Whistler is a Canadian
resort townA resort town, sometimes called a resort city or resort destination, is a town or area where tourism or vacationing is a primary component of the local culture and economy...
in the southern
Pacific RangesThe Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola, north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.The Pacific Ranges...
of the
Coast MountainsThe Coast Mountains are a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often referred to as the Coast Range...
in the province of
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, approximately north of
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
. Incorporated as the
Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), it has a permanent population of approximately 9,965, plus a larger but rotating "transient" population of workers, typically younger people from beyond BC, notably from
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
Over two million people visit Whistler annually, primarily for
alpine skiingAlpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with nordic skiing, in which skiers use free-heel bindings...
and
mountain bikingMountain biking is an ever evolving sport that has recently seen a huge flux of popularity but has firm roots in experimentation with non "mountain" style bicycles. The sport consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, with specially equipped mountain bikes or hybrid / cross...
at
Whistler-BlackcombWhistler Blackcomb is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The resort is owned by Intrawest, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group.-Description:...
. Its pedestrian village has won numerous design awards and Whistler has been voted among the top destinations in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
by major ski magazines since the mid-1990s. During the
2010 Winter OlympicsThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler nearby...
, Whistler will host most of the alpine,
nordicNordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski. This includes a wide range of ski equipment and techniques such as classic and skate cross country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon, and telemark skiing...
and sliding events, though freestyle skiing and all snowboarding events will be hosted at Cypress Mountain near Vancouver.
History
The Whistler valley, which is formed by the pass between the headwaters of the
Green River-Canada:*Green River , a tributary of the Lillooet River*Green River , a river of New Brunswick-United States:*Green River , a tributary of the Rock River*Green River , a tributary of the Ohio River...
and the upper-middle reaches of the
CheakamusThe Cheakamus River is a tributary of the Squamish River, beginning on the west slopes of Outlier Peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park upstream from Cheakamus Lake on the southeastern outskirts of the resort area of Whistler. The river flows into Cheakamus Lake before exiting it and flowing...
, and is flanked by glaciated mountains on both sides, the Garibaldi Ranges on the side that containts the ski mountains, and a group of ranges with no collective name but which are part of the larger
Pacific RangesThe Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola, north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.The Pacific Ranges...
and are essentially fore-ranges of the
Pemberton IcefieldThe Pemberton Icefield, also known unofficially as the Pemberton Icecap, is the southernmost of the series of very large icefields studding the Pacific Ranges of the southern Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada...
. Although there are a few other routes through the maze of mountains between the basin of the
Lillooet RiverThe Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
just east, the Cheakamus-Green divide is the lowest and most direct and naturally was the main trading route of the Squamish and
Lil'watThe Lil'wat First Nation, aka the Lil'wat Nation or the Mount Currie Indian Band, is a First Nations government located in the southern Coast Mountains region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
First Nations long before the arrival of Europeans. One Lil'wat legend of the Great Flood says that before the deluge, the people lived at Green Lake,
The first British survey by the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
took place in the 1860s. These surveyors named the mountain London Mountain because of the heavy fog and cloud typically gathering around the mountain, but the area informally acquired the name "whistler" due to the call of the indigenous
hoary marmotThe hoary marmot is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. The largest populations are in Alaska. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover...
. In the late 19th century, a
trail was cut through the valleyThe Lillooet Cattle Trail, also known as the Lillooet-Burrard Cattle Trail and also as the Lillooet Trail , was an unusual and daring public works undertaking by the Province of British Columbia in the 1877, and was the largest 19th Century public works expenditure at $35,000 of the new province...
linking
LillooetLillooet is a small community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about 240 kilometres up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver...
via
PembertonPemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
with Burrard Inlet via a pass from Squamish to the Seymour River. The trail was completed in 1877, but because of the difficult and unforgiving terrain, it was only used once for its intended purpose, which was to drive cattle. The area began to attract trappers and prospectors (such as John Millar and Henry Horstman) who established small camps in the area in the early 20th century. The area began to gain recognition with the arrival of Myrtle and Alex Philip, who in 1914 purchased 10
acreThe acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre....
s (4
haA hectare is a unit of area equal to , or one square hectometre , and commonly used for measuring land area....
) of land on Alta Lake and established the
Rainbow LodgeRainbow Lodge was the first fishing and weekend retreat cabin on Alta Lake, which is now metropolitan Whistler, British Columbia. It was a log cabin with peaked roof on thenorth west verge of the lake by the railway line...
. The Philips had relocated from
MaineThe State of Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of...
to
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
in 1910, and had heard rumors of the natural beauty of the area from Pemberton pioneer
John MillarJohn Millar of Glasgow was a Scottish philosopher and historian.Born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Millar studied at the University of Glasgow, where he became one of the most important followers of Adam Smith ,the founder of economic science...
. After an exploratory journey, the couple was convinced. Rainbow Lodge and other railway-dependent tourist resorts were collectively known as
Alta LakeAlta Lake was a recreational community and railway station on the west side of Alta Lake. It is now a neighbourhood of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The post office was renamed Whistler in 1976 when the area was incorporated as part of the Resort Municipality of Whistler.-References:**...
, until their absorption into the newly-minted Resort Municipality in the 1970s.
The completion of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the same year greatly reduced the travel time from three days, providing ease of access from Vancouver, and the Rainbow Lodge gained a reputation as the most popular vacation destination west of the Rockies. The lodge was primarily a summer destination, with boating, fishing and hiking among the most popular activities, and soon other lodges began to open not just on Alta Lake, but on other valley lakes as well.
Appreciation of the outdoors was not the only activity in the valley, however; logging was also a boom industry, and during the first half of the 20th century, most of the lower slopes of the surrounding mountains were cleared of old growth. At its peak, four mills were in operation, most located around Green Lake. Prospecting and trapping were pursued as well, though no claims of great value were ever staked.
Until the 1960s, this quiet area was without basic infrastructure; there were no sewage facilities, water, or electricity, and no road from Squamish or Vancouver. In 1962, four Vancouver businessmen began to explore the area with the intent of building a ski resort and bidding for the 1968 Winter Olympics. Garibaldi Lift Company was formed, shares were sold, and in 1966, Whistler Mountain opened to the public.
Later, the city was offered the
1976 Winter OlympicsThe 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
after selected host Denver declined the games due to funding issues. Whistler declined as well, after elections brought in a local government less enthusiastic about the Olympics. The 1976 Winter Olympics were ultimately held in
InnsbruckInnsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some south of Innsbruck...
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
.
2010 Olympic plans
Whistler is the Host Mountain Resort of the
Vancouver 2010 Winter OlympicThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler nearby...
and Paralympic Games, the first time the IOC has bestowed that designation on a community. Whistler will host the alpine technical and speed events, the sliding events, the Nordic events in nearby Callaghan Valley and all the Paralympic events except the opening ceremonies, sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.
The Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village (commonly referred to as the Athlete's village) will house around 2,400 athletes, coaches, trainers and officials. Construction is well underway, plans and blueprints are being finalized for the athlete housing and village. Post-games, the site will be turned into a new residential neighbourhood.
Bears
Whistler's urban landscape was specifically designed to accommodate the natural environment, as well as to remediate a large garbage dump which became today's Whistler Village which had been one of the main non-natural feeding grounds for black bear in the valley. Since the resort's development,
black bearThe American Black Bear also known as the North American black bear is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Alaska south into Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. This includes 41 of the 50 U.S...
populations have gradually recovered, coupled with the loss of
pinyon pineThe pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
s due to multi-year
droughtA drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
conditions, bears have begun seeking food in settled areas. Many of Whistler's bears have learned to do things like open car doors or hold spring-closed gates open so they can reach food. Most are relatively docile and few bear-human incidents have been reported. Whistler residents are strongly
conservationistThe conservation of forests also known as nature conservation is a political and social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including plant and animal species as well as their habitat for the future....
, and the official response has relied heavily on
behavior modificationBehavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to improve behavior, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of maladaptive behavior through...
for both bears and people. Removal or killing are last resorts. The techniques being used have been studied and adopted by other municipalities with bear problems around the world .
Transportation
Whistler is located on British Columbia Highway 99, also known as the "Sea-to-Sky highway", approximately 58 kilometres (36
miA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
) north of
SquamishSquamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
, and 125 km (76
miA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
) from Vancouver.
Elite-class rail service only is provided between Whistler and North Vancouver by the
Whistler MountaineerWhistler Mountaineer is a rail way service operated by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations tour company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who operate vintage trains over numerous sightseeing routes in Western Canada.-Routes:...
. Regular passenger schedules are no longer available. Rail service through to Jasper is provided by the
Rocky MountaineerRocky Mountaineer Vacations is a tour company founded in 1990, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who operate vintage trains over numerous sightseeing routes in Western Canada.-Background:...
, using
Canadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway is a Canadian Class I railway operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
tracks from North Vancouver via Whistler and Prince George. The station for tour passengers embarking from Whistler is in the Southside area, between Nita and Alpha Lakes.
Local bus transit service is provided by the
Whistler and Valley ExpressWhistler and Valley Express is a public transit system which provides bus service in Whistler and the Pemberton Valley area of British Columbia, Canada. Buses operate every day between 5:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. and are equipped with racks for skis or bikes, depending on the season...
, which also provides service to Squamish and
PembertonPemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
.
Climate
Whistler experiences cool wet winters, and dry warm summers. On average Whistler receives approximately 11 days with temperatures over 30°C (86°F), and approximately 24 days on average with temperatures falling below -10 °C (14°F).
Newspapers
Whistler has two regular print news media, the
Whistler Question and the
Whistler Pique.
Radio
| Call sign | Frequency | Owner | Format |
|---|
| CFTW-FM CFTW-FM is a tourist information radio station that operates at 88.7 FM in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.Cathe Wagg received approval by the CRTC on March 27, 2001. In 2007, the station was purchased by Four Senses Entertainment.-Sister stations:...
|
088.7 FM |
Four Senses Entertainment |
tourist informationTourist information offices are run by a national or local agency to provide information about a region for the assistance of tourists, and to promote tourism as an industry...
|
CFMI-FM-1CFMI-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 101.1 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 75,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver...
|
090.7 FM |
Corus EntertainmentCorus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment company.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation...
|
Classic rock Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock format in the early-1980s...
(repeater of CFMI-FM, VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
) |
CFOX-FM-1CFOX-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 99.3 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 75,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver...
|
0092.3 FM |
Corus EntertainmentCorus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment company.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation...
|
Active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across Canada and the United States. Active rock plays current rock artists with a mix of classic rock songs.-Format background:...
(repeater of CFOX-FM, Vancouver) |
CKLG-FM-1CKLG-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 96.9 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 75,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver...
|
0096.9 FM |
Rogers CommunicationsRogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications and cable television, with additional telecommunications and mass media assets. It is headquartered in the Rogers Building in Toronto, Ontario.The company considers...
|
Adult hits Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist. Most adult hits stations play a mix of rock, alternative, pop, new wave and oldies hits.Companies associated with the format in Canada include NewCap,...
(repeater of CKLG-FM, Vancouver) |
CBYW-FMCBU is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts at 690 AM...
|
00100.1 FM |
CBCThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Société Radio-Canada...
|
CBC Radio OneCBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
(repeater of CBU, Vancouver) |
| future station 101.5 FM Whistler, British Columbia , is a new Canadian radio station, that will broadcast a hot adult contemporary programming at 101.5 MHz in Whistler, British Columbia....
|
0101.5 FM |
Four Senses Entertainment |
to be Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1960s, vocal-based music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence"...
|
CISW-FMCISQ-FM is an FM radio station owned by Rogers Communications and operating in southwestern British Columbia. It broadcasts at 107.1 MHz in Squamish and 102.1 MHz in Whistler. It uses a primarily "Hot AC" format....
|
0102.1 FM |
Rogers CommunicationsRogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications and cable television, with additional telecommunications and mass media assets. It is headquartered in the Rogers Building in Toronto, Ontario.The company considers...
|
Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1960s, vocal-based music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence"...
(repeater of CISQ-FM, SquamishSquamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
) |
CBUF-FM-10CBUF-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network throughout the province of British Columbia...
|
00103.1 FM |
Radio-CanadaThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Société Radio-Canada...
|
Première Chaîne (FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
) (repeater of CBUF-FM, Vancouver) |
Television
Whistler has no locally-originated aerial stations. The only aerial television available are repeaters of
CBUTCBUT is the CBC's television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the flagship CBC Television station for the Pacific Time Zone. The station transmits its main terrestrial signal from a tower atop Mount Seymour....
(CBUWT channel 13),
CHAN-TVCHAN-TV is a television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, broadcasting over-the-air on analog channel 8 and digital channel 22, and available via cable providers in the area on channel 11. It is the flagship station of the Global Television Network. CHAN-TV's studios are located in...
(CHAN-TV-7 channel 9),
CKVU-TVCKVU-TV is a television station based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Rogers Media, it was the second station to become part of the Citytv system in Canada.-History:...
(CJWM-TV channel 21) and
CHEK-TVCHEK-TV is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia and broadcasting to all of southwestern BC...
(CHWM-TV-1 channel 18).
Cable television service is served by
Shaw CommunicationsShaw Communications is a Canadian telecommunications company that provides telephone, internet and television services. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. It provides services mostly in British Columbia and Alberta, with smaller systems in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.-...
, which offer most stations from the Vancouver area. Shaw carries
Resort TV, a television channel featuring activities and information for the Whistler area.
See also
- Whistler-Blackcomb
Whistler Blackcomb is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The resort is owned by Intrawest, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group.-Description:...
ski resort
- Whistler Mountain
Whistler Mountain is a peak in the Fitzsimmons Range on the northwestern edge of Garibaldi Provincial Park, and the location of the ski resort and the town of Whistler, British Columbia....
- Blackcomb Peak
Blackcomb Peak is a mountain located east of Whistler, British Columbia and forms the boundary between the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort and Garibaldi Provincial Park. Like Whistler Mountain, it is located on the edge of Garibaldi Provincial Park and the ski lifts are often used to access the park,...
- Garibaldi Provincial Park
Garibaldi Provincial Park, also called Garibaldi Park, is a wilderness park located in British Columbia, Canada, about 70 kilometres north of Vancouver. The park is located to the east of the Sea to Sky Highway between Squamish and Whistler and covers an area of over 1,950 square kilometres...
External links