Whistler celebrates U.S. Thanksgiving with feast of snow

Whistler, B.C. – With Blackcomb Mountain opening tomorrow, in time to celebrate U.S. Thanksgiving with the resort’s American guests, Mother Nature continues to get in on the party.

Last season the resort recorded a whopping 51 feet of cumulative snowfall, shattering previous records and even leaving some of the white stuff in the alpine to kick of this winter season. Meteorologists are calling for a repeat of the La Nina weather system this year, which means cooler temperatures and lots of snow. With 19 centimetres falling in the last 24 hours, an impressive 130 centimetres in the past week and a cumulative snowfall of 234 centimetres to date, the 2011/ 2012 winter season is off to a strong start.

The forecast is calling for snowfall throughout the rest of the week, expected to be heavy on Saturday and Sunday, dropping another 50-80 centimetres over the weekend. The base is currently at 135 centimetres (53 inches, or approximately 4.4 feet).

Whistler Mountain opened November 18 – six days earlier than scheduled and Blackcomb will open Thursday, November 24. For the latest weather information, visit http://www.whistler.com/weather/. To view webcams, visit http://www.whistler.com/webcam/#whistler

Enter to win the trip of a lifetime: Whistler Sabbatical Project: Would You Do It?
With snow in the air, on the ground and in the forecast, snow sport enthusiasts inevitably find themselves dreaming of taking to the air for the ultimate heli-ski experience. Thanks to the Whistler Sabbatical Project, one lucky winner could find themselves carving their way through piles of untracked pow, high in the pristine alpine slopes above Whistler.

Launched in October, the Whistler Sabbatical Project offers the chance to win one month in Whistler – all expenses paid (airfare, accommodation, lift passes, ski/ snowboard equipment … and a salary) plus a series of one-of-a-kind Whistler experiences.

Each week until the end of January, the Whistler Sabbatical Project showcases unique and exciting Whistler experiences online – and asks the question: Would you do it? This week’s question is: Would you heli-ski with a guide who has summited Everest? The experience features a heli-ski trip with Whistler Heli-Ski head guide and Mount Everest Summiter John Furneaux. Watch the vignette featuring Furneaux here:http://wouldyoudoit.whistler.com/#heli-ski

The contest entry for the Whistler Sabbatical Project is available at www.whistler.com/wouldyoudoit

In addition to the Whistler Sabbatical Project, contestants can enter to win each of the highlighted experiences as a weekly prize via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GoWhistler.

The Whistler Sabbatical Project and the weekly prize contests are open to residents in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Contest rules and conditions apply. Weekly prize winners will be drawn randomly. The Whistler Sabbatical Project contest closes January 31, 2012 with 10 randomly-selected finalists drawn between February 1-10, 2012 and the grand-prize winner notified on February 13, 2012. The Whistler Sabbatical prize must be redeemed between March 1 - April 30, 2012.

Celebrate winter with fireworks and music
To celebrate the official start to the ski season – and American Thanksgiving -- the resort hosts Whistler Presents: A winter fireworks display on Thursday, November 24 at 8 p.m. (best viewed from Skiers’ Plaza). In addition, Canadian bands Loverboy with special guests Trooper will perform under the pavilion at Whistler Olympic Plaza on Saturday, November 26. Tickets are available at www.whistler.com/events

Stay connected
Guests can stay connected while on the mountains: new this season, Whistler Blackcomb, in partnership with TELUS, will be offering free wireless Internet at the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain and at the Rendezvous Lodge and Glacier Creek Hut on Blackcomb Mountain. Stay connected with Whistler.com's mobile website.

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