skiOUT! Weekend calling for a weekend filled with Snow Porn

Sat., Feb. 22 is a skiOUT! Weekend

Photo by Mitch Winton - Whistler Blackcomb

WINTER DELIVERS AT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB WITH 119CMS/4 FEET OF SNOW IN LAST SEVEN DAYS

#WinterPRIDE had some incredible Blue Bird days and fast groomers and now this weekend skiOUT will have some incredible POWDER to play in. So get those boards shined up and plan to head to Whistler this weekend for some awesome #snowporn!

Winter has delivered the goods to Whistler Blackcomb with 119cms / 4 feet of snow falling on the mountains over the last seven days. With another 39cms / 15 inches of snow predicted in the next three days, conditions are prime for skiers and riders seeking fresh powder snow.

Recent Whistler Blackcomb Snow Stats [as of February 17, 2014]

· 22 cm in the last 24 hours

· 53 cm in the last 48 hours

· 119 cm in the last 7 days

So what are you waiting for? Whistler is calling...

Planning ahead?

- Sat., March 8th - skiOUT

- Sat., March 22nd - skiOUT and WHOOSSH party weekend

- Sat., April 5th - skiOUT

- Sat., April 19th - skiOUT + Retro WHOOSSH party weekend

- Sat., May 3rd - skiOUT

- Sat., May 17th - skiOUT

for reservations call

1.866.787.1966 or online

skiOUT is the Vancouver/Whistler LGBT ski/snowboard club.  For more information on skiOUT! click here

Love is in the Air

Love will literally be in the air this Valentine’s Day weekend with Superfly Zipline’s special Evening Dinner Tours. Superfly will be kicking it up a notch this Valentine’s Day for couples looking to take their love to new heights. The evening of romance starts with roses for your special someone and a snowcat ride up Rainbow Mountain followed by a gourmet dining experience in a private backcountry yurt. Couples will enjoy their dinner featuring a menu that includes fresh oysters, slow braised Angus Beef and a seductive chocolate-inspired dessert – all this while being serenaded live by Jon Shrier. After dinner, the magic begins. Soaring through the dark under a starlit sky from platform to platform, lovers will be treated to an unforgettable zipline tour sure to get the heart thumping. Valentine's Dinner tours will run Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15. For more info and to book click here.

WinterPRIDE is just 2-weeks away

Another massive Pacific storm front has just moved in dumping another 43cm of glorious powder on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and just in time with WinterPRIDE now just 2-weeks away and counting.

We are very excited to share with you the 2014 WinterPRIDE Festival Guide showcasing a star studded line up with a double threat from the Southern Hemisphere with COURTNEY ACT - Australian Idol finalist as well as a contestant on this year's RuPaul's Drag Race - Season 6.  Last time COURTNEY ACT was in Whistler she was bound and determined to meet a handsome ski patroller, paramedic and doctor.  She went all out and ended up checking out some of Whistler's finest men in full action with a dramatic rescue off of Whistler Mountain.  I have been personally assured that this year she will keep both feet firmly planted on terra firma, however what happens in the hot tubs is a totally different story...

CHRIS OLWAGE - New Zealand's Got Talent finalist for his dramatic portrayal of "Black Swan" with his pure brut strength and masculinity brought this tragic story alive with an exciting twist.  Chris will be doing a special performance at the Mr. Gay Canada Grand Finale & Fashion Show which will be a MUST SEE event.  Chris also won the prestigious title while in Antwerp, Belgium this past summer while at the worldOutgames as the current reining Mr. Gay World.  While in Whistler he will be one of several celebrity judges at the Mr. Gay Canada competition.  Other celebrity judges include the Mayor of Whistler.

WinterPRIDE's new entertainment director, Sunil Sinha of Big Roger Events, has worked overtime to secure some of the hottest DJ's on the circuit today.  Whistler is thrilled to welcome: IVAN GOMEZ (Barcelona), DJ PHIL B (SFO), DJ SETH COOPER (Chicago), DJ PORNSTAR (LA), DJ PAULO (LA), local dj's include:  NICK BERTOSSI, DJ QUEST, DJ KASEY RIOT, DJ LISA DE LUX.  Ticket sales have been strong and we are expecting another incredible year.  We do encourage you to get your tickets today before we are sold out.

The 2014 WinterPRIDE Festival Guide is now online so take a few minutes and dive in and plan your week.  See you in a few weeks!

Snow Update for Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb - Holiday Snow & Terrain Update

Whistler is enjoying a great holiday season with local and destination guests alike enjoying the magic of play with friends and family on our snow covered mountains.

At this time Whistler Blackcomb has over 7,000 acres of terrain open for skiers and riders out of 8,171 –more terrain than any other mountain resort in North America!

Between both mountains all major express chairlifts and gondolas are in operation, weather dependent. Our guests have been skiing and riding groomed, snow covered trails suitable for all abilities, and the ski outs to all base areas - Blackcomb’s Upper Village, Whistler Village and Creekside Village - are providing one vertical mile of skiing from top to bottom. Check out the grooming report, updated daily as well as live lift status here: whistlerblackcomb.com

The snow in the forecast later this week has everyone drooling with anticipation and colder temperatures will enable Whistler Blackcomb’s large team of snowmaking experts to get into high gear to lend a hand to cover the slopes with even more snow.

FAST FACTS ABOUT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB’S TERRAIN AND SNOW NOW

·         7000+ acres of terrain open -  the most terrain on offer in North America

·         All major express chairlifts and gondolas are currently open including the NEW Harmony6 and the Crystal Ridge Express

·         Top to bottom skiing - 5,280 vertical feet on Blackcomb and 5,000 vertical feet on Whistler

·         Snowmaking: 250 snowguns on both mountains have converted over 230 million gallons of water into snow since the beginning of November

·         Over 800 acres of terrain is groomed on average each night

·         There is over 20cms of snow and colder temperatures forecasted for later this week

o   Call 604-932-4211 or check whistlerblackcomb.com for the latest forecast and snow stats

TIPS FOR SKIERS AND RIDERS TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR DAY AT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB

·         Best snow is in the high alpine and head up early for less crowds and the best grooming.

·         Fresh Tracks Mountain Top Breakfast lets guests head up extra early to take advantage of pristine grooming.

·         Horstman and Blackcomb Glaciers offering great conditions for Intermediate and Advanced skiers and riders.

·         Whistler Blackcomb Snow School can guide to the best runs for conditions and abilities levels while giving lift line priority.

·         Don’t forget to cap the day with legendary après at Merlin’s Bar & Grill, Dusty’s Bar & BBQ or the Garibaldi Lift Co.

WinterPRIDE is now less than a month away and still time to secure your ski package deals.  Call 1.866.787.1966 or book online at whistlerblackcomb.com/gaywhistler

75 Santas Open new Harmony6 at Whistler

OVER 75 SANTAS SWARM WHISTLER BLACKCOMB FOR THE OPENING OF THE HARMONY 6 EXPRESS CHAIRLIFT

WHISTLER, BC December 14, 2013 – As it turns out Santa likes to snag a few fresh ski laps as a warm up before getting on the sleigh for the big present drop. Over 75 Santas descended on Whistler Blackcomb Saturday dressed head to toe as either Mr. or Mrs. Clause for the annual “Dress Like Santa Day”. The first 75 guests outfitted in full costume were given a free lift ticket and escorted to the front of the line to ride the first chair for the grand opening of the brand new Harmony 6 Express chairlift.

At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Whistler Blackcomb’s president and CEO Dave Brownlie, cut the ribbon to officially open the first six-seater chairlift installed on the mountain. The new Harmony 6 Express, located on Whistler Mountain, replaced the old Harmony high-speed quad chairlift and has dramatically improved uphill capacity by 50 per cent compared to the old chair; going from 2,400 skiers per hour to 3,600.

With 14cm of fresh snow in the past week, and an 85cm base; Whistler Blackcomb is now offering the most vertical and open terrain compared to any other resort in North America with 5,280 vertical feet of descent spread over 5,050 acres.

About the Harmony 6 Express:

The Harmony 6 Express is the first six-pack chairlift at Whistler Blackcomb and will service terrain spanning from the edge of the Symphony Amphitheatre all the way over to Glacier Bowl, adjacent to the Peak Express. This area, known as the Harmony Zone, makes up over 485 hectares (1,200 acres) of Whistler Blackcomb’s 3,306 hectares (8,171 acres) of total terrain. With a wide variety of beginner to expert terrain options, the Harmony 6 Express will ensure skiers and riders are able to spend more time on the mountain exploring the spectacular, powder-covered alpine that Whistler Blackcomb is celebrated for.

The Harmony 6 Express has the same alignment as the old Harmony quad; spanning 1,729 metres (5,672ft) in length, with a vertical rise of 525 metres (1,722ft). The top elevation of the lift is 2,107 metres (6,912ft); the bottom elevation is 1,582 metres (5,190ft).

The new chair is part of Whistler Blackcomb’s $18 million investment into infrastructure upgrades for the two mountains. As part of the capital expansion, Blackcomb Mountain’s new Crystal Ridge Express chairlift was unveiled to the public for the first time last Saturday.

Construction on the two new lifts began in the spring of 2013 and was completed in time for winter. Excluding the opening of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola in 2008, these two new lifts are the first lift installations at the resort since the Symphony Express chairlift was opened on Whistler Mountain in 2006. The last time Blackcomb Mountain underwent a lift expansion was for the Excalibur Gondola and the Excelerator Express quad chair in 1994.

Whistler's 22nd annual Gay & Lesbian ski/snowboard week is posed to be another epic year with this year's Christmas presents of the new Harmony6 and the Glacier Express Chairs.  WinterPRIDE is January 26 - February 1st, 2014.  For reservations and packages call 1.866.787.1966 or visit online at GayWhistler.com

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1700+ acres open in time for US Thanksgiving at Whistler Blackcomb

Blackcomb Mountain to Open at Whistler Blackcomb Thursday November 28

PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola and Full Size Terrain Park Also Opening

WHISTLER, BC November 27, 2013 – This Thursday, November 28, Whistler Blackcomb will complete its winter kick-off by opening Blackcomb Mountain to skiers and snowboarders. After two successful weeks operating on Whistler Mountain, the operations team has readied Blackcomb Mountain which will add approximately 700 acres of terrain to Whistler’s 1000+ acres for guests to enjoy.  Blackcomb’s lift operations team notes there will be seven lifts opening including the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. Guests will have the option to either upload at the Wizard Express in the Upper Village, the Excalibur Gondola in Whistler Village, or cross over from Whistler Mountain via the PEAK 2 PEAK. Also opening on Blackcomb will be the Excelerator Chair, Solar Express, Jersey Cream and Catskinner chairs.  As an added bonus, the Whistler Blackcomb Terrain Park crew has been putting in long hours to have a full terrain park built and ready to ride on Thursday.

“We are extremely excited to get guests up on both mountains and are proud of the hard work our operations teams have been putting into our opening days,” says Doug MacFarlene, Mountain Manager at Whistler Blackcomb.  “We’ve been focusing on our snowmaking to help out Mother Nature and with our recent snowmaking upgrades on Blackcomb things are looking really good.  Again we would like to remind guests it is still early season, and it is important to obey signage and ski and ride on open runs only.” 

Blackcomb Mountain Food and Beverage locations that will be opening on Thursday include Merlin’s Bar and the Wizard Grill at the base of the mountain, as well as the Rendezvous and Glacier Creek Lodges on the mountain.

The hours of operation for both Whistler and Blackcomb will be 8:30am to 3:00pm with the last upload at 2:30pm and the ski out open to Whistler Village from both mountains. Lifts tickets will be available from the Whistler Village, Creekside and Blackcomb Daylodge ticket windows or online at www.whistlerblackcomb.com. Edge Cards are also available at the early bird rates until December 2 for Canadians and Washington State residents, and later that month the Grand Opening of Whistler Blackcomb’s two new lifts; The Crystal Ridge Express and the Harmony 6 Express is scheduled for Saturday, December 7.

New version – Whistler Blackcomb Mobile App and Mobile Website
The latest version of the free Whistler Blackcomb mobile app, powered by TELUS is available for iPhone and Android phones. The improved app features a completely new user interface plus reports on live mountain conditions, webcam feeds, snow and lift alerts to ensure a connected mountain experience. Through the 2013.14 winter season, Whistler Blackcomb will add more content to improve the app including a new completely enhanced Run Tracker with Cloud support and a new Friend Finder feature. The newly released mobile website quickly provides all the detailed mountain information right to any mobile device and tablet. Visit http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/app for more information.

Guests looking to plan a trip to the consistently rated No. 1 Mountain Resort in North America can visit whistlerblackcomb.com/deals_packages  or call 1-866.787.1966.

The Aava Whistler Hotel is a proud sponsor and host hotel for the 22nd Annual WinterPRIDE festival January 26 - February 2nd, 2014.  Plan your Whistler Gay Ski Week escape today.  Special guests include:  Ivan Gomez (BCN), DJ Phil B (SFO), DJ Pornstar (LA), DJ Paulo (LA), DJ Seth Cooper (Chicago), DJ Nick Bertossi (Vancouver), DJ Del Stamp (Vancouver) and more! Use Promo Code: "Turkey" and take an additional $22 off for #BlackFriday.  Get your festival tickets today!  Happy US Thanksgiving!

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Volunteer for Pride! Winter has arrived...

It is that time of year again when Whistler is getting ready to gear up for another incredible snow season at the number mountain resort - Whistler Blackcomb!  Giving back to your community can be one of the most rewarding things you can do and GayWhistler's WinterPRIDE is no exception.  Volunteer for Pride today and sign up now.

WinterPRIDE is January 26 - February 2nd, 2014.  Host Hotel + Pride House is the Aava Whistler