That's my view on things also. Essentially if you can day-trip it, then it's 'local' in terms of skiing.
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Retail and service in Whistler NEED it to be open to the LM or it's going to be a slaughter. Anyone that somehow makes their income from outside the valley is likely to be hoping for the LM to be locked out and the lifts running.
This is what happens when the government guidelines are so ill defined, some resort to extreme localism / tribalism. Society is always four meals away from anarchy
That said at least we can still laugh about it all
The official position:-
Travel for mountain sports
Ski and snowboard at your local mountains. For example, if you live in Vancouver, you should ski at Cypress, Grouse or Mt. Seymour.
Coming from outside of B.C.
At this time, people travelling to B.C. from another province or territory within Canada should only come for essential reasons. If you do travel, you are expected to follow the same travel guidelines as everyone else in B.C.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/s...t/restrictions
Because when we force all of Vancouver to wait in longer denser lines at local hills with a fraction of the capacity, with less overall indoor space, with a giant gondolla car going up and down (grouse), with only 1 washroom (cypress), then people won't be as likely to share the vid.
Makes no sense.
Oh great, half of Vancouver showed up at Hollyburn Lodge for hot chocolate!
Might be of interest to people what Vail did in Australia.
The state of Victoria was placed in lockdown, with travel restrictions. The Victorian resorts closed. Meanwhile NSW resorts stayed open. Vail, of it's own volition, blocked any season passes belonging to people with Victorian addresses, and refunded money.
So theoretically that could happen For Whistler. They could put a block on a pass for someone with a Vancouver address, if they wanted to, or were asked to.
Sure it could happen. I’m saying that in the scenario here, using the address is a simplistic screening system that could block people who actually LIVE in Whistler all winter but happen to have an off-season address elsewhere.
So they are not travelling back and forth and are not part of the supposed problem.
The goal of any solution should be to actually target the problem, and not just aim scattershot in its direction. How that could be done, I don’t know.
I'm not sure that an address system could work here right now. WB/Vail has sold you a right to ski, while the guidance suggests/asks/begs etc that you not ski other than at your local hill, the rules (not the summary or anything else, but the actual order that trumps everything else) does not prohibit it. I think a company would have a hard time refusing service on the basis of a customer's residential location unless the rules changed.
The biggest concern health authorities have is Vancouver people needing to get out of the City, and unlike summer, unable to drive to places like the Okanagan, over snow-stormed highway passes. Whis is two hours away on wet roads.
They are hardly concerned with a solo skier in alpine elevations. They're more concerned about a car full of giggly chinee with bad teeth, talking selfies and going up to clusterfuck in a restaurant. That's the same disgust Whistler residents had in pre-pandemic, summer weekends.
I agree, continual vague language from the health authorities. The north shore mountains are 'local' to the north shore localities, with a population of 200,000. Those people telling the rest of the lower mainland 'region' (2.8 million) to stay away is like Whis telling the lower mainland to stay away.
Reservations for first 4 days are sold out. And it’s pass holders (and I think edge cards free early season) only. If we are at capacity already, good luck to non pass holders during the core season!
Interesting progression here over the past few months. First everyone was up in arms about seeing cars with American license plates. Then it was out of province plates. Now I guess even people coming from Vancouver are non grata.
Next it'll be Squamish, then Pinecrest & Blackcomb Estates, then Creekside.
If you village types come south of Nordic we're going to have problems
I just called Bonnie Henry. This is how she wants it: lower mainland skiers get local hills. Squamish, sky pilot. Whistler residents get Whistler and south garibaldi. Pemberton residents get blackcomb, north garibaldi and the remainder of the coast range.
Please respect her wishes.
Anyone find any websites or social media (because that's how Vail like to communicate with their customers) listing what lifts are planned to open for opening weekend?
I haven't been paying close attention since I can't even get into the country, but this was the first I'd seen this:
Quote:
Every morning at 7 am you can book access to the big 3 lodges: Rendezvous, Roundhouse, Glacier Creek. Booking a meal time is easy. Simply access the “Time to Dine” tool through our EpicMix app or visit our website. Our 3 valley pubs and 2 fine dining restaurants can also be booked in advance.
Book GLC / Merlins / Dustys in advance and not have to fuck around trying to guess who is about to leave and sort of mill about until you can grab their table? Or, alternatively have to not go to any of these places because nothing's available and just have to tailgate for a beer or go back to the house? Sign me the fuck up.
Personally, I think not being able to go to the Whistler Film Festival is a major bummer. It looks like they got a lot of great films this year and the theatre is the proper place for that.
NO FRICKIN FRESH TRACKS BREAKFAST THIS YEAR! Praise Jah and Ullr! send that shit packing to Blackcomb next year!