Media Releases

Monday, December 2, 2013

Winter gets a kick-start in Whistler where you can relive the spirit of the Winter Games through recreation, sport and celebration

Tourism Whistler media release
For immediate release – December 2, 2013

Winter gets a kick-start in Whistler where you can relive the spirit of the Winter Games through recreation, sport and celebration

Suggested tweet: New lifts, a film festival and world cup events mark the start of the winter season in Whistler. Find out more at www.whistler.com

Whistler, B.C. – With Whistler and Blackcomb mountains both now open and 20 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours, winter is getting an early start in Whistler.

Holiday decorations and festive lights adorn the Village in preparation for the season and Whistler is abuzz with energy and excitement.

From December 2-7, the world’s top luge athletes will compete in Whistler, on their road to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Athletes will train for and compete in the 2013 Viessman Luge World Cup and Viessman Team Relay World Cup at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Races take place on Saturday and Sunday and include men’s and women’s singles, doubles and team relay races. The week features nightly entertainment and family-focused activities. Upload to the Sliding Centre via the Excalibur Gondola in the Village. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Whistler Visitor Centre in Whistler Village or online.

December also sees the return of the signature Whistler Film Festival. The five-day festival kicks off December 4 and will feature 84 films in a wide range of genres, as well as an impressive lineup of industry events, galas, parties and tributes.

This winter also brings a major lift expansion project at Whistler Blackcomb. Whistler has been buzzing all summer long with anticipation as work on the $18 million project was underway and on December 7 the public is invited to help celebrate the project with the official opening of both the Crystal Ridge Express and the Harmony Six.

Whistler Presents: Winter Kick-Off takes place on December 7 at 6 p.m. with fireworks at 8 p.m. In Skier’s Plaza, guests can enjoy a free outdoor film screening, an outdoor street hockey game and family entertainment.

Winter Packages offer accommodation and activity options with Whistler winter stay and ski packages offering savings of up to 35 per cent. Book ahead and save up to 30 per cent on stays of four nights or more or up to 35 per cent on stays of six nights or more. Create your own Winter Games experience with the Whistler Olympic Experience package, featuring five nights’ accommodation, three day lift tickets and a bobsleigh or skeleton experience. Whistler-based travel consultants at 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. 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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Media can visit www.whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

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 for the past 12 years in a row, 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 9,000 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 Contacts

Mary Zinck
Specialist, Travel Media
Tourism Whistler
T: 604-938-2702
E: mzinck@tourismwhistler.com

Patricia Westerholm
Manager, Communications
Tourism Whistler
T:  604.938.2748
E: pwesterholm@tourismwhistler.com

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