Introduction: To Grub Steaks and Getting CX’d (Twice)
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong
Hong Kong Airport Midfield Terminal
Korean Air 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul
Korean Air 777 Business Class Seoul to Vancouver
Our Whistler Apartment: Pinnacle Ridge
Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort: My Thoughts
Westin Wall Center Vancouver Airport
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver
Korean Air 777 Business Class Vancouver to Seoul
Korean Air 747 Business Class Seoul to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific A330 Economy Class Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur
The Boulevard by St. Giles Kuala Lumpur
Cathay Pacific A330 Economy Class Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong
This is more just of a walkthrough of Pinnacle Ridge. No service given, so I’m just going to talk about the place. That said, it was an amazing way to spend a few days – stay tuned.
These two installments are kind of pointless – I’m not a slope expert, nor am I a chalet expert, keep me in the flights department, please. That said, I thought that both were worth rambling about.
While finding the flights were on my playing field, the hotel was out of my hands this time. While there were some cheap rates, we had eleven people with us, so we decided to just go with an apartment/condo, which I was fine with. After my friends had a look they went with Pinnacle Ridge, a rather popular ski condo near Blackcomb – while it wasn’t cheap at HK$6,000 a night, technically we were paying HK$2,000 for two bedrooms per family, which wasn’t bad at all.
The property is located on Glacier Drive, which is basically “condo road” in Whistler.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Exterior
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Hallway/Road to Ski-in
We got villa 5, which is one of the first ones down the road. We got in, and there was a warm and inviting living room right down a few steps, along with a fireplace. The design of that was pretty stunning.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Living Room
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Living Room
There was a kitchen, which was stocked with literally all I needed.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Living Room Kitchen
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Living Room Kitchen
There was also chill space, including a TV that we didn’t really have time to take advantage of (in which the kids were in our own rooms and I was working, so our parents were the only people who really got to take advantage of the TV).
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Living Room ‘Chillout Area” TV
All rooms were connected with stairs, and there were also common areas decorated with wood finishes, similar to a barn. It was perfect for a chalet – it almost seemed like a horse pen.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Stairs
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Common Areas
As for the actual rooms – there were five – there was a beautiful master bedroom, two really nice/classic rooms, a guesthouse-style room with twin beds and another room with a bunk. The WiFi only worked on the upper three levels, which didn’t bode well with me, on the bottom level – I spent most of my time up there for that reason.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Pantry Room
The warm wood finishes just made the room seem more classic – but it was “mint condition” classic, in which everything was sparkling clean.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Room
The beds were a little soft for my liking, and rather unsupportive. That said, I don’t usually judge a bed’s comfort after a shower preceded by a six-hour ski session (stay tuned).
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Room Bed
I mean, a fireplace below a TV. What more could one expect?
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Fireplace
While I can’t for the life of me find the pictures I took of my toilet (which had a really nice walk in shower), the master bedroom is as follows. It’s huge, features doors that look out onto the living room, and a bathroom with double sinks and a separate shower/tub.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Master Bedroom
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Master Bedroom
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Master Bedroom
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Master Bedroom
All bathrooms were well stocked with Paya amenities, which were quite nice – unfortunately, there was just shampoo and a body bar, which was really dry and left quite a bit of residue.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Paya Amenities
The most important area to me by far was the hangout area, which had full WiFi access and comfortable chairs to work from. That’s not really what I expect from a ski chalet (maybe more at a hotel, but wow).
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Hangout Room
To top it off there’s a hot tub on the level below the main entrance.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Hot Tub (covered)
As for the location, the hallway is right off Yellow Brick Road, one of the easiest slopes down. So for a beginner, it’s kind of hard to chicken out.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Back Door Exit
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Walkway to Yellow Brick Road
There’s zero service whatsoever (if you want breakfast, take the five minute walk/minute long ski down to the base of the hill), but I was able to whip up some nice things every morning due to the kitchen equipment we had.
Pinnacle Ridge Whistler Eggs Benedict
Bottom Line
While a chalet should be the way to go if many people are going together, I’d say this is one of the nicer ones, and at HK$2,000 per night a great value. There was also pickup to/from the airport, which was really nice.
However, given the rates for small families, I’d probably still vote for a hotel for four people or less going. After all, there’s going to be easier access to resources, food, service, and generally lifestyle is less “self-managed” around a hotel. When you have ski boots and all that, that’s something I value pretty heavily.