Whistler (BC), Canada – With early season snow already appearing on the mountain, skiers and snowboarders are ready for the debut of the 2010-11 season in Whistler, which will be highlighted by revamped terrain parks and new environmental initiatives.nAdding to the anticipation, meteorologists are anticipating a La Niña winter, which typically means colder than normal temperatures and consistent heavy precipitation across Western Canada.

“A great long-term forecast and the continued afterglow of the 2010 Winter Games are setting the stage for a great winter ahead,” says Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our focus this year includes exciting new environmental initiatives, continued food and beverage enhancements, improvements to our terrain parks and an aggressive social media strategy centered around our Love Snow contest.”

Snowmaking capabilities at Whistler Blackcomb have more than doubled due to a four-year partnership and a $17.5 million investment by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Whistler officials indicate that guests can expect improved early-season snow coverage as well as longer lasting ski-outs as the season winds down.

A new addition is the Roundhouse Lodge Olympic Legacy Display, showcasing the achievements of local athletes and Games-time highlights. The display includes athlete stories, photos, Didier Defago’s gold medal winning Rossignol skis and a wood carved replica of the medals podium for guest’s Olympic photo opportunities.

The Sea to Sky Highway, greatly improved during the lead up to the Games, is now a faster, safer and more scenic route from Vancouver to Whistler.

Whistler Blackcomb’s Nintendo Terrain Parks crew is bringing park riding to the forefront by adding an Olympic-sized Superpipe to the mix. Crews are widening and straightening the Superpipe’s fall line for better riding and to accommodate the 22-foot Global Pipe Cutter.

Whistler Blackcomb is also partnering with Arena Snowparks for rail fleet production and the 15-foot mini pipe returns to Blackcomb Mountain due to popular demand. Crews are also improving the Nintendo Terrain Park on Whistler Mountain.

Park preparations began in early September with four new snow tower guns set up on Blackcomb Mountain. The snowguns will increase snowmaking productivity 75 percent in the park, allowing features to open to the public earlier in the season.

The Whistler Blackcomb Parks event calendar has been modified to showcase all aspects of park riding, including pipe, snowcross and rails throughout the season.

Whistler Blackcomb is replacing four grooming cats with the new Pisten Bully 600 snow cats, two of which are equipped with winches for grooming steeper and more technical terrain. Whistler Blackcomb grooms 1,200 to 1,400 acres of terrain each night, more than any other ski resort in North America.

In food and beverage, new this year are Euro Snack kiosks located on both mountains, serving Liege Waffles and European hot dogs served in crusty baguettes. In addition, the newly reopened Raven’s Nest Restaurant will feature fresh artisan sandwiches and a selection of soups and salads. Other new menu items at Whistler Blackcomb’s existing restaurants include: Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine at Rendezvous Lodge; new artisan sandwiches, salads, soups and stews at the Rendezvous and Roundhouse Lodges; a Latin American inspired menu at Merlin’s Bar at the base of Blackcomb; hot carved-to-order sandwiches at the Horstman Hut; and new paninis and made-to-order salads at Pika’s.

In the resort’s rental shops, Whistler Blackcomb is stocking this year’s rental fleet with over 3,000 new sets of high performance skis and snowboards, 2,500 boots and 500 sets of beginner skis. A state-of-the art Montana robotic tuning machine is being added to the Blackcomb Daylodge, which has the capacity to handle 40 skis and boards per hour.

In retail, Whistler Blackcomb will be putting an emphasis on children’s gear and outerwear at all retail locations and is opening a number of stores and demo center locations. A new North Face store has been opened in Deer Lodge with an expanded product line that includes outdoor equipment, footwear, tents, sleeping bags and backpacks. A new Columbia Store is opening in Whistler Village with an accompanying children’s store in the Blackcomb Daylodge. A new 400-square-foot Spyder concept section has been launched in the Can-Ski Village location.

Two new demo centers will open this winter. The Burton Demo Test Ride Centre will be set up in the existing Burton store while, a new demo and repair center will open next to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain.

New environmental initiatives at the resort include three energy conservation projects that will represent over 1.3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in electrical savings, or the equivalent amount of power it takes to run 74 homes in British Columbia for one year. Whistler Blackcomb already saves more than 4.5 million kWh per year through its existing programs.

The energy conservation projects include a behavioral program in partnership with the province’s energy supplier, BC Hydro, to reduce energy use in all on-mountain buildings. Separately, a Continuous Optimization program at the Roundhouse Lodge will save an estimated seven percent in energy, while an efficient lighting project will reduce energy consumption in Whistler Blackcomb’s staff housing.

Launched in December 2009, the Fitzsimmons Creek Renewable Energy Project continues to be an asset, resort officials indicate. This micro hydro project, located under the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola on Whistler Blackcomb, was built in partnership with Innergex Inc and Ledcor Power Inc. and produces the equivalent of Whistler Blackcomb’s annual energy demand.

Running through to Feb. 28, 2011 the Love Snow contest celebrates Whistler Blackcomb’s greatest passion. Guests are invited to show Whistler Blackcomb why they love show by submitting a short paragraph with the option to add a photo. Contest entry is on Facebook, www.whistlerblackcomb.com/lovesnow, or through traditional paper ballots at participating Whistler Blackcomb locations and ski and snowboard shows including Toronto, Vancouver and Seattle. On the line is a trip for two to Whistler Blackcomb for winter 2011-12, including airfare, accommodations, heli-skiing lift tickets and more.

Whistler Blackcomb kicked off the 2010-11 season with the launch of a new social media-focused page called The Movement. The page aggregates ski and snowboard industry news, information about Whistler, photos and videos and connects guests to Whistler Blackcomb’s main social media channels. View The Movement by visiting www.whistlerblackcomb.com/movement.