Whistler Blackcomb is a
ski resortA ski area is a developed recreational facility, usually on a mountain or large hill, containing ski trails and vital supporting services. It is common for a ski area to have food, rental equipment, parking facilities and a ski lift system catering to the sports of skiing and snowboarding...
located in
WhistlerWhistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
,
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...
. The resort is owned by
IntrawestIntrawest ULC is a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company...
, a subsidiary of
Fortress Investment GroupFortress Investment Group LLC is a New York, New York-based alternative asset management firm that manages private equity funds, hedge funds, real estate funds, and railroad-related investments, with announced plans to move into casinos and horse racing...
.
Description
The two previously separate ski areas of Whistler and Blackcomb were integrated into one operation in 1997 after
IntrawestIntrawest ULC is a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company...
merged with Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation. Ticketing, pass, and access control systems for the two ski areas were fully integrated in 2003.
Together, Whistler and Blackcomb form the largest ski area in North America at , 54% larger than that of
VailThe Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in The United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
, the next largest, which has . Both mountains have some of the largest lift-serviced vertical skiing in North America, with Blackcomb having the most at 1,565 m (5,133 ft), but marketed as one mile (1.6 km) . Whistler has slightly less vertical at 1,530 m (5,020 ft). The highest lift elevation, on Blackcomb, is 2,240 m (7,349 ft).
The
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
s are accessed from the valley by two gondolas from Whistler Village (Excalibur and Whistler Village Gondolas), a four person detachable chairlift (Wizard Express Chair) at the base of
Blackcomb MountainBlackcomb 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,...
, a four person detachable chairlift at the base of
Whistler MountainWhistler 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....
in Whistler Village and by a gondola at the Creekside base approximately four kilometres by road south of Whistler Village.. Travelling from one mountain to the other, while staying in the ski area, was only possible at the valley elevation before 2008 when Whistler Blackcomb connected the two mountains at approximately 1,800m (6,000 ft) with the
Peak 2 Peak GondolaThe Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a tri-cable gondola lift located in Whistler, British Columbia that links Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Restaurant. It is the first lift to join the two side-by-side mountains...
. This lift opened on December 12, 2008. The lift has a total length of 4.4 km (2.73 mi) and the longest unsupported span for a lift of its kind in the world at 3.02 km (1.88 mi) while also having the highest ground clearance for a lift of its kind, 436m (1,427 ft) above the valley floor.
The primary skiing terrain starts about 1/3 up the mountain. A ski-out to the valley is usually possible during the months of December through April. The mid- and upper- areas are serviced by 10 high-speed detachable chairs and 5 fixed-grip lifts made by
Lift EngineeringLift Engineering, based in Carson City, Nevada and more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was one of the major ski lift manufacturers in North America, before the firm's bankruptcy in 1996....
,
DoppelmayrThe Doppelmayr Garaventa Group is a world leader in ropeway technology. The company manufactures chairlifts, tramways, gondolas, surface tows for ski and amusement parks as well as urban people movers and material handling systems. To date, Doppelmayr and Garaventa have produced over 13,700...
and
PomaPoma, also known as Pomagalski S.A. is a French company which builds cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7,700 systems in 73 countries which can transport up...
lifts. 3 T-bars service the Horstman Glacier and the Whistler alpine regions and take skiers to the entrance to Blackcomb Glacier. The overall lift capacity, 65,507 skiers per hour, is the greatest in North America, although only slightly greater than
Vail Ski ResortThe Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in The United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
in
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
.
Whistler Village, which is part of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, a geo-political entity not directly associated with Intrawest's operation, is situated at the base of the Whistler Mountain Village Gondola and Blackcomb Excalibur Gondola. The Village incorporates community services, shops, entertainment venues, restaurants, bars, hotels, condominiums and vacation properties. The Village is 675 m (2,214 ft) above sea level, and is located 137 km (85 miles) from
Vancouver International AirportVancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2008 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
.
Whistler Blackcomb will host the alpine skiing events for 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...
, including the men's and women's Olympic and Paralympic alpine skiing disciplines of
downhillThe downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
, Super-G, giant slalom, super combined and
slalomSlalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
.
Whistler Mountain
Whistler Mountain, originally named London Mountain, has a summit elevation of 2182 meters (7160 ft) and is the right most (southern) mountain when looking at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski area from Whistler Village. Whistler currently has 7 high speed detachable quad chair lifts, 2 gondolas, 2 fixed grip chair lifts, 2 t-bars. and the drive station for the
Peak 2 Peak GondolaThe Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a tri-cable gondola lift located in Whistler, British Columbia that links Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Restaurant. It is the first lift to join the two side-by-side mountains...
connecting it with Blackcomb mountain to the north. There are 4 on hill restaurants, as well as a children's ski school facility and children can sign up for a five day lesson called "Adventure Camp". The total vertical drop is 1530 meters (5020 ft) and skiable inbound terrain. It is served by two base areas: Whistler Creek, the original base, on its southwest flank, and Whistler Village on its northwest flank.
The Whistler Mountain ski area is the older of the two mountains, having been opened in 1966, 14 years before Blackcomb Mountain.
1966-1997
Whistler Mountain opened for skiing in February, 1966, with a
gondola liftA gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in the terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor...
, double
chairliftAn elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
(the Red Chair) and
T-barA T-bar lift, also called T-bar, is a mechanised system for transporting skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In the United States it is generally employed for low-capacity slopes in large resorts and small local areas servicing skiers numbered in the dozens rather than...
, all built by
GMD MuellerGMD Mueller Lifts AG was a Swiss aerial lift manufacturing firm.GMD stands for Gerhard Mueller Dietlikon.Founded in 1947 by engineer Gerhard Mueller, who is credited with the invention of the modern detachable chairlift in the late 1940s, it was one of the most prolific and respected aerial lift...
. The new mountain won instant acclaim for its vertical drop, good snow conditions, and huge alpine area. The only problem at the time was the road—it was a dirt logging track, which was only plowed on Saturday, to the detriment of Friday travelers.
The Blue and Green chairlifts were added in 1970, providing lift access to additional terrain. The Roundhouse, an on mountain lodge and restaurant, was also constructed in 1980. This new lodge provided respite for cold skiers who had survived the long ride up on the Red Chair.
In 1972 Whistler Mountain added the Olive and Orange chairlifts. A parallel lift to the Green Chair to alleviate crowds came in 1974, and the Little Red Chair came in 1978.
Major changes were seen in 1980 with the opening of
Whistler VillageWhistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
and a new competing ski area, Blackcomb Mountain, north of Whistler Mountain's original base. To ensure its guests could continue to easily access Whistler, a succession of three triple
chairliftAn elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s, the Village, Olympic, and Black Chairs were built that carried skiers from this new village to the
RoundhouseA roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
Lodge. Whistler's original base began to be referred to as Whistler Creek, or Creekside after the creek that runs through the area.
The next major addition came in 1986, when the Peak Chair to the summit of Whistler Mountain was constructed. This lift opened up Whistler Mountain's alpine terrain and made Whistler the largest alpine ski area 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...
.
In response to Blackcomb Mountain's construction of three high-speed quad chairlifts, Whistler Mountain undertook one of the biggest ski-lift construction projects ever realized in
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...
at the time, the construction of the Whistler Express Gondola. Carrying passengers 1,157 m (3,795 ft) vertically and 5 km (3 mi) horizontally over 63 support towers, the lift opened on November 24, 1988.
In 1990 Whistler Mountain began upgrading its aging fleet of fixed grip chairlifts with the addition of its first high-speed quad chairlift. The Green Chair Express, which replaced the Green Chairs, was built by
Lift EngineeringLift Engineering, based in Carson City, Nevada and more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was one of the major ski lift manufacturers in North America, before the firm's bankruptcy in 1996....
(Yan), and substantially cut long lift queues in the Green area of the mountain.
A year later, Whistler Mountain replaced three double chairlifts and the original Creekside gondola with two high-speed quad chairlifts, the Quicksilver Express and Redline Express lifts, also built by
Lift EngineeringLift Engineering, based in Carson City, Nevada and more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was one of the major ski lift manufacturers in North America, before the firm's bankruptcy in 1996....
.
1994 saw the removal of the Blue Chair, and the construction of the Harmony Express, built by
PomaPoma, also known as Pomagalski S.A. is a French company which builds cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7,700 systems in 73 countries which can transport up...
, which started from the base of the former Blue Chair, but ran all the way to the top of Little Whistler Peak.
In 1995, tragedy struck. On 23 December 1995, the lift operator on the Quicksilver lift pressed the button to make a routine stop, to allow a fallen skier to get out of the way of the unloading ramp. Instead, the emergency brake activated, sending shockwaves down the cable. Grips on at least two of the chairs slipped, and caused chairs to slide down the cable and slam into each other. In all, eight were injured, and two were killed
in one of the worst ski lift accidents 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...
. The disaster ended up causing the bankruptcy of the lift's manufacturer,
Lift EngineeringLift Engineering, based in Carson City, Nevada and more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was one of the major ski lift manufacturers in North America, before the firm's bankruptcy in 1996....
.
1997-Present
In 1997, the Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation was bought out by
IntrawestIntrawest ULC is a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company...
, which had owned Blackcomb Mountain since 1986. Big changes were made on Whistler Mountain. The Quicksilver lift was replaced with a
PomaPoma, also known as Pomagalski S.A. is a French company which builds cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7,700 systems in 73 countries which can transport up...
gondola, the Creekside Gondola, while the Green Chair Express and Redline lifts were removed and replaced with
DoppelmayrThe Doppelmayr Garaventa Group is a world leader in ropeway technology. The company manufactures chairlifts, tramways, gondolas, surface tows for ski and amusement parks as well as urban people movers and material handling systems. To date, Doppelmayr and Garaventa have produced over 13,700...
high speed quad chair lifts, aptly named the Emerald Express and Big Red Express lifts, and the original Roundhouse was demolished and a new lodge built in its place.
Around this time Intrawest began marketing the two mountains as one large ski area under the name "Whistler-Blackcomb".
1998 saw the replacement of the Peak Chair with a high-speed quad. The original Peak Chair was renamed to Franz's Chair and moved parallel to the Big Red Express chair with a return station approximately half way up the Big Red Express lift line.
The Black Chair was replaced with a high-speed quad (the Garbanzo Express Chair), and another was added (the Fitzsimmons Express Chair) in 2000, following the line of the long-gone Village Chair. The top of the Fitzsimmons and the bottom of the Garbanzo are co-located in the Village Gondola Olympic station area, providing extra lift capacity from the Whistler Village to the top of the mid-mountain zone in addition to the gondola itself.
Whistler-Blackcomb's 2006/ 2007 season saw the construction and opening of the Symphony Express, a high speed quad chairlfit that begins towards the bottom of the Symphony Amphitheater and carries riders to the top of Piccolo. Symphony Amphitheater is the basin between Harmony and Flute ridges and was named by Whistler-Blackcomb. . One of the original names suggested for this lift was the Piccolo Express.
In the summers of 2007 and 2008, the
Peak 2 Peak GondolaThe Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a tri-cable gondola lift located in Whistler, British Columbia that links Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Restaurant. It is the first lift to join the two side-by-side mountains...
was constructed and opened on December 12, 2008 for the first time. The first summer operation day was June 6, 2009.
Summer of 2009 sees the construction of the Timing Flats Express, a new Doppelmayr CTEC high speed detachable quad chairlift out of Whistler's Creekside Base. It will be primarily use for foot passengers for the 2010 Olympics, but may be available for skiers and riders to use after the games. Ride time is approximately 2 minutes with 8 towers to cross over. The lift is only temporary and in the summer of 2010, it will be dismantled and trucked to
Sunshine VillageSunshine Village is a major North American ski resort, located within the protected wilderness of Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.Famous for Canada's best snow, light dry Rocky Mountain "Champagne Powder"...
, Alberta and will be installed in a location TBA.
Whistler Mountain Bike Park
The
Whistler Mountain Bike Park celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2008. Having consistently grown since its inception, it sees an average of 100,000 bikers each summer.
The Whistler Mountain Bike Park uses the Fitzsimmons and Garbanzo quad chairlifts, as well as the Whistler Village
GondolaA gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in the terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor...
to shuttle bikers to around midstation, at 1,200 m (4,000 ft). The park has 47+ trails for all skill levels totaling 250 km + of trails. There are smooth trails with gentle banked corners for beginners, steep twisty trails for intermediates, tight trails with jumps and stunts for advanced riders, and challenging trails with giant jumps, drops, and root-strewn terrain for the experts.
During the summer, high speed quad chairlifts (Fitzimmons and Garbanzo) used by the bike park have every second chair replaced with a bike rack during the summer. These racks fit four bikes, three in grooves and one on a hook on the side of the chair. The bikers then get on the next chair which is a normal passenger carrier.
The bike park has two zones: the Fitzsimmons Zone (the lower zone) and the Garbanzo Zone (the upper zone). All riders take either the Village
GondolaThe gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were once the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport...
or the Fitzsimmions quad to the Olympic Station area. Then intermediate and advanced riders can take the Garbanzo quad up further to the Garbanzo zone. Garbanzo riders can then return to midstation or Whistler Village, the base of the bike park. From the top of Garbanzo to the village is an impressive 1100 m (3,600 ft) vertical descent; eclipsed only by the more expensive guided descents from the top gondola station or the top of the Peak Chair, the highest accessible point on the mountain. "A-Line" is the most well-known track. The Boneyard Slopestyle Course is part of the Fitzsimmons Zone and is located at the very bottom of the bike park, visible from the the base of Whistler Mountain. The Boneyard features a collection of high-intermediate and advanced slopestyle features, including drops, dirt jumps, and more.
The park hosts two large, annual mountain biking competitions/festivals:
CrankworxKokanee Crankworx is a week-long celebration of mountain biking held each summer at Whistler-Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia. The most ground-breaking gravity fueled mountain bike festival in the history of all things badass. Nine action packed days featuring the sport's most fearless and...
is held in the summer; Harvest Huckfest is held in the fall. The mountain is frequented by professional mountain bikers such as
Wade SimmonsWade Simmons is a mountain biker from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada who has won the Red Bull Rampage Utah 2001 and placed second in the same year in the Red Bull Rampage Australia...
,
Andrew ShandroAndrew Shandro is a professional mountain bicyclist. Shandro has starred in many films and featured in mountain bike magazines worldwide. The majority of Shandro's pictures are taken by his close friend Sterling Lawrence.-Career:...
, Richie Schley, Francis Hopcraft, and
Anne-Caroline ChaussonAnne-Caroline Chausson is a French Olympic gold medalist in BMX, and downhill time trial and cross-country mass start, dual, and four-cross mountain bicycle racer, best known for having won fifteen Union Cycliste Internationale senior world championship rainbow jerseys, fourteen continental...
.
Blackcomb Mountain
Blackcomb Mountain opened in 1980, under the partnership of Fortress Mountain Resorts, then a wholly owned subsidiary of
Aspen Skiing CompanyThe Aspen Skiing Company, known locally as "Ski Co", is a commercial enterprise based in Aspen, Colorado in the United States. Founded in 1946 by Walter Paepcke, it operates the Aspen/Snowmass resort complex, comprising four ski areas near the town of Aspen...
, and the Federal Business Development Bank of Canada, with four triple
chairliftAn elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s (later named Cruiser, Stoker, Catskinner and Fitzsimmons lifts) and one double chairlift supplied by
Lift EngineeringLift Engineering, based in Carson City, Nevada and more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was one of the major ski lift manufacturers in North America, before the firm's bankruptcy in 1996....
. The competition of this
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
was not initially appreciated by
Whistler MountainWhistler 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....
. Indeed, the mountain was considered "new kid on the block" into the early 1990s.
In 1982, "Chair 6" (later
rebrandedRebranding is the process by which a product or service developed with one brand, company or product line affiliation is marketed or distributed with a different identity. This may involve radical changes to the brand's logo, brand name, image, marketing strategy, and advertising themes...
Jersey Cream) opened in the Horstman Creek drainage. In 1983 Blackcomb acquired a used T-Bar from Fortress Mountain and installed it on a south-facing slope, in full view of Whistler Mountain. This 7th lift was coined 7th Heaven T-Bar and gave access to high alpine and glaciated terrain. It also gave Blackcomb the highest lift-serviced vertical drop of any ski area in North America, although somewhat less than the company's claim of 1 mile (5,280 ft, 1,609 m).
In 1986, the mountain's assets and real estate rights were bought by fledgling real estate developer
IntrawestIntrawest ULC is a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company...
Corp which immediately underwent massive upgrades on Blackcomb. That year, Blackcomb installed three high-speed Doppelmayr detachable quad chairlifts, moved the 7th Heaven T-Bar to Horstman Glacier, and installed a second T-Bar on Horstman Glacier, called Showcase. The T-Bars were installed in anticipation of summer skiing and eventual access to Blackcomb Glacier (at that time completely within the boundaries of
Garibaldi Provincial ParkGaribaldi 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...
). The new Wizard and Solar Coaster quad lifts cut the lift ride time from base to alpine from 45 minutes to 15. The Rendezvous Restaurant was re-dubbed Base 2 and the moniker moved to the restaurant at the top of the Solar Coaster lift.
In 1989, Lift 6 (Jersey Cream) was replaced with a
DoppelmayrThe Doppelmayr Garaventa Group is a world leader in ropeway technology. The company manufactures chairlifts, tramways, gondolas, surface tows for ski and amusement parks as well as urban people movers and material handling systems. To date, Doppelmayr and Garaventa have produced over 13,700...
high-speed quad and the Yan triple lift was moved to the newly opened Crystal Ridge area of the mountain.
In 1992, the Glacier Express was installed, running from the base of the Jersey Cream quad lift to the toe of the Horstman T-Bars. This lift's construction was followed by the building of the Glacier Creek Restaurant- the largest building on Blackcomb Mountain.
In 1994, Blackcomb made its last major lift expansion with the replacement of the Stoker, Cruiser, and Fitzsimmons lifts with the high-speed Excelerator quad chair and Excalibur Gondola. The second is dubbed by some as the "gondola to
nowhere" since it doesn't connect with any restaurant or access additional terrain. However, it allowed rapid alpine access for skiers in Whistler Village, who previously had to take 4 chairlifts to Rendezvous (Fitzsimmons, Stoker, Cruiser, and Jersey Cream, with 3 of those being slower chairs). The Excelerator also opened up a vast area of intermediate-difficulty terrain to the left of Solar Coaster and below Jersey Cream that was previously neglected and under-utilized, because skiers who travel those slopes frequently had to go all the way to the bottom of the mountain, which is over-skied and icy.
Blackcomb is the location of the world famous "Couloir Extreme" run, which is one of the top ten steep in-bounds runs in the world according to Skiing Magazine. Originally called the Saudan Couloir by local skiers even before it was part of the ski area, the company eventually had to drop the name when extreme skier Sylvain Saudan complained about the unauthorised use of his name.
In 1996,
IntrawestIntrawest ULC is a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company...
purchased Whistler to create Whistler Blackcomb as it is known today.
Whistler Blackcomb's Coca-Cola Tube Park
For the 2005-2006 ski season Blackcomb mountain opened the Coca-Cola Tube Park to allow for recreational
tubingTubing is a recreational activity of riding an inner tube, either on water, snow, or through the air...
at the resort. The tube park is located at Base II on Blackcomb Mountain alongside the Village Run.
Quicksilver Express Grip Failure, December 23, 1995
The lift operator on the Quicksilver lift pressed the button to make a routine stop, to allow a fallen skier to get out of the way of the unloading ramp. Instead, the emergency brake activated, sending shockwaves down the cable. Grips on at least two of the chairs slipped, and caused chairs to slide down the cable and slam into each other. In all, eight were injured, and two were killed
in one of the worst ski lift accidents 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...
. The disaster ended up causing the bankruptcy of the lift's manufacturer,
Lift Engineering/YanLift Engineering, based in Carson City, Nevada and more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was one of the major ski lift manufacturers in North America, before the firm's bankruptcy in 1996....
. The cause was found to be a design fault in the Yan detachable grip.
Excalibur Gondola Collapse, December 16, 2008
The Excalibur gondola had a major malfunction on December 16, 2008, when the upper portion of one of the lift towers detached and collapsed, causing several of the
gondolaThe gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were once the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport...
cabins to drop near to the ground, leaving 53 people trapped on the lower section of the lift line. Firefighters rescued passengers from a cabin dangling over Fitzsimmons Creek, and from another gondola that landed on a bus shelter. The third cabin had crashed into the trees, narrowly missing a condominium. Twelve people suffered minor injuries. According to Whistler-Blackcomb, a joint in the tower separated due to the buildup of ice from water that had seeped into the tower.. The undamaged upper half of the lift running from Blackcomb's Base 2 was reopened on Saturday 20 December. After repairs were made to the collapsed tower, the whole lift was back in service on Wednesday 24 December.
Harmony Express Grip Failure, February 18, 2009
A single grip on Whistler's Harmony Express failed and fell off the haul rope overnight on Wednesday, Feb. 18 / Thursday, Feb. 19. The lift operations team was experiencing some problems with the lift during the day on Wednesday. The fallen
chairA chair is a raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs often have the seat raised above floor level, supported by four legs. A chair without a back or arm rests is a stool, or when raised up, a bar stool or high chair . A chair with arms is an armchair and with...
was found overnight by a grooming machine operator at Tower 11. Upon inspection the next morning, maintenance crews discovered that a sheave train component on the downhill side had failed. This caused a compression sheave train arm to deflect into the path of a carrier, ultimately resulting in the release of the carrier from the cable. Further investigation revealed that the failed component was the 'articulation arm mounting bolt'.The lift has been inspected since the accident. All similar bolts on the Harmony chair have since been replaced. All terrain in the Harmony Zone was still accessible while the lift was closed, via the Peak chair with a small hike from the top of the Saddle Run. Symphony Bowl was open with a ski out all the way to either the Emerald or Garbanzo Express Chairlifts, past the base of the closed Harmony Lift.
The lift re-opened on Sunday, February 22, 2009. The affected chair #37 was not in operation for the rest of the season.
Whistler T-Bars Summer Maintenance Incident, August 31, 2009
On Monday, August 31, 2009, two Lift Maintenance employees were injured when the lift began to move, after being given the go-ahead while a maintenance person was safety-harnessed to the tower. The person remained attached to both the tower and the maintenance carrier while the second employee was un-secured in the carrier. The safety harness ended up pulling so hard on the maintenance carrier, the carrier became detached from the cable and dropped to the rocky ground below, severely injuring the worker in it. The employee hanging from the tower only received bruises.
XXI Olympic Winter Games
During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Whistler Mountain will host the
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...
events. The men's skiing will take place on the Dave Murray Downhill course, while women's skiing will take place on a new course, which starts on Wild Card, cuts across Jimmy’s Joker to Franz's Run and connects at the bottom of the Dave Murray Downhill.
Whistler Blackcomb says the mountains will remain 90% open to the public during the 2010 Winter Games.
The
Whistler Sliding CentreThe Whistler Sliding Centre is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in the Fitzsimmons Creek valley in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada located 125 km north of Vancouver...
will host
bobsleighBobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled...
,
lugeA luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Luge is also the name of the sport which involves racing with such sleds...
, and
skeletonSkeleton originated as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding in St. Moritz, Switzerland. While Skeleton "sliders" use similar equipment to Cresta "riders", the two sports are different and should not be confused .-History:...
events. Meanwhile,
Whistler Olympic ParkThe Whistler Olympic Park is the location of the Nordic events facilities for the 2010 Winter Olympics and is located in the Madeley Creek basin in the Callaghan Valley, west of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada...
will host Olympic and Paralympic
biathlonBiathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
, Olympic and Paralympic
cross-country skiingCross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles. It is popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and the upper midwest United States...
,
Nordic CombinedThe Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in nordic skiing since the 18th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...
and
ski jumpingSki jumping is a sport in which skiers go down an "inrun" with a take-off ramp , attempting to fly as far as possible. In addition to the length that skiers jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
.
Whistler, as a host venue, has undergone massive changes in order to create the sport venues and house the athletes and staff. $600 million dollars have been spent to improve the drive from Vancouver to Whistler on the Sea to Sky highway down to about two hours, improve safety, and increase traffic capacity. Other money will go towards upkeep of stadiums and renovations on local mountains in and around Vancouver.
See also
- Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
(the Resort Municipality of Whistler)
- 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....
(the geographical feature)
- 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,...
(the geographical feature)
- 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...
- Peak 2 Peak Gondola
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a tri-cable gondola lift located in Whistler, British Columbia that links Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Restaurant. It is the first lift to join the two side-by-side mountains...
External links