Single participants do both sections of the race as quick as possible, where the team format allows one person to do the skiing or snowboarding, while the 2nd person gets tagged to complete the remaining mountain biking section of the race. There are multiple categories for participants of the Crud 2 Mud event, ranging in age categories and formats. Pre-registration is mandatory, with a deadline of Saturday, May 25th and 2PM. Entry to the event is $55 for singles and $80 for teams of two, however this does not include the Whistler mountain lift ticket ($31 for adults $28 for youths/seniors).

Registration can be completed at Whistler Blackcomb guest reservations or 1-800-766-0449. The race has a recommended skill level for both skiing/snowboarding and mountain biking as intermediate to expert. All Crud 2 Mud registered athletes are required to attend the mandatory meeting at the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC) on Saturday, May 25 at 6PM to discuss the format of the race as well as the final course route.

After the race, everyone is welcome to attend the celebrations and awards at the GLC at the base of Whistler mountain, in the village.

If you haven’t already booked your reservation for this weekend, make sure to check out the available Whistler Rentals on alluraDirect.com. For more information regarding the Crud 2 Mud race event, please visit Whistler Blackcomb Bike website.

• 3 Day Edge Card: $232 – $77 per lift ticket.
• 5 Day Edge Card: $355 – $71 per lift ticket.
• 10 Day Edge Card: $639 – $64 per lift ticket.

For people who purchase the Whistler Blackcomb Edge Cards, there are additional perks attached. All card holders receive a free early season ski day as well as an “Alpine Experience” summer sightseeing day, which includes a ride on the Peak to Peak gondola.

Spring skiing is available until May 27th, all Edge Card holders are able to purchase a spring add-on pass for $79 which grants unlimited skiing until the mountain closes for the season. The construction of the new chairlift does limit the terrain for spring skiing, however there is still lots of open terrain to enjoy.

Golfers over the weekend had amazing opening season conditions reported from the local golf courses of Nicklaus North, Chateau Whistler and the Whistler Golf Club. For the local Whistler residents, it was also a great sign of things to come for the summer, with many beach goers out in full force at Rainbow Park and the close by lakes.

With the sudden hot weather spurt, the conditions have dried out tremendously. Whistler Fire Rescue Chief Rob Whitton made a note about this trend, making the fire hazard rating high to extreme. All travelers, visitors and locals of Whistler and Pemberton are asked to be careful with outdoor BBQ’s or campfires of any form, as the weather will continue to remain warm for the upcoming week.

Section 8.11 of the Workers Compensations Act states: “Safety Headgear must be worn by a worker in any work area where there is a danger of head injury from falling, flying or thrown objects, or hamful contacts.” This rule has been in the legislation for many years, but was never applied to ski hill employees.

Employees on the mountain will be required to provide their own certified helmet for the workplace, with the option to lend helmets for the remaining on this season.

The Shred Snow slopestyle event was held in Whistler on Friday, with the Big Air contest taking place on Monday.

Snowboarders from around the world competed in various events in an attempt to earn both World Snowboard Tour points and the $15,000 prize purse for first place.

Shred Snow – Slopestyle Event – April 19th:

While barely making it into the finals with a score of 68.8, the Norwegian snowboarder Emil Ulsletten managed to win the competition with a score of 84.50, winning important tour points as well as the $15,000 prize purse. The 2nd place finisher was American Eric Willett, with a final score of 83.33. The 3rd place finisher was Canadian Tyler Nicholson from Ontario, with a score of 78.33.

Shred Snow – Big Air Event – April 22nd:

One of the highlights of the whole festival is the crowd-pleasing Big Air competition, with snowboarders making it look way too easy. With the music pumping, the crowd really helped the snowboarders get into the feel of things, making it exciting and fun for everyone.

Canadian snowboarder Maxence Parrot placed 1st in the Big Air contest with a score of 96.50, bringing home the $15,000 purse along with the tour points. 2nd place was taken by Norwegian Kim Rune Hansen with a score of 93.25 and 3rd place was American Justin Morgan with 90.25.

The final placement standings for the snowboarders ended up being…

• Maxence Parrot 96.50
• Kim Rune Hansen 85.75
• Justin Morgan 90.25
• Sage Kotsenburg 87.00
• Matts Kulisek 80.25
• Carlos Gerber 79.25
• Emil Ulsletten 77.00
• Darcy Sharpe 62.50
• Eric Willett 23.25
• Nicholas Julius 12.75

Whistler is always a great experience for everyone, no matter what the schedule looks like. This year’s Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival (#WSSF) was something special. If you have any experiences or pictures, we would love to see them.

The proposed mountain ski destination would have a 1715 meter vertical in the winter and 700 meter vertical in the summer, making this the only year-around ski area located in North America and one of only three resorts worldwide. With four glacier ski areas, the plan is to have around 20 operational ski lifts to facilitate sporting enthusiast from around the world.

The proposal for the Jumbo Glacier resort first appeared over 20 years ago, but hasn’t been able to get approval, this status designation is a step forward to make it a reality.

The closest town to Jumbo Glacier would be Invermere. The top lift height would be the highest in Canada and one of the top 20 highest in North America. While still in the infancy stage of the process, Jumbo Glacier will also have opposition from local environmentalists regarding the remote location for grizzly bears. With an estimated cost of around $450 million, the first step would be to break ground and develop the access roads to the build site; there is no projected date for the start of the Jumbo Glacier project.

Blackcomb has also released their early bird shopping window for the mountain biking season passes; limited quantities are available to purchase between April 16th and May 16th for only $549 and $599 respectively once the initial quantity sell out.  The Whistler mountain biking season passes allow unlimited access to the lifts and trails, as well as providing one free “Top of the World” ticket and one “Bring a Friend” ticket valid until June 14th.

Pass holders will also get discounts; 20% off Garbanzo Bike & Bean, 20% off Garbanzo Rentals and Whistler Mountain Bike Park Demo Center, 15% off Garibaldi Lift Company and also 20% off from the Roundhouse Lodge!

If the conditions cooperate during the month of May, where else could you go Spring skiing on Blackcomb for half the day, then rip it down Whistler on your downhill mountain bike?  No wonder tourists from all parts of the world visit British Columbia and Whistler specifically, during all seasons of the year.

If you haven’t done so already, make sure to get your Whistler Accommodations all booked early to make sure you get the perfect rental for you.  With Spring skiing and the Whistler mountain bike trails opening soon, it’s going to be a great next few months up on Whistler and Blackcomb.

If you haven’t tried it in the past, Spring skiing can be a blast for sporting enthusiasts, but the weather/snow conditions can vary widely from day to day. Nothing beats getting a tan while enjoying the day on the slopes skiing or snowboarding.

Lift passes for Blackcomb mountain riding is set at a discounted rate of $65 at the window, however the resort does offer unlimited Spring passes for $229.

alluraDirect.com has lots of available Whistler vacation accommodations for everyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to try Spring skiing or boarding. We would love to see your pictures or videos from the upcoming Spring Blackcomb season, email or talk to us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

Roller Derby Rivalry Heats Up in Whistler

The Vengeance in the Valley roller derby will take place on Monday, April 15th at the Whistler Conference Centre and will feature the MVP of B.C. for women’s roller derby Shannon Handley, who skates for the Squamish Sea to Sky Sirens. Under the derby name, “Mala Justed”, Shannon and the Squamish Sea to Sky Sirens are ranked 74th out of 200 teams in Canada. For Whistler’s Black Diamond Betties, this is there second full season in action and first derby hosted in Whistler.

A sport known for its strategic and fast spaced entertainment, flat track roller derby is a full contact sport played on four-wheeled (quad style) roller skates that combines speed skating athleticism with the intensity of hockey-like full contact maneuvers, such as blocking and checking. Vengeance in the Valley will take place at 8pm in the Sea to Sky Ballroom at the Whistler Conference Centre, with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets for Vengeance in the Valley can be pre-purchased thru the online WSSF store. If you’re staying in or are coming to Whistler for the World Ski and Snowboard Festival, the Vegeance in the Valley roller derby may be one of the surprising events that you should check out at this year’s WSSF in Whistler.

This year’s Whistler summer music festival line-up is headlined by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Matt Dusk, 54-40, and local Vancouver band, Hey Ocean. The free outdoor music festival will begin on June 29 in Whistler with Matt Dusk, followed by Saturday and Sunday performances until July 27. Whistler Presents will also have a Labour Day long weekend music festival, but the artists have yet to be announced. Whistler will also have a Canada Day Music Festival headlined by Canadian artist, Jeremy Fisher.

Whistler Presents Concert Series

• June 29 – Matt Dusk
• June 30 – 54-40
• July 1 – Ruckus Deluxe, Kalan Wi, Jeremy Fisher
• July 5 – The English Beat
• July 6 – The Strumbellas, The Trews
• July 13 (during the Children’s Arts Festival) – Ache Brazil
• July 14 (during the Children’s Arts Festival) – Ali Milner, The Lost Fingers
• July 26 – The Boom Booms, Hey Ocean!
• July 27 – Dessy Di Lauro, Maestro
• August 30 through September 1 – to be confirmed

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Summer Performances

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will perform in Whistler on three separate weekends, including:

• July 16, 17 – Afternoon quartets/ quintets (3 concerts per day)
• July 19, 20 – Evening concerts
• July 21 – Afternoon concert

If you are looking for Whistler Summer accommodation and rentals, we hope you think about alluraDirect.com.  We provide all sorts of incredible vacation properties and have great deals available.