Whistler Gets Pummelled By Snow And Opens Early (15-Nov-09)

Whistler Blackcomb, Canada, November 15, 2009 - Christmas has come early

Christmas has come early to British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb, co-host (with Vancouver) of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Just ask the crowds of snow-happy skiers and boarders who queued to be first on the hills Saturday morning when the world-renowned resort opened 12 days ahead of schedule thanks to mammoth dumps of early season powder. (Think: over one metre base and plenty of fresh still coming down on top of that.)

Whistler, voted the best overall resort in North America in the October 2009 edition of SKIING magazine, also earned top rankings in SKI and TransWorld Snowboarding magazines this year, and was the only Canadian resort named to away.com's top ten North American ski resorts this year. And with the Australian dollar so high and since accommodation can be sourced until Christmas from $99 CDN per night, there's no better time to visit what is consistently ranked the number one ski and snowboard resort in North America.

The already lauded, soon-to-open AAVA Whistler Hotel is your host for the super deal of $99 CDN per night for deluxe room. The AAVA opens its doors on 26 November, featuring light, fresh, and modern elegance with the amenities of home (secure ski/board storage, free wireless in each room, iPod docking stations and flat screen HD television)—and amenities you may not have at home (sauna, fitness centre, sun deck with heated outdoor pool and hot tub). Visit www.aavawhistlerhotel.com.

Meanwhile, staff at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Whistler are celebrating their recent appointment as the only Canadian hotel or resort to make the American Automobile Association’s Five-Diamond List—for the third year running. Representing the upper echelon of the hospitality industry, AAA Five Diamond winners make up just 0.28 per cent of the 58,000 Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants throughout America, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Since opening five years ago, Four Seasons Resort Whistler's unique property, award-winning restaurant, luxurious spa and world class Ski Concierge service has made it North America's most celebrated mountain retreat. The Five Diamond credit is just one of the many accolades it has been honoured with this year.

When you’re not skiing or sleeping in Whistler, Whistler Tasting Tours is a great way for visitors to get a taste of the resort’s award-winning culinary scene. From $69.99 CDN per person, the walk-about tours guide groups through several gourmet restaurants for an unforgettable multi-course meal paired with BC wines. Opt for the Lunch, Hidden Gems or Finer Things tours. Visit www.whistlertastingtours.com.

And Whistler Blackcomb’s newest film, “On the Shoulders of Giants,” which premiered last week online to a worldwide audience, is the perfect stoking tool before you fly north. Featuring footage from prominent ski and snowboard filmmakers, the movie is the story of how visionaries, athletes, and innovators have been inspired since its early beginning to step up to the challenge of Whistler Blackcomb’s terrain, and move progression a notch ahead, again and again.  Watch the film online:

http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/p2pg/video/documentary.asp