WHISTLER BLACKCOMB ANNOUNCES MAJOR $18 MILLION CAPITAL EXPANSION FOR 2013.2014 Lift Expansion Includes New Whistler Mountain Harmony High-Speed Six-Pack Chairlift And New High-Speed Quad Chairlift In Blackcomb Mountain’s Crystal Zone WHISTLER, BC, January 18, 2013 – Whistler Blackcomb has unveiled capital plans for a major lift expansion. Whistler Mountain’s Harmony high-speed, quad chairlift will be replaced with a new Doppelmayr high-speed, detachable, six-pack chairlift capable of transporting six people on each chair. Blackcomb Mountain will see a lift enhancement with a high-speed quad chairlift going into a new area in the Crystal Zone, currently accessed by a fixed-grip triple chair.

“This lift expansion clearly demonstrates our commitment to continuously enhance the skiing and riding experience on both mountains,” says Dave Brownlie, President and Chief Executive Officer, Whistler Blackcomb. “Each zone the new lifts will service is unique and much-loved by Whistler locals and destination guests alike. The capital we are investing to enhance our already amazing experiences will make Whistler Blackcomb even better.”

The new high-speed quad chairlift in the Crystal Zone will be 1,708 metres (5,604ft) in length, with a vertical rise of 535 metres (1,755ft). Skier carrying capacity will increase by 65 per cent over the current lift to 2,400 skiers per hour. The new quad will deliver skiers and riders to the same location as the current triple chair next to the Crystal Hut. However, the aspect of the new lift line is dramatically different, and will originate 158 metres (518ft) lower than the old Crystal lift. The bottom elevation will be 1,292 metres (4,239ft) and the top elevation of the lift will be 1,827 metres (5,994ft).

This bottom terminal location along the Blackcomb Glacier Road ski-out eliminates the need to utilize the Excelerator Chair to access many Crystal Zone trails including Ridge Runner, Rock ‘N’ Roll, and gladed trails like Outer Limits. It will be even quicker to return to the Glacier Express chair to access Horstman Glacier, Blackcomb Glacier and Spanky’s. The increased length of the chair’s line will give skiers and riders the opportunity to lap the entire Crystal Zone – from undulating cruisers to gladed zones riddled with natural terrain features and snow-caked trees straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. The name of this exciting new quad chairlift will be determined through a competition to be announced by Whistler Blackcomb later this winter.

The Harmony Six high-speed chairlift will replace one of Whistler Blackcomb’s most popular lifts and will dramatically improve the uphill capacity by 50 per cent; going from 2,400 skiers per hour to 3,600. The Harmony Six will service terrain spanning from the edge of the Symphony Amphitheatre all the way over to Glacier Bowl, adjacent to the Peak Express. This area, known as the Harmony Zone, makes up over 485 hectares (1,200 acres) of Whistler Blackcomb’s 3,306 hectares (8,171 acres) of total terrain. With a wide variety of beginner to expert terrain options, the Harmony Six will ensure skiers and riders are able to spend more time on the mountain exploring the spectacular, powder-covered alpine that Whistler Blackcomb is celebrated for.

The Harmony Six has the same alignment as the current Harmony quad; spanning 1,729 metres (5,672ft) in length, with a vertical rise of 525 metres (1,722ft). The top elevation of the lift is 2,107 metres (6,912ft); the bottom elevation is 1,582 metres (5,190ft).
Construction on the lifts will begin this spring and will continue through the summer and fall with an expected opening at the beginning of the 2013.2014 winter season.

For more information visit http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/media

Whistler Blackcomb Ranked as No. 1 Ski Area in North America Whistler Blackcomb Tops SKI Magazine Readers Poll of Top 60 Resorts

WHISTLER, BC, October 16, 2012 – Whistler Blackcomb has been named the No. 1 overall ski resort in North America by the readers of SKI Magazine. The 26th annual readers’ poll ranks the top 60 North America ski resorts in SKI Magazine’s Resort Guide, hitting newsstands today. The survey of 20,000 SKI readers is the longest running and most comprehensive survey of its kind in the winter sports industry.

“It’s an incredible honour to be ranked the No. 1 overall mountain resort by the readers of SKI Magazine,” says Dave Brownlie, President and COO at Whistler Blackcomb. “SKI Magazine’s rankings come as very high accolades because they reflect the discerning views of skiers from across North America. Our consistent and reliable snow fall, and size and variety of our natural terrain combined with first-rate customer service make our guests’ experiences at Whistler Blackcomb one of the best in the industry. We are looking forward to delivering another award winning experience again this winter.”

Along with being named the No. 1 overall resort, Whistler Blackcomb ranked highly in many other individual categories, including ranking No. 1 overall in Terrain Variety, and No. 2 overall in Service, Lodging, Après, Off Hill Activities, and Digital Presence. Whistler Blackcomb also placed in the top five resorts for Challenge of Terrain, Lifts, On-Mountain Food, Dining, Scenery, Terrain Parks, and Overall Guest Satisfaction.

Never satisfied with the status quo, Whistler Blackcomb is constantly striving to improve, and this season guests can look forward to enhancements both on and off of the hill. With award winning terrain variety, sometimes it can be hard for guests to know where to start. New this season are the Wonder Routes, a network of tours, trails, waypoints and stops that have been compiled to help guests navigate the mountain and discover Whistler Blackcomb’s most wonder-filled places.

Whistler Blackcomb’s digital presence will also see an upgrade this season with improvements to The Whistler Blackcomb Live, Powered by TELUS app, which now features powder alerts designed to notify guests when fresh snow is in the forecast. The app also allows skiers and riders to track their runs using GPS, share their speed and vertical as well as take and share photos with friends via Twitter and Facebook.

Whistler Blackcomb has also upgraded its grooming fleet by replacing seven snow cats and adding three new park cats. The new equipment, coupled with Whistler Blackcomb’s 220-strong fleet of state-of-the-art snow guns, enables Whistler Blackcomb to offer guests a consistent and high quality ski experience from opening day in November to the last day of the season in May.

Great News hot off the press!

We have just learned that the “Ironman Canada” race has a new home…..”Whistler”!

The race will be held August 25, 2013.

Whistler continues to attract major sporting events and Ironman Canada is truly one of the
world’s premier events in the Ironman series.

Canada Day Celebrations in Whistler

Friday, June 29
Street entertainment throughout Whistler Village | All day
Whistler Presents: Outdoor Concert Series with Vancouver folk singer Dan Mangan | 8:30 PM, Whistler Olympic Plaza

Saturday, June 30
Street entertainment throughout Whistler Village | All day
Whistler Presents: Outdoor Concert Series with singer-songwriter Alex Cuba | 8:30 PM, Whistler Olympic Plaza

Sunday, July 1
Street entertainment throughout Whistler Village | All day
Artwalk: self-guided tour of local art throughout the Village | All day
Pancake Breakfast by donation to Whistler Community Services | 9 to 11 AM, Rebagliati Park
Delta Youth Orchestra | 10:30 AM, Town Plaza
Whistler Farmers Market | 11 AM to 4 PM, Upper Village
Canada Day Parade | Noon, Town Plaza to Mountain Square
Delta Youth Orchestra | 1:30 PM, Whistler Olympic Plaza
Canada Day Ceremony with entertainment by children’s entertainer Fred Penner, lawn games and cake! | 2 PM, Whistler Olympic Plaza
Free Whistler bus transit within Whistler | 6 PM ’till late
Whistler Presents: Outdoor Concert Series with Vancouver blues performer Jim Byrnes | 8:30 PM, Whistler Olympic Plaza
Fireworks | 10:15 PM, Skiers Plaza

Monday, July 2
Street entertainment throughout Whistler Village | All day
Artwalk: self-guided tour of local art throughout the Village | All day

Photo Credit John Henebry

For generations Whistler has been a favorite place for families to ski, vacation, and have fun. Golfers young and old can now have the same level of enjoyment where the Whistler golf courses are ‘kid friendly’ and open for everyone.

Whistler loves families and families will love Whistler even more this year thanks to GolfWhistler’s new Junior Golf Program aimed at building interest and golf opportunities for kids and parents. In an unprecedented move, kids can play free all season long if accompanied by a paying adult at all of the village courses, Nicklaus North, The Fairmont Chateau Whistler GC and Whistler Golf Course.

To further improve the novice experience, every golf course in Whistler now has tee markers placed from 200 yards and less into the green, allowing golfers to enjoy big course play from a shorter distance.

“Whistler is vacation place for families to come up here to have fun,” said Whistler Golf Course head professional Alan Kristmanson. “Families come here to do things together. We recognize that and the golf courses here in Whistler are set up in such a way that everyone has a chance to play.”
If this isn’t enough, Golfers in Whistler occasionally will share their fairways with one or more of the local bears. When our family played last week, it didn’t take long to have our first bear sighting and photo opportunity when one of the resident bears wandered out of the trees beside the second green. This bear was looking for fresh shrubs, dandelions and skunk cabbage for an afternoon meal and had no interest in the golfers.

There are several stay and play packages that make a family golf trip to Whistler both affordable and accessible. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler GC’s Unlimited Whistler Golf Package includes accommodation and one day of unlimited golf. It also includes free access to the practice facility, shuttle service to-and-from the hotel and a power cart for the day.

Whistler Golf Club’s Triple Play package is great for the family foursome where Golf, Gondola and Spa Getaway includes a round of golf at the Whistler Golf Club paired with a ticket on the PEAK 2 PEAK gondola. While the kids are up on the mountain mom and dad can enjoy the Scandinave Spa and relax in a series of heated and cold pools.

The Whistler Luxury Get-away package includes two nights hotel in the heart of the Whistler Village, three rounds of golf with a shared power cart and a warm-up bucket of balls at any of the four area courses, which includes Nicklaus North and Big Sky in Pemberton. For those who think that golfing once a day is just not enough, there is the ‘Whistler Love Affair’ package. This includes two nights’ accommodation; four rounds of golf, a shared power cart and warm-up bucket of balls at each course.

Our good friend Josh Dueck shows us how its done!!! Amazing achievement Josh…. well done!

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

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

Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. (WB-T9.950.151.53%) says it booked net earnings of $15.1-million in period from Nov. 9, 2010 to Sept. 30. 2011.

The ski and mountain resort earned 40 cents per share during that period, when Whistler Blackcomb became a public company.

Total visits returned to pre-2010 Olympic levels by rising 15 per cent in the year ended Sept. 20 to 2.5 million from 2.2 million.

Revenue increased by 20 per cent over the prior year from $179 to $216-million, which represented a return to pre-Olympic Winter Games levels.

Whistler Blackcomb, about 125 kilometres from Vancouver, was the main alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

“We continue to be pleased with our post-Olympic recovery and we ended fiscal year 2011 on a solid financial footing,” said Dave Brownlie, the president and CEO of Whistler Blackcomb.

“From a visitation perspective, we drove record regional skier visits, we saw a recovery in destination skier visits and we had strong year-round visitation” added Brownlie.

Source = Globe & Mail