Whistler Blackcomb’s (WB) top staffer was given two chances to provide elected officials with a specific timeline for its new Glacier 8 staff building at a council meeting this month, and on both occasions, COO Belinda Trembath stayed mum.
Following an Oct. 8 presentation to mayor and council on WB’s upcoming ski season, Councillor Arthur De Jong asked Trembath for any updates on its staff housing situation.
“If you’re referring to Glacier 8, that remains an important project for us,” said Trembath. “We will absolutely continue to keep you abreast of our progress there and we are aware there are some technical requirements we need to work through.”
Seemingly wanting more specific details, Mayor Jack Crompton later asked Trembath if Glacier 8 would be in the ground in 2025.
“I think we still need to work through the project with our development partners and we appreciate we’ve got some subdivision work we need to do with council as well,” she replied. “We remain committed to the project, and we’ll keep you posted as to our progress.”
First proposed in 2019, once completed, Glacier 8 will add 240 new staff beds to WB’s stock, a much-needed boost for Whistler’s largest employer and a housing market always in need of more employee beds.
The largest injection of staff beds Whistler has seen in years—although still only a fraction of WB’s 4,000-plus workforce—preliminary site preparation for Glacier 8 began last October. Back then, WB told Pique it hoped to have the project completed in the fall of 2025. That appears, as of now, to be an ambitious timeline.
The six-storey, 66-unit apartment complex slated for Glacier Lane, between parking lots 6 and 7, will be 100-per-cent employee-restricted and subject to rental rate stipulations.
When the project was first announced, WB said it housed 31 per cent of its staff internally. With the addition of Glacier 8, the company will house more than a third of its workforce.
Minimizing skier congestion
At the Oct. 8 council meeting, Coun. Ralph Forsyth asked Trembath how WB was dealing with skier congestion typically noted around the Emerald and mid-chair zones.
“I think we’re always looking at ways to improve the guest experience on our mountains,” she said. “We’ve successfully trialled and have got in place dedicated learning zones for our ski-school participants. We are really looking at creating ways for people to circulate in different ways, and we’ve got exciting news coming before opening day to encourage people to disperse and ski Whistler Blackcomb differently.”
Ski passes available on mobile app
As part of Trembath’s update to council, she confirmed ski passes and lift tickets will be available on mobile in Whistler for the first time this ski season, through Vail Resorts’ My Epic app.
“We did roll-out at the balance of our North American resorts and rolling it out this year at WB,” she noted.
Guests will be able to skip the ticket window after buying their pass or lift ticket online, and then activating and storing it in the app. Upon arrival, they can get scanned, hands-free, from their pocket using Bluetooth technology. Vail Resorts has touted My Epic as a “one-stop app,” offering lift access, real-time resort updates, personalized stats, account information, and more.
Opening day at Whistler Blackcomb is Nov. 22.
