Whistler Blackcomb’s Glacier Express will remain closed over the weekend, with no firm timeline for its reopening, according to a video the ski resort posted Wednesday, Jan. 29.
In the short clip posted to social media, Brian Suhadolc, WB’s vice-president of mountain operations, said maintenance crews discovered damage to the lift’s gear box they are currently working through.
“That being said, the lift will not be open this coming weekend. We do know we have some snow coming this weekend,” he said. “All the terrain will be accessible from the top of 7th Heaven.”
The Blackcomb Mountain lift has been closed since Jan. 19. Suhadolc offered no timeline for its reopening. In a WB statement from Jan. 23, the ski resort said it anticipated it would take a week, “maybe longer,” to resolve the issue.
Suhadolc credited the lift maintenance team for their ongoing work.
“I just want to give a shout-out to our lift maintenance team as they continue to work around the clock to fix this issue,” he said.
This latest issue caps off weeks of negative press for WB’s parent company, Vail Resorts. In December, a 13-day strike by ski patrollers demanding better pay disrupted the busy holiday period at Park City Mountain. That led to a class-action lawsuit filed in Utah District Court this month on behalf of anyone who purchased a Park City lift ticket over the duration of the strike, which led to major staff shortages, hours-long lift lines, and terrain closures.
Then, on Monday, Jan. 27, an investment firm with a stake in Vail Resorts issued a public letter lobbying for sweeping changes to the company’s strategy and leadership, citing its “unacceptable performance” over the past five years. The letter, penned by Late Apex Partners’ founder Taylor Schmidt, also called for the ouster of CEO Kirsten Lynch, CFO Angela Korch, and board chair and former CEO Rob Katz.
