Season 2009-10

Thursday, November 19, 2009 – Whistler Blackcomb has officially surpassed the previous record of snow in the month of November with 418cm (165 inches) of snow falling as of Thursday, November 19. The previous record, set in 2006, was 416cm (164 inches). The snowfall record dates back to 1979.

The current storm system has blanketed the mountains with over 204 cm (80 inches) of fresh snow in the past week. Operations crews are hard at work preparing more lifts and terrain to open this weekend as conditions allow.

Winter is ON at Whistler Blackcomb as die-hards flock to the slopes for early opening. Opening day in a ski resort generates more excitement than any other day of the year, and in Whistler Village this morning that was no exception. Keeners started lining up yesterday afternoon to get the first gondola up, and by 7:30am this morning, the lineup stretched throughout the Village. With 122 centimetres (48 inches) of snow falling in just over week, and an opening day that was bumped up by 12 days, the excitement was warranted.

Dust off your gear; the mountains have been hammered with snow over the past week and more is in the forecast. The words ‘opening day’ and ‘early,’ much like peanut butter and jelly, always go together so well, which is why Whistler Blackcomb is very pleased to announce that Whistler Mountain will open 12 days early, this Saturday, November 14. Blackcomb Mountain will open on Thursday, November 26.

Snowmaking is an important part of early season preparation at Whistler Blackcomb in any given year. This year, while extra efforts are focused on readying the Alpine Skiing venue for the 2010 Winter Games, crews are also hard at work across both mountains to open up as much terrain as quickly as possible. And with Mother Nature's cooperation, the mountains have been pounded with snow over the past few days, with more on the way.

Attention Snow Addicts: Whistler Blackcomb Celebrates Opening Day With A Competition To End All Competitions Two season passes, and a chance to head up the gondola first on Opening Day, up for grabs at first ever Whistler Blackcomb Opening Day Pass-a-mania

Online World Premiere Will Take Place at Whistlerblackcomb.com November 10, 2009 Whistler Blackcomb’s latest film creation, “On the Shoulders of Giants”, will have its world premiere online at Whistlerblackcomb.com on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at noon, Pacific Standard Time. It is the story of how visionaries, athletes, and innovators have been inspired since the beginning to step up to the challenge of Whistler Blackcomb’s terrain, and move progression a notch ahead, again and again.

Whistler Heli-Skiing will remain open throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, giving skiers and riders the chance to carve fresh tracks on 432,000 acres of powder-loaded terrain, all season long, beginning on December 5, 2009. Intermediate and expert skiers and riders looking for the ultimate high-alpine winter adventure can head over to the new Whistler Heli-Skiing store in the Carleton Lodge when it opens on November 15, to pre-book their heli-skiing trip. Then, from December 5 onward, join an experienced heli-ski guide to be whisked away via the Whistler Heliport to one of 173 glaciers.

New helmet use guidelines receive industry support from the National Ski Areas Association and Canada West Ski Areas Association. Intrawest today announced that, beginning with the 2009-2010 winter season, the Company will increase awareness of the importance of helmet use at all of its wholly-owned ski resorts in North America. Intrawest will recommend that all skiers and snowboarders visiting its resorts wear helmets and there will be mandatory helmet requirements for all children and youth participants in Ski and Snowboard School Programs as well as all students participating in freestyle terrain park programs, regardless of their age. The new helmet use guidelines underscore Intrawest’s commitment to guest safety and have the support of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA).

Suit up for the 2009.10 winter season in style: up to 70 per cent off half an acre's worth of ski and snowboard gear. If you're looking to grab some new gear before the winter season kicks off, then mark your calendars and look no further, the Legendary Turkey Sale is returning October 9-12, 2009. With 20,000 square feet of sales, and up to 70 per cent off goggles, hats, skis, snowboards and much more, deal hunters need to look no further than the Blackcomb Daylodge to get their gear fix for the winter season.

For the 13th year in a row, readers at one of North America's premier ski magazines, SKIING, have ranked Whistler Blackcomb their choice for No. 1 resort and the resort they want to ski more than anywhere else. FREESKIER Magazine has also ranked Whistler Blackcomb No. 1, and in SKI Magazine, the resort has moved up one spot to the No. 2 position.

Great savings on accommodation and seasons passes, widespread Olympic spirit and landmark Fitzsimmons Creek Renewable Energy Project highlight the 2009.2010 season. Olympic spirit is hitting Whistler Blackcomb as the ski resort embarks on its most exciting season yet, which includes the launch of a landmark renewable energy project and continued enhancement of the guest experience. After nearly five decades of Olympic build-up, the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are finally coming to town and Whistler Blackcomb is hosting the men's and women's Olympic and Paralympic Alpine Skiing events.

The “Why on Earth Would You Buy a Season Pass? Because We’re Making You an Offer You Can’t Refuse” Campaign Offers Lowest Pricing in a Decade. Whistler Blackcomb has unveiled its early bird season pass pricing with the lowest price point in a decade. An early bird adult unlimited pass is available for $1,099 starting at 9am on Thursday, August 27 through October 12, 2009. In comparison, last year’s early bird adult unlimited pass was $1,529. This year all pass prices include unlimited access to the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola.

Massive festival provides important testing opportunities for event-readiness. Whistler is readying itself to welcome the world with Kokanee Crankworx, the world's largest freeride mountain bike festival, kicking off in just two days. Now in its sixth year, the event has grown from a grassroots celebration of gravity-fueled mountain biking, to a festival spanning nine days; drawing over 300 of the world's best mountain bike athletes, over 150 accredited media and tens of thousands of spectators.

The Block Party will feature premiere of "Kranked – Revolve" as community bash launches biggest mountain bike festival in the world. Kokanee Crankworx 2009 is ready to rip Saturday, August 8 and will kick off the celebration of all two-wheeled addictions as the Bike Expo, Demo and Tech Zones open to the public in the morning and the Dual Slalom racers go head to head in the afternoon.

ralphie of Nelson, BC Will Join Roster of World-class Mountain Bike Photographers. After poring over 40 photographic submissions, the Saint Wildcard Photographer for the Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge has been named. Bryan Ralph, aka ralphie, will join the five confirmed photographers and compete to put together a slideshow, shot over three days in Whistler, BC.

The "Weekend of the Taste Bud" Continues as the National BBQ Championships and Taste of BC Gala Come to Whistler. The ninth annual Canadian National Barbeque Championships return to Dusty's Bar & BBQ for another fired-up weekend July 31 – August 2. The highlight of the Pacific Northwest's competitive BBQ circuit, the National Barbeque Championships is the qualifier event for American Royal World Championships in Kansas City, Missouri as well as the Jack Daniel's World Championship BBQ event held annually in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Competitors vie for a chance to win over $25,000 in cash, trips and prizes.

Six World-class Mountain Bike Photographers Will Present Slideshows Shot Over Three Days in Whistler, BC. Kokanee Crankworx has added an epic artistic event to a packed roster of athletic events. Modeled after the legendary Arctery'x Deep Winter Photo Challenge; the Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge pits six of the world's best mountain bike photographers against the clock and each other to put together a slideshow, shot over three days. The Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge slideshow presentations will take place at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, August 12, 2009.

Racers will climb 20 per cent and descend 80 per cent of course. Kokanee Crankworx's big, new event for 2009 is the ultimate all-mountain challenge designed to ensure the all-mountain rider reigns supreme. The Canadian Open Enduro will let 'er rip on Saturday, August 15 on a course where gravity will alternatively help and hinder the racer