NEED TO KNOW
E Once agents have booked holiday packages to Whistler, they can work with accessible providers in Whistler direct to arrange the perfect experience for their clients, ensuring all needs are met.
EWinter sports can be booked via Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. Email wbadaptiveprogram@
vailresorts.com and request ‘adaptive lesson booking’.
E Summer activities include adaptive biking, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and hiking. All equipment is provided, with advance notice. Bookings can be made via
info@whistleradaptive.com
E For adaptive mountain biking, electric-assisted hand-cycles are available with certified instructors at both Whistler Adaptive (
whistleradaptive.com) and Squamish Adaptive Mountain Biking (
squamishadaptive.com).
slid backwards, but the instructors stepped in seamlessly to steady me. This kind of practised intervention speaks to British Columbia’s commitment to accessibility.
CITY SLICKER The 2025 Invictus Games also saw Vancouver host events including wheelchair basketball, rugby and curling. Clients travelling to Whistler will most likely fly into Vancouver, where it’s worth adding a few days to explore the city. The SkyTrain, SeaBus and bus services are fully accessible and equipped with ramps, lifts and accessible boarding areas. For summer stays, there
are beach mats allowing for wheelchair access to English Bay and Kitsilano beaches, along with water wheelchairs at several pools and beaches. The city’s sports facilities also provide extra options for those visitors with mobility needs – whether the sun is shining or there’s a chill in the air.
32 12 JUNE 2025
top tip
top tip Request accessibility
details for accommodation when booking and check whether a client’s insurance policy covers specialist winter sports
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Trails in Whistler have been adapted to suit hand-bikes and wheelchair cycles; Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre ambassadors; getting out onto the lake PICTURES: Whistler Adaptive; Blake Jorgenson Photography; Matt Dennis
Rolling cautiously on to an
ice arena flanked by ex-Invictus Team Canada athlete Patrick Levi, I prepared to have a go at wheelchair curling. As my group cast our granite stones across the sheet towards a target, we laughed – largely at my ineptitude. As he adjusted my delivery technique, Patrick explained: “Adaptive sports aren’t just about independence, they’re about discovering capabilities that you never knew existed – sometimes through spectacular failure.” A timely sentiment, as my stone careened off-track and into another sheet. In BC’s winter-sports scene, thousands of instructors are trained in adaptive techniques and accessibility isn’t an afterthought. Adaptive curling experiences can be booked with Vancouver Curling Club from September until April each year, from $80 per session (for up to five people).
Adaptive sports
are about finding capabilities you never knew existed
SPORTING SUMMER In summer, clients will find Whistler has plenty of adaptive sports to get their blood pumping. When I spoke with Jen Brown, who doubles as both a coach and communications lead for Whistler Adaptive, she explained that as technology is advancing, so too is the availability of new accessible sports. To complement the three
adaptive-friendly mountain bike trails at Whistler Mountain Bike Park, trail signs and ratings are being updated to support disabled riders. New trails include the 0.6-mile South Coaster Adaptive Trail, a section of Alice Lake Provincial Park in Squamish, and the Flashback 1
trail along the Cheakamus River, which was widened in 2023 to 1.2 metres so non-standard cycles, such as hand-bikes and wheelchair cycles, can be used. Whistler Adaptive also offers
‘trail rider’ hiking sessions – where coaches make alpine hiking available to all levels of ability – along with adaptive paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing, launching from purpose-built pontoons for support.
INDIGENOUS INSIGHT Whistler lies across the ancestral homes of two of Canada’s First Nations, the Squamish and Lil’wat. For a break from mountain sports, the wheelchair-accessible Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre offers visitors a fascinating insight into their story and explores their connection to the mighty landscape around Whistler. During summer, a guided
step-free walk on gravel paths through the nearby temperate
travelweekly.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
