Whistler Pride 2025 gay ski week festival: a comprehensive guide to the best gay skiing event of the year

This is our complete guide to Whistler Gay Pride in Canada, one of the largest gay ski festivals in the world and a very unique pride event.

The next Whistler Pride will take place on January 19-26, 2025.

What do you get when you mix a bunch of gay boys, a giant rainbow flag, and a huge pile of Canadian snow? The Whistler Pride and Ski Festival of course!

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Whistler is a small town north of Vancouver in the British Columbia province of Canada. It's famous for having one of the largest ski resorts in North America and for hosting some of the events of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The town is surrounded by two mountains: Whistler (2,184m/7,165ft) and Blackcomb (2,436m/7,992ft). There are over 200 marked ski trails in between the two mountains, catering to all difficulty levels: green for beginners, blue for intermediate, black for advanced, and double blacks for people who are just plain mad!

The Whistler Pride and Ski Festival is one of the biggest and best LGBTQ ski events in North America. We loved it and cannot recommend it enough to all gay travelers seeking out a gay ski event to attend.

This is one of the biggest and best LGBTQ ski weeks in North America and you need to be there!

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Whistler Pride at a glance

Whistler Pride is a lot of fun!

Every January, thousands of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters descend on this humble ski resort for an epic Pride party in the snow. It has become so popular that it's not only the biggest LGBTQ piste-party in Canada but the second largest in North America after Aspen.

The festival takes place over one week. The focus is, of course, skiing and/or snowboarding during the day, usually in groups based on your skill level. There are over 200 marked ski trails in between the two mountains which cater to all difficulty levels: green for beginners, blue for intermediate, black for advanced, and double blacks for people who are just plain mad!

Once the skiing is over, there are a ton of gay parties and events happening throughout the week ranging from the classic Apres Ski drinks gathering to the more raucous pool party! Read more about each gay event at Whistler Pride below.

Whistler Pride pool party — Hanging out with our buddies Karl and Daan of the Couple of Men travel blog. Credit: Steve Polyak of Gay Calgary Magazine

When is the next Whistler Pride?

The next Whistler Pride will take place on January 19-26, 2025.

How to buy tickets for Whistler Pride?

You can buy Whistler Pride tickets directly on their website.

There are different types of tickets you can buy, some of which include everything (accommodation, ski rental, festival passes, etc) or you can pick and choose what you want. The accommodation and festival pass start from CAD$1,848 (around USD$1,450) for 7 nights. Alternatively, the Whistler Pride-only pass starts from CAD$179 (around USD$140). For more information, check out the Whistler Pride website.

How to get to Whistler Pride?

Whistler Pride takes place in the award-winning mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb, West Coast Canada, around 2 hours drive north of Vancouver airport on the scenic Highway 99.

You can also fly to Seattle or Bellingham airports and transfer to Whistler from there.

Skiing Whistler Pride Canada — Gorgeous view in the Whistler mountains

Best value to book hotels by:

Where to stay during Whistler Pride?

When it comes to luxury upscale accommodation, Whistler is bursting with options, including a few romantic gems. When it comes to welcoming LGBTQ travelers, this is not even an issue anywhere in Whistler! Canada is the most gay friendly country in the world in our humble opinion and Whistler is one of the places where you realize just why we feel this way about the country!

We set out some of the best hotels to base yourself in Whistler, which may already be included in your ticket depending on which option you selected.

Aava Whistler Hotel: the official Whistler Pride hotel when we were there who also provided shuttles to Sip ‘n Dip + pool party.
Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel: more romantic.
Crystal Lodge: more mid-range budget.

Best gay parties during Whistler Pride

When the skiing is all over, Whistler continues to provide us with some of the best gay parties we've been to in all our travels across Canada. Every day we had a happy hour cocktail at the gay après ski with our group. Then after dinner, there was a large party taking place, which would go into the early hours of the next day. Parties range from the racy Pool Party to the wild Furrocious Military Ball! Here's a summary of some of the best gay events at Whistler Pride to look out for:

Après Ski

Every day, after an exciting skiing session, we would meet up with all the other gay skiers at a different location each day for an après ski. It's a fantastic way to share notes with others, get tips on which slopes to try out the next day, and make new lifelong friends. Check out the Whistler Pride website for the latest schedule of Après Ski events.

Splash Indoor Pool Party

Where there's a gay Pride party, you know there'll be an awesome pool party also happening somewhere around the corner. And this one is infamous! Everyone in their Speedos drinking and laughing away, then later in the evening, the sauna and steam room areas become a hotbed for further networking activities… The Whistler Splash Pool party usually happens at the Carolina Campos. You can reach it either by taxi or by taking the free shuttle from the Aava Whistler Hotel.

The Furrocious Military Ball

The big fetish party of the week.

Sip and Dip party at Scandinavian spa

Enjoy wine, beer, and music by DJ Foxy Moron at the Scandinave Spa pavilion and experience the traditional Scandinavian baths in a relaxing and natural environment.

The Annual Pride Ski Parade

Join the annual Pride Ski + March where skiers and riders start on Whistler's mid-station on the Olympic Run and swoosh down the slopes in a sea of color. Rainbow flags are carried with pride and skiers and riders dress in color outfits as they descend to Whistler Village at Skiers' Plaza. The giant Pride Flag is transferred from skier to marchers as the crowd continues down the Village Stroll to the Olympic Rings at Whistler Olympic Plaza, paying homage to the start of the very first Pride House at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. After the parade, join the celebrations at the Whistler Conference Centre for an afternoon après-ski T-dance.

The Closing Party

This is always the biggest and best party of the week. NYC-born, UK-based DJ / Producer Tom Stephan headlines Whistler Pride's main event for the first time, sharing the night with Chicago-house devotee, Karsten Sollors. The festival pulls out all the stops and transforms the Whistler Conference Centre into a mega nightclub like you would find at other world-renowned locations. Sensational sound and visuals with stunning GoGo dancers all tricked out and wired to keep you dancing until the lights come on at 4 AM.

Awesome gay après ski events

Taking place every day during the festival.

Night of Comedy

Lady Bunny, Margaret Cho…This entertaining night is not to be missed! Pam Ann*, Australian comedian/writer/producer/DJ Caroline Reid, returns to Whistler with her Mary Poppins-themed show Pam Ann Returns. She has developed a cult-like status and continues to sell out tours globally. Pam’s barbed wit has seen her fly many a risky route and negotiate even the most politically incorrect flight path with her blisteringly funny take on the world of airlines and aircrew. *Due to a scheduling conflict, Nicole Byer is no longer headlining.

Main events during Whistler Pride

Let's start with the basics, the skiing. It's pretty damn awesome here. Why? Whistler boasts one of the best yearly snow conditions, receiving an annual average of 11.7m (38.4 feet), so you're guaranteed an excellent ski season during the winter months. In addition, the whole town becomes one large skiing community, with public shuttle buses, excellent chalet-style lodgings, a variety of après ski events, and more. It's no surprise why Whistler is consistently voted as one of the top resorts in North America by major ski magazines like Snow Magazine and SkiMag.

One of the best things about the Whistler Pride Festival is the parade. We started at the top of a green slope, giant rainbow flags to hand, then skied down, continuing through the center of Whistler town, with a fun large crowd growing alongside us by the minute.

We've been to many pride parades during our travels, like the gay pride in Montreal and Puerto Vallarta to name a few, but never have we been in a gay pride parade that involved snow and skiing. It's unique, unreal, loads of fun, and worth checking out.

Whistler Pride 2018 Whistler pride parade — *Gay Pride in the snow at Whistler. Photo credit: Chris Geary/Whistler Pride*

If you're not a skier or snowboarder

Specifically for people like me who aren't the most enthusiastic of skiers at times(!)…

1. SNOWMOBILE TOUR: feeling like Elsa on a motor sled

There are many activities you can do at Whistler alongside skiing and ogling speedo-clad guys at the pool party. One of our favorites was riding a snowmobile through thick piles of snow, in a scenery completely white, everything completely frozen over.

We rented a couple of snowmobiles and did a guided tour with Tag Whistler. We went away from all the crowds of skiers into untrodden paths, which you can only access with a snowmobile. It was just us powering through this white paradise – a truly unique feeling you can't beat.

And guess what happens when a group of gay boys get their hands on a few snowmobiles…

Whistler Pride snowmobile tour — *What inevitably happens when the gay boys hit the snow?*

2. PEAK 2 PEAK GONDOLA RIDE: cure your vertigo!

The Peak 2 Peak is a tri-cable gondola lift that links the two big mountains. It goes between the Roundhouse Lodge at Whistler Mountain to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain. The cabins hang as high as 1,427 feet (435m), traveling nearly 2 miles (3.2km) without passing a single support tower. Not the place to come if you suffer from serious vertigo!

Skiers use it to access new trails across the two mountains. For non-skiers, the Peak 2 Peak Gondolas are a sightseeing highlight in Whistler. The views from above are just stunning – everything below you is covered in a blanket of snow.

Whistler Pride Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride — *Views from our Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride across the Whistler and Blackcombe mountain ranges*

3. Chill at the Scandinave Spa

If you're starting to get snowboard and piste-off at all these skiers, you may just Après-ciate a dip in a nice luxurious spa. There's surely snow-thing else more relaxing than that…

After a full day of skiing, we were craving a spa session. We were recommended by many locals to the divine Scandinave Spa. We can see why! It's stunning here, beautifully decorated with a mix of outdoor cold/hot baths, relaxation rooms, saunas, and steam rooms. There's also a strict silence policy in place, so no chatting and absolutely no phones allowed!

Definitely a place to check out in Whistler.

Whistler Pride Scandinave Spa ski retreat — *“Shhhh Seby stop making me laugh – it's a strict silence only policy here!”*

Where to eat during Whistler Pride

The Whistler Pride EATS section of their website which gives daily recommendations on where to eat. We recommend checking that.

We particularly loved Caramba Whistler and Bearfoot Bistro.

Practical information for Whistler Pride

How to buy tickets: book on the official website for the latest deals for hotel packages and more.

Where to stay in Whistler: check which is the official Whistler Pride hotel and see what offers they have for the week. For a more romantic experience, we recommend the Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel, which is where we stayed and loved it.

Whistler gay bars: there are no gay bars or clubs in Whistler. However, every place we visited was extremely gay friendly and welcoming to us.

How to get to Whistler: Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is the closest international airport, 135km/84m south. Driving time to Whistler from Vancouver is around 2-2.5 hours along the scenic Highway 99. You can also fly into Seattle or Bellingham airports, and then transfer to Whistler from there.