Issue 01 - Whistler Blackcomb's 40 years...
Issue 02 - Annual Magazine Rankings Are Out...

Issue. 01

WHISTLER BLACKCOMB’S 40 YEAR HISTORY BEGAN WITH QUEST FOR THE OLYMPICS
 
A community’s dream to be realized when 2010 Winter Games come to Vancouver/Whistler
 

 

From humble roots in 1966 to the number one ski resort in North America (Skiing Magazine, November 2008), Whistler Blackcomb has risen into a monolith epitomized by both size and popularity. With the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games just around the corner, Whistler Blackcomb is poised to realize a dream that began more than 40 years ago.

 

Back in 1960, a group of Vancouver businessmen formed the Garibaldi Olympic Development Association (GODA) and soon after Garibaldi Lifts Limited, embarking on a 40-year quest to bring the Olympics to Whistler. In February 1966, Whistler Mountain officially opened for skiing with a lodge, four-passenger gondola, a double chair and two T-bars.

 

GODA made five separate, unsuccessful bids for the Winter Olympics in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1988. The bid for the 1976 Winter Games came closest, winning the Canadian nomination but losing the bid because of Montreal’s nomination to the 1976 Summer Olympic Games.

 

It wasn’t until 1998 that Whistler, together with Vancouver, bid successfully for the Canadian nomination for the 2010 Winter Olympics. On July 2, 2003, Vancouver and Whistler won the bid to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, fulfilling a dream that built the community 40 years ago.

 

From its beginning, Whistler Blackcomb has built a strong international reputation for hosting world-class competitions and has been home to many high profile international athletes. Whistler hosted its first international ski race – the Du Maurier Invitational – in 1967 where BC skiing legend Nancy Greene competed against an international slate of competitors. Greene went on to claim World Cup victories and Olympic gold and silver medals. Greene was also a highly influential force in Whistler’s development along with her husband Al Raine.

 

In the 1970s, local ski racing star Dave Murray and the Crazy Canucks gained international notoriety for their exploits on the World Cup circuit. Fellow Crazy Canuck and long-time Whistlerite Steve Podborski won eight World Cup events, was the first North American to win an overall World Cup Title, and went on to win an Olympic Bronze medal in 1980.

 

Back in BC, Whistler’s Dave Murray Downhill course hosted more than ten World Cup events starting in 1975, and became known among elite racers for its long, challenging aspects. In 1989, Rob Boyd, who grew up and trained in Whistler, won the World Cup on his home mountain in front of an appreciative crowd of locals. Boyd is now coach of the Women’s Canadian Alpine Ski Team and will be active in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

 

Whistler burst onto the international scene as a pre-eminent snowboarding centre in 1998 when Whistler athlete Ross Rebagliati won the first ever Olympic Gold medal for Snowboard Giant Slalom. Whistler Blackcomb has hosted several international snowboard competitions since then, including the prestigious World Snowboarding Championships in January 2005 – the first time the event had ever been held outside Europe.

 

"The visionaries from the 1960s could never have imagined the mountain sports Mecca that Whistler Blackcomb has become today," said Stuart Rempel, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Whistler Blackcomb. "Winter and summer, athletes flock from across the globe to train and compete in Whistler, whether in skiing, snowboarding or even mountain biking."

 

Offering more than 8,000 acres of terrain, a one mile/1.6 kilometre vertical drop from peak to valley, 33 feet or 10 metres of average annual snowfall, a sophisticated lift system including the revolutionary PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola accessing high alpine terrain, gladed tree runs, wide open bowls, steeps and deeps, plus skiing and riding from November through July every year, Whistler Blackcomb has become a haven for athletes, photographers and filmmakers who make their livelihoods from skiing and snowboarding as well as adventure seekers everywhere.

 

Not just for experts, Whistler Blackcomb also offers a wide range of beginner and intermediate terrain for all ages on both mountains. Such amenities as innovative moving carpet-style lifts, a children’s learning centre, a magic castle, a children’s tree fort, a Family Zone and a terrain park with small and medium features to hone skills, cater to the families, young children and beginners who also visit the resort. With so much to do, on and off the slopes, winter and summer, Whistler is an ideal destination for every member of the family.