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Whistler welcomes snow-starved Mount Washington skiers

Mount Washington season pass holders can ski for free at Whistler Blackcomb from Jan. 6 to 31, said Don Sharpe, director of business operations and marketing at Mount Washington.
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You can ski for free at Whistler Blackcomb from Jan. 6 to 31, if you have a season pass at Mount Washington.

Mount Washington season pass holders can ski for free at Whistler Blackcomb from Jan. 6 to 31, said Don Sharpe, director of business operations and marketing at Mount Washington.

Sharpe said Friday that the mountain has secured a deal to provide free skiing and snowboarding for Gold, Alpine, Midweek and Student pass holders. If the snow drought ends and Mount Washington gets enough snow to open in January, the Whistler Blackcomb deal will end with a three-day grace period.

“We appreciate that Whistler Blackcomb has been receptive to making this type of arrangement; it's not often you see this level of co-operation from two ski resorts,” said Sharpe. “We were determined to find a way to get our passholders on the snow and we hope they can take advantage of this tremendous opportunity we've negotiated on their behalf.”

A 50-year precipitation low since early November has delayed the start of Mount Washington's winter by a month and left their season pass holders literally snow-starved.

Whistler Blackcomb has a base of 115 centimetres, with more than 2,800 hectares of terrain. Mount Washington’s passholders will be able to get their fix of snow sliding while they wait for the snow to pile up at their home mountain.

“The deal with Whistler Blackcomb goes to the end of January unless we can open up before then,” Sharpe said. “Obviously, we're hoping the weather changes quickly and the sooner we can open up the better. In the meantime, this opportunity gives our passholders an excellent option for skiing and boarding without having to travel too far.”

Mount Washington will be communicating the finer details of how to take advantage of the free skiing and snowboarding opportunity with their passholders in the coming days.

In the meantime, Mount Washington's opening day remains in a holding pattern until more snow accumulates on the mountain. Tubers currently have two lanes of sliding at the new Tube Park but nordic and alpine operations are still waiting on more snow.

 “We will open up our Nordic Centre and alpine operations as soon as snow conditions permit,” says Sharpe.

Mount Washington will continue to run their food and beverage and retail operations with new hours beginning Jan. 6.
To check out the webcams and for all mountain information including the latest hours of operation, visit mountwashington.ca.