A cloud moved over Blackcomb as senior staff announced the results of a guest survey and launched new summer operations last week, so the media tour boarded the Peak 2 Peak Gondola a little earlier than planned to soak in the sun in the alpine of Whistler Mountain. As a testament to what the Peak 2 Peak offers guests, it was a powerful example.
The Peak 2 Peak figures heavily in Whistler Blackcomb's future plans, including a plan to grow the number of off-season visits by expanding the high alpine experience. Prior to the opening of the gondola, which connects the Roundhouse on Whistler to the Rendezous on Blackcomb, summer sightseeing was limited to Whistler Mountain.
Now, there are close to 10 km of beginner and intermediate hiking trails on Blackcomb, most of which is trail that already existed for sightseeing when Blackcomb and Whistler were separately owned.
The Peak 2 Peak is already doing its job, according to a survey of guests. Roughly 15 per cent of visitors this past winter were in Whistler to ride the Peak 2 Peak, which opened in December. This summer, roughly 70 per cent of guests on the mountains said they were there to ride Peak 2 Peak.
"Peak 2 Peak is a big reason why people are coming to Whistler," Dave Brownlie, president and CEO for Whistler Blackcomb, said during a media tour last week. "People want to see what we're doing here, they want to see Canada's next tourism icon."
Guests are also happy with the price point, with a lift ticket selling for $41 including Peak 2 Peak access.
In a sense, Peak 2 Peak is just the bait - a way to get visitors into the alpine where they can do some hiking, take the Peak Chair to the summit, dine at restaurants and take advantage of other opportunities.
The goal is to increase the number of trails, activities and attractions so visitors to the resort spend more than a day on the mountains.
"It's the mountain bike park, the view, the trails, the Okanagan wine tasting at Steeps," Brownlie said. "Going up Whistler Mountain, taking the Peak 2 Peak over to Christine's (Rendezvous) for lunch is a special experience."
Most of the development has happened in the past 10 years. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park opened in 1999, and turned 10 years old this year. In 2005 Whistler Blackcomb opened the Peak Chair for summer sightseeing and guided mountain bike descents, followed by the opening of the High Note Trail in 2007 - a scenic 5 km trail that extends from the peak of Whistler into Garibaldi Provincial Park to the Musical Bumps.
With the addition of Peak 2 Peak, Whistler Blackcomb also added 10 km of trails to Blackcomb that were not accessible by lift until this summer. All of the trails are accessible from the Rendezvous Lodge, and most are either beginner or intermediate - with the exception of the Decker Loop that meets up with the Overlord Trail in Garibaldi Park.
Arthur DeJong, manager of mountain planning and environmental resources for Whistler Blackcomb, said the trail experience on Blackcomb will be new to most people and provide new areas to explore.
"When the snow blanket lifts, that's when the alpine areas come to life with flora and fauna," said DeJong.
With Blackcomb's alpine open Whistler and Blackcomb can now offer more than 5,000 hectares of alpine to explore in the summer months, with hikes on both the Spearhead and Fitzsimmons ranges. It also doesn't take long to access the alpine.
"To get into the alpine meadow, away from the (resort) infrastructure it's a 200 metre hike, as well as to access 10 kilometres of green and blue trails," said DeJong. "Different trails will get to different vistas, and also to different flora and fauna... and some of the best views of Garibaldi Park."
One of the most important elements of the Blackcomb hiking experience is interpretive signage, letting guests know what plants and animals thrive in the alpine as well as what they can see from different viewpoints. For example, a carved wooden cougar at the trailhead lets people know they're looking into the Cougar Chutes ski area - named for a cougar frequently seen in the area during the summer months.
Those interpretive signs will be completed this week and placed along the trail, which is marked by wooden eagles.
Brownlie expects to continue developing trails with the province, both within the ski area and within Garibaldi Provincial Park.
"We're always evolving, we know we have to always improve, and improve our offerings, whether that's recreation, food, or hikes... we're committed to it," he said.
The food angle is completely different this year, with brunch and full service dining at Christine's on Blackcomb, the Great Estates of the Okanagan wine tasting at Steeps Grill on Whistler and evening events every weekend - Whole Hog Fridays, the Saturday Night BBQ and the Sunday Salmon Bake. There is live entertainment for all three events, and prices range from $10 for a child to $29 for an adult, plus lift ticket.
Whistler Blackcomb is also looking at creating new events on the mountains, and on July 25 is hosting the Nestea Chill on the Hill concert, a free show outside the Roundhouse with a snowpark, volleyball, a chance to meet Olympic snowboarders, a trick competition in the park and two bands, The Stills and Protest The Hero.
Stuart Rempel, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Whistler Blackcomb, says the next step is to promote Whistler Blackcomb as a summer destination. They have advertising campaigns in Vancouver, brochures, group programs, and concierges to sell the experience, and they are working with Vancouver tour operators, including the Whistler Mountaineer, to promote Peak 2 Peak and the mountains.
"Once upon a time there wasn't enough to do in the summer, but now we have golf, biking and the mountains," he said.
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola has attracted a lot of attention, and the Olympics have also put the resort on the map for international visitors.
When asked what was next for the mountains, the answer was more trails, more educational experiences, more events - more of everything.
