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Experience the wildlife, vegetation, glaciers and rainforests of Whistler Blackcomb Mountains while driving in a comfortable 4x4 mountain truck. View wildlife on ski trails as you learn how conservation and enhancement initiatives help to sustain healthy populations. Visit a bear den. View one of the most spectacular alpine settings in the world at sunset. Learn how mountain resorts are redesigning recreational experiences for a sustainable future.
Please dress in layers and wear sturdy footwear. Bring insect repellent and your camera. Binoculars provided.
| Available May 15 - October 31, 2009 | Adult (19-64) | Youth (7-18) Senior (64+) |
Child (under 7) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price* | $189 | $179 | $179 |
| Bear Viewing Times | May 15 - Aug 14 | Aug 15 - Sept 14 | Sept 15 - Oct 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | 6am | 6am | 7am |
| Mid-Day | 12pm | 12pm | 12pm |
| Afternoon | 6pm | 5pm | 4pm |
| Meeting Location: Base of the Wizard Express, Blackcomb Base, 15 minutes prior to tour start. All wildlife and ecology tours are carbon neutral. 1$ from every guest will go toward paying to offset CO2 from our Wildlife Tour. * Special arrangements can be made for large groups/conferences. |
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Michael Allen is an independent researcher who investigates the behavior and ecology of black bears (Ursus americanus). He has been studying black bears for 23 years, with the last 15 of those in the Sea to Sky Corridor. His mission is to document the unique lives of individual bears through photography and observed behaviors so that people can better understand how a bear adapts to environmental changes brought on by man, climate, and other bears. Between 1994 and 2008, Mike has identified over 300 individual bears and has monitored more than 800 bear-life years in Whistler. Over 5,000 digital, high-resolution photos are taken each year of bears to maintain a progressive photographic catalogue of their identity and status.
Michael Allen’s research is internationally represented through the BBC Natural World's "In the Company of Bears" and the U.S. Discovery Animal Planet new bear ecology website. Mike Allen Black Bear Studies provide a foundation for ski area, school, and community bear awareness programs.
I am an independent researcher that investigates the behavior and ecology of black bears (Ursus americanus). My mission is to document the unique lives of individual bears through photography and observed behaviors such that people can better understand how a bear adapts to environmental changes brought on from man, climate, and other bears. As urban sprawl and recreation push into front-country bear habitats, black bears walk a fine line between maintaining natural behaviors to “adaptive” human-habituated behaviors. Knowledge of bears as “individuals” and their role in the population, especially adjacent to people, will help define the requirements for healthier human-bear relationships.
I have been observing black bears for 23 years (1986-2008) in British Columbia with the last 15 years (1994-2008) at Whistler Ski Resort where I work as the senior bear viewing guide for Whistler-Blackcomb Mountains. I continue to monitor the ski area bear population and provide education-outreach to locals and visitors.
In 1986, I first began recording bear behavior at berry patches, orchards, and landfills along the Lower Columbia River Valley of the West Kootenay Region in southeast BC. In 1993, I began a study to monitor seasonal behavior and abundance of black bears at Whistler Ski Resort. I chose Whistler because bears were easily sighted (and re-sighted) foraging seasonal concentrations of food at dump sites, wetlands, ski trails, berry patches, and golf courses. Photography was the basis for recording distinct physical (and behavioral) characteristics – body size, coat color, head shape, ear size, muzzle coloration, and markings on the neck and chest of each individual bear. Recognizable bears became “known” bears. Over the years, data-sets of known bears provided a progressive profile of physical identity, personality, biology, and behavioral ecology. In 15 years (1994-2008), over 300 individual bears have been identified and more than 800 bear-life years have been monitored at Whistler. Over 5,000 digital, high resolution photos are taken each year of bears to maintain a progressive photographic catalogue of their identity and status.
Fifteen years of Whistler bear research has guided some of the most consistent, comprehensive bear education in British Columbia. In 1995, bear outreach began with bi-monthly Bear Update columns in Pique Newsmagazine that described (and forecasted) the seasonal changes in local bear behavior. In 1997, outreach progressed to an annual rhythm of monthly radio updates, spring and fall student (K-12) classroom/field programs, seasonal bear ecology presentations/exhibits, and spring-fall eco-sensitive bear viewing. Associations with Pique Newsmagazine, Mountain FM radio, Whistler Museum and Archives Society, Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, Resort Municipality of Whistler, Four Seasons Resort, Fairmont Chateau, Westin Resort, Squamish Public Library, Scenic Tours (Australia), and Maurice Young Millennium Place have contributed to unique bear education programs for the Whistler region.
Bear Update columns in Pique Newsmagazine (14th year) School classroom and field trip programs (12th year) Public presentations and exhibit with Whistler Museum and Archives (10th year) Whistler-Blackcomb ski area bear viewing (9th year) Scenic Tours Australian visitor lecture series (3rd year) Photography Exhibit - Mother Bear at Millennium Place (2nd year) German radio/TV broadcast – Whistler bear biology
Excellent berry feeding activity + rare "teenage" bear associations, mother-daughter re-associations, and 1st time courting behavior in berry season.
