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Whistler-Blackcomb gears up for expansion

Flute Bowl comes into play

No new lifts planned as Whistler ski area boundary grows by 30 per cent

North America’s largest ski resort just got a lot bigger.

The ski area boundaries on Whistler Mountain are being pushed a little further back this winter on two sides of the mountain to encompass the Peak to Creek and Flute areas, a move that effectively increases the skiable terrain by about 1,100 acres, or 30 per cent. According to Whistler-Blackcomb, it’s the biggest single expansion in the history of the resort.

No new lifts are being planned to service these areas, at least not at first. Already well-travelled, both areas will now officially be within the ski area boundaries, which means avalanche control and ski patrol.

Whistler-Blackcomb announced the expansion last week, as well as several other initiatives for the 2004-05 season. All together, Whistler-Blackcomb is spending $14.2 million on improvements this summer, as well as increasing their annual operating costs as a result of the new boundaries.

The goal according to Doug Forseth, Whistler-Blackcomb senior vice-president of operations, is to satisfy a growing "thirst for terrain" on the part of visitors.

"We’re working on a long-term plan called Whistler-Blackcomb 2014 in an attempt to understand what our clients and customers want," said Forseth.

"That report has not been completed, but what we’re seeing is that the demographics are changing. The baby-boomers are getting older…and now we’re seeing the generation X-ers, the echo boom come through, and they’re looking for a different kind of experience.

"For example, we’ve seen a growing demand for backcountry ski lift passes and the backcountry experience. Users might see the Flute expansion as a positive thing.

"The (Peak to Creek expansion) will add something different.

"It’s one of the longest runs on the mountain, probably one of the longest runs anywhere.

"It’s rugged, it has a lot of features and has a lot of character, and that’s why people like it."

Once the 2014 plan is completed, Whistler-Blackcomb will have a better idea whether or not they are going to build any new lifts to service either the Flute or Peak to Creek areas. In the meantime, Whistler-Blackcomb decided to offer both areas as unique and skiing experiences.

"We thought the environmentally sensitive approach made a lot of sense," said Forseth.

Whistler-Blackcomb acknowledges that the expansion might be unpopular with die-hard locals and long-time customers because it could increase traffic in two popular areas.

"We tried to be sensitive to that," said Foseth.

"The Flute area is self-limiting – you have to have the motivation to walk up there and then walk back out. Not everybody is going to want to do that. This creates a safer experience for people out there. Locals that consider that their space have been very lucky, because people have died out there.

"It’s also a busy area because it is so close to our boundary. There are people who won’t go out there in the past because it’s closed, but the area is already well-travelled."

The Peak to Creek also already sees a lot of traffic says Forseth. "Will this bring more traffic? The answer is yes, which is why we’re summer grooming (the main Peak to Creek run). We’re leaving the other runs over there, Dusty’s Descent, the Big Timber and Home Run, just the way they are because there are people who want that, but we’re already getting people who are marginal skiers heading into Peak to Creek who don’t know what they’re getting into. The idea is to make Peak to Creek into an escape route for them."

Flute Expansion

In 2002 Whistler-Blackcomb adjusted its boundaries in the Flute area through a land swap with B.C. Parks, trading 113 acres of land in the Fitzsimmons Creek area that was in the ski area boundary for 87 hectares of Garibaldi Park that jutted into the Flute Creek basin. Whistler-Blackcomb already had tenure over Flute Peak and a large part of the drainage.

The goal was to put a ski lift into the area, increasing the amount of alpine terrain.

Because of the visual impact that a new lift or lifts could have on summer hikers taking Singing Pass Trail, Whistler-Blackcomb decided to leave lifts out of the most recent expansion. Customers might enjoy the backcountry experience of hiking out to Flute to ski and snowboard powder, says Forseth.

It’s a challenging area, with huge cornices off of Flute peak and will require some fencing and signage, as well as regular avalanche control. The addition of more ski patrollers and avalanche control will cost Whistler-Blackcomb between $150,000 and $175,000 a year.

None of the Flute area will be groomed, although there are plans to lay a track into the bowl so that it can be accessed by ski patrollers on snowmobiles. There is also a chance that the way out, which includes a short hike uphill to Burnt Stew Trail, could be groomed.

It’s a large area, encompassing more than 700 acres (close to three square kilometres) of intermediate and advanced terrain.

The Flute peak area also offers a commanding view of Cheakamus Lake, Garibaldi Park, and the different features that make up the Spearhead Traverse.

Avalanche control and safety will be a challenge according to Whistler pro patroller Ian Bunbury, who says the boundary expansion just acknowledges the reality of the day.

"From our point of view, this is a project whose time has come. There’s so much traffic out there now, and we (ski patrol) need to have a presence out there. It’s so close it’s inevitable," said Bunbury.

The ski patrol regularly performs rescues in the Flute area, including three in a single week during the spring. Avalanche control is also a priority for the area after a cornice broke off this year and nearly claimed the life of a snowboarder from the Lower Mainland. Neither the snowboarder, his friends, or most of his rescuers had the proper avalanche gear.

"That cornice should be mitigated to some degree," said Bunbury. "You can’t eliminate the avalanche risk, but at least you can be on top of it."

As for the argument that opening Flute will encourage backcountry skiers to go even further out of bounds, potentially getting into even more trouble, Bunbury says that’s already happening.

"We can see more people heading out to Cowboy Ridge even now, and one day we’ll be looking towards Russet Lake and Fissile," said Burnbury.

From the ski patrol’s point of view, Flute is so close that people think that it’s already being controlled and patrolled. Other areas are a lot more difficult to get to, and as a result generally only attract people who are well prepared for the experience.

"We’re proud of the fact we have an open boundary policy, we believe people who are well equipped should go out and enjoy all there is to offer. But we want them to know what they’re getting into. That means you’re prepared for self-rescue, you’ve taken the avalanche courses, you’ve done everything they teach you to," Bunbury said.

To that end, he sees Flute as an area to introduce people to backcountry skiing, giving people an opportunity to safely experience what it is all about while driving home the risks outside of the boundary.

For Sea to Sky Parkwatch – a group that was critical of Whistler-Blackcomb’s initial plans to build a new lift in Flute bowl and the lack of public process in the government’s decision to approve the land swap – the current Flute Expansion plans are acceptable.

"If this is as far as they’re going to go, if (Whistler-Blackcomb) is only going to control the area and not put in any facilities, then that’s the potentially the best compromise we could hope for," said Bob Brett, a Whistler ecologist and member of Sea to Sky Parkwatch. "We realize that there’s a safety issue with people going back there who are just following tracks and don’t understand the backcountry.

"At the same time, if this is just the first stage of putting a new lift in, we’d be very disappointed."

Peak to Creek

The Peak to Creek area encompasses four runs on Whistler’s southwest side that were cut almost a decade ago but never officially opened. The area can be accessed through Bagel Bowl, West Bowl, Million Dollar Ridge and Highway 86.

The runs add 400 acres of skiable terrain to Whistler Mountain, and measure 5,020 vertical feet from the bowls at the top to the sub-alpine glades at the entrance, to the Franz’s-style runs that finish at Dusty’s.

The Peak to Creek run is currently being machine groomed for next winter at a cost of over $1.5 million, with crews smoothing out the bumps in the terrain. It will be rated as a blue run when the work is completed.

The run will be groomed in the winter as well but not as regularly as other runs says Forseth.

There are no immediate plans for snowmaking this year, although it is a possibility for the future says Forseth. A chairlift has also been proposed for the area in the future.

The other three runs, Dusty’s Descent, Big Timber and Home Run, are being left as they are, with stumps, rocks and other natural features providing a challenge for skiers and boarders.

"We debated whether to open it up or to not do anything. We did talk to people about this area and a lot of them said the same thing to us, that they wanted us to leave it how it is," said Forseth. "At last we decided to do one run."

The area is well-travelled says Forseth, and a lot of intermediate skiers are following tracks under the rope into the top of the Peak to Creek, not realizing that the run gets a lot more challenging the further you go down.

A groomed Peak to Creek run will also be a benefit to more advanced skiers who discover marginal conditions partway down the other three runs in the area and want an easier way down.

The boundary for the area will be pushed back to the top of Million Dollar Ridge, to the west of Bagel Bowl, another out of bounds area that is already popular with visitors.

The 2004 expansion increases Whistler-Blackcomb’s total terrain to 8,171 acres.

Other changes for the 2004 season include:

• A new 210 metre Magic Carpet for the Olympic area on Whistler Mountain.

• Another new Kids-only Zone on Whistler Mountain with tunnels, slides and tree forts, with another fort added to the Enchanted Forest area that will connect to the original fort with a bridge. A new wooden hut will be built in the area to be used as an activity centre.

• The new night Superpipe at Base II on Blackcomb Mountain will be completed this summer and opened to the public following the FIS Snowboard World Championships in January.

• $250,000 will be spend on trail maintenance, widening high traffic areas and planting vegetation to improve snowmaking.

• Whistler-Blackcomb has also purchased a GMC Sierra gas-electric hybrid pickup truck as part of a pilot project before it’s released in the marketplace.

• 10 new high-volume fan snow guns have been added and will be used for the FIS Snowboard World Championships. Whistler-Blackcomb now has 100 fan guns and another 60 snow guns.

• Blackcomb Terrain Park will benefit from $160,000 to upgrade and build rails. In addition a new Zaugg Pipe Shaper for Whistler Mountain will increase the height of the pipe wall by a full metre. Three new Piston Park Bullies will be purchased for use on both mountains.

• Base II will get a facelift this year with a renovated main floor and a new high performance ski and snowboard retail and rental shop.