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Weather or not...

Cool temperatures, grey skies have mixed impact on resort business
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There's no question that it's been colder and greyer than usual in Whistler - up until Tuesday, July 26, the month of July 2011 is the coldest the resort has experienced since 1986, according to Environment Canada weather records.

With visitors to the resort booking later than ever - days or sometimes hours ahead of arrival rather than weeks or months out as they have in the past - weather does play a role in travellers' decisions. How big a role is debatable.

Despite the cold and grey, the summer is on pace to be one of Whistler's best ever - third best at this point by a few percentage points. Crankworx was a huge draw in recent weeks, and last weekend's unexpected sun probably helped convince some of our visitors to make last minute plans.

"The resort was literally buzzing (on the weekend)," said Breton Murphy, senior manager of communications at Tourism Whistler. "Definitely it was great for the resort and for the general morale in the community because we got great weather and a surge in visitation. But the interesting thing is that when we look at May (room nights) were down slightly, June was busier than normal and up nearly 20 per cent over last year. And now we're pacing in July and August to be stronger than the same months last summer... the pace of bookings is definitely looking a few percentage points above what we saw last summer."

Murphy said Tourism Whistler doesn't report on the impact of weather on visitor numbers because it's ultimately out of the resort's control.

"It would be of interest to look at, but it's not like the information can help us plan. But what's interesting is looking at the lack of sunshine and the lower than normal temperatures, and despite that it looks like one of our better summers."

Murphy said it was likely a combination of things, including the growth of conference business and competitive pricing. The impact of events has also been an influence.

"We'll have more empirical data once we have a visitor survey complete at the end of summer and we're able to look back and say what the key reasons are for people visiting," he said. "Definitely, in terms of the events we've been hosting, it's probably one of our busiest summers in terms of animation."

Some of the events that have taken place this summer include the Whistler Half Marathon, the final stage of the BC Bike Race and Crankworx. Still to come are the Warrior Dash on Aug. 6, for which 4,500 people are registered to compete, and the RBC GranFondo Whistler in September, which will bring 7,000 road riders to town.

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler is generally pleased with numbers so far this summer, but good weather does have an impact.

"We definitely have some good numbers on the books through group bookings and leisure guests, and the group-base is not weather dependent. But," said public relations manager Jennifer Tice, "with leisure guests we do see a spike of last minute pickups in a three-day weekend with sun in the forecast.

"On weekends, we see a 100-room pick-up if it's sunny or great weather. This weekend it really boosted our numbers and we were sold out. Hopefully we'll see more sun when we have space available."

Tice said visitor numbers are higher than expected given the weather, but nice weather does encourage last minute visitors to book rooms. They see the same pattern in the winter when there's snow or sun in the forecast.

Alan Kristmanson, director of golf at Tourism Whistler and for the Whistler Golf Club, said the weather was likely to blame for low numbers at the start of the season, but the cooler weather around 20 degrees is actually better than 30-degree weather for golfing.

"For golf, I can say business was down 40 per cent for May and June," he said. "People will play if it's cloudy, but it was crazy how cold it was in the spring, so industry-wide it was off. Shaughnessy was off 40 per cent in the spring, and that's a place where everybody has already paid because it's private.

"But the last three or four weeks when it's been 18, 19 degrees, it's been pretty good. We're full today (July 21)."

Kristmanson said that the golf industry is also impacted by the trend to last minute bookings and emphasis on low rates.

"People watch weather. In the winter, too, they'll watch the ski resorts to see who's getting the snow. And with Whistler and the new highway, it's so much easier and faster to get up here. People can hop in the car and come up on a whim - we get people booking tee times from the car on the way up, which is actually great. It's better than the other way if we can get people up here easier."

Another benefit of the cool spring and summer is that the golf conditions are perfect, said Kristmanson - the course hasn't been too wet and the sun hasn't dried out the fairways and greens.

When it comes to making lemonade out of lemon weather, Whistler Blackcomb is always making the best of the situation. This year they had a 10-person crew clearing snow off trails so the Whistler Mountain Bike Park could open on time. They created a Tube Park at the top of Whistler to entertain guests, with little or no chance that alpine hiking trails would open in time for summer sightseeing.

"As far as weather is concerned, we're in the business of making it work no matter what Mother Nature throws at us," said Tabetha Boot, public relations and communications manager for Whistler Blackcomb.

"We also work to ensure we have weather-proof product offerings. With the enclosed Whistler Village Gondola and Peak 2 Peak Gondola, guests can upload and have a full service lunch at Christine's and brave the elements only if they want to."

Allan Crawford, co-owner and operator of Canadian Snowmobile Adventures and Whistler ATV, said that business is actually up this year.

"This year's business is topping the last five years in our ATV tours, Jeep tours and canoeing," he said. "Several of our guests from Florida and Texas were telling me today that they love our weather. Their homes are unbearably hot right now and our cooler weather is very well-received."

As of July 26, the average high temperature for the month of July was 19.6, the average low was 8.4 and the mean was 14.0. By way of comparison, the average high in 2010 was 26.1, the average low 9.3 and the mean 17.7.

Even 2000, which was a wetter-than-normal summer, was warmer. The average high was 22.4, the average low 9.4 and the mean 15.9.

With warmer temperatures in the forecast for the remainder of July, 2011 will likely rank second to July of 1986 - an average high of 19.5, an average low of 8.3 and a mean of 14.0.