Nothing could be more Canadian than strapping on a good old pair of ice skates and hitting a rink in the great outdoors for a little healthy fun and recreation.

In addition to every other winter sport imaginable, Whistler has always offered ice skating options – indoors at Meadow Park Sports Centre, and outside (weather and ice permitting) on Green Lake. But this year, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) transformed the Whistler Olympic Plaza’s Great Lawn and Pavilion into brand new skating rinks for the winter season.

Games-watchers will remember the Whistler Olympic Plaza was where cheering crowds gathered every night for Victory Ceremonies and hot outdoor concerts during the 2010 Winter Games. Located right in the heart of Whistler Village, these new outdoor rinks offer great views of the ski hills and surrounding mountain ranges, and are just steps away from a hot beverage or snack at a local coffee shop or restaurant.

Best of all – and in true Canadian outdoor rink tradition – the skating is free! However, if you don’t have a pair of your own skates, rentals are available for $5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.

The rink itself is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. – with an hour for ice maintenance between 5 and 6 p.m.

Whistler Mountain Bike Park and Giant Bicycles are excited to announce they will be working together for the 2012 bike season. Giant, one of mountain biking’s top bike manufacturers, will become the official bike partner of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Additionally the Whistler Mountain Bike Park is pleased to announce they will be working with RockShox suspension and AVID brakes this year, while continuing their partnership with SRAM and TRUVATIV.

“Giant Bicycles is one of the biggest, and arguably best, mountain bike manufactures in the world, and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park is stoked to work with them. Giant’s line of gravity mountain bikes are second to none, and we are extremely happy to partner with Giant, RockShox and AVID to supply premium mountain bike products to our customers. - Bike Park Manager Brian Finestone”

More…… @Pink Bike News

Refer to the links below for all Whistler Real Estate Listing and Sale activity in the past 7 days:

New Listings - 18 new listings on the market: 4 chalets, 5 townhomes, 7 condo/hotels, 2 shared owner/timeshare

Back on Market - 5 listings returned to the Whistler Real Estate market

Price Changes - 17 listings had price changes

SOLD - 9 sales this week ranging from $214,000 - $1,700,000

If you would like to be set up on our automatic email to receive listings/sales within your criteria please email us or complete the listing and sale notification at our Whistler Property Listings page.

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* The above information is taken from the Whistler Listing System (WLS). As your Whistler Real Estate agent, we have access to all Whistler Real Estate Listings/Sales information. If you have thought of buying or selling in Whistler, please contact us. We can help you with all your real estate needs.

Recently, regional media made some front page headlines that…. “gasp”….. prices had ‘surprisingly’ fallen by “as much as” 15% in the last year in Whistler. Perhaps this was surprising to those not familiar with the Whistler market but not to us as we have been reporting a consolidating market since 2008.

The assessment report actually indicates an average decline for Whistler of 6% which is consistent with what was occurring in the marketplace 12 to 18 months ago. This was a trend that began in 2008 with the onset of the financial crisis. It continued well into late 2010 and was experienced in every resort area in North America and every town in BC except for the Westside of Vancouver.

The following points should be made:

• Every property is unique and every buyer has unique criteria when considering a purchase. An assessed value is not a report card about how value is, or should be determined nor is it an indicator of a trend. It is simply an estimate of market value at a point in time based solely on historical data that can be as much as two years old.

• Sales activity, as previously reported in this newsletter, has increased in the last calendar year and average prices (except in some specific cases) are largely unchanged and have been marginally higher in most sectors.

Assessed values do not reflect what is happening in today’s marketplace.

Congratulations to Whistler’s own  Sam Danniels for winning GOLD today at the X Games in Aspen!

http://espn.go.com/action/xgames/winter/2012/story/_/id/7499284/samson-danniels-wins-winter-x-2012-mono-skier-x

With significant wins in December and January and with February and March pacing well ahead of last year, this winter is shaping up to be one of - if not the - best winter season in recent years (post the 2008-recession) with regards to room night volumes.

Please note some highlights below:

Business Levels in Whistler:

• This past December was our busiest December on record in terms of room nights and saw a double digit increase over last winter.

• January is looking very strong compared to last year, and February, March and April are all pacing ahead.

• This winter is on track to be more than 10% ahead of last winter in terms of room night bookings.

Several factors affecting the positive results include:

• The success of Tourism Whistler’s efforts, which include:

• Enhanced Whistler profile from increased investment into brand marketing in key target markets - aimed at leveraging the global awareness garnered from the 2010 Winter Games.

• Gains in early bookings through a resort-wide early-booking program in partnership with our in-resort mountain and hotel stakeholders and our in-market tour operators.

• Significant interest generated by the Whistler Sabbatical Project - Tourism Whistler’s 2011/ 2012 winter marketing campaign.

• Whistler’s snow advantage - particularly compared to many major U.S. ski resorts.

Considerations:

• The volatility in the international economic climate has resulted in a shift in consumer behavior which experts suggest is permanent. How people spend has changed and travellers are seeking greater value for money than ever before.

• Regardless of budget - from moderate to luxury - people are looking to get the biggest bang for their buck - and Whistler is continuing to work hard, ensuring we deliver upon that.

We recognize how fortunate we are. Mother Nature has been very kind to Whistler this season - and we’re pleased to see other resorts starting to receive snow, as that is good for the entire ski industry for the long-term.

Barrett Fisher
President & CEO
Tourism Whistler

Real Estate sales in Whistler showed a significant increase in sales activity in 2011 as compared to the prior two years. Overall sales activity increased by 18% in 2011 as compared to one year ago. All of the major categories (single family homes, condos townhouses and shared ownerships) experienced double digit increases in unit sales with buyers focused on properties that suited family lifestyles and were perceived to be good value for money.

Overall, the total value of real estate sales also rose in comparison to last year. The total value of reported sales increased by 6% (up to $363,665,000) for the calendar year. Most categories experienced a marginal gain in average values. That being said, outlier events continued to skew average numbers significantly so determining a reliable analysis of the market by using average values should be done with caution.

For 2011, the average sold value of a single family property in Whistler was $1,508,000, a condominium was $389,000, a townhouse was $657,750, a fractional interest was $124,000, and a building lot was $706,000.

The vast majority of sales in the Whistler area continue to be properties selling under $1,000,000. Given the dominance of medium density development (condos & townhouses) as a percentage of all properties in Whistler, it is not surprising that over 80% of all transactions in Whistler fall below this $1,000,000 mark.

Properties above $1,000,000 continued to sell at a similar pace to last year, with the luxury market (over $2,000,000) remained active despite a continuing consolidation phase of the market cycle as value buyers continue to pursue the best homes in the best locations.

The turnaround in market activity indicates that buyers have shaken off some of the uncertainty that resulted from the past financial crisis and are actively looking for purchases that demonstrate clear, long term value.

Whistler is back on the resort and recreational property buyers’ radar as good value for money combined with a world class lifestyle and recreational experience! We expect continued improvement in sales and an improvement in values in the year to come as a result.

A changing market?

5 Year Unit Sales by Volume

5 Year Chalet Unit Sales

5 Year Townhome Unit Sales

5 Year Condo Unit SalesChalet Dollar Volume Sales

Townhome Dollar Volume Sales

Condo Dollar Volume Sales

Purchasers Origin - Whistler Real Estate

Percentage of Sales Revenue

Lots of activity in the market this week!

Refer to the links below for all Whistler Real Estate Listing and Sale activity in the past 7 days:

New Listings - 30 new listings on the market

Back on Market - 3 listings returned to the Whistler Real Estate market

Price Changes - 16 listings had price changes

SOLD - 11 sales this week - 4 by our team!

• 26 Glacier Drive - $1,090,00 - Represented Buyer and Seller
• 520 First Tracks Lodge - $780,000 - Represented Seller
• 8 Lagoons - $339,000 - Represented Seller
• 701 Four Seasons Resort Whistler - $225,000 - Represented Seller

If you would like to be set up on our automatic email to receive listings/sales within your criteria please email us or complete the listing and sale notification at our Whistler Property Listings page.

* The above information is taken from the Whistler Listing System (WLS). As your Whistler Real Estate agent, we have access to all Whistler Real Estate Listings/Sales information. If you have thought of buying or selling in Whistler, please contact us. We can help you with all your real estate needs.

Beautiful morning Jan 15, 2012 - taken from the living room at 6154 Eagle Drive

Ideally located in Whistler Cay Heights, walking distance to Whistler village and skiing, this whistler chalet has it all… 6154 Eagle Drive $1,459,000 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms