The Aussie former ski instructor now running North America’s No.1 resort

“We always won the ‘best resort in North America’ rankings”, says my guide from Extremely Canadian, Wendy Brooksbank, who has been skiing her home resort of Whistler for decades and is at this minute putting all my skiing skills and fitness to the test.

“And Vail (in Colorado) used to come second.” Then, in 2016, Vail Resorts paid a bit over $US1 billion ($1.45 billion) for Whistler. “So we figured they were thinking, ‘if we can’t beat them, we’ll buy them’. Or maybe it was, ‘if we can’t beat them, we’ll be them’.”

There was plenty of local resistance at the outset. Whistler’s skiers and boarders are enormously passionate about their two mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb combined create a vast and adventurous ski field. There’s plenty of easygoing, cruising terrain, but also some challenging (read steep) chutes and faces, one of which I’m about to try and deal with.

“So how’s it been going these past two seasons since BT became the boss?” I ask Wendy, trying to delay my descent. “Oh, she’s just great,” she says. “She’s so approachable, so open to feedback, to ideas. I mean, well, she’s a skier!”

Away we go, and I’m trying to apply Wendy’s advice – “always ski with a smile on your face, stay forward for momentum, the first turn sets everything up, so make that a good one and be in control of your current turn before you flow into the next one.”

If I had the entire winter to work on it, I might get it right. Somebody who does have the entire winter, indeed all year here, is the aforementioned “BT” – Belinda Trembath, vice-president and chief operating officer for Vail Resorts at Whistler.

BT hails from Melbourne, was a ski instructor at Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps and moved into marketing for that ski field and Falls Creek; when Vail Resorts invested in Australia, buying Hotham, Falls Creek and Perisher, she became general manager, first at the Victorian resorts and then Perisher.

In the snow biz, Perisher is the jewel in the crown in Australia – it does as much business as all the other areas combined. And Whistler is the jewel in the crown for North America.

When BT was just 15 months in the job at Perisher, Vail Resorts asked if she’d like to run Whistler. So in May 2023, Belinda and family made the move.

Running a ski resort doesn’t just involve ensuring the lifts are operating; it’s quite the orchestra to conduct, with business divisions like snow grooming, snowsports school, food and beverage, accommodation and, in Whistler’s case, staff in the thousands. There are also complex safety issues. In Australia, a resort might subscribe to specialist forecasting services; here, they have an entire team working on weather, snow pack and mountain safety.

My catch-up with BT was organised by her time-keeper, and with all those moving parts, it’s no surprise she needs one. We’re scheduled to meet at the top of the Blackcomb Gondola, and there she is in her red-and-black leaders’ uniform and trademark smile.

Sometimes, the boss has to dive into the detail. We set off to do some skiing, as planned, but don’t get far. The volunteer mountain hosts, the people who run the free mountain tours, spot her and want to know what’s happening with daylight saving, how it will affect opening hours for the lifts.

“You know, at least 10 people have asked me that already today,” BT says. Daylight saving starts on the Sunday after my visit, as is usual in British Columbia, but the provincial government, in its wisdom (or lack of), has decreed it won’t end and is here to stay.

For a ski resort with a lot of alpine terrain and all the early morning safety hazards that come with it – avalanche control, for example – that timing can be consequential. It won’t affect the way things run this season, but it’ll make operations all the more difficult next winter, on dark December mornings.

“We’re working on a plan,” she assures the hosts. “And as soon as we settle on it, I’ll make sure you know about it.”

There are other major differences from Australia – the size and scale of the mountains, for example. Together, Whistler and Blackcomb offer 3306 hectares of skiable terrain and a vertical drop of 1609 metres; Perisher has 1245 hectares and 335 metres.

Whistler also has huge appeal year-round. There’s a permanent population of about 14,000, and as much as they love their skiing and boarding in winter, they are equally passionate for summer and the golfing, hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking the area has to offer.

“They are such outdoor enthusiasts, and there are so many more women getting into outdoor pursuits here,” notes BT.

We head off again and ride a couple of lifts to reach that alpine terrain. There are glaciers up here, and with them comes another challenge. Climate change has them receding, and while there is plenty of snow to ski on at this altitude, the shrinking glaciers are changing the way the slopes work.

So this summer, they’ll remove the T-bar lift that drags skiers and boarders up beside the glacier and replace it with a chairlift with fewer lift towers, meaning more space for the skiers and boarders heading downhill.

BT has obviously read today’s snow grooming report. We ride the T-bar and while the hardcore are hiking above the top station to ski and ride the chutes beyond, we head straight for the freshly groomed alpine terrain.

The skiing is sublime – the snow is cold and dry up here, and as smooth as you could ask for. Belinda is an exceptional skier, with the grace and technique of a former instructor and the strength you get from years skiing in Australian conditions.

I’m happy to follow in her wake for a few runs but before long, she needs to move on to the next appointment.

Just as we’re saying goodbye, a skier in his late teens scoots past in his baggy pants, riding his cool, fat, twin-tip skis. He tries a manoeuvre on a small bump and releases from one of his skis, but manages to stay upright.

“You might want to get your bindings checked,” suggests BT.

“They’re OK,” he says, when clearly they’re not.

“I’d hate to see you go over a jump and have that happen,” she says, and leaves him with that thought.

I don’t think he had the slightest idea who was giving him that advice, but if I were him, I’d take it.

THE DETAILS

SKI + STAY
Whistler is about a 90-minute drive from Vancouver on the spectacular Sea to Sky Highway. Epic Australia pass holders (Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham skiers and boarders) have 10 days’ skiing at Whistler included on their pass (check for pricing and blackout dates at epicaustraliapass.com.au). Fairmont Chateau Whistler is at the foot of Blackcomb mountain with the Blackcomb Gondola literally out the back door. Packages at the Fairmont start at $C647 ($670) a night. See whistler.com/au

Five more things to do and see at Whistler

Change the angle of your skiing
These are two big mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, and Extremely Canadian runs programs to ski and snowboard more of them, be that building skills and technique to take on the steeper terrain, exploring the backcountry or better understanding avalanche and snow safety. You also get lift priority while you’re with them. See extremelycanadian.com

Visit the Audain Art Museum
There’s a quote on the wall here from the writer and activist James Baldwin: “The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been concealed by the answers.” While you’re thinking about that, you can reflect on the art parked here by the philanthropic Audains – there was too much for Vancouver, so they built this museum to share it. The building is as breathtaking as some of the art. See audainartmuseum.com

Explore the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre
Arrive on the hour and you’ll be drummed in and seated for a short movie about the two local Indigenous nations, their heritage and the way they share this area. There’s a short tour, then you’re free to roam, admiring the ornate chiefs’ costumes and huge canoes. Their local view? “The mountains are gifts from the creator.” See slcc.ca

Enjoy apres ski at the Mallard Lounge
Arcades of shops, a spa onsite, ski valets to help you with your skis, it’s worth a walk through the timber-panelled and plush-carpeted Fairmont Chateau Whistler just to admire this classic mountain hotel. Apres ski in the Mallard Lounge is a treat: armchairs to sink into, live music in the background and wait staff roaming the floor to deliver your favourite cocktail. See whistler.com

Stop for dinner and drinks
Start your night with the Firecracker Margarita at Bar Oso (baroso.ca) and you’ll soon be riding the buzz of this Spanish-themed bar and restaurant – the tapas and pintxos flowing. Otherwise, make your way into the Wild Blue (wildbluerestaurant.com), also for excellent food and service and a spectacular bar.

The writer was a guest of Destination British Columbia (supernaturalbc.com) and Tourism Whistler.