Winter shaping up to be historical best
Grouse Mountain sets all time December traffic record
January 2, 2011
January 2, 2011, Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver – While some had hoped the man in red would bring more traditional gifts this holiday season, Grouse Mountain was after something a bit more intangible: evidence that the global reach of the Olympic Games last winter would create a lasting legacy for the resort. With guest number exceeding over 9,000 on December 30th alone, it is safe to say that old St. Nick over-delivered.
Skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and those just looking to take in some alpine air came together throughout December to help Grouse Mountain realize a new all time record for the month, up some 12% over the previous record, set in 2007.
“Well, we knew we had the snow for an epic month,” says Grouse Mountain general manager Michael Cameron of the record-breaking December, “By and large the weather has been pretty good too. But this year there was another factor the power of which we were waiting to determine: namely, the legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics. As the home of the NBC Today broadcast for the entire Games, we knew we had the eyes of the world on us, but we could not have predicted how well that incredible exposure would continue to deliver in the years to come. This is a fantastic first year of that legacy.”
But the increased volume did not stop in December. The first days of January have seen incredible volumes as well. Of particular note is the unique mix of guests that has been recorded at Grouse Mountain this season. While the resort boasts one of the largest full season snowpass databases in North America, it wasn’t all passholders using the mountain. There was almost a huge contingent of tourists that came up to enjoy the skiing/boarding and everything else Grouse Mountain has to offer. This is strong evidence that there is a renewed enthusiasm for the general public to get up to Grouse Mountain and re-capture their “snow legs”.
In addition to hosting the NBC Today broadcast, Grouse Mountain hosted smaller broadcasts and interviews from every major A-List media outlet - international and domestic - throughout the Games. Conservative estimates place the total audience exposure to Grouse Mountain in the neighbourhood of 700 million people.
With approximately 4.5 months of the downhill season remaining, Grouse Mountain is poised to enjoy what may well become the single most successful winter in its 84-year history as Vancouver’s top ski and snowboard destination.
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