Media Releases

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Dogs, turkeys, mushrooms and the written word – it must be October in Whistler

Suggested tweet: Fall is prime time to visit #Whistler with the annual turkey sale kick starting the Whistler #winter + so much more. #OnlyInWhistler www.whistler.com

Whistler, B.C. – October in Whistler brings with it much anticipation for the upcoming winter season and with an exciting lineup of pre-winter festivals and events, it’s a great time to visit the resort.

Wine and dine your furry, four-legged member of the family at Woof Weekend at The Westin, October 2-4. Head over to The Westin Resort & Spa Whistler for a heavenly weekend created just for dogs and dog lovers alike, supporting Whistler’s local animal shelter: WAG. Four-leg friendly events include Whistler’s famed K9 Wine & Dine Gala, daily pet marketplace, interactive seminars and K9 adventure hikes with Alpine Dogs.

Ignite your winter exhilaration at the International Freeski Festival at Longhorn Saloon and Grill, October 2-3. Featuring premieres of the year’s best ski movies, along with themed parties on both the Friday and Saturday nights, the International Freeski Festival is bound to get people pumped for winter.

The annual Turkey Sale and Whistler Mountain Ski & Board Swap is reason enough to visit Whistler this fall. The longstanding tradition is the weekend to kick-start your winter-stoke. Located at the base of Blackcomb Mountain in Upper Village, the resort will see throngs of ski and snowboard enthusiasts flocking to revel in the pre-season savings for the upcoming winter. The Whistler Mountain Ski and Snowboard Swap offers quality pre-owned equipment, with a wide selection of clothing and accessories from local Whistler retailers. The Turkey Sale and Whistler Mountain Ski & Board Swap runs from October 9-12. This weekend also marks the final farmers’ market for the season, with vendors located along the Upper Village Stroll at the base of Blackcomb. Grab the last harvest of farm fresh produce while you ramp-up for the winter season ahead.

Also in October, Whistler welcomes the annual Readers’ and Writers’ Festival (October 15-18) featuring an all-star lineup of guest authors, workshops, panel discussions, reading and spoken word events and parties. This year’s festival features new event: Comedy Quickies, where 10 pre-selected comedians vie for the Best Comedy Writing prize and People’s Choice award, with special guest CBC’s Charlie Demers of The Debaters and This is That. Lawrence Hill (The Book of Negroes), CBC’s personality and author Grant Lawrence and winner of two Governor General’s Awards, Nino Ricci (author of Lives of the Saints) join the cast of acclaimed artists not to be missed at the 2015 Whistler Readers and Writers Festival. 

Learn more about the “fungus among us” with the Whistler Naturalists as they present the annual Fungus Among Us Mushroom Festival, October 16 and 17 with presentations, guided walks and gourmet wild mushroom tasting.

Hit the Valley Trail this fall at the Whistler 50 Relay and Ultra Marathon, October 17. This 8-person, 50 mile relay race, or solo ultra-marathon is centred on Whistler Village, and its surrounding Valley Trail system. This fun and athletic event is a great social weekend in the mountains.

Book early and save for winter. Book your winter vacation at www.whistler.com by November 15 to save up to 40 per cent on stay and ski packages. 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 1.800.944.7853 to request a no-obligation quote or visit whistler.com for more details and offers.

-30-

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 1.800.944.7853 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.

Media Contacts

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

Katie Brockett
Coordinator, Communications
T: 604.938.2726
E: kbrockett@tourismwhistler.com

W: www.whistler.com/media
T: www.twitter.com/mediaTWhistler
F: www.facebook.com/GoWhistler