When it comes to Whistler, what are Canadians talking about— or at least asking the internet about—this March?
Haus Heidi
Google Trends data identified "vrbo haus heidi whistler" as one breakout query within the last week, meaning search volume for the term was up by at least 5,000 per cent. Search interest for Sarah Richardson, the renowned designer who documented her renovation of the B&B property for the popular HGTV series Sarah's Mountain Escape, also rose by more than 1,000 per cent.
The spike in search volume might just have something to do with a full-day series marathon broadcast on HGTV Canada over the weekend (according to Richardson's Instagram), but that's just a guess.
If you're looking for a place to stay on your next trip to Whistler, the six-bedroom "luxury alpine chalet" is currently available to rent for about $3,600 per night, depending on booking dates.
Crankworx
One of Whistler's favourite festivals might still be four months away, but it looks like keyboard warriors are already frothing to get back on Whistler's trails for the annual celebration of all things mountain biking.
According to Google Trends, search volume for Crankworx rose by more than 40 per cent within the last seven days, with "crankworx whistler 2023" also highlighted as one of the fastest-rising search queries.
This year's Crankworx World Tour is currently underway, after rolling into Rotorua, New Zealand on March 18. Whistler riders are already making their mark on the first stop of the 2023 tour, with local Georgia Astle scoring second in the Official New Zealand Whip-Off Championships on Wednesday, March 22. Stay tuned to Crankworx' website for more thrilling contests—like dual slalom, speed and style, and slopestyle—before the Rotorua stop wraps up on March 26.
The Whistler-born event is adding another installment to its World Tour this season, with an inaugural stop in Cairns, Australia scheduled to kick off on May 17. Crankworx will then take the world's best mountain bikers to Innsbruck, Austria in June, before finishing the season at home in Whistler from July 21 to 30.
What other Whistler-related topics did Canadians search for in March?
Alongside old standbys like "snow conditions," "weather" and "hotel deals," "Whistler closing date 2023," has been one of the most frequently-asked questions this March, according to Google Trends. It was highlighted as a breakout search query within the past 30 days. (The last day of winter operations for Whistler Mountain is scheduled for April 16, while Blackcomb Mountain is set to close on May 22, in case you were wondering.)
According to the constantly-changing Google Trends reports, the Adventure Group's "Vallea Lumina" was also a breakout topic within the last month (If you haven't ventured out on the magical nighttime stroll through Cougar Mountain's forest, you're missing out!) as was, to our surprise, "Pique whistler." Shout-out to everyone currently reading this, we appreciate your support.
What Whistler videos are going viral?
TikTok has been on the receiving end of some not-so-positive press as of late, with the company's CEO facing tough questions from U.S. lawmakers about its data collection practices and Canada among the ever-growing list of nations enacting bans on the video-sharing app for government-issued devices. Despite those concerns, it remains one of the most popular and fastest-growing apps on the planet, with more than 1 billion active users. According to a 2022 report from the Toronto Metropolitan University, about a quarter of all Canadians, and 76 per cent of adults aged between 18 and 24, had TikTok accounts.
Whistler has its own fair share of fun-to-follow TikTokers, but user @Makilllla's post sharing a particularly heartwarming Indigenous teaching about how to identify a Douglas Fir tree by its cones' shape took the cake. So far, it has received nearly 214,000 views and more than 40,000 likes.
@makilllla #naturetok #plantid #tree #trees #biology #planttok #naturewalk #getoutside #environmental #nature #macandtrees ♬ A Gentle Sunlight - James Quinn
