If Disney did snow resorts then Whistler would be the first one they opened. Disney don’t yet do mountains do they? OK, good.
Well, if Whistler isn’t on your bucket list of places to ride then you don’t really get what sliding on snow is all about. Renowned as one of the best resorts on the planet for sheer size, options, facilities and general awesomeness, this season will see it open a considerably sized 10 seater gondola on the Blackcomb side of the resort. This gondola will directly link the village to the Blackcomb side of the world famous Peak to Peak gondola that joins the two mountains via a 1km long single span lift. With the existing Whistler gondola this creates a complete loop meaning you can head up Blackcomb, mosey on across via the Peak 2 Peak to Whistler and then come back down to the village all via enclosed gondolas. Why you would do that is a mystery when the slopes are so amazing but apparently it’s what tourist types like to do in the summer – so there’s that.
Several other lifts are getting an upgrade, like the Emerald Chair in the family zone that increase from 4 to 6 chair, and on a less slippery theme there are new mountain bike trails going in to enhance the options on the Creekside area of town.
It’s all in order to get more people up the mountain quicker to beat those queues that don’t look great on visitors’ Facebook feeds.
Whistler was bought (yes you can buy an actual Canadian town if you have the cash) by Vail Resorts in 2016 for $1.1b (yes! BILLION), making Vail resorts the largest global operator of snow resorts. They introduced the Epic Pass that not only gives you season long slope access but also access to all Vail resorts around the world (albeit with some date restrictions on most resorts). There’s even hookups for Epic Pass holders in some European resorts that are not owned by Vail (yet?). Check out the Epic Pass website for all the details. Often it’s possible to get an Epic Pass for little more than the cost of a standard slope pass for a week in Whistler, so it’s well worth considering if you are planning more than a single snow trip each year.
For more on Whistler watch out for upcoming resort guide.