One Two Ski: Whistler Wishing

New Year’s Resolution 2018: Spend the entire 2019/2020 ski season living in a ski resort

Perfect powder by Paul Morrison, Courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

My Canadian ski safari, which started spectacularly at Whistler Blackcomb, BC on Dec 6 and finished up at charismatic Canmore, AB was part of the research required this season to decide which resort to live in next winter to make my NY resolution come true. Here’s Part 1 of what I discovered:

First ski day of the 2018/19 season, excited to activate my Epic Pass at Whistler Blackcomb!

Whistler Wonders

Whistler by Robin O'Neill - Courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

It’s been ten years and in that decadent downhill decade of sensational skiing all over North America, I had actually forgotten how beautiful Whistler Blackcomb is. I remembered, of course, the incredible scope and diversity of its skiing, gargantuan glacier snow, and the fun and flair of the town. But the breathtaking treescape, with gigantic firs abundant amongst the interestingly intersecting mountain, valley and lake layout, affected me anew. The landscape is so intricate, with a different, staggering view around every corner. The slopes are mostly tree-lined, with each run feeling like an adventure of turns, rollers and banks. It was my first passage on the Peak 2 Peak gondola and that scenic ride (longest continuous lift system in world and highest of its kind - elevation 436 metres/1,427 ft), especially when empty of other people, is a vista viewing voyage in itself – never mind the enhanced ski area accessibility back and forth! It was also my first opportunity of the season to activate my Epic Pass, always a signature experience thinking of all those powder possibilities ahead!

Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel

Pan Pacific Paradise

It was a two-centre trip for me: the first couple of days staying right on the Whistler base at the Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel followed by an extra night at the Four Seasons Whistler nestled near the Blackcomb base. This enabled me to discover the gorgeous wooded, river walk between the two stations. Last time we were there, we always took the free shuttle buses to get around and missed out on this gorgeous park.

The best address: Overlooking gondolas to both Whistler Blackcomb mountains from a one-bedroom suite at the Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel - Photo by Martin Tessler

Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel

The Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel is one of the closest hotels to the lift system I’ve ever stayed in: a minute’s walk to choices of lifts to both mountains. Also exceptional was the seamless service, really high standards with proactive help and overt friendliness from everyone there. Loved the stellar valet system and being able to call the hotel’s private shuttle for any trip around town.

Not that we needed to go far for anything. Unusually, there are several ski shops right inside the hotel and we availed ourselves of the Salomon Store Lab to get the bindings mounted on the brand new Elan Ripstick 96 freeride skis that were my hubby, Dr Simon Hudson’s Christmas present. He tried these out in diverse conditions throughout our Canada Ski Safari, and found them really versatile – equally as good in pow as on groomers and effective on bumps, too. Only thing: you must remember to put them on the correct feet! They are marked Right and Left for a reason. All of Elan’s Amphibio skis feature a cambered inside edge assuring precision, edge grip, and stability while a rockered outside edge provides forgiveness, turning ease and smooth transitions. Took him a while to get used to checking he had them on correctly and he could feel the difference when he forgot!

Dr Simon Hudson (right) showing off his new Elan Ripstick 96s - bindings mounted by Will Blackwell
at the Salomon Store Lab inside the Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel

Fireside frivolity at the Dubh Linn Gate in the
Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel

Another highlight at the Pan Pacific is the authentic Irish pub, the Dubh Linn Gate. Built in Ireland, it was later dismantled, transported across the Atlantic and rebuilt in the Pan Pacific, opening right out onto the slopes with its popular firepit-cosy patio. Unlike typical sterile and impersonal hotel lounges, this is a happening hub for locals, workers, hotel guests and other holidaymakers from around the resort. Inside, live music twice per night adds to the Celtic ambiance, as does the exposed brick walls, old fireplaces, Irish artifacts and, of course, the fare. Bangers made by Vancouver-based Two Rivers with Guinness from the pub’s own taps are a signature dish (with mash, of course), plenty of craft and draft beers, complemented with more contemporary menu options, all house-made – and, my fave accompaniment, great Prosecco. Loved it so much, also went there for a cosy fireside big British breakfast (without the bubbly of course). The very international guest base for the hotel and pub includes Canada, America, Australia, Britain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Britain and a smattering of other European countries, many of whose languages and accents we heard while we were there.

Fireside Flatbread at GLC - Photo by Matt Walker, courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

Had a fun evening out at the GLC (Garibaldi Lift Co) which was really rocking at 6:30pm - its outdoor fireplace sofa settings all full on the wide patio and the interior replete with big, chatty groups. We managed to find an intimate spot by the roaring fire, where we gorged on the most disgracefully decadent waffle fries ever, served with a gorgeous gorgonzola dip. Feeling guilty, we shared a superfood salad next with gluten-free flatbread, hoping that would cancel out the first course. With top service from mostly Brit and Aussie ski bums and funky décor, the GLC turns into a dance spot later on.

Never-ending Nachos at Merlin's - Photo courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

Other gastronomic highlights of the trip included a visit to Merlin’s at Blackcomb where, for old time’s sake, we ordered the nachos, a benchmark for nacho Nirvana ever since we first shared them with our kids 15 years ago.

Guess what - we could only eat a fraction of them! But they were still just as good as we have always remembered.

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

Fabulous Five Star Foray at Four Seasons

Sidecut Modern Steak + Bar - Courtesy of
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

On an entirely different level of culinary couture, we had the most succulent and seasoned steaks ever at the Four Seasons’ Sidecut Restaurant with a decision-challenging choice of redolent rubs, sauces and cuts. We'd already had the incredible local cheese and charcuterie platter and to finish it (and us) off, there was a light and fluffy chocolate soufflé.

Cutest Camper for complemetary S'mores - Courtesy of
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

This was all after the free 4pm wine-tasting, followed by complementary marshmallow munching at the pretty patio camper van, and the ensuing indulgence in inventive cocktails concocted by leading Canadian mixologist, Lauren Mote. Dubbed 'Spirit of the Mountains', the cocktail menu has stories for each of its peak-themed potent potions. For example, there’s the Volcan de Fuego, inspired by one of the three active volcanos in Guatemala’s Ring of Fire. A stirred, delicate cocktail – with roots in the Rum Old-Fashioned - the “fire” comes when the complex cocktail made with Zacapar Rum opens up and is enveloped in a gentle cloud of Applewood smoke.

The Volcan de Fuego cocktail at Sidecut, made from Guatemala’s Zacapar Rum, distilled and aged 2,300 metres (7,500 feet) above sea level in the “House above the Clouds” - Courtesy of Four Seasons Whistler

Joey Gibbons

Whistler Wisdom

Meeting up with Joey Gibbons was another treat during our three-day stay - I'd interviewed him by phone before, but this was the first opportunity to meet in person (over coffee in the Roundhouse Lodge). The star of Bravo TV’s Après Ski is also one of Whistler’s most energetic entrepreneurs as well as being a lifelong Whistler advocate who says that “Whistler is the example resort for the whole world.” Having got his degree in business and economics, his father, a Vancouver lawyer who owned property and businesses in Whistler, didn’t initially approve of Joey’s desire to work in the hospitality industry. “But when he realized how serious I was he agreed for me to became a busser at the Longhorn Saloon,” says Joey. “The other staff back then treated me badly, presumably because I was the boss’s son. But I worked up to GM a year later at the age of 24 and tripled profits by 2001.”

Bulldogs, a quintessential quaff at the Longhorn Saloon Whistler - a Margarita with an inverted Corona bottle slowly dripping through a well placed lime wedge

He then negotiated with his father to borrow money on those profits and bought various assets across the country. With his sister and brother joining the family business, Joey went into real estate purchasing. “The travel got too much though after a while,” he says. “What I really wanted was to be in Whistler.” At this point he traded the real estate business back to the family to buy the Longhorn Saloon: “I wanted to stay in the community to be where I could make a difference.”

Longhorn Saloon Whistler

An audacious opportunity to showcase Whistler as well as his own business came along when Bravo TV came to town to scout out a potential TV series. “Others around town didn’t want to be involved, they weren’t convinced that the image was good for Whistler,” Joey recounts. But Joey volunteered to help with location scouting and was subsequently asked to take a pivotal role in the riotous production. A supreme example of successful product placement, Gibbons Life as depicted in the series formed the kernel of Joey’s entertainment empire and continues to help make both Gibbons and Whistler Blackcomb synonymous with epic après.

Carleton Lodge - Gibbons Life

Six years on and Joey's company owns the Longhorn Saloon, Tapley’s Pub, Buffalo Bill’s, the FireRock Lounge, Garfinkel’s and Deep Cove Brewery & Distillery as well as the new Gibbons retail store at Whistler base which sells and promotes locally-made Foon skis, Gibbons Après Lager, beer festivals, and various other events and the Gibbons Life concierge travel and accommodation sector.

He says he’s also researching ways of partnering with Vail Resorts in event organization, hoping to keep a wide selection of festivals going to help sustain what he calls an intrinsic aspect of Whistler Blackcomb culture.

Foon Skis - Photo by A Cooper

Cleverly, Joey is using his après spots to cross-market all of his other enterprises. “My venues are becoming billboards for products – while there is a captive audience for two hours in a bar, we can tell them about Johnny Foon’s cedar skis and our other products to connect them with this signature environment in a unique way. Like our craft beer, for example – they can learn about it, taste it, understand that it is original to Whistler. This makes the whole experience very personal. And it’s the same with Johnny’s skis. Our guests learn about cedar and the process of making it into skis and their relevance to this place.”

Bar Hop Whistler

More recently, Joey initiated ‘Bar Hop Whistler’, a progressive party around his vivacious venues. “ We’ve put 10,000 people through it already,” says the enlightened entrepreneur. “The staff at the Longhorn are incentivized to get people on it – they get $10 per person – and they also incentivized to sell Foon skis.” The canny company is sponsoring locally-made movies including a $500,000 production on big mountain skiing coming out later this year. “This movie will be a showcase for the beauty of the mountain,” says Joey. “Yes, it also features our products but we had no need to ask the skiers to promote them, they wanted to anyway.” His main message about Whistler is that although some properties have been swallowed up by developers and chains as it's got increasingly bigger and even more popular, there are still individual, owner-run businesses that form the heart and creativity of the town. If you see him on his daily four-hour ski session, typically on the Peak 2 chair wearing headphones, know that he is not being anti-social - he’s just getting inspired by one of his latest self-help, motivational and educational books – his current pick “Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked” by Adam Alter.

Photo by Robin O'Neill - Courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler World

Paul Mathews on Christmas Day

Another wise Whistler local is the legendary ski resort designer and master planner, Paul Mathews. The Chairman and CEO of Ecosign is currently working on the sites for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. “Ecosign is working on the National Alpine Skiing Centre at Beijing right now, in conjunction with FIS, and we also designed the original bid,” Paul says. “We’re also currently working at GentingSecret Garden in Chongli - for the Freestyle and Snowboarding venue and design - which will soon be reachable from Beijing by a 50-minute high speed train, followed by the new Olympic gondola lifting 3200 people per hour – a 12 minute ride. They don’t need a new highway but they are still building one at the Alpine area, just for the President.”

After designing the Olympic elements for Sochi and South Korea, Ecosign has become the key player in Asia, helping develop dozens of China’s new ski resorts, part of China’s 2016-2020 National Fitness Plan to increase wintersport participation to 300million before the 2022 Games. “Ecosign is very busy in China,” Paul says. “There’s not one Chinese kid who can say ‘I learned to ski from my parents’, so we have to design huge beginner areas and snow schools with 20 magic carpets and lots of gentle 8-12 percent terrain.” Back in Canada, he is consulting with Panorama, contributing innovative ideas for the new boutique hotel planned for the site of the Pine Inn, designing a new village at the base of Le Massif as part of the new Club Med hotel project, and has visited Lake Louise recently to start on plans for a new base area. About Whistler, which was one of his early projects, he says: “The annual occupancy for Whistler is now above 70 percent – that’s for 32,000 pillows, 6000 rooms. Totals are about six million days throughout the entire year.” Ecosign was also responsible for the detailed design for this season's new lifts at Whistler Blackcomb intended to cut wait times. "It is fair to say that Whistler is now the number one mountain resort in North America," says Paul. "And number 5 in the world based upon our skier visits."

Emma, World's First Digital Mountain Assistant - courtesy of Vail Resorts

Artificial Intelligence

Talking about ‘speaking for themselves’, skiing’s first major artificial intelligence customer service professional was announced by Vail Resorts just after my December Whistler visit. Putting a whole host of skiing front-line personnel in the shade, Emma, the World’s First Digital Mountain Assistant, is available in beta at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood as well as Whistler Blackcomb. Emma is a one-stop ultimate customer service guide for real-time info on everything from snow conditions, parking, rentals, to EpicMix stats and she answers questions by text on 77477. “I am the collective knowledge of every lift operator, groomer, snowmaker, ski school instructor, ticket counter attendant and ski patroller,” says Emma, showing off just a little. “I can help you with weather, lift status, terrain, EpicMix stats, parking, traffic, shuttles, rentals, lessons, lift tickets, resort experiences, planning and more – just ask!”

A first generation technology, Emma launched in November at Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado and has spent the early part of this season enjoying record conditions and getting to know how guests ask questions at the resort. Spending the rest of the 2018-19 ski season in beta, she will get smarter the more she interacts with guests and expands her knowledge base and insight.

Outback Bowl at Keystone

“We are excited to offer guests a one-stop source for the information they need, when they need it, in order to create an experience of a lifetime for our guests,” says Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer for Vail Resorts. “Emma has the passion and first-hand experience you’d expect from someone who’s lived and worked in the mountains her entire life, and her expertise will continue to grow as guests interact with her throughout the season.”

Best of all, she doesn’t work shifts or need any sleep: she’s active 24/7 during the ski season. Anything she can’t answer, she refers to live agents and also asks for feedback in order to collect ideas and comments. Other new labour-saving innovations include Vail Resorts’ handheld, mobile technology to allow skiers and snowboarders who purchase tickets in advance to bypass the ticket window – coming to all 17 of the company’s North American resorts during the 2019-20 ski and snowboard season.

Winter back cover of Arts Scene magazine, Painting entitled Callaghan Magic by Mary Pines (courtesy of Arts Whistler)

Artistic Patronage

Butterfly art and sculpture at the
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

Back to normal human intelligence and creativity, Whistler Blackcomb is producing artists and artisans in a big way these days. I saw it for myself at the Four Seasons Whistler where a local wood carver was chiseling away outside Sidecut Restaurant with a tempting table full of beautiful bowls and sculptures. The hotel also has its own colourful gallery and resident artist who teaches kids’ classes.

Art abounds around the village, anchored by Arts Whistler based at the Maury Young Arts Centre. They put out a thrice annual magazine, Arts Scene, a guide to everything artsy in the area, including poetry readings, writing classes, open mics, performances, festivals, events and classes for adults and children - always featuring a local artist on the cover. The winter issue has Meghan Spence's painting "First Tracks" on the front: "A snapshot of a day of back-country skiing. The piece is part of a series focusing on reclaiming the feeling of belonging in nature," says Laura Walker, Communications Specialist for Arts Whistler. "The back cover features Mary Pine's "Callaghan Magic", which is inspired by many incredible days spent cross-country skiing in the Callaghan Valley, and reflects the tremendous beauty of Whistler's deep, silent valleys, where pristine waters run year-round beneath pillows of untouched pow."

Climate Care

Vail Resorts has jumped on the green bandwagon in a big way. The company’s “Commitment to Zero” initiative includes funding of a wind-energy project in Minnesota and buying 310,000 megawatt hours of wind energy to offset 100 percent of the emissions from the estimated electricity use of its 17 North American resorts which, of course, includes Whistler Blackcomb. The Colorado-based company entered into a multimillion-dollar virtual power purchase agreement that will fund the Plum Creek Wind Project. The contract represents the ski industry giant’s first major step to achieve zero emissions by 2030. The “Zero” initiative also strives to eliminate single-use plastic cutlery and tableware at all 17 resorts. Vail has partnered with Boulder, Colorado-based Eco-Products to source compostable and recyclable dining products. The effort is expected to divert nearly 300 tons of waste from landfills over the next two winters.

Whistler Wish

Having finally returned to Whistler Blackcomb after a decade, it appears that three nights and two ski days are not enough! It’s definitely on our list of ski resorts to live in next season.

We’re currently looking for accommodation to rent (or to house-sit) from January 2020 through April so if anyone has any leads, please do let me know (louise.hudson2011@gmail.com). Simon’s researching tourism teaching, customer service training and consulting opportunities in ski areas and I’m planning to work a couple of days a week as well as continue with my ski writing and blogging, of course. Ideas anyone?

Whistler Awards

Whistler Blackcomb was runner up in Best Ski Resort category Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s 31st annual Reader’s Choice Awards this winter. Six of the twelve properties named in the Top Resorts in Canada award category were located in Whistler, including the Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside at #2 and the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler at #12. Other resorts were The Westin Resort & Spa (#3), the Nita Lake Lodge (#5), the Fairmont Chateau Whistler (#6), the Pan Pacific Village Centre (#8).

Also, Global Traveler Leisure Lifestyle Awards chose Whistler as their Best International Ski Destination 2018.