Keg and the Brewhouse in the Whistler Village or Dusty’s Bar and Grill in Creekside. The Whistler pubs are where it’s at if you’re looking for great food, entertainment and friendly service.

Another great place to socialize is on the heated patios in Whistler. These are great places to have a cold drink while you thaw out after a full day of skiing or riding. The patios are the best place to people watch and are a premium pre-party place in Whistler. The Longhorn Saloon, the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC), Citta’, The Amsterdam Pub and The Mix are frequented by both visitors and locals. Join the crowd.

If you’re in the mood for comfy seating and warm atmosphere in Whistler, we can heartily recommend the Crystal Lounge, Cinnamon Bear Lounge & Grill, the Firerock Lounge, Monk’s Grill, the Bearfoot Bistro’s Champagne Bar, the Araxi Lounge, Elements, the Fifty Two 80 Bistro Bar, three below, Mallard Lounge or 21 Steps “Attic.” Lounging in Whistler is a great place to catch up with friends and rest up for your next big day ahead.

Every night is an adventure in Whistler whether you’re looking for a relaxing lounge, a friendly pub, or bumping club, we can almost guarantee that no visitor will leave unfulfilled.

More information about Whistler Resort, nightlife, pubs, entertainment, recreation and Whistler-Blackcomb is located here.

A Real Estate Tour of Canada’s Hottest Ski Country

Perfect travel opportunities are waiting for you in terms of the latest and greatest Canadian resorts where you can own a recreational real estate property. This article was written by B.D. Maxwell for the Ski Press Magazine on Global Snow Culture Volume 21, No. 3.

You don’t have it all until you have one of these. G.D. Maxwell sees what your money will buy in Canada’s ski country.

If not now, when? If not you, who? Let’s face it, the economy is booming, the dollar is high and the drive home is… ah, the drive home.

If ever there was a compelling reason to think about buying ski-country real estate, it’s that long drive home. Whether your drive is Autoroute 15 between Tremblant and Montreal, Highway 400 from Blue Mountain to Toronto, the Trans Canada from Banff to Calgary or the scenic construction zone known as the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Whistler to Vancouver, long days, tired muscles, heavy eyes, and gridlock have a way of diminishing the high you felt on the mountain.

Wouldn’t it all be so much easier and gratifying if it were just a short hop – or even shorter ski – to your own slice of heaven? Wouldn’t your day trips turn into weekend trips? Excuses to call in well on Mondays? You can almost feel your commuter cares melting away in your own hottub. So if now’s your time to buy, what’ll your spare loonies get you at your favourite Canadian ski-country playground?

Tremblant, Quebec

Like so many places graced by the Midas touch of Intrawest, Tremblant has grown from a regional ski hill to a destination resort bustling with great skiing, great shopping, oodles of accommodation and that Quebecois je ne sais quoi. Steven Lefave, director of sales for Intrawest at Tremblant, thinks this is the time to acquire. “It’s a buyer’s market,” he says. “there’s a lot of inventory right now.”

Opportunities in Tremblant run the gamut from timeshare to stratospheric – sometimes in the same property. You can, for example, buy a quarter share interest in a well-appointed, three-bedroom, three-bath, 1,252 square foot getaway in Le Sommet des Neiges, a condo-hotel just steps to the chairlift, for $223,000. It’s yours one week in four. But if you’re a gotta-have-it all kind of person, you can pick up all four quarter shares of a one-of-a kind, 1,567 square foot three bed, three and a half bath palacio in the same building for $1,495,000. Go for it!

What if you’re not keen on being right at the base of Tremblant mountain? Cottages near Tremblant offer space, lakeside living and more for your money. Thirty minutes away on Lac Cameron, you can get a four-season, 1,020 square foot, three bedroom, one bath cottage with some serious waterfront and gardens for $375,000.

But hey, High Roller, if ya got it, flaunt it. How does six bedrooms, six baths, your own indoor swimming pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, three double garages, a wine cellar and all the status you can handle sound? On beautiful Lac Quimet – yes we’ll even throw in a lake – all 33 rooms can be yours for $11.9 million. At that price, we don’t even bother with zeros?

Blue Mountain – Collingwood, Ontario

If you live in Toronto, and don’t have the great fortune to belong to one of the many private ski hills dotting the Niagara Escarpment, Blue Mountain is probably your playground. Since Intrawest arrived on the scene in 1999, Blue Mountain has undergone the development spree typical of Intrawest resorts.

But Ian Hunter of Royal LePage says the driving force in the real estate market right now is lifestyle. “WE’re seeing a lot of people buying into the area for a lifestyle change. They’re cashing out of the city and buying into a less hurried way of life.”

If you’re hurriedly looking for a place to hang your skis though, you can enjoy liftside living at the Weider Lodge. $199,900 will get you a furnished studio in this condo-hotel and a spot in the hot tub when you walk in off the slopes.

If you can walk in ski boots, you can get more space, say, a 1,756 square foot three bedroom, two bathroom townhome in Snowbridge, just east of Blue Mountain, for $495,000. Still within walking distance of Blue Mountain’s northern lifts, you can après in a 1,900 square foot, four bedroom, two and a half bath log-and-stucco chalet for $430,000. It might be 28 years old, but it’s got its own indoor hot tub. Party on, dude.

And if you don’t mind dodging golf balls in the offseason, you can swing a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom condo on the first fairway of Monterra golf course for a mere $349,900.

Canmore, Alberta

As usual, they do things differently in Alberta. With Banff and Lake Louise in national parkland and sever ownership/resident restrictions in place, Canmore is Alberta’s ski-country boomtown.

“We’ve been on fire the past few years,” says Doug Topp, associate broker at ReMax Alpine Realty in Banff and Canmore. “Recreational ownership of real estate from Calgary is driving our boom and while inventory is creeping up, it’s still a sellers’ and builders’ market.”

If your needs are small, $119,500 gets you into a 410 square foot studio near downtown Canmore. The 17-year-old bachelor pad has been remodelled and comes unfurnished. Nudging upmarket, a two bedroom, one bath condo within walking distance of Canmore’s main drag is furnished and is part of an active rental pool. At $150,000 it typifies properties in older buildings … at least those not undergoing renovations.

A recently remodelled three bedroom on bathroom 1,110 square foot unfurnished apartment with underground parking is listed at $366,000 and is a reflection of the discount you can find in an older real estate building. Compare it to nearby, five year old, 700 square foot apartment with two small bedrooms that goes for $229,000, also unfurnished.

Of course, Alberta’s not Alberta without wide open spaces. Like 3,169 square feet of living on a quiet street with four bedrooms, three baths, a double garage and the high-touch amenities you need to feel pampered for $1,498,000.

Whistler, British Columbia

Whistler is ski-resort real estate for travelers. The ersatz Eurovillage would never have gotten off the ground if it weren’t for the dream of travel skiers to avoid the drive home. Dean Linnell and his team at Whistler Real Estate are still calling Canada’s big mountain resort a buyers market. “But we’ve been seeing prices firm up for the past six months. All price points are selling well,” he says.

As befits Intrawest’s first foray into mountain travel resorts, you can find everything in Whistler, from one bedroom in the middle of the village for $361,900 to a one bedroom right next to Blackcomb’s Wizard lift for $379,000. If that’s too busy, you can buy a lot at Kadenwood, above the Creekside base, for $2.3 million and build your own starter castle.

The bargains – such as they are – are in the residential parts of town. A 2,203 square foot five bedroom, four bathroom home in Twin Lakes is listed for $689,000. If that doesn’t seem like a bargain, consider a 30 year old, 900 square foot one and a half bedroom, one bathroom knockdown in Alpine Meadows – the other end of town – for $598,000. That’s a bargain … in Whistler.

At least compared to log beauty perched on Blueberry Hill. Modest, with three bedrooms and three and a half baths, the 3,494 square foot home with the million dollar view is, well, $4.5 million dollars. What are you waiting for?

For more information about real estate Whistler and other Whistler properties and travel packages, please click here.

Live the Life at Red Mountain | Red Mountain Resort, Rossland, BC

The biggest news that we could ever give you is... Red Mountain just announced that each purchaser of a new home in either Slalom Creek or Morningstar on March 3rd will receive (2) lifetime ski passes at the Red Resort!! You and your partner can ski for free for the rest of your lives if you purchase a home on March 3rd.

By the way, have you seen RED Mountain Resort lately...in the Forbes Top Ten List, countless ski magazines, your local newspaper, television station, mailbox, and from all of your friends?? Are you wondering what all the fuss is about at RED Mountain Resort? You registered for more information, and it's all here!

Two RED Resort major announcements were made in December, including the first new chairlift in 30 years, and the signing of a deal with the 5-star, boutique Valencia Hotel. Things are abuzz here as RED Mountain Resort receives the recognition of being rated the numer 7 ski resort in all of North America, and coined "B.C.s next big thing" by the noted lifestyle magazine, 'Sunset', among other accolades.

In its 110-year ski history, the town of Rossland has come a long way, but very little has changed here about the experience of it all. Ever heard of little to no lift lines on an unbelievable powder day? That is certainly something that the privately owned Red Mountain is working hard to preserve. Currently the RED Mountain Resort terrain covers 1,585 acres, while the future lift expansion plan would increase it to over 4,200 acres.

There is a very limited opportunity for you to have an address at the base of RED mountain. Slalom Creek at RED Mountain Resort, the premiere, ski in/ ski out property at the base of the lifts is currently under construction with a scheduled completion of November 2007. Morningstar at RED Mountain Resort, in its dramatic, and intimate location is scheduled for occupancy shortly thereafter.

The 48 exceptional homes available for this season will be offered by a Selection Event on March 3rd.

Please contact us at 1.888.362.7007 if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity of a lifetime at RED Mountain Resort. Reservations are going fast for this limited time offer.

Best Regards,

Peters Peters
Red Mountain Sales Associate
888-362-7007

Sotheby's International Realty Canada
sothebysrealty.ca

Red Mountain Presentation Centre Address:

1960 Columbia Ave.
Rossland BC
V0G 1Y0

Tel: 1 888 362 7007

www.liveatred.com