Canada Open For Business, Whistler Ready For Season 2021-22

With Canada having opened up its borders to fully vaccinated non-essential UK travellers, it is time to see what Whistler has to offer this winter. The ski resort is ready and waiting for visitors to make up for lost time. Visitors can now enjoy experiencing the incredible 20/21 hotel openings and renovations from the Fairmont Chateau Whistler to the Four Seasons resort. Additionally, Whistler is bringing a number of new restaurants and restaurant experiences, exhibitions and initiatives not to be missed for the 21/22 winter season. See below for more information on this epic ski destination. 

Restaurant News 

Barn Nork coming to Whistler this November 

This November the beloved Mount Currie Thai restaurantBarn Nork is moving to Riverside Resort in Whistler. Jatuporn Nuttamarn and Chanidaporn Sriwanta opened Barn Nork doors five years ago and it has grown into one of the Sea to Sky’s most cherished restaurants, earning a fiercely loyal following. Plans are to open their new Whistler location for six days a week in late November/early December. The new space is undergoing a full renovation, with about two thirds slated for back-of- house, allowing the team to put more focus on take-aways which have grown tremendously as a result of the pandemic.

Snow globe dining domes located at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Nestled in a fairytale setting of twinkling lights and snow-blanketed trees near the base of Blackcomb Mountain, a culinary experience in one of Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s Snow Globe Dining Domesis one that visitors will remember for a lifetime. The locally inspired gourmet menu, expertly paired with delightful beverages, will take diners' palates on a gastronomic journey which they will not want to return from anytime soon.

Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House opens in Whistler

For over 30 years, Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House has consistently earned and maintained its reputation as an award-winning Vancouver restaurant. Now guests in Whistler can enjoy a dynamic culinary experience in this seafood grill that always delivers more – more hospitality, more variety and more buzz. The restaurant is conveniently located in the Executive - The Inn at Whistler Village & Mountain Side Hotel, just off the main Village stroll. Joe Fortes is where locals and visitors alike come to enjoy the best food in town, complemented by an award-winning wine list that boasts over 300 wines, and a uniquely personal level of service and hospitality.

Après Aprè set to open in November 2021

Whistler’s newest cocktail bar. Après Après is the perfect place to extend après ski in style. A place for after-dinner cocktails, telling stories, dancing and meeting people from all corners of the globe in one of the premier ski and snowboard destinations in the world. Open seven days a week 8pm - 2am. 

New Exhibitions 

Boarder X at Squamish Lil’wat cultural centre (SLCC) 

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) is the first centre of its kind in Canada, located on the shared, traditional territories of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation. Two nations have come together to celebrate and share their cultures with the world while creating meaningful employment opportunities for members of both the Squamish Nation, Coast Salish and Lil’wat Nation, Interior Salish Nations. From now until October 21, Boarder X features local and international Indigenous artists that use snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing as mechanisms to demonstrate knowledge and perform relationships with the land. Works of art reflect cultural, political, environmental and social perspectives in relation to the landscapes and territories humans occupy. In partnership with Indigenous Life Sport Academy, the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre places the exhibit in Whistler's landscape through local stories and celebration. Curated by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, this is Boarder X's inaugural exhibition in an Indigenous owned building.

New exhibit at Audain Art Museum 

Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures focuses on the artist’s engagement with Canada’s northern landscape and emblematic use of Indigenous motifs to construct highly complex paintings, prints and sculptures. Jean Paul Riopelle was a member of the Montreal-based collective known as les automatistes that embraced Surrealist ideals during the 1940s and he would go on to become a leading Tachisme or Action Painter in Paris throughout the 1950s and 1960s. On his frequent trips back to Quebec, the renowned artist immersed himself in the province’s rugged northern terrain, while continuing a long held respect for contemporary and historic Indigenous art from British Columbia, Alaska, Quebec and Nunavut. The core of this exhibition and accompanying publication will examine Riopelle’s expansive production from the 1950s onward, with an emphasis on his rarely studied practice of the 1970s. The exhibition is on display at the Audain Art Museum from 23 October 2021 to 21 February 2022. 

New Initiatives 

Tourism Whistler embarks on Sea-to-Sky Destination Education Initiative 

Tourism Whistler is part of the Sea-to-Sky Destination Management Council (S2S DMC) which was created in 2020. Together communities engage in developing a long-term strategy for destination development and destination education. The Sea-to-Sky Destination Education Initiative aims to continue to develop and deliver corridor-wide communications that encourage responsible visitor and local behaviour and sustainable travel practices that can be shared throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor and province as travel resumes, and into the future.

Hotel Openings / Renovations 

New boutique hotel opens under Fairmont Chateau Whistler roof 

After much anticipation, a $14.2 million re-imagined Fairmont Gold boutique hotel within a hotel was unveiled in late November 2020. This new Fairmont Gold is the ultimate ‘next level’ experience for the discerning traveller with enhanced amenities, luxurious accommodation, sophisticated culinary offerings and personalised concierge services. The lounge has doubled in size at 3,300sq feet offering 103 seats and a new balcony space. Exclusively for Fairmont Gold guests there is a new in-room sensory aromatherapy spa experience with SkinJay where all-natural essential oil pods diffuse through the showerhead.

Four Seasons Resort Whistler embarks on a full renovation 

Four Seasons Resort Whistler presented a full renovation of all 273 rooms and suites in winter 20/21. Led by Vancouver’s award-winning DIALOG architecture studio, the refurbishment is a luxurious update, synthesising alpine elegance with warmth and ease. Of special prominence are the ten new Signature Suites. Inspired by the homes of Whistler, each suite is its own private mountain retreat, with every design element selected to highlight the stunning snowy vistas. Cosy accents and rich ashwood detailing, are combined with urban-minded mid-century furnishings, reimagining sophisticated après ski style.