Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort
January 11, 2007
Provided by: Ankita Garg, Susan Howard, University of Texas
Summary authors & editors: Susan Howard
The Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia, Canada is a popular tourist destination, and together with the City of Vancouver, will host events for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains have, respectively, top elevations of 7,160 ft (2,182 m) and 7,494 ft (2,284 m), and their slopes constitute one of the largest ski areas in the world. Whistler is reputedly named after the hoary marmot (Marmota caligata), a local member of the squirrel family, called “the whistler” due to its high-pitched alarm call.
The mountains are part of the Coast Mountain Range, formed from 100-200 million year-old metamorphic rock, and have a reported average snowfall of over 30 feet/year (9.14 m). Although snowfall patterns have been less predictable in recent years, this photo, taken in April 2005, shows that picturesque snowfalls can occur here well into early spring.
Related Links: