
3,307 hectares, 305 runs across two mountains near Vancouver. 2010 Olympic venue, PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, Epic Pass.
Whistler Blackcomb's summit reaches 2,284 metres, dropping 1,609 vertical metres to a base at 675 metres across 305 runs spread over roughly 3,307 hectares near Whistler, British Columbia. Terrain splits 40 per cent intermediate, 35 per cent advanced, 18 per cent beginner and 7 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 10.8 metres. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Thirty-seven lifts, including eight quad chairs, four six-person chairs, one eight-person chair and nine gondolas, serve the two mountains alongside three triple chairs, ten surface lifts and two t-bars.
Whistler Blackcomb holds a distinguished place as one of the largest ski resorts in North America, spanning two connected mountains linked by the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, and served as a host venue for the alpine and freestyle events of the 2010 Winter Olympics. This considerable scale, combined with its purpose-built alpine village, has built the resort's international reputation as a genuine destination for skiers of every ability.
Whistler Mountain was originally developed as part of a bid for the 1968 Winter Olympics, and although that bid failed, construction proceeded regardless, with the resort opening in January 1966. Blackcomb Mountain, initially a separate operation, opened in December 1980, and the two resorts spent the 1980s and 1990s locked in a rivalry of constant upgrades that pushed both ahead of most other North American resorts.
Intrawest bought Blackcomb's assets in 1986, purchased Whistler in 1997, and fully merged operations in 2003, with the combined resort becoming the first in North America to record two million skier visits in a season by April 1999. Vail Resorts acquired Whistler Blackcomb Holdings for 1.39 billion US dollars in August 2016, while Nippon Cable has retained a 25 per cent minority interest throughout. Adult daily tickets run from 150 to 199 Canadian dollars.
Whistler Blackcomb spreads 305 runs across 8,172 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 40%, with 55 beginner runs to find your feet and 128 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 season at Whistler Blackcomb ran from 22 November 2025 to 10 May 2026, a roughly twenty-four-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 10.8 metres. This extended season is regularly cited among the longest in North America, reflecting Whistler Blackcomb's considerable elevation range and glacier-fed terrain.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across both mountains. As the flagship Canadian resort within the Epic Pass system, Whistler Blackcomb draws substantial international visitation from Epic Pass holders and destination travellers alike.
Whistler Blackcomb's purpose-built alpine village continues to draw considerable visitation for its dining, shopping and nightlife alongside the skiing itself. School holiday periods and major weekends bring some of the heaviest crowds in Canada, reflecting the resort's status as one of the most internationally recognised ski destinations in the world.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since hosting the alpine and freestyle events of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler Blackcomb has continued building on six decades of history since Whistler Mountain's 1966 founding. The resort's considerable scale and Olympic heritage remain central to its enduring global reputation.
Whistler Blackcomb sits near Whistler, British Columbia, with a base elevation of 675 metres and a summit at 2,284 metres across a 1,609-metre vertical drop over roughly 3,307 hectares spanning two connected mountains. This setting places the resort within the Coast Mountains, roughly two hours north of Vancouver.
The town of Whistler itself, a purpose-built alpine village established alongside the resort's development, offers extensive lodging, dining, shopping and nightlife directly at the mountain's base.
Highway 99, the Sea to Sky Highway, provides direct access to the resort from Vancouver, a scenic coastal route that has been substantially upgraded in recent decades. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, particularly at higher elevations, though the well-maintained highway reflects the resort's status as a major international destination.
Vancouver International Airport, roughly a two-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with dedicated shuttle and coach services connecting the airport directly to Whistler for travellers without a vehicle.
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Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.

South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.

Hoshino Tomamu is the ski resort equivalent of a conference hotel that happens to have excellent powder. Built for corporate retreats and package tourists, it offers genuine Hokkaido snow on surprisingly limited terrain - 29 runs spread across 585 vertical metres.

La Thuile is spending 38.7 million US dollars on a new 10-person cable car linking Les Suches to Chaz Dura, replacing the La Combe and Chaz Dura chairlifts after nearly forty years of service. Built by Leitner, the new cable car runs 1,950 metres to a top station at 2,576 metres, carrying up to 3,000 people an hour with a six-minute ride. It also improves the connection to La Rosiere in France via the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass, and is on track to open for the 2026/27 season.

The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.

Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.

Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.

Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.
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