Spring is here, and another Whistler ski season is wrapping up. Whistler Mountain closed for the winter on April 16, but there are still three weeks left to shred Blackcomb before it shuts down for skiing and snowboarding on Victoria Day (Monday, May 22 this year), and about as many days to get your wheels ready before the Whistler Mountain Bike Park opens on May 19.
Despite the fact that Whistler's ski runs were noticeably busier this winter compared to the last few years—we can thank COVID for that slowdown in visitor numbers—some skiers and snowboarders were, anecdotally, spending less time on the slopes this year. For some, poor conditions may have manifested in a lack of motivation after a slower-than-usual start to the winter in terms of snowfall. For others, work or family commitments could have demanded more of their time. Some probably directed more energy to other hobbies, or, in some cases, maybe some let their disdain for Vail Resorts win out over their desire to head uphill for a few turns.
After hearing from more and more friends and acquaintances who didn't manage to record the same quantity of vertical this winter, Pique decided to find out once and for all: did Whistler regulars really spend less time on the slopes this winter?
Pique Newsmagazine polled 300 online readers and asked the question: Skiers and snowboarders: how many days on snow have you had this winter?
It turns out those anecdotal conversations did point towards a larger trend. Out of the 300 total votes, 51 per cent of poll respondents reported spending fewer days on snow this winter than usual, compared to almost 24 per cent who said they spent more time skiing or riding this winter, and 18 per cent who said they spent about the same time sliding downhill. Less than seven per cent of readers said they were out for the entire season, for one reason or another.
The poll ran from April 14 to 21, 2023. Of the 300 votes, we can determine that 42 came from IP addresses within the community.
The full results are as follows:
Results are based on an online study of adult Pique Newsmagazine readers that are located in Whistler. The margin of error - which measures sample variability - is +/- 5.59%, 19 times out of 20.
Pique Newsmagazine uses a variety of techniques to capture data, detect and prevent fraudulent votes, detect and prevent robots, and filter out non-local and duplicate votes.
