I've stayed at the Chateau. It's quite nice, great location, and I loved the heated indoor/outdoor slopeside pool. But you're also right, we didn't party at all in the hotel.

When the weather's good, Whistler/Blackcomb is unbeatable. The problem is, you never know in advance what the weather will be.

The mountains are big enough to have multiple weather systems. The first time I went, it rained at the base 2 days out of 4. But only the bottom 2500 feet of the mountain rained. Once you got above that, you were a little wet, but skiing in fresh powder under partly sunny skies.

My second time there, we gave up one day because the fog was so thick. Later we found out that the other mountain was clear and fog free.