Whistler Blackcomb announces opening date for slopes after COVID-19 cases forced the resort to close early
With summer still in full-swing, the owner of Whistler’s ski hills is already announcing when the slopes are set to open to skiers and boarders.
Whistler Blackcomb is scheduled to open on Nov. 25, according to a news release from parent company Vail Resorts.
News of the opening date comes amid rising COVID-19 cases as B.C. battles a fourth wave of infections, led primarily by the Delta variant.
This past winter, the ski hills closed at the end of March, several weeks early due to spiking coronavirus cases in Whistler. The company offered refunds to some customers who’d pre-purchased lift tickets and passes, but some customers told CTV News Vancouver they were left in the lurch, having purchased hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of lift tickets that weren’t refunded.
The company is currently promoting deals on lift tickets for the 2021-2022 season, and says it is monitoring COVID-19 public health guidance.
“Details of any necessary safety protocols will be communicated ahead of the season as the situation continues to evolve,” continues the news release.
Last ski season, the small town weathered several coronavirus outbreaks, which prompted officials to offer early COVID-19 vaccines to Whistler residents. In April, for example, the Howe Sound health area had the highest rate of infections in the province, with the majority of the cases in Whistler, fuelled in part by spring break travel.
Restaurants and hotels in Whistler are known to hire young people who flock to the resort town from across Canada and around the world. Health officials said many of the cases recorded in the town in Jan. 2021 were among "young people in their 20s and 30s who live, work and socialized together."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.