Editing Whistler Blackcomb (section)

==Description==
The ski areas at Whistler and Blackcomb are situated on two ridge-lines running roughly northwest to southeast. The two are separated by a deep valley with Fitzsimmons Creek running along the valley floor. The main base area at Whistler Village is located on the northwest end of this valley, where [[Fitzsimmons Creek]] flows into the larger Green River, which forms a floodplain running north–south just to the west of the village area. The [[Sea-to-Sky Highway]] runs along the Green River valley. The ski runs generally run northwest towards the village area, or into the valley area between the two ridges. A small number of runs are located on the south side of the Whistler ridge, where they run to the Creekside Base area, some distance south of the main Whistler Village.

Whistler Mountain is the basis of the southern of the two ridges, on the right when looking at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski area from Whistler Village. It has a summit elevation of {{convert|2184|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}. The total vertical drop is {{convert|1530|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} and {{convert|4757|acre|ha|0}} skiable inbound terrain. Whistler is served by a total of 19 lifts; 2 gondolas, 5 high-speed detachable quad chair lifts, 4 high-speed detachable sixpack chair lifts, 2 fixed grip triple chair lifts, 1 T-bar and 7 carpet lifts. It also hosts the drive station for the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, connecting it with Blackcomb mountain to the north. There are 4 on-hill restaurants, as well as a children's ski school. It is served by two base areas: Whistler Creek also known as creekside, the original base on its southwest flank, and Whistler Village on its northwest flank.

Blackcomb Mountain is the northern ridge, on the left when viewed from the village. It has a lift-serviced elevation of {{convert|2240|m|ft|abbr=off}} at the top of the 7th Heaven chair – Blackcomb Mountain itself is higher at {{convert|2440|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}, but unlike Whistler, the peak is not lift-served. Blackcomb has a higher skiable vertical, at {{convert|1565|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelchannel.com/Places_Trips/Travel_Ideas/Skiing/Whistler_Blackcomb_Ski_Guide|title=Whistler Blackcomb Ski Guide|access-date=September 21, 2011}}</ref> but less in-bound skiing area at {{convert|3414|acre|ha|0}}. It is served by 15 lifts; 2 gondolas, 6 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip triple and 7 surface lifts (1 T-Bar and 5 carpet lifts), as well as the end-station for the Peak 2 Peak. Blackcomb is the location of the world-famous "Couloir Extreme" run, which is one of the top ten steep in-bound runs in the world, according to [[Skiing Magazine]]. Originally called the Saudan Couloir by local skiers even before it was part of the ski area, the company eventually had to drop the name when [[extreme skiing|extreme skier]] [[Sylvain Saudan]] complained about the unauthorised use of his name.

The two previously separate ski areas of Whistler and Blackcomb were integrated into one operation in 1997<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.intrawest.com/about-us/corporate-overview/history.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222134140/http://www.intrawest.com/about-us/corporate-overview/history.htm|url-status=dead|title=Intrawest: History|archivedate=February 22, 2007}}</ref> after [[Intrawest]] merged with Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation. Ticketing, pass, and access control systems for the two ski areas were fully integrated in 2003. Together, Whistler and Blackcomb form the largest ski area in North America at {{convert|8171|acre|km2|0}}. Either mountain alone would be in the top-five in terms of size.

The mountains are accessed via four gondolas and one high-speed eight pack: Blackcomb Excalibur Gondola, Whistler Mountain Village Gondola, and Fitzsimmons Express in the village; the Blackcomb Gondola in Blackcomb Base/Upper Village; and the Whistler Creekside Gondola to the south in the Creekside area. The primary skiing terrain starts about one-third up the mountains. Ski-outs to the valley are usually possible during the months of December through April. The mid- and upper- areas are serviced by 10 high-speed detachable chairs and 5 fixed-grip lifts made by [[Lift Engineering]], [[Doppelmayr (North America)|Doppelmayr]] and [[Poma]]. Two [[T-bar lift|T-bar]]s service the [[Horstman Glacier]] and the Whistler alpine regions and take skiers to the entrance to Blackcomb Glacier. The overall lift capacity, 65,507 skiers per hour, is the greatest in North America.

Before 2008 the only connection between the two mountains was via the village. The opening of the [[Peak 2 Peak Gondola]] on 12 December 2008 connected the two mountains at approximately {{convert|1,800|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news| first=Greg | last=Johnston | title=Tram catches air between summits | date=December 12, 2008 | publisher=[[The Hearst Corporation]] | url =http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/392060_peak13.html?source=mypi | work =[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] | access-date =December 13, 2008}}</ref> The lift has a total length of {{convert|4.4|km|mi|abbr=on}} and the longest unsupported span for a lift of its kind in the world at {{convert|3.02|km|mi|abbr=on}} while also having the highest ground clearance for a lift of its kind, {{convert|436|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the valley floor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/p2pg/details/|title=Whistler Blackcomb – PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola – Details|access-date=December 13, 2008|publisher=[[Whistler-Blackcomb]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427195209/http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/p2pg/details/|archive-date=April 27, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Whistler Village, which is part of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, a geo-political entity not directly associated with the resort company's operation, is situated at the base of the Whistler Mountain Village Gondola and Blackcomb Excalibur Gondola. The village incorporates community services, shops, entertainment venues, restaurants, bars, hotels, condominiums and vacation properties. The village is {{convert|675|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, and is located {{convert|137|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Vancouver International Airport]].