Welcome to the First Edition of our "Accessible Whistler Newsletter". Whistler's very own Newsletter for people with disabilities and all abilities from various community members in the community and Whistler for the Disabled (WFTD).

In this edition we will cover new access that has come to our community for people with disabilities along with event news, people, athletes, village and mountain access updates and an introduction to some of the various organizations and community resources set up to provide you with the assistance you may need during your stay.

New Access and Achievements!

New access and infrastructure has been provided in the Whistler community thanks to the hard work and dedication of many individuals. New signs have recently been installed from the Resort Municipality of Whistler to help you find your way around.

Fully functional TTY pay phones were installed recently for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to be able to make phone calls on their own.

A big thank you goes out to Greg Howard and his team at Telus for providing some much needed access in our Community and Hugh Tollett (WFTD) who brought "visitors feedback" to the attention of Telus to get fast action on this issue. We hope to have all isolated areas of Whistler covered with at least one TTY pay phone soon.

Summer and Winter Recreation Guides were produced in 2007 thanks to the cooperation of many in the community including; The Meadow Parks Sports Centre, Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP) and local Whistler Tour Operators who all contributed to the New Guides. View all our access guides and information and a lot more at www.whistlerforthedisabled.com.

Hugh Tollett from Whistler for the Disabled became a proud recipient of the 2007 Provincial Standing Ovation Award from BC Rehab (www.bcrehab.com). BC Rehab's mission is to support the disabled through education, research, arts, recreation and well-being. The Event was hosted by Rick Cluff from CBC Radio Morning Edition and held at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel. Find event images and media news coverage at www.whistlerforthedisabled.com.

The Village Host Program Welcomes You to Whistler!

Village Host is a Resort Municipality of Whistler program with 3 staff and 73 volunteers. As resort ambassadors, Village Host volunteers help guests with easy directions, quick answers and friendly advice.

If you need any assistance getting around while you are in Whistler or have any questions prior to your arrival, please do not hesitate to contact us at our office phone number below. We also have copies of the Whistler accessibility maps on site. Look for the Village Host volunteers wearing red on the Village Stroll.

We have a booth centrally located close to the Village Square attended daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and our office hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information contact us at Village Host Program (604) 935-8478, Email: ihost@whistler.ca,

The Canadian Wheel Chair Tennis Championships returned to Whistler
for the second consecutive year at the Whistler Racquet Club.

Wheelchair tennis players are allowed two bounces of the ball before having to return a serve but high-ranking players use the one bounce rule. The wheelchairs are lighter and faster to move around on the courts than normal wheelchairs. The Birmingham's (Bruce and Betty) of Oakville, Ont., sponsored the event and the tournament was Co-hosted by the BC Wheelchair Association (BCWSA) and Tennis Canada.

For the complete tennis story and results from the event visit our news section at www.whistlerforthedisabled.com/news.htm or BC Wheelchair Sports at www.bcwheelchairsports.com or Tennis Canada at www.tenniscanada.com for National contacts and organizations in your area.

Great News from the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW).

The new Whistler Public Library opened to the public on January 26, 2008 and a new era has started for this vital and well loved community service. Whistler's library has been one of the most well used in British Columbia, on a per capita basis. In addition to the book, audio / video lending services, storytelling and reading functions of a typical library, the Whistler library provides a link to home for the many visitors and short term workers that come to Whistler from around the world.

The new library will provide a comfortable, accessible base for locals and visitors. A covered parking area will have accessible parking spaces. The adjacent elevator will lead to the library collection, the fireplace reading room, the library plaza and to the Village. An accessible computer workstation and accessible washrooms will be available and the municipality is seeking to add a full function TTY telephone.

February 2008 will be notable as Whistler launches some new communication tools. An information kiosk in Village Square will feature maps, video insights, web cam images, event listings and more. A podcast, self guided Village tour will also be launched and linked to key map locations. The podcast, the maps and associated brochure will show the barrier free routes, accessible washrooms and provide some insight into life in Whistler. For more news from the Resort Municipality of Whistler please visit them at www.whistler.ca/access.

Whistler Blackcomb, Peak to Peak Gondola.
Opening date set for December 2008.

Wheelchair access is an important feature of Whistler Blackcomb’s landmark project and Canada ’s newest tourism icon, the Peak to Peak Gondola. Each Sky Cabin will be equipped with a spot for one wheelchair (except for the glass bottom cabin).

Once completed, the gondola will bring visitors from all over the world into the high alpine to experience scenic views. Supported by only four towers, the gondola will travel 4.4 kilometers (2.73 miles) in just 11 minutes – reaching a highest vertical point of 415 m (1,361 feet) above Fitzsimmons Creek, which is a world record. Coming in at $53 million, the Peak to Peak Gondola also breaks the world record for longest free span, with a distance of 3.024 kilometer (1.88 miles) stretching between the two towers furthest apart.

Last autumn, Peak to Peak crews completed concrete pours at the terminal sites located at Blackcomb Mountain ’s Rendezvous Lodge and Whistler Mountain ’s Roundhouse Lodge. They also erected towers Two and Three. Construction will resume in April 2008 and is scheduled to wrap up in time for a December 2008 grand opening.

For more information on this project, construction updates, and to view downloadable high resolution images and video, visit: whistlerblackcomb.com/peaktopeak.

Our Spotlight Athlete in this Edition is Brad Lennea
(pronounced “Lenny”) from the Canadian Para-Alpine Team.

“My life is focused on training hard to be on the podium in my home town in 2010”

Accomplishments:
2007 Canadian National Slalom Champion,
2006 Paralympic Winter Games Torino (11th Place Downhill),
2004 World Championships Wildschonau, Austria
2003 Selected to World Cup Team

Athlete Profile:
Brad is entering his fifth season as a member of the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team. His hard work in the past has developed into amazing opportunities and experiences.

Born and raised on a small farm in Mission BC, Brad was an avid skier and loved the outdoors until he became a paraplegic as a result of a car crash in 1991. He was nineteen years old. Three years after his accident Brad found the sport of sit-skiing and found a new lease on life.

After four seasons of skiing with Phil Chew and the BC Disabled Ski Team Brad moved to Whistler in 2001. The following year he was named to the National Development Team. From there he moved up to World Cup and competed for Canada in the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino.

Apart from competing in ski racing Brad is committed to raising the profile of the Paralympic Games and specifically sit-skiing in Canada. He helps train Provincial level athletes and first time recreational skiers as a way of helping people with disabilities regain a healthy active outdoor lifestyle. He is a past Vice-President of the Disabled Skiers Association of BC and is involved in public speaking at schools and community groups around the province.

Future Goals: Nor Ams Breckenridge & Winter Park Colorado (Podium Finish), IPC World Cups Austria, France, Korea, Japan (Top 5 Finishes), IPC World Cup Whistler (Podium Finishes), Paralympic Winter Games Whistler (Gold Medal)! Visit the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team at www.canski.org for more information.

The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program Society

Some of the best Adaptive Sports Recreation opportunities for people with Disabilities in Canada exist right here in Whistler. Whistler Adaptive Sports Program was founded in 1999 to provide recreational experiences in the Whistler Area, and at the time concentrated on Ski and Snowboard Lessons. As the organization grew, so did it's scope and mandate.

Nine years later, programs covering six different sports and fours seasons operations now exist. The mission of the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program is to provide year round, recreational programs for people with disabilities of all ages. It is a centre for learning and sports excellence that has a local, regional, national and international clientele and encourages independence, self confidence and self-motivation for all of our athletes and participants through outdoor recreation. The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program currently offers programs and lessons for Skiing, Sit-Skiing, Snowboarding (Scotiabank Learn to Ride), Adaptive Alpine Race Development, Nordic, Hiking, Biking, Hand-Cycling, Trail-Rider, and Kayaking (Flat-water and White-Water).

The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program has just launched it's new Nordic Skiing Program, including sit-ski rentals, please contact Chelsey Walker at 1-604-905-4493 or by email: info@whistleradaptive.com and there web site address is www.whistleradaptive.com.

Whistler Adaptive Sports is a Zone of the Disabled Skier's Association of BC (DSABC) which provides learn-to-ski programs for students of all ages with a variety of disabilities in Alpine, Nordic and Snowboarding disciplines across British Columbia, Canada. Disabilities include: amputee; cerebral palsy; hearing impaired; mentally challenged; brain injury visually impaired; and spinal cord injury. The DSABC also provides clinics for instructors, pre-conditioning sessions and opportunities for competitive racing. For more information visit them at www.disabledskiingbc.com.

Upcoming Races for the Amateur and BC Ski Team Racers

The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program and the Rotary Clubs of Whistler are hosting the second annual Rotary GS on April 19th, 2008 at Whistler. This year, in conjunction with the Disabled Skier's Association of BC, the race will also host the best Para-Alpine Skier's and Snowboarders in BC as Whistler has also been chosen to host the BC Para-Alpine Championships. Athletes, Spectators and Volunteers are welcome to be a part of this great event. Contact the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program for more information at cwalker@whistleradaptive.com or by calling 604-905-4493. This race is made possible through the support of the Rotary Clubs of Whistler, DSABC, Whistler-Blackcomb, and the Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa.

For a complete list of other Race Events across BC, visit the Disabled Skiers Association of BC at www.disabledskiingbc.com

Our BC Ski Team Members include: Pete Crutchfield and Sam Daniels (Whistler), Michael Dieing and Greg Sit (Vancouver), Jay Maloney and guide Tyler Maloney (Salmon Arm), Braydon Luscombe (Mt. Washington), Alain Cordonier (Sun Peaks). The BC Development Ski Team Members include: Simon Harrington (Mt. Washington), Rob Gosse (Vancouver/Whistler Adaptive Sports Program), and Andrea Holmes (Vancouver).

March 12th, 2008 will mark the two year count down to the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games and Whistler is slated to host the first "World Adaptive Snowboard World Cup" on March 14th. Full story and two year count down event celebration news at whistlerforthedisabled.com/news.htm

Sea to Sky Corridor News
Squamish Adopts Measuring Up Initiative.

Thanks to Sarah Tipler, The District of Squamish has made the timely decision of adopting the Measuring Up initiative, just one day after the United Nations International Day of Disabled Persons, whose theme for 2007 was “Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities”. By recognizing the value of accessibility in a community, the District of Squamish is showing that they want a healthy society that values all of it's members. Read the full story at whistlerforthedisabled.com/news.htm.

James McKenzie once again was voted the best dentist in our Resort by a landslide from Pique Newsmagazine's Annual best of Whistler 2007 Awards. Dr. Jay McKenzie is also one of the most respected professionals in Whistler and a great community supporter of many worthy causes. We are proud to have Jay McKenzie in our Newsletter. If you need any dental care assistance during your trip to Whistler be sure to stop by and see Jay and his team.

Whistler Dental has elevator access and underground parking for easy access for wheelchairs and the mobility restricted. Visit there web site for more information at www.whistlerdental.com.

Whistler for the Disabled would like to thank all those who contributed to this Newsletter which included; The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program Society, The BC Disabled Ski Team, Sarah Tipler with her Meaning Up work for Squamish, The Resort Municipality of Whistler, Whistler Blackcomb, The I-Host Program and Brad Lennea as our spotlight Athlete.

For more information on "Accessible Whistler" visit Whistler for the Disabled for access and information for people with Disabilities and all Abilities at whistlerforthedisabled.com. Our Next Newsletter will be out in the Spring so visit us online until that time or Email us at info@whistlerforthedisabled.com. Full download PDF version of this Newsletter is available on our web site.

Be sure to check out the latest Paralympic news from Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games at Beijing 2008. March 12th, 2008 will mark the two year count down to the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games. Stay tuned for news and event information on our web site.

Copyright: Whistler for the Disabled 2008