Canadian Mountain Holidays

As of mid-July, the construction of Whistler’s world record breaking gondola is safely on track for opening in December 2008!

With two of the track ropes already hauled right across the valley and under tension, the third track rope is already on its way up the slopes of Whistler Mountain, having been hauled down from the Blackcomb station. The fourth and final track rope will follow, and then will come the gondola haul rope.

Once the haul rope is across, securing it will take a while because it will have to be spliced to form a loop. This job is scheduled for completion by mid-September.

Meanwhile, work on the terminal buildings is moving along apace, too! To compliment the other records being set by this gondola, they will be the largest lift terminal buildings in the world! At this moment, crews are installing the roof cladding on the Blackcomb terminal, while brick-, concrete- and mechanical work is being done on both sides.

The culture of mountain lift building has brought some interesting customs to the project! Each of the lift towers has borne the Swiss flag, because the construction crews originate in that alpine nation. In addition, as the last piece of steelwork has been installed at the top of each tower, a large tree has been placed atop the structure. Depending on who you talk to, this custom - known as Topping Out - celebrates a job completed without loss of life, or is a talisman for good fortune in the future.

On a project of this scale and nature, I think we can take both as great signs for the future of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola!

Today’s the official start of summer in Panorama: The first day of operations at Greywolf Golf Course! Although the course opening was delayed a week due to the cool spring and late snowmelt, its been worth the wait! The first long weekend of summer promises increased temperatures, up to as much as 30C, and sunshine right through to Monday!

Whistler’s summer has kicked in, too, with the golf courses all having opened in the past couple of weeks. Canada’s leading golf destination has five championship courses that’ll delight the most discerning golfer!

After an epic winter of huge snowfalls, and a long, chilly spring, Sun Peaks‘ Graham Cooke design golf course is scheduled to open for the season on May 24th.

Compass Tours specializes in creating reasonably-priced summer and winter holiday packages to Whistler, Sun Peaks and Panorama resorts. Experience, local knowledge, and great service!

Contact us today for your free, no-obligation quote!

Yes, its that time of year already! The freezing levels are starting to rise and the daffodils, tulips, bluebells and snowdrops are starting to pop up.

Panorama Mountain Village closed last Sunday, seeing the end of an epic season which boasted super snow conditions throughout the winter! Now the golf season’s on the way, with Greywolf Golf Course set to open on May 9th, with the mountain bike park soon to follow!

This coming Sunday will see the last weekend of winter operations in Sun Peaks for 2008, with several end-of-season events scheduled to celebrate what has been a great snow year. The Sun Peaks Golf Course will open on May 17th, and the mountain bike park opens June 28th.

Whistler still has almost two weeks of skiing and boarding left with Whistler Mountain closing on April 20th, while Blackcomb remains open as conditions permit until June 8th. Summer sliding on Blackcomb Glacier will open on June 9th. The much-anticipated Whistler golf season will start on April 18th with the opening of Big Sky Golf & Country Club. The other courses, Fairmont Chateau, Nicklaus North, and Whistler Golf Club, will be coming online as soon as conditions permit. The world-class mountain bike park on Whistler Mountain opens on May 17th.

If you’re thinking of planning a Canadian mountain holiday this summer, ask Compass Tours to help you make the arrangements! We operate in Whistler, Sun Peaks and Panorama, and would love to help you get the most out of your vacation! Contact us today for your free quote - and to benefit from our local knowledge and vacation planning experience!

Looking at it now, its hard to believe that on December 12th, 2008, the record breaking gondola strung between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains will be open! Whistler, Canada, will boast a gondola with the world’s longest unsupported span and, with just four towers, it will be one of the most environmentally responsible people-movers out there!

Guests will find moving between the two huge mountains much easier and quicker, a better way to enjoy both hills and over 8,000 acres! And during the summer, the gondola will become a “must do” activity for visitors to Whistler, while giving guests access to alpine hiking and walking trails on both mountains!

During the winter of 07/08, the manufacture of drive machinery, gondola cabins and cable was completed in the workshops of Europe, mostly in Austria and Switzerland.

Spring and summer this year will see the final concrete poured, the completion of the tower construction, the installation of all electrical equipment and machinery and, finally, the stringing of the cable.

Not long after the Whistler golf courses close for the winter of 08/09, the gondolas will be hung, the last of the safety systems will be installed and tested, official operational and safety inspections will be completed, and gondola staff will be trained and exercised.

The Peak to Peak Gondola will be yet another feather in Whistler’s cap - to compliment the new Whistler Olympic Park nordic facility and the Whistler Sliding Centre, which will host the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions, along with the rest of the alpine events!

If you’re thinking about visiting Whistler, or enjoying a Canadian mountain holiday in Sun Peaks or Panorama, please contact us. Compass Tours can create a reasonably-priced custom package tailored to your needs - accommodation with any combination of air and ground transportation, lift tickets, golf, other seasonal activities, etc.

What a great snow year all the mountain resorts in B.C. are having this season!

Things are going ahead at the new Whistler nordic centre in the Callaghan Valley - now officially known as Whistler Olympic Park. The facilities have been open for some weeks and have proved to be a hit with nordic fans! Added to the popular Lost Lake complex in the village, Whistler has grown into a world class nordic destination - there’s plenty here to keep everyone entertained!

More great news is that the issue of dual-passes with Lost Lake cross country trails has been resolved … users can now choose from a pass that gives them access to the Callaghan Valley network of trails alone, or just to the Lost Lake trails … or a dual pass that covers both! For more information on the new facilities and trail passes in the Callaghan, visit the official Whistler Olympic Park website.

Sun Peaks offers skinny skiers a total of 40km of trails - 28km are trackset for both classic and skate skiing, and 12km are ungroomed backcountry trails. An added bonus is that the nordic pass in Sun Peaks includes access to the Mt Morrisey Express alpine lift, which opens up a great tour all the way down to the McGillivray Lake warming hut.

This winter Panorama has a little less to offer in the way of cross country skiing than usual, due to logging in the area that has closed access to some outlying trails. There’s still access to over 10km of groomed and trackset trails, though, via the Greywolf Nordic Centre. You can also stop at Carrick’s Restaurant, which offers casual light dining with a licenced bar, and a retail outlet, too, for those items you may have forgotten to bring along!

Compass Tours can create your holiday package to any of these outstanding resorts!

Let us put a reasonably-priced custom package together for you, with a free quote, so that you don’t miss out! Read what our clients have to say about us!

Contact us today for more information!

A great alternative to hotel- or condo-style accommodation for your Canadian mountain holiday is a bed & breakfast inn. Just imagine:

You start you day with a good meal that’s catered for (and cleaned up after!), along with the personalized experience of staying in a small property where people will know your name - in a neighbourhood right where the locals live!

Earl Grey Lodge, Panorama Resort

An example of this is the Earl Grey Lodge in Panorama Resort. Located in the main village area, this bnb is just steps from the lift base and within easy walking distance of all the amenities. Your hosts, Phil & Clare Marshall, will make you feel right at home, and there’s also the opportunity to enjoy the service at their intimate award-winning restaurant if you don’t feel like going out in the evening!

Alpine Chalet Whistler

Whistler Resort boasts the purpose-built Alpine Chalet that offers European-style hospitality with afternoon cookies and cake for apres-activities! Nothing has been forgotten at this lovely inn … internet access, spa services …

Sun Lodge, Sun Peaks

In Sun Peaks there’s the Sun Lodge, a true ski in/out b&b that’s great for families, with the added benefit of a Japanese restaurant for those evenings in!

Compass Tours can create reasonably-priced custom packages that include any combination of accommodation with air and/or ground transportation, lift tickets, rentals, lessons, winter and summer activities, golf … even dinner reservations! We can also add on a night or two in Vancouver, host of the 2010 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games!

Contact us today for more information about your next trip to Whistler, Sun Peaks or Panorama!

It was announced recently that the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker program is set to expand over the next weeks and months.

The program has already been broadened to include hospitality and tourism workers, which specifically addresses issues that affect resort destinations such as Whistler, Sun Peaks, and Panorama, and is to be further widened to include other trades. No specifics have been made public yet, though.

The idea is to ensure a better supply of qualified workers not only for the immediate future as the population ages, but also to cover the demands of Vancouver and the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic & Paralymic Games.

In addition, Human Resources and Social Development Minister, Monte Solberg, has advised that the Canadian Working Holiday Visa system is also being reassessed with a view to possibly including the UK, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.

So, if you’re interested in working in Canada temporarily, be sure to keep an eye on the Immigration Canada website.

Good luck!

Twice in as many weeks, a Whistler hotel has been awarded a prestigious ranking by the American Automobile Association!

The Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa, reopened after a $52 million make-over in 2006, has just been granted the Four Diamond award by the AAA. The property’s first-rate accommodations together with fine amenities and great service, offer the guest a real treat!

Pradeep Puri, the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa’s General Manager, is gratified at the recognition and says it rewards the hotel’s great efforts to provide its guests with exceptional quality throughout - the ultimate resort experience.

The AAA’s Four Diamond Award is affirmation of the hotel’s commitment to providing superior quality in all areas. Not only are the hotel’s physical amenities of a very high standard, but they’re complimented by excellent hospitality, service and attention to detail.

Compass Tours creates reasonably-priced custom packages for visitors to Whistler - any combination of accommodation with flights, ground transportation, lift tickets, golf, winter and summer activities, even dinner reservations!

Contact us today for your free quote!

Whistler’s most luxurious resort, the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, was recently granted the prestigious American Automobile Association’s Five Diamond Award. The hotel is the first resort-style property in Canada to receive this honour, and only the third hotel in Canada to be so recognized.

The AAA Five Diamond Award is presented to properties that achieve superior levels of personal service for their guests, plus the ultimate in luxury and sophistication in the presentation of its physical amenities.

Less than half a percent of all hotels, restaurants, etc, in North America and the Caribbean rated by the AAA achieve this status!

Scott Taber, the resort’s manager, dedicates the Four Seasons Resort Whistler’s success to the efforts of the hotel’s staff who, he says, make it all happen.

It takes several years to attain such lofty status and Scott is no stranger to the experience! He has lead several other Four Seasons properties to Five Diamond status in the past. And considering that the Four Seasons Whistler only opened in 2004, this is quite an achievement!

If you’re thinking of visiting Whistler and considering treating yourself to a stay at this wonderful hotel, please let us help you make the arrangements!

We can put a package together that includes accommodation with any combination of transportation, skiing and snowboarding, golf, winter and summer activities, even dinner reservations!

Compass Tours specializes in creating reasonably-priced custom packages to Whistler, as well as Sun Peaks and Panorama, and is committed to making the design of your itinerary as simple and worry-free as possible!

Contact us now for more information!

Great news from Whistler resort! Whistler Mountain is scheduled to open a week early, on November 17th!

This photo, taken late on Thursday, shows that the white stuff is already reaching right down to the valley!

There’s a mid-mountain base of 108cm (about 3.5ft) which was given a great boost earlier this week with a huge 80cm/2.6ft dump! The forecast is for plenty more white stuff over the next few days, with the freezing level dropping back to the valley.

From Saturday, access to Whistler’s slopes will be via the Village and Creekside Gondolas, with mandatory downloading. Other lifts scheduled to open are the Red and Emerald Chairs. Franz’s Chair will be open on Saturday and Sunday only.

Early season pricing is still being hammered out - keep an eye on the ticket windows for cut-rate prices due to the limited terrain access!

The lifts will be running from 8.30am to 3pm daily, with last upload at 2.30pm.

Are you coming to Whistler this winter? Then let Compass Tours organize it for you! We specialize in creating reasonably priced custom packages that put accommodation together with any combination of air and/or ground transportation, lift tickets, rental equipment, lessons, activities, even dinner reservations!

Contact us today for more information!