May 29, 2007

Winter might be over, but Whistler Blackcomb's still at its 'Peak'

Highlights include: uniting the mountains, debuting Symphony and crowning an Ullr girl

It's that time of year again, when the lifties trade their snow gear and goggles for shades and t-shirts. Whistler Blackcomb is closing for the 2006/2007 season on June 3, after receiving an accumulative snowfall of 1,416cm (46 feet) – the second snowiest on record. It's also been a season of new beginnings, with the opening of the Symphony Amphitheatre and the announcement of the world record breaking Peak to Peak Gondola.

"This has definitely been a season to remember," says Dave Brownlie, Chief Operating Officer, Intrawest Mountain Resorts Canada. "The phenomenal conditions were a big draw for visitors from around the world this season. We also shared in the excitement of the Symphony Express opening and finished with another ground breaking announcement, the Peak to Peak Gondola. This innovative project will be a year-round experience, linking the high alpine on both mountains for skiers and sightseers alike."

The Numbers

14m/46 feet: Snowfall for 06/07 as of May 28 (over 40% more than normal)
416cm/14ft: Record breaking snowfall for the month of November in 2006
2,000,000+: Number of guest visits this season
15,994: Highest number of visits in one day for Whistler Mountain (Dec. 30, 2006)
22,156: Number of 2006/2007 season passes sold
1,912: Most Whistler Kids lessons taught in one day (April 3,2007)
$25,000: Ullr Girl grand prize awarded to Grete Eliassen
1,000: Acreage of Symphony Amphitheatre, terrain accessed by new Symphony quad chair
415m/1,362ft: Highest point at which the Peak to Peak Gondola will be suspended above Fitzsimmons Creek
1,688: Total days suspended for safety violations
30,785m/101,300ft: Vertical skied in one day by Whistlerite Dave Llewellyn and his young sons
990: Days left until 2010 Winter Olympics

The numbers speak for themselves. But, this season wasn't just about numbers.

Uniting the Peaks

Whistler Blackcomb is poised to propel itself into the record books. Construction is underway on Whistler Blackcomb's $50 million Peak to Peak Gondola project, which is designed to unite the neighbouring mountains that have historically stared longingly at one another from afar. The gondola will span 4.4km in 11 minutes, with a highest vertical point of 1,362 above Fitzsimmons Creek. Linking the two mountains from Blackcomb's Rendezvous Lodge to Whistler's Roundhouse with only four towers, the Peak to Peak will be a year-round tourist attraction that set the world records for length and height. The project is slated for completion in December 2008.

Symphony's High Note

This season hit a high note with the debut of the Symphony Express chairlift on Dec. 16, 2006. The Symphony Amphitheatre, which begins at the top of Piccolo Peak, encompasses 1,000 acres of Whistler Blackcomb's skiable terrain. Skiers and snowboarders enjoyed many a powder day in the bowl, which offers technical tree runs and wide open groomers with amazing panoramic views of Blackcomb's 7th Heaven and Garibaldi Provincial Park. Whistler Blackcomb's sensitivity to the environment during the development of Symphony recently won a Silver Eagle Award for Fish & Wildlife Habitat Protection from the US-based National Ski Areas Association. The mountain also received BC Tourism's Environmentally Responsible Tourism Award at a gala held Feb. 22.

Ullr Girls Just Wanna Have fun

According to the old adage, behind every great man, there's a great woman. Well, Norse ski god Ullr better watch out because skier Grete Eliassen is not about to ride in his shadow. She won Whistler Blackcomb's Ullr Girl contest, which wrapped up during the TELUS Ski & Snowboard Festival in April. The all-girl Ullr contest featured an online voting component, an arts and entertainment evening, a park jam, and big mountain comp. Grete, a 20-year-old Minnesota native won the coveted Ullr Girl crown and a $25,000 grand prize, which she graciously donated to several charities.

 Hitting it Big

Anyone who was up on Blackcomb's 7th Heaven this spring would have seen two mammoth jumps rising out of the snow like giants. Some of the biggest athletes in the snow industry visited the resort this year to catch massive air for Standard Films, Matchstick Productions and Blank Paper Studios. Simon Dumont, Sammy Carlson, Jon Ollson and Danny Kass were among the big-name skiers and riders who hit it for Matchstick and Standard. German snowboarder David Benedek's crew from Blank Paper included Christoph Weber, Christoph Schmidt, Marko Grilc and Sani Alibabic. Other film highlights this spring include a visit from Warren Miller's crew, an all-ladies snowboard shoot by Runway Films, park and pipe shoots by Sandbox Productions and Alterna Action, and Season 2 of CTV's Whistler: The Series. Olympic gold medalist for team USA and arguably the world's most famous pro snowboarder, Shaun White, also made an appearance earlier in the season to rip it up in the terrain park.

Vertical Victory

On March 29 Whistlerite Dave Llewellyn celebrated his 50th birthday in a very unique way. Along with his two sons and three friends, he skied more than 100,000 feet of vert. They began their journey in the wee hours of the morning at Fresh Tracks, the mountain-top breakfast buffet put on by the Roundhouse Lodge. After three laps on Green Acres off Whistler's Emerald Chair, they proceeded to clock 44 laps on Garbonzo, hitting Raven and Ptarmigan runs. In total, they logged 101,300 feet on a Suunto altimeter watch and also recorded it manually. Dave's two sons, 11-year-old Austin and nine-year-old Carson, are both avid skiers and led the pack most of the time. Austin competed this year in the Whistler Cup for the first time.

Training on Home Turf

The Canadian Alpine Ski Team ladies were hard at work on Whistler Glacier this May, training with women's speed team coach, former Crazy Canuck, and Whistler resident, Rob Boyd.  The training camp involved 10 Canadian women's team members, including Britt Janyk (Whistler, BC) Allison Forsyth (Nanaimo, BC), and Emily Brydon (Fernie, BC). The team focused on technical free-skiing and fundamentals start exercises, speed elements, equipment testing, mental skills and goal setting, giving the ladies a home turf advantage over international competition in preparation for 2010. One of the highlights included a huge jump so the ladies could practice getting air during their high speed events.

Consistently ranked as North America's top ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb continues to raise the level of mountain excitement for its guests, and has introduced the Symphony Express, a new high speed quad accessing further into Whistler Mountain's spectacular high alpine this season. Located a scenic two-hour drive north of Vancouver up the spectacular 'Sea to Sky' Highway, this resort is home to the continent's two greatest vertical-rise ski mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb. With over 17 alpine bowls, four glaciers, 200 trails, 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and a one mile vertical rise, the choices of where and what to ski/ride at Whistler Blackcomb from beginner to advanced terrain are staggering. Joined at the base by a vibrant pedestrian village filled with restaurants, patios, cafes, shops, galleries and spas, and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, this four season resort is spectacular. Check it all out at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

ABOUT INTRAWEST

Intrawest is a world leader in experiential destination resorts.  The company has interests in eleven resorts at North America's most popular mountain destinations including Whistler Blackcomb, a host venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Intrawest network also includes Canadian Mountain Holidays, the largest heli-skiing operation in the world, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida and Club Intrawest—a private resort club with nine locations throughout North America.  In addition, Intrawest develops real estate at its resorts and at other locations across North America and in Europe.  Intrawest is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information, visit www.intrawest.com