Media Releases
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Whistler Mountain opening Saturday – five days early
Tourism Whistler media release
For immediate release - November 14, 2012
Whistler Mountain opening
Saturday – five days early
Suggested tweet: Winter kicks off at #Whistler this weekend with early
season opening. Check out all that the resort has to offer at http://bit.ly/CfjeG
Whistler, B.C. – Mother Nature and mankind have joined forces to provide
ample early season snow at Whistler – enough for an early start to the
2012/ 2013 winter season.
With snow in the forecast and Whistler Blackcomb’s fleet of snowmaking
equipment in overdrive, Whistler Mountain will open Saturday, November 17 –
five days ahead of the original November 22 opening date.
Over the past 10 years, Whistler has enjoyed an average annual snowfall
of 40 feet! With the forecast being supplemented with snowmaking efforts,
Whistler is getting an early start on the upcoming winter season. Whistler
Blackcomb crews have used their fleet of 220 state of the art snow guns to
convert more than 70 million gallons of water into snow. Environment Canada
is forecasting up to 16 centimetres of snow in the alpine for Friday and
Saturday.
The Whistler Village Gondola will open at 8:30 a.m. November 17. The
Emerald Express, Big Red Express and potentially Franz’s Chair will operate
with a possible total of six runs open to the public including Ego Bowl,
Upper Whiskey Jack, Upper Franz, Papoose, Orange Peel and Pony Tail. For webcams,
visit www.whistler.com/webcam/
To celebrate the original opening weekend, November 22-25, Whistler
Presents: Winter Kick Off with events and entertainment both on and off
the slopes. Blackcomb Mountain opens November 22. The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola
opens for winter sightseeing on November 22. Musical acts and street
performers will add to the village vibe from 8 a.m. until noon November
22-25. Winter kick off fireworks will take place in Skier’s Plaza on
Saturday November 24 at 7 p.m. and local performers David
Myles and Ali Milner take to the stage at Millennium Place Saturday
evening. In addition to these events, opening weekend welcomes the annual
Bizarre Bazaar at the Whistler conference Centre November 24-25.
Celebrating its 24th year, this annual craft fair features 100 artisans
from Sea to Sky and B.C. The two-day market features paper goods, food,
ceramics, jewelry, clothing, Christmas décor and more. New this year, the
Whistler Arts Council welcomes Bratz Biz, featuring Whistler’s youngest
artisans.
The world’s top bobsleigh and skeleton competitors will converge at the Whistler
Sliding Centre November 23-24 for the Viessman IBSF World Cup Bobsleigh
& Skeleton World Cup events. Watch athletes perform at high speeds at
the 2010 Winter Games sliding venue. Tickets are $10 (there is no charge
for children six years old and younger) and are available at the Whistler Visitor
and Information Centre.
SAVE THE DATE
In addition to the exciting events of opening weekend, Whistler has a
number of not-to-be missed events on its robust calendar.
Whistler Film Festival
November 28 –
December 2
Featuring innovative and original films from around the world and
opportunities to connect with the people who made them, this year’s
festival will be filled with more premieres than ever before, competitions,
celebrity guests and lively celebrations.
Whistler’s Festival of Lights and
Art Exhibit
December 18 –
January 7
The Whistler Arts Council, in partnership with the Resort Municipality of Whistler,
is holding its third annual Whistler Festival of Lights Exhibition at
Millennium Place. More than 200 lanterns that have been created over the
past two years by children, adults and artists from around the world will
be on display.
Whistler
Holiday Experience
December 21 –
January 6
Each holiday season, the Whistler Conference Centre is transformed into an
indoor entertainment zone for families. Operating from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
daily (closed December 25 and 31), the Whistler Holiday Experience features
a mini putt course, table games, bouncy castles, crafts and video games.
Parents can relax in the lounge area and enjoy a coffee or hot cocoa while
the kids play.
Performance Series -
Monster Theatre
Presents: A Christmas Carol & Children’s Craft Station
December 22
Using puppetry, masks, improvisation, original songs, physical comedy,
satire and good old-fashioned storytelling, Monster Theatre will expose
young audiences at Millennium Place to classics of literature from around
the world. Performance takes place at 7 p.m. A children’s craft station
starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available at Millennium Place.
Performance Series
– Moose in a Top
Hat: Comedy, Mystery, Magic
December 28
The family show, with surprises, music and laughter, takes place at
Millennium Place at 3 p.m. The adults only show, full of comedy, mystery
and magic, takes place at 8 p.m. Tickets for both are available at
Millennium Place.
Whistler Presents:
New Year’s Eve
Celebrations
December 31
The evening of family fun includes indoor venues, a kid’s New Year’s Eve
countdown, outdoor skating at Whistler Olympic Plaza, Fire and Ice show and
a Village Square dance celebration topped off with dazzling fireworks at
midnight.
For the most comprehensive list of Whistler events, visit www.whistler.com/events
Whistler-based travel consultants at www.whistler.com
can customize vacation packages, taking care of flights, ground
transportation, accommodation and activities. Whistler.com offers the
largest selection with no booking fee for accommodation and activities and
the Best Price Guarantee. Call 1.800.WHISTLER (1.800.944.7853) to request a
no-obligation quote or visit whistler.com for more details and offers.
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Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting
destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north
of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski
resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range
of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as
townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100
restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity
options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and
golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of
Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent
residents.
Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization
representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler
Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and
whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and
information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort
Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000
members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort
lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.
Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts,
media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to
images and B-roll.
Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live
with our enhanced fibre network. The significantly expanded network
of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort
allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any
time. Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on
our media site. http://media.whistler.com/contact-us/filming-in-whistler/
Media Contacts
Mary Zinck
Specialist, Travel Media
T: 604.938.2702
E: mzinck@tourismwhistler.com
W: www.whistler.com/media
T: www.twitter.com/mediaTWhistler
F: www.facebook.com/GoWhistler