Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Mapping out a new way to get around

Village Square kiosk answers 'How do I get to' queries

By Nicole Fitzgerald

Whistler Village takes a little fan dangling to figure out how to get around, with the funky little walkway twisting in one direction and then another.

How many times a week do locals find themselves directing visitors to this restaurant or that ski outfitter?

Resort Municipality of Whistler officials are well aware of the need for a centralized map to give visitors directions, and parks planner Kevin McFarland is busy putting the need into action, with the RMOW financing a Village Square kiosk called Essential Whistler.

The kiosk will be located outside of The Grocery Store, between the stairs and wheelchair ramp.

The mini information centre will include village and valley maps as well as a television monitor. These elements will tie in artistically with an iced monitor and powder-coated finishes on various historic and iconic items tied into the kiosk design created by Crosland Doak Landscape Architecture, a local business.

“We will cast items like skis and bicycles to give an eye catching component,” McFarland said. “The television monitor will also allow us to broadcast arts and culture events right in the Village Square.”

McFarland said video content would be non-commercial in nature, promoting cultural event listings as well as videos. He noted supporting events organized by non-profit organizations such as the Whistler Arts Council and MY Millennium Place. McFarland also hopes the kiosk will televise real-time images of what is happening on the mountains.

“It would be great to have web cam images in the village, so people know what is happening on the mountain,” he said.

Essential Whistler will be mounted in the village in late April, after the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.