Whistler Bike Park postpones opening day
Resort still working towards opening this season, just not quite yet.
B.C. may be starting to open up, but Whistler Bike Park won’t be. Or at least, not as originally planned.
The world’s leading bike park announced that it’s scheduled May 15 opening day is being pushed back. Like everything else, the delay due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Whistler Blackcomb isn’t giving up on the season, though. The statement did let on that trail crews are hard at work, and closed on a positive note with “we’ll have you riding the trails as soon as we can.”
What a “new normal” for the bike park would look like is still unclear. The province is still strongly suggesting that B.C. residents avoid all non-essential travel. This is especially important when visiting small or remote communities that don’t have the same health care resources to deal with an outbreak as larger urban centres. While Whistler’s economy is heavily based on tourism, the municipality is also requesting that tourists and other non-locals stay away until it is safe to travel.
Nearby, Squamish’s Sea to Sky gondola is planning to re-open on May 22nd. In the first phase of re-opening, only passholders and their guests will be allowed. The gondola will also be run at a limited capacity. Whether the strategy adopted by the foot-passenger-only gondola could be adopted by Whistler Bike Park remains to be seen.
Full statement from Whistler Bike Park:
“Like you, we are eager to kick off the 2020 season in the bike park, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, our opening day of May 15th, will be delayed. Our team is hard at work coming up with a plan to reopen Whistler Blackcomb. We have to do it responsibly, under the guidance of the provincial health authority and working with our industry associations and stakeholders. Your safety and the safety of our employees and community is our first priority. When we do reopen, this careful and measured approach will be reflective of our new reality. We’ll have more in the coming weeks. Keep checking back here for the latest information. Together, we’ll get back to doing what we love in this new normal and we’ll have you riding the trails as soon as we can.“
