THE WHISTLER BLACKCOMB STRATEGIC ALLIANCE TEAM
It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up the summer fun here in Whistler – but what a great three months we’ve had. July and August were full of amazing activations and events! We kicked things off with Canada Day and the fun continued straight through to the end of September!
Please enjoy our latest read.
Renewals

Clif Bar
To the CLIF Bar team, we are so happy to have you onboard and look forward to continuing to enhance the guest experience and deliver experiences of a lifetime through this partnership!
Partner Summer Experience

For the second year in a row, the Strategic Alliance team hosted the Partner Summer Experience – it was great to see many of you here in Whistler and thank you again for joining us! We loved our morning collaboration session and are looking forward to seeing many of you come together and collaborate this winter to create bigger impact through your activation's and events. It was also a pleasure to host you as you experienced our summer activities – whether it was hitting the bike park for the first time, or perhaps returning as a seasoned rider, or taking the Peak Express to the summit of Whistler and experiencing our Cloudraker Skybridge and Raven’s Eye Lookout – we had a ton of fun and are grateful you could join us.
If you weren’t able to make it, we hope you’ll Save the Date for our Winter Partner Summit happening on December 3rd and 4th of this year – details coming soon!
Activations & Events

Canada Day
For the second year in a row, Whistler Blackcomb and CIBC hosted a fireworks display for Canada Day. This year CIBC expanded on the fun to provide a live band and DJ along with complimentary fire pits and S’mores courtesy of Aero Milk Chocolate Bar (Nestle). Guests were invited to stay on Whistler Mountain for extended hours to enjoy the sunset and to get a front-row seat to the fireworks display at 10:00pm.

GMC Pump Track Challenge
The pump track is where bike handling skills are honed and refined and the next generation rippers are born. On July 20th, GMC hosted the GMC Pump Track Challenge which allowed riders of all ages to ride multiple laps and work on their bike handling while trying to beat the clock. Riders and spectators were treated to a free BBQ presented by GMC alongside GMC’s Next Generation Sierra fleet. The ultimate hang out zone was complete with hitch hammocks, Adirondack chairs and inviting ways to showcase the newest truck features.

Bulleit Bourbon Canadian National BBQ Championships
The Bulleit Bourbon Canadian National BBQ Championships returned to Whistler again this year with the support of Diageo’s title partnership, putting the best of the best in BBQ against each other in Creekside. The event unfolded over two days in a festival style setting with patrons invited to sample BBQ’d treats alongside our partners. Bulleit Bourbon led the charge presenting the entire weekend of fun, hosting VIPs and local contest winners in their exclusive lounge – complete with specialty Bulleit cocktails. Further, they hosted the You Be The Judge competition. Open to all guests, it’s a blind test that determines the real sauce boss (BBQ sauce) of Whistler!
Coca-Cola provided samples (Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Sprite) and a backyard set-up with lounge chairs and corn hole, Budweiser invited guests to indulge in their refreshing non-alcoholic beer Prohibition and GMC set-up a vehicle display with lounge chairs and the game of horse-shoes. The event brought out some great collaboration as well – Coca-Cola provided a list of their products to Diageo and they generated Bulleit Bourbon cocktails incorporating Barq’s Spicy Cherry Cola among others. In addition, Coca-Cola provided a variety of their Fresca products to GMC for sampling in their lounge.

Jackson-Triggs presents I’ve got a meat for that
Jackson-Triggs joined in the fun at the Bulleit Bourbon Canadian National BBQ Championships with their I’ve got a meat for that competition. They invited competing BBQ teams to duke it out for the best red wine pairing and this year they showcased their Reserve Meritage.

Monster Energy A-Trak Patio Party
Kicking-off the month of September and carrying summer patio parties into the fall, Monster Energy took over Merlin’s Bar & Grill for an epic patio party headlined by A-Trak.

Smirnoff House Party – SkiiTour
SkiiTour returned to the Garibaldi Lift Co. on August 14th to host a wild Smirnoff House Party. DJ Surgeon opened the set and SkiiTour kept the party going at this SOLD OUT event.

Kokanee Bike Park Feature on Freight Train
After a long hiatus, the much loved Freight Train bike park feature returned to the trail courtesy of Kokanee. Local artist Kris Kupsky creatively painted the shipping container and generated a sought after photo opportunity for beginner riders passing by and the brave advanced riders that opted to test out the feature – it was the buzz of the bike park community leading up to Crankworx and has seen a lot of action since it opened.
Phat Wednesdays – Finale
August 28th saw the finale of beloved beer league downhill mountain biking race, Phat Wednesdays. It was a great series with nine different dates and race routes, it truly pushed bikers to test their skills in hopes of claiming a spot on the podium. As usual, the Garibaldi Lift Co. hosted the après complete with heaps of cool prizing and of course ice-cold Kokanees.
Miss the race? Check out the recap for the finale (and every other week) on PINKBIKE

Corona Après Series
Summer is patio season and Corona, Case of The Monday’s and Merlin’s Bar & Grill teamed up to host THREE pumping-outdoor-patio-parties, complete with floral tees and tanks, beach balls and of course ice-cold Corona’s. The first two après of the series were hosted on July 28th and August 18th and the grand finale happened on September 15th – if you missed out, don’t fret, the party will return this winter!

The North Face Valley To Peak Race
In preparation for the big race, The North Face hosted three free run clinics in July and August to help racers prepare and PowerAde and CLIF Bar kept athletes fueled at each clinic. The North Face Valley to Peak Race took place on August 31st and challenged trail runners with over 1,800 meters of elevation gain over a 22.5 kilometer course from the valley to the alpine on Whistler Mountain. Other categories included a 1KM & 3KM kids loop, and 10KM. Racers crossed the finish line with a celebratory photo opportunity provided by The North Face and DJ Nat Morel had the crowd going until the bitter end.
For the second year in a row, CLIF Bar got involved and kept athletes fueled on course with their aid stations and helped participants ease into recovery with guided stretch sessions at the finish line. To keep the energy up top, Corona hosted the après outside of Roundhouse Lodge, where each racer was treated to a complimentary burger and refreshing Corona. DJ Foxy Moron kept the party going, spinning tunes on the patio!

Mountain Clean-Up with Corona & Parley, and CLIF Bar
Every year, Whistler Blackcomb hosts a staff only mountain clean-up as part of the companies larger Commitment to Zero. Small teams take to the mountain and clean-up problem areas as identified by our Patrol team. One of those areas is the Blackcomb Glacier, which requires tedious work chipping to free trash from the icy surface. With 110 participants and more than 1000 pounds of garbage collected, we are thrilled with the success!
New this year, we are very proud to say that our partners got involved! Corona + Parley came on-board to provide clean-up materials, educate participants and weigh all garbage collected as part of their global clean-up initiative. With more than 1000 pounds collected, we hit a record clean-up for Parley. Corona + Parley also hosted a unique and exclusive après at the Blackcomb water ramp offering up ice-cold Corona’s and fun Corona prizing.
This year with the support from CLIF Bar, we utilized our Zero Waste station to ensure that all 1000 pounds of trash collected did not go straight to the landfill, but rather were meticulously sorted into six categories and disposed of in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Through these initiatives we are educating our employees and guests on the impact and hope that the next years clean-up will show a reduction of waste collected.
Upcoming Events
October 10 - 14 | Turkey Sale |
November 28 | Whistler Blackcomb Opening Day |
November 28 | Oakley Store Grand Opening |
December 3 - 4 | Annual Partner Summer |
December 6 - 8 | The North Face Winter Kick-off |
December 7 - 8 | Never Ever Days Presented by CIBC |
December 14 - 15 | Coca-Cola Holiday Activation atop Whistler |