Whistler Blackcomb is consistently Ranked the No.1 Ski Resort in North America
Whistler Blackcomb has more terrain than anywhere else in North America with 8.171 acres. During Games time, Whistler Blackcomb will be over 90 per cent open for skiers and riders to enjoy. That’s still more terrain than any other ski resort in North America!
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The origins of Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort and the Town of Whistler can be traced back to a dream of hosting the Winter Olympics.
A group of Vancouver businessmen, who attended the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics, were inspired to form the Garibaldi Olympic Development Association (GODA) in 1960. The goal of GODA was to create an Olympic venue and ski hill to host the Winter Olympic Games.
Scouting began for the best ski hill location, and in February 1966 Whistler Mountain opened for business.
Whistler bid in 1961, to host the 1968 Winter Olympics; bid in 1965 to host the 1972 Olympics; and bid again in 1967, to host the 1976 Olympics.
The closest bid came in 1968, when Vancouver/Garibaldi won the Canadian nomination to bid for the 1976 Winter Games. At this time, Montreal was bidding for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. The IOC would not award both the summer and winter to the same country and when Montreal won their bid, Whistler knew they had lost theirs.
Although these previous bids were unsuccessful in actually obtaining the Olympics, they were crucial in initiating and maintaining the development of Whistler Mountain and the surrounding valley. The Whistler valley as we know it would not exist without the vision and dream of hosting the Winter Olympics. Born for the Games, Whistler will realize their dream to host, along with Vancouver, the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2010.
Jehanne (Jan) Burns, B. TM
Education Services
Whistler Museum & Archives
Box 1122, 4333 Main Street
Whistler, BC V0N 1B0
tel: (604) 932-2019 fax: (604) 932-2077
e-mail: education@whistlermuseum.org
The future belongs to the storytellers™
The Whistler Blackcomb Ski School is regarded as one of the best ski and snowboard schools in North America and has taught as many as 240,000 lessons in a season, making it the perfect place to learn or perfect skills.
In the Whistler Blackcomb Ski School there are 863 instructors. Each instructor is certified by the Canadian Ski Instructors Association. Out of the 863 instructors, 182 have achieved their Level 1 certification, 359 instructors have achieved their Level 2 certification, 257 have achieved their Level 3 certification and 65 have achieved their Level 4 certification, which is the most of any ski school in Canada. There are only 520 ski instructors in Canada that have achieved their Level 4 certification.
In the snowboard school there are 382 certified Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors. 168 have achieved their Level 1, 143 have achieved their Level 2 certification, 47 have achieved their Level 3 and six have achieved their Level 4 certification. There are only 66 snowboard instructors in Canada with their Level 4 certification.
Other Fun Facts
Whistler Blackcomb Instructors can teach lessons in 26 different languages
The oldest (current) ski instructor is 86 and is a World War Two Bomber Pilot veteran
The most child ski or snowboard lessons taught in a single day is 1,713.
Whistler Mountain Ski Club: in existence for over three decades, the Club is dedicated to the development of young ski racers from age 11 in all Alpine disciplines. This season, more than 170 young racers will actively participate in the programs. Between 1976 and 2006, the Whistler Mountain Ski Club has produced seven Olympians. This year, four members are competing in the National circuit and two members have achieved podium finishes.
Whistler Valley Snowboard Club is a local organization designed to provide Whistler and Vancouver kids with snowboard instruction all day, every Saturday and Sunday. Now 80 members strong, the Whistler Valley Snowboard Club (W.V.S.C.) is a freestyle snowboard program for ages nine and up.
Contact Info –
Rosie Steeves
WMSC – Communications Director
T 604 649 0927
Rosie@refineryleadership.com
Nigel Loring
Executive Director
Whistler Mountain Ski Club
2028 Rob Boyd Way
Whistler, BC, V0N 1B2
Tel: 604-932-4644
nigel@wmsc.info
You don’t need to be an Olympian to experience your own Olympic moment. Guests (and media) travelling to Whistler Blackcomb before January 24, 2010 have an opportunity to ski or snowboard the alpine venue race courses. After the Games, the Dave Murray Downhill and Franz’s run will re-open to the public on March 28, 2010 and will be open each of the following winter seasons for future Whistler Blackcomb visitors to enjoy. The recommended skiing ability is intermediate to advanced as the runs are rated blue square or black diamond.
Additional Information
Creekside Village will be a hub of activity when Whistler Blackcomb hosts the disciplines of men's and women's Downhill, Super-G, Giant slalom, Slalom and Super combined on Whistler Mountain in 2010.
The men's skiing will take place on the well-respected Dave Murray Downhill run, while women's skiing will take place on Franz's run.
The Dave Murray Downhill run has seen a number of World Cup Downhills and Super G races over the past 20 years. Perhaps the most notable was the 1989 World Cup during which young Whistlerite Rob Boyd stole the downhill gold on home soil, becoming not only a hometown hero, but a national legend. (photo?)
Click here for a venue flat sheet with more facts stats and quotes – link to PDF
Snowboard cross was created by Steven Rechtschaffer, and the first course was created at Whistler Blackcomb on Blackcomb Mountain during the 1990s. Derived from motocross, Snow Cross is a competition where four to six racers navigate jumps, banked turns and each other, to get to the finish first.
The Snow Cross track on Blackcomb Mountain provides a daily training ground for aspiring athletes of both the ski and snowboard variety. Big banks, rollers and step-ups challenge park skiers and riders daily and are tweaked for event days. Set a personal time to beat or race your buddies, the Snow Cross is a great place to improve high speed, free riding skills.
The Snow Cross track is located beside the Nintendo Terrain Park and ends by the side of the Super Pipe with most of the course visible from the Solar Coaster Chair (look right).
There are few sensations that can match the joys of alpine skiing or snowboarding. You soar down a snow covered mountain, the wind in your face, a feeling of freedom and exhilaration like no other envelopes you. You control your speed, your destiny, with subtle body movements. You reach the bottom of the hill energized, invigorated and with a smile so big your face hurts.
But, skiing can also be intimidating for first-timers or those who are re-entering the sport after a long absence. One of the challenges the ski industry as a whole faces, involves addressing the intimidating factors that prevent potential newcomers from strapping on a pair of skis and heading up a lift. And, in the years to come, the gap between riders and non-riders is only going to increase as Baby Boomers, the biggest group of skiers and riders, begin to vacate the mountains, further increasing the need to educate a new generation of snow conquerors on the joys a mountain, some snow, and a pair of skis can provide.
and while we, along with them, would like they’ll ski forever, this isn’t the case. To fill the void that baby boomers will leave, as well as continue to grow the sport, the ski industry is consistently working to entice people to the sport removing the hurdles that stop people from giving it a shot.
There is the national Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week, January 16 to 24, 2010; and vacation packages aimed at “never evers” that includes rental equipment and a lesson along with the more standard lift ticket and accommodation.
It is estimated that upwards of 22.5 million Americans’ interest to learn to ski or snowboard is peaked by watching Winter Olympic coverage (statistic not available for other countries). But, where do the newly inspired begin? During the month of February and beyond, Whistler Blackcomb will be working hard to answer that question.
In a Ski Area Management article entitled “The Olympic Bump” author Jim Spring, the president of Leisure Trends, identifies the actual obstacles to getting more people to ski and snowboard as awareness, lack of basic information and social factors. To address lack of awareness, Spring recommends addressing concerns such as, “What do I have to do to try the sport?” Surprisingly, of the 8.3 million potentials, only 11 per cent were aware there might be a ski club near their home and only 39 per cent were aware there is such a thing as stores that sell the equipment and clothing needed to ski and ride.
The lack of basic information includes answers to questions such as, “What is the right equipment, including clothing and how do I learn about it?”; “How do I get to a ski area,”- and very important; “Will the ski area have the right terrain for me?” and “How much does all this stuff cost?” The social component, says Spring, includes the need to invite people to try skiing or snowboarding. Those interested in learning said they had never been invited to go, but if they were, they would give it a shot. Put the invitation to ski or snowboard in the form of a vacation, and 70 per cent of the potentials, almost six million, said they would seriously consider accepting it.
Whistler Blackcomb continues to address and work towards removing these obstacles with the inclusion of a national Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week, which runs from January 16 to 24, 2010; and offering vacation packages aimed at newcomers that include rental equipment and a lesson, along with a lift ticket and accommodations.
By understanding all of the sport’s hurdles, Whistler Blackcomb can help newcomers leap over them, while making an equally important contribution to the industry: continued growth.
