Charter

10. Whistler Bike Park
Cross-Promotion Strategies
Extreme revenues year-round
Cindy Stewart
A History of Fun
Who knew that in February 1966 the ski village of Whistler, British Columbia, would grow up, along with its sister mountain, Blackcomb, to become one of the most popular ski resorts in the world and the foundation for a US$2.8 billion company?1 But it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. The original owners went bankrupt trying to operate the site as a ski resort only. When Intrawest Resorts Inc. created the business plan to the purchase Whistler/Blackcomb Mountains (WBM) in 1986, it was quick to recognize that the success of the venture wasn’t only about the number of glaciers and the vertical drop. Skiers and boarders alike would always come for that. But support the huge infrastructure investment that would be required to create a world-class resort, Intrawest would need to build revenue streams spanning four seasons.
Scenic bike trails for all abilities located at Whistler
Though the natural alpine beauty of the surrounding Garibaldi mountain community would attract one-time tourists in the summer, there simply weren’t enough of these types of visitors to support success. Repeat visitors drive the success for the snow season, and they would need to dominate the other seasons too. According to Intrawest, almost 70% of winter revenues result from repeat visits from Vancouver and Washington
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“Resort Company Intrawest Corp. Agrees to US$2.8 Billion Take-over by Investment Group,” Vancouver Sun (August 11, 2006), viewed at www.canada.com/vanouversun/news on August 11, 2006.
Pearson Canada Supplemental Cases in Marketing, 2007 Edition, by Cindy Stewart. Published by Pearson Education Canada. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Case 10: Whistler Bike Park
State residents. This customer base has two distinct customer segments: affluent adults with children, and extreme-sports enthusiasts. Their choices in summertime recreation are worlds... [continues]

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