'Be patient': Whistler Blackcomb opens for season with limited runs

Whistler Blackcomb has officially opened for the 2018 to 2019 season, albeit, only with a limited number of runs.

The mountain has seen minimal snowfall thus far and staff have announced that there will be no backcountry skiing and no beginner skiing on opening day.

Whistler will have the Village Gondola, Emerald 6 Express, and Franz’s Chair open to ski Ego Bowl and Upper Whiskey Jack. The Jersey Cream Express, Excelerator, and Excalibur chairlifts will be open on Blackcomb.

Guests are asked to download via the PEAK 2 PEAK and Village Gondola.

Even so, the message to anyone using the mountain is to “be patient.” Marc Riddell, Director of Communications, assures that early season conditions are never an accurate depiction of an entire season.

“We do want people to know that we’re ready for when Mother Nature sends winter our way,” says Riddell. “Whistler Blackcomb is known for its consistency of snow, we have strong snowmaking capabilities and an army of people working to prep the hill.”

The average annual snowfall for Whistler Blackcomb is 1056 cm, with a 10-year-average of 1,181 cm.

There has been no mention as to how much snow the mountain has seen to date.

Whistler Blackcomb has also unveiled the first of the mountain’s three new lifts, dubbed the Emerald 6 Express Chairlift. The lift is capable of moving 3,600 people per hour between the Harmony and Symphony bowls.

The mountain’s new gondola, however, the focal point of a $66 million investment by Vail Resorts, is still not operational. The Gondola hopes to be ready on Friday, December 14, 2018.

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