Whistler Sets Up For Winter 2024/25

Whistler enjoys one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in North America – open into May – and with a host of recent upgrades and unique experiences is a must-visit destination for 2024/25.  

Winter sports for first time at Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 

The Invictus Games are set to take place in Vancouver and Whistler from 8-16 February 2025, bringing together over 500 competitors from over 20 nations to compete in adaptive sports. Winter sports will be featured for the first time ever and include Alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing and biathlon, skeleton, and wheelchair curling, in addition to the core Invictus Games sports of indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball. Note: Whistler is open to everyone during the Games. The resort will remain open and operational, with minimal terrain impacts on Whistler Blackcomb. 

The Invictus Games mission is to promote the power of recovery through sport. Vancouver and Whistler were selected as co-host destinations due to their strong focus on nature, wellbeing, and accessibility to an active lifestyle. The healing power of running the sea wall or skiing in the mountains is something unique to Vancouver and Whistler. 

For visitors, the Whistler Whistler Adaptive Sports Program is perfectly geared at introducing individuals with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities or neurodiversity to the joys and benefits of sport and recreation in one of the world's top ski destinations. The Whistler Adaptive Ski and Snowboard Program provides a range of adaptive equipment and specialised instruction and caters to a full spectrum of skiers, sit-skiers and snowboarders from beginner through advanced. 

Even faster mountain access 

• Jersey Cream Express upgrade - This summer, a new high-speed six-pack is replacing the current high-speed quad in the Jersey Cream zone on Blackcomb Mountain. The upgrade is expected to increase uphill capacity by 29 per cent, also reducing lift-line wait times and improving circulation in Blackcomb's high-traffic mid-mountain area.  
• Whistler Mountain’s Fitzsimmons Express upgrades were completed in December 2023. The eight-person high speed chair replaced the four-person Fitzsimmons (‘Fitz’) chairlift, located at the Whistler Village base, increasing uphill capacity by 73 per cent in winter.   

Indigenous Cuisine added to the Whistler Blackcomb food scene 

Whistler has a surprising number of impressive dining establishments for a ski resort, with more than 200 restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars. Some of Canada's best restaurants and chefs marry B.C. food with B.C. wines, spirits, and craft beers to create unique epicurean experiences.  

Launched winter 2023/24 in partnership between Whistler Blackcomb and the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre’s (SLCC) Thunderbird Café, Skewk’ / Yecwláo7 / Raven's Nest Restaurant is now offering Squamish and Lil’wat inspired cuisine. Visit the restaurant on Whistler Mountain via the top of the Creekside Gondola or skiing down to the base of Red Chair. The menu includes Venison Chili, Salmon Chowder (both with baked Bannock), Candied Salmon Caesar Salad with Baked Bannock Croutons, Elk and Venison Sandwiches, and other delicious specials. 

Gondola Artwork Celebrates Diversity in Ski and Snowboard Culture 

Vail Resorts commissioned artists, Levi Nelson (Lil’wat Nation), and Chief Janice George and Buddy Joseph (Squamish Nation), to create original artwork that wraps two gondola cabins at Whistler Blackcomb. These one-of-a-kind art installations are an invitation and message of inclusion to all. An engaging film series spotlighting each artist’s personal journey and artwork from concept to creation for the Whistler Blackcomb gondola was released in the spring of 2024. epicpass.com/gondolagallery. 

Take skiing Whistler Blackcomb to the next level  

• Ski with an Olympian - Want the most exclusive ski lesson at Whistler Blackcomb? Try the Ski with an Olympian programme. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from the best that this sport has to offer. While skiing with the Olympians, they’ll share tales of their glory, what it took to get them into the upper echelon of the sport and why they’ve made Whistler Blackcomb their permanent home. This exclusive ski lesson can be done with a group or as a private one-on-one.  
• Extremely Canadian Clinics - Extremely Canadian embodies the spirit of skiing in Whistler. They offer guided backcountry experiences, and resort clinics and camps that take intermediate to advanced skiers and snowboarders into the lesser-known areas of Whistler Blackcomb. Extremely Canadian encourages skills that safely push its participants to explore all of the big mountain skiing the resort has to offer as well as offering incredible guided backcountry experiences. 
• Whistler Heli-Skiing Dawn Patrol – Since 1981 Whistler Heli-Skiing has brought unmatched adventure to skiers and riders visiting Whistler, BC. Their mission is to provide the ‘Experience of a Lifetime’ and cancelling a heli-ski day due to weather doesn’t achieve that goal. Enter ‘Dawn Patrol’, an exclusive add-on option for Whistler Heli-ski guests, that offers a unique experience for those days that the helicopter is unable fly. Guests will meet their guides at 7:30am for a private First Tracks experience on Blackcomb Mountain, not available to the general public. They will enjoy lift line priority with their guide until noon.   

Whistler sustainability  

The Whistler community cares deeply for the environment and acknowledges that we all have a role to play in preserving the area's natural beauty. In its second year, Tourism Whistler launched its 2024 Whistler Changemakers video series, to continue to shine a spotlight on Whistler businesses who are leading the way on environmental stewardship and putting sustainability at the forefront of their operations.  

The Changemaker’s Series is part of Whistler’s larger focus on the advancement of responsible, sustainable and regenerative tourism. The Municipality's Big Moves Strategy sets out a plan to act on climate change and reduce emissions by 50% below 2007 levels by 2030, and in the long-term, reach net-zero. Vail Resort’s Commitment to Zero means Whistler Blackcomb has committed to zero net emissions, zero waste to the landfill, and zero net operating impact to forests and habitat by 2030.  

Other distinctly Whistler experiences include... 

• Vallea Lumina, a multimedia night walk that invites guests into an enchanting universe, inspired by Whistler’s unparalleled natural beauty and local culture. 
• Snowshoe and sauna forest bathing - Experience the sensations of the ultimate forest bathing adventure as you snowshoe along the powerful Medicine Trail and then bask in the heat of our wilderness saunas.