WB

Sam and I had a delightful day at Whistler on Friday - my first ski day in 5? years and first time to Whistler in more than that. I love Whistler; it is so gorgeous in the Whistler alpine, especially the so-called "Symphony Amphitheatre".

I knew Whistler was now owned by USA but I didn't know much about it, other than Vail Resorts (of Colorado fame) owns it. A few factoids I looked up:

1. Vail paid $1B for WB in 2010. Their 2025 revenues were about $3B.

2. They own 42, but WB is by far their largest property, and generates around 22% of revenues. Others are mostly in USA except for Canada - 1, Europe - 2, Australia -3.

3. Gemini claims WB is the largest ski area in North America, but I imagine there are several ways to measure that. WB is largest by size of lift serviced terrain, about 8200 acres.

4. #1 ski area in the world is in France with a hard to imagine triple the terrain of WB, over 180 lifts (WB: 36) and 600k of runs (WB: 200k). However, it is operated by 8 companies in three joined valleys, so it doesn't seem like a fair direct comparison.

A walk-up day pass for Whistler costs a heart-stopping $305, but you can save over half that by buying the night before, and get it down to around $90 if you buy a 10-pack in the fall.

I'd love to make a Whistler trip an annual tradition!

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