Whistler and the surrounding Sea to Sky Corridor is one of the most beautiful areas to hike in Canada. Through a new partnership, Whistler Hiatus and Mountain Skills Academy & Adventures (MSAA) are here to help you get the most out of your summer hiking season.
Trails permeate these valleys in all directions, from low-lying forested walks to all-day and multi-day expeditions into alpine elevations. There are natural attractions such as waterfalls, lakes and old growth trees that date back over a thousand years. There are man-made attractions too, like suspension bridges over gushing rivers, abandoned logging camps and even the remnants of a decades-old train derailment.
Since 2012 Whistlerhiatus.com has been the go-to online resource for many of these hikes. It all started when founder Scott Pendergast – an avid hiker – was dissatisfied with the hiking content on websites at the time.
After discussing the idea with a web developer friend, Scott decided to make his own comprehensive online resource on hiking in Whistler, Vancouver and his home city of Victoria. With a steady stream of fresh content and up to date information on trail conditions, Whistler Hiatus quickly climbed the Google search rankings for anything hiking-related in the region. It now brings in as many as 1 million site visits per month.
With that kind of traffic, Scott saw the opportunity to expand his business. After fielding countless enquiries regarding gear, he launched werentgear.com, an equipment rental business based in Whistler for hiking, camping and cooking gear. Scott will even deliver the gear to your accommodation or campsite. He also offers trailhead pickups and drop offs if you are embarking on a point-to-point hike.
While many hikers are largely self-sufficient, many visitors to Whistlerhiatus.com still inquire about guided trips. Scott has considered taking on this himself but is busy enough running the website and rental business. As a hiking, rock climbing and mountaineering guiding specialist, MSAA was a logical fit to fill that void.
“I’ve absolutely given up on the idea of hiking guiding, it’s perfect because (MSAA) does everything that I don’t,” said Scott in an interview. “I get enquiries for guided trips all the time. The traffic on the website is around 30 percent Canadian, 30 percent American, 20 percent from Europe, UK and Australia and recently, a growing percentage from China. So it makes sense to have that service available.”
MSAA offers a variety of guided hiking experiences including Half Day Wilderness Hikes, Full Day Backcountry Hiking, Whistler Alpine Day Hikes and Multi-Day Backpacking Trips. We also offer custom packages for groups, so if you see a hike on Whistler Hiatus you want to explore, we can help you get there!
All photos by Whistler Hiatus
