You can find almost as many ski-run signs hanging on walls in Whistler homes as you can on the resort’s slopes. Now’s your chance to secure your own (without engaging in any illegal activity).
Beginning Wednesday morning, May 24, the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation is auctioning off a series of authentic trail signs that once marked iconic runs at North America’s biggest ski resort. Whistler Blackcomb and its parent company Vail Resorts generously donated 36 of the authentic trail signs to the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation to help raise money for the wide range of community initiatives the organization funds each year.
“Some of the signs are the LAST of the original mountain signage,” the foundation explains on its website. “These signs were the first of their kind but will now be replaced to match the current design you see on hill.”
Especially for those who missed out on the foundation’s recent Creekside Gondola, Red and Fitzsimmons Chair sales, that means this is your chance to procure a piece of Whistler history.
Among the items up for grabs are designations for blue squares like “Lower Peak to Creek” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” black diamonds like “Club 21” and “Arthur’s Choice,” and even instructional signage warning skiers to “keep your feet up” as they prepare to unload a lift. Others feature trail names that no longer appear on the resort’s official winter trail maps, like “Heavenly Basin”—which was renamed Brownlie Basin in 2017 in honour of former Whistler Blackcomb president and CEO Dave Brownlie—“Unsanctioned,” or “In the Spirit.”
The signs' authenticity also means they are in used condition, with some in better shape than others, the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation warned. Signs are sold as is, and all sales are final.
The auction kicks off at 10 a.m. Wednesday and will remain open for bidding until Tuesday, May 30 at 7 p.m. All items are listed with a minimum bid of $350.
Winning bidders must ensure their purchases are picked up on Saturday, June 3, between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. from the Whistler Blackcomb Admin Building Parking Lot located at 4545 Blackcomb Way.
