The 10 bachelors and Jillian Harris can look forward to this exciting mountain adventure. Ziptrek photo @ Whistler by Sue Frause.
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Whistler may soon be able to add the title "Best Resort in a Reality Series" to its list of growing accolades. The popular British Columbia destination is taking the main stage on the small screen during the June 15 installment of The Bachelorette. On the previous show, 29-year-old Jillian Harris introduced 13 of her suitors to her hometown of Vancouver. It was fun watching Jillian and the guys kayak in False Creek, shop on Granville Island, dine at Grouse Mountain and participate in that oh, so Canadian sport of curling. The bachelors were comfortably ensconsed in a spacious three-bedroom suite at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
The hometown fun continues at Whistler on Monday, June 15, where the "cast" and crew filmed for several days in April. Ten suitors remain, and the Whistler installment includes one group and two individual dates. Watch the eager guys and spunky gal go snowmobiling to the remote Callaghan Lodge in the Callaghan Valley (I've spent a long winter weekend there; it's fantastic!). The site is being transformed into the Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park that will host cross-country, biathlon, Nordic combined and ski jumping events for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. On her individual dates, Jillian and her suitors went Ziptrekking, followed by dinner in the Bearfoot Bistro's private wine cellar. I highly recommend both activities, although the Ziptrekking was a lot scarier than dining! Another date takes place on a scenic flight-seeing tour over Whistler; the ski plane landed on the appropriately named Champagne Glacier near the giant Pemberton icecap. Also on the show are the one-on-one dates at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler (including champagne and poutine) and eventually the rose ceremony in the hotel's lovely Wine Room.
The Whistler visit wraps up with Jillian enjoying Whistler's high alpine via Whistler Blackcomb's new PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. The gondola, launched in December 2008, traverses the valley between the two mountains, transporting winter skiers and snowboarders and summer hikers and sightseers between Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain. While the two mountains have been connected at their bases for years (it was possible to ski both in a day), the gondola makes it so much easier to travel the 2.73 miles between the two mountains. It only takes 11 minutes. This summer, PEAK 2 PEAK is open for hikers, who now have access to more than 30 miles of hiking trails including six new trails on Blackcomb Mountain.
Tune in June 15 on ABC!
The Fairmont Chateau Whistler invites people to watch the June 15 episode at 8 PM (PDT) in the hotel's Mallard Lounge. They have even developed a special cocktail named the Wild Rose, the floral emblem of Jillian's native Alberta. The Blackcomb trail grand opening is July 12, 2009 and features free tours and special offers. Go to Whistler Blackcomb's website for more information, along with contests, hotel specials and summer packages (plus Whistler and Blackcomb web cams).
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