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Published February 2003
WHISTLER
WONDERLAND
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| Tourism Whistler/LEANNA
RATHKELLY The Whistler resort community includes Whistler Village (above) and Village North; scores of lodges, hotels and restaurants; dozens of sports and art stores; a museum; a library; a shopping center; a health center; a post office; churches; a police department; a fire station; and — when the snow’s gone — four of the world’s most scenic golf courses. |
Skiing,
shopping, dining — resort community
has ‘something for everyone’
By
John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor
WHISTLER, British Columbia — Originally home to adventuresome pioneers in this land of scenic mountains, lakes and streams 75 miles north of Vancouver, Whistler still attracts adventurers, particularly during its long winter recreation season that offers world-class skiing from November to early June.
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Skiing at Whistler — by the numbers Whistler
Mountain Blackcomb
Mountain |
Repeatedly ranked by global news media, business conference planners and prestigious travel industry leaders as one of the world’s best vacation, getaway and business conference venues, Whistler lives up to its glowing ratings — not just for skiing but also for its scenery, restaurants, lodging and friendly people.
Long established as a world-famous winter getaway resort, Whistler and its residents know how to polish that image with comfortable accommodations, pampered treatment and a wide range of activities for all ages. Whistler has 5,200 rooms, 92 restaurants and lounges, several resort spas, and a wide range of boutique stores and art galleries, featuring sculptures and paintings by local and international artists.
The snow-covered Coast Mountain peaks provide a spectacular setting for an array of year-round outdoor winter activities, from downhill and cross-country skiing to snow-boarding, cruising the terrain on snowmobiles or enjoying quiet sleigh rides.
“The biggest thing at Whistler is that it really does have something for everyone, endless choices from skiing on the hill for beginners to experts, with 12 glacial bowls and a mile of vertical terrain for the more experienced skiers,” said Sara Gardiner, media relations coordinator for Whistler Blackcomb. “Family activities are really popular. Kids can go to one-day skiing programs or five-day adventure camps while parents are skiing. There are also special programs for teens.”
Whistler is more than just a ski resort, it’s a municipality, one of British Columbia’s fastest-growing communities, home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.
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Whistler’s meeting facilities are growing — in size, number Whistler Village is a year-around destination for business conferences and retreats for Pacific Northwest companies, attracting groups to the Whistler Conference Centre and to Roundhouse Lodge, sited 5,000 feet above the village near the summit of Whistler Mountain. Currently, the Whistler Conference Centre is in the midst of a major, yearlong renovation project. Due to re-open in October, the renovated and expanded 43,000-square-foot facility will feature a larger ballroom, expanded pre-function area and additional meeting rooms, as well as updated telecommunications and a business center. The center will accommodate up to 2,300 conferees. Also, in the summer of 2004, the 242-suite Four Seasons Resort will be completed at the base of Blackcomb Mountain, including 10,000 square feet of meeting space for business gatherings. To schedule business conferences, visit www.whistlermeetings.com, a Web site that includes virtual tours of the soon-to-be finished Whistler Conference Centre expansion. |
Located north of Vancouver, on Highway 99, in the shadow of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, the Whistler resort community includes Whistler Village and Village North; scores of lodges, hotels and restaurants; dozens of sports and art stores; a museum; a library; a shopping center; a health center; a post office; churches; a police department; a fire station; and — when the snow’s gone — four of the world’s most scenic golf courses.
The compactness of the community puts nearly every facility within easy walking distance to anywhere in this pedestrian-focused resort. Plan on parking your vehicle and not using it until you head back home. Other accommodation options are plentiful, with more than 100 hotels, lodges, bed-and-breakfasts and other facilities.
Delta Whistler Village Suites, for instance, is in the heart of Whistler, close to restaurants, shopping and the ski lifts, making it one of the most convenient lodging venues in the village. It offers pleasant, cozy rooms with kitchen facilities, a gas fireplace and a balcony for sipping hot morning coffee and enjoying the snowy mountain scenery.
Whistler’s success and popularity didn’t develop overnight.
Originally, the area was targeted as a potential Olympic Winter Games site by a group of Vancouver businessmen in the early 1960s. Although the bid for the Olympics failed, the undaunted group formed the Garibaldi Lift Co. to develop Whistler Mountain as a ski resort, which opened in 1966.
By 1975, the resort was so popular that the municipality of Whistler was formed. Two years later, the Canadian government donated 53 acres to the new town, enough land to create Whistler Village. In 1980, Blackcomb Mountain’s ski area opened, creating one of the largest ski complexes in North America. In 1998, the two recreation areas merged under Intrawest Corp. to form today’s Whistler Blackcomb ski area.
To learn more...
Whistler’s Internet sites offer a detailed overview of activities, accommodations,
transportation options and online discounts. An online reservation booking
service was added in the fall to Whistler Tourism’s official site, www.mywhistler.com,
providing a single source for reservations for flights, lodging, activities,
ground transportation and lift tickets.
For more information about events, activities, lodging and ways to have fun at Whistler, call 800-WHISTLER, or visit www.mywhistler.com, www. whistler.com and www.whistlerblackcomb.com.
Related: Methow Valley offers world-class cross-country skiing
Related: Leavenworth's Bavarian charm, outdoor fun lure visitors
© The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA
