Whistler Blackcomb - Master Plan Updates, Feb 2011

Just found a link to this posted online, there is a newly updated Whistler Blackcomb Master Plan at the BC Ministry of Natural Resource Operations website:
www.tti.gov.bc.ca/resort_development/res...ns/list_of_plans.htm

The Whistler document is 160 pages, with about 100 MB of figures in 29 additional PDF files.
The Blackcomb document is 138 pages, with about 85 MB of figures in 25 additional PDF files.
The main documents are dated Nov 2010, but all the files have Feb 2011 modification dates, so it looks like this was all just posted online within the last few weeks.

It's very interesting reading, if you're interested in the history and upcoming expansion plans of the Pacific Northwest's (and North America's) largest ski area complex. I especially like the high-res (5-meter contour) topographic maps of both areas, along with a history of lift development and full stats on all of the current lifts (and trails too).

Some highlights of the plans include:

Whistler:
* New Cheakamus base area south of Creekside, with an 8-person gondola and three high-speed quads/6-packs to access the west slopes of Whistler Mtn.
* Two more new 8-person gondolas out of Creekside base, plus a new high-speed quad above on the NW slopes of Whistler Mtn.
* Replace Emerald Express with a high-speed 6-pack, add a new high-speed quad in parallel nearby, and replace Franz's with a high-speed quad.
* Replace Harmony Express with a high-speed 8-pack, add a new high-speed quad/6-pack up Flute.

Blackcomb:
* Add a third stage to the Excalibur Gondola to reach Glacier Creek (this was planned when the first two stages were built in 1994).
* Add a new high-speed quad up the mountain from Excalibur Base 2, and replace both Crystal and Catskinner chairs with high-speed quads.
* Replace Horstman and Showcase T-bars with an 8-person gondola.
* Two new quads in Blackcomb Glacier Provincial Park (only if park boundaries can be re-drawn).
* A new aerial tram from Rendezvous to Horstman Hut. (??)


Of course, there's no need to turn this thread into a flame-war about the evils of ski areas -- the plans are what they are, some people may be thrilled, others not so much. As noted in the Foreword of the documents, the plans are only a vision of the future, and are not necessarily going to be implemented exactly as shown. There is a public comment form provided, and an email address is listed to send comments to. Comments are due by March 25, 2011.

Thanks Amar for digging this up. I will definitely read those PDFs and of course who can resist a 5m contour topo maps

I am curious how WB is going to pay/finance all this. They wasted $120 mil on the useless Peak-to-peak (even they admit the ridership never materialized) and are or have been close to bankruptcy. Plus with baby boomers retiring and the cost of travel going up the plans might not be realized for a while.

As with most ski areas, it's only a plan. Public comment will shoot down parallel lifts. Seriously, wouldn't it be a safety problem to have that many people on each run at one time?

If my childhood memories are correct, there used to be duel slow speed doubles where the Emerald chair is now.

The plans go into quite a lot of detail regarding slope capacity calculations -- apparently, the slopes remain relatively empty by industry standards, even when the ski area is at maximum capacity during the holidays and all lifts have 10-20 minute lines. And the new "Yellow Express" near Emerald is nearly parallel, but is located a few hundred feet east along the next run.

Quite strangely, this new Whistler Blackcomb Master Plan has stayed largely under the radar regarding media coverage: there has been almost none in the Vancouver or Seattle press, at least as far as I've heard or could find in a quick Google search.

The plans were released the week before February 23, and an open house was held in Whistler on Feb 26:
www.whistlerquestion.com/article/2011022...s-for-resorts-future

It's not clear if they are trying to minimize public input and comments, by intentionally failing to publicize the plans more broadly in the media.

[hr]Another recent development at Whistler that went largely under the radar was a new gondola, the Kadenwood Gondola which opened on December 23, 2010, just a week before the widely-publicized Crystal Mountain gondola. The reason for the hush-hush? It's a private gondola, serving the exclusive millionaire's community of Kadenwood (60 lots, costing $1.5-$3 million each, not including houses), located on the hillside above the Creekside base. The bottom of the Kadenwood Gondola is located beside the Creekside Gondola.

www.kadenwood.com/about/creekside-at-your-doorstep/
www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.ph...ood%20gondola%201751
www.whistlerquestion.com/article/2010121...west-sells-kadenwood







Although it's a Doppelmayr gondola like the one at Crystal, and the 8-person cabins appear to be the same model ( CWA Constructions OMEGA IV ), the similarities end there: the Kadenwood Gondola is what's known as a pulse gondola, an unusual type of gondola with cabins fixed to the haul rope (not detachable), so the entire lift must stop (or slow to a crawl at least) for loading/unloading. There are only 4 cabins, in two groups of 2. Homeowners walk up to the lift, swipe a card (similar to one used to access a hotel room), and the lift will begin operation, completing a half-rotation (bottom-top or top-bottom).

Here's a comparison of the two gondola systems, that I just made out of curiosity:
[tt]
                     Kadenwood              Crystal Mountain
Bottom Station:      2142 ft                4400 ft
Top Station:         2890 ft                6856 ft
Vertical Rise:        748 ft                2456 ft
Slope Length:        3037 ft                6901 ft
Average Grade:       25 %                   36 %
Travel Time:         6 minutes              9 minutes 39 seconds
Speed:               500 ft/min             800 ft/min
Gondola Cabins:      4 (2 clusters of 2)    18 originally, now 24, expandable to 36
Cabin Capacity:      8 persons              8 persons
Gondola Capacity:    160 per hour           450 per hour, eventually 900 per hour
Type of Lift:        Fixed-grip, pulse      Detachable, high-speed
Manufacturer:        Doppelmayr             Doppelmayr
Cost:                $3.5 million           $5.5 million
Start Construction:  June 2010              April 19, 2010
Official Opening:    December 23, 2010      January 1, 2011
[/tt]

The Crystal Mountain gondola seems like quite a bargain in comparison, since it costs less than 60% more, but has over twice the length, over 3 times the vertical, and over 4 times as many cabins (initially), along with all the extra complexity of detachable cabins and the much more complex terminals needed to handle that.

Here is another plan for huts along the Spearhead Traverse that went under the TAY "radar". www.spearheadhuts.org/the-project