New Whistler Gondola Connects Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains

New Whistler Gondola, originally uploaded by nickphotos.

I'm not sure if construction is on schedule but this year a new Whistler Gondola is expected to link Blackcomb and Whistler mountains. You can buy a dual mountain day-pass but Blackcomb and Whistler are pretty big mountains and skiing down from the peak of one and then riding up to the peak of the other can take a long time. The idea of the new Gondola is to cut down on cross-mountain trip-time. The new gondola is scheduled to open in December 2008.

This year Whistler and Blackcomb mountains open for the 2008-2009 ski season on November 27, 2008.

Roundhouse Cafe Winter - Whistler Mountain

Roundhouse Cafe - Whistler, originally uploaded by willtardy.

This is the view from below the Roundhouse overhang. There's lots of seating behind all those windows so you can sit and eat your lunch looking out over the gorgeous winter mountain landscape. It's also a good time to check the Whistler trail map and see where you've been and plan where to go after lunch. Whistler Mountain is big so it's best to ski a few runs at a time before heading cross-mountain to another area.

Roundhouse View from the Top of Whistler Mountain

whistler roundhouse view, originally uploaded by Tim in Sydney.

The Roundhouse is a non-round building at the top of Whistler Mountain - well, maybe not the very top - but The Roundhouse is at the top of the main Gondola ride up the mountain. It's the main amenities building on Whistler mountain including a variety of food services. It's come a long way from $5 for a burger and fries!

Rock Slide - Sea to Sky Highway

Rock Slide - Sea to Sky Highway taken from seaplane, originally uploaded by mozillamarcia.

On Tuesday sometime after 10pm a huge rock slide narrowly missed a shuttle bus and shut down the Sea to Sky highway between Whistler and Vancouver. The slide happened between Lions Bay and Furry Creek burying both lanes of Highway 99 and the train tracks under up to 10 metres of rock. Initial reports expected the highway to be closed for up to 5 days but it sounds like crews may take even longer to clear the debris even though blasting has already begun in an effort to restore transportation between Vancouver and Whistler. With the Sea to Sky highway closed the detour trip between Whistler and Vancouver is expected to take 7-10 hours by car.

Of course the big question is what kind of contingency plans will be in place for the 2010 Olympics? Although another rock slide of this magnitude is unlikely within such a short time-frame - the highway obviously can't be shut down for 5 days during the Olympics. Whatever backup measures are established and presented through the media - I suspect the real plan will be for all VANOC members to keep their fingers crossed at all times during the 2010 Olympics. Maybe we could finally use those fast ferries that were mis-engineered a few years back. Now where did we put those things?

Whistler Canada 2010 Olympics

Whistler Canada 2010 Olympics, originally uploaded by mothernature.

Some fresh pictures are long overdue. There's been lots of news coverage in the papers regarding the 2008 Summer Olympics being held in China. I don't think Whistler will have the same concerns of poor air quality or signs written in mangled English. I sure hope the upcoming Winter Olympics in Whistler goes smoothly because down here in Vancouver our roads have been clogged ever since Whistler won the bid to host the Olympics. I've never seen so much construction go on at one time. This photo of Whistler Mountain looks so peaceful and serene. I'll have to look for a shot that shows what kind of chaos all the construction has caused.

Black Tusk Peak

Black Tusk full screen, originally uploaded by dooda.

Black Tusk is composed of volcanic rock. Located in Garibaldi Provincial Park the peak is easily visible epecially from the Sea-to-Sky Highway on the way to Whistler, British Columbia.

Huge Inukshuk on Whistler Mountain

Whistler 095, originally uploaded by gnell.

A nice shot of the massive Inukshuk statue partly covered in snow on top of Whistler Mountain ski resort in British Columbia.

Whistler Taboggan Ice Sculpture

whistler ice sculpture taboggan, originally uploaded by Tim in Sydney.

An ice sculpture of a taboggan outside the Roundhouse at Whistler.

Awesome Mogul Fields on Whistler Peak

Whistler Mtn, originally uploaded by puckles.

A beautiful picture of Whistler peak that clearly shows the vast mogul fields that cover the large glacier bowls on the top of Whistler mountain. Steep wide-open terrain to challenge the most confident skiiers and snowboarders that brave the descent.

Whistler Snowboarding Trip

Whistler Snowboarding Trip, originally uploaded by jsigharas.

The view from the top of Whistler peak is truely magical. With snow-capped mountains all around and often nothing but clouds below the view from the top makes for a heavenly picture. Perhaps that's why Blackcomb names one of it's upper lifts "7th Heaven"

Whistler Peak Weather Station

Whistler Peak Weather Station, originally uploaded by realaworld.

It's hard to believe anyone can get much weather information from the Whistler Peak Weather Station as it appears to be frozen stiff in this shot. Apparently the whistler peak webcam is somewhere up in that frozen mess. Visibility?

Mountain Biking on Whistler

Mountain Biking on Whistler, originally uploaded by innerORANGE.

Whistler isn't just a winter destination for skiiers and snowboarders. In the summer the mountain is a full-on mountain bike trail riding adventure. Whistler has become a favourite destination for extreme sports enthusiasts of all kinds, year round.

Hangboarding at Whistler Blackcomb

Dan at Whistler/Blackcomb, originally uploaded by HangBoarding.

How long until this becomes a new Olympic sport? Or at least a new popular trend just like snowboarding started out. This is a shot of Dan testing out a new hangboard design.

Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler 2007

Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler 2007, originally uploaded by Megan Cole.

A shot of the crowd at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, Canada, 2007.

Looking Over the Clouds on Whistler

Whistler, originally uploaded by woaksie.

Awesome shot looking over a cliff on Whistler mountain from an altitude above the clouds.

Skiing on Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb 6559, originally uploaded by Bl@ck Coffee.

Skiiers coming down through the rocks on Whistler Blackcomb mountain.

Another Whistler Village Picture

Whistler Village, originally uploaded by * Ahmad Kavousian *.

Here's another random photo of Whistler Village on a slightly cloudy day.

Whistler Village at Night

Whistler Village, originally uploaded by Steve Rosset.

A great photo of Whistler Village all lit up at night.

Cliff Jumping at Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb, Canada, originally uploaded by abbydevore.

Photo of skiier jumping off a huge cliff at Whistler Blackcomb mountain.

Starlight Tubing on Blackcomb

Tubing on Blackcomb - 15.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeff Henshaw.

Whistler isn't just for skiiers. Here's a great shot of people enjoying a tube ride on Blackcomb mountain at night under the stars.

Final Climb to Blackcomb Glacier

Final Climb to Blackcomb Glacier, originally uploaded by Tourism BC.

The final climb to the very top of Blackcomb Glacier in Whistler, BC.

Above the Clouds on Blackcomb Mountain

Blackcomb, originally uploaded by Weston Alan.

Here's a Whistler photo from above the clouds on Blackcomb mountain.

Whistler Snowboarding Pic

Whistler Snowboarding, originally uploaded by JCDogginit.

Photo of Whistler Village

Whistler Village, originally uploaded by * Ahmad Kavousian *.

Whistler Gondola Mountain Biking

Whistler Gondola, originally uploaded by innerORANGE.

Whistler Mountain Backside Bowl

Whistler 012, originally uploaded by Donutsonline.

Base of Whistler Mountain

Whistler, originally uploaded by Ryan Hadley.

View from Whistler Roundhouse

whistler roundhouse view, originally uploaded by Tim in Sydney.

A great pic from the balcony of the Roundhouse on Whistler mountain.

Riding Whistler's T-Bars

riding Whistler's T-Bars, originally uploaded by Judy B.

A sepia photo of the T-Bars on Whistler mountain.

Whistler Blackcomb Downhill Ski Run

Whistler Blackcomb BW 6538, originally uploaded by Bl@ck Coffee.

Here's a shot down on of the ski runs at Whistler.

Top of Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb 6553, originally uploaded by Bl@ck Coffee.

Here's a shot of a frozen hut at the top of Whistler Blackcomb resort.

Whistler Blackcomb Gondola

Whistler Blackcomb 6653, originally uploaded by Bl@ck Coffee.

Here's a shot of the first aid gondola on the way down from Whistler mountain.

Whistler Village

Whistler Village., originally uploaded by weilcela.

Whistler photo from the Balcony of the Delta Whistler Hotel.

The Four Seasons Resort in Whistler

The Four Seasons Resort in Whistler, originally uploaded by Tommy Williams.

Whistler Blackcomb Photo

Whistler Blackcomb 6550, originally uploaded by Bl@ck Coffee.

Here's a shot from the top of a ski run on Whistler Blackcomb.

Whistler Blackcomb Mountain

Whistler Blackcomb 6556, originally uploaded by Bl@ck Coffee.