Whistler Blackcomb Locals Raise Concerns About Ski Resort Safety Measures

A group of locals at Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, are petitioning the ski resort to improve what they say are lacking safety measures meant to slow high-speed skiers on crowded beginner runs.



The petition, launched by physician Dr. Christina Williams of Vancouver, claimed that since the resort conglomerate Vail bought Whistler Blackcomb in 2016, the number of safety staff enforcing skier speed rules has dropped noticeably.



This has increased the number of injuries caused by collisions, Williams wrote.

Whistler Blackcomb declined to answer questions about the issue, according to the local outlet Pique.



But in a statement, the resort's COO, Belinda Trembath, said that "Our mountains welcome skiers and riders of all ages and abilities, and we are deeply committed to ensuring that every visit is enjoyable, comfortable, and safe."



"We ask all guests to adhere to the Alpine Responsibility Code, and safety personnel reinforce this on our slopes," Trembath continued.



Whistler Blackcomb is in touch with Williams, Pique reported.



Like many other destination resorts, Whistler Blackcomb has "slow zones" demarcated in yellow on its trail map. Per the map, these areas are monitored by members of the Mountain Safety Team.

Still, according to the petition, Whistler's Emergency Department has seen a significant uptick in collision accidents over the past few years. It pointed to an op-ed also published by Pique, in which the writer described their husband-a ski instructor-being hit by a "guy just straight-lining it."



The writer, Heike Stippler, pleaded with Whistler Blackcomb to do something.



"As a former employee, I'm not afraid to speak up louder, knowing that staff meetings bring this up again and again, yet nothing changes," Stippler wrote. "The absolute lack of real action is astounding. We need more people with real power to pull passes, right away, and take people off the mountain for speeding out of control BEFORE these things happen."



The petition, meanwhile, laid out several requests for Whistler Blackcomb, including adding more safety staff and strictly enforcing the Alpine Responsibility Code, a set of ten rules. The first is "Always stay in control. You must be able to stop or avoid people or objects."



The petition also proposed "speed traps" and suggested that Vail Resorts consider publishing accident data.



At the time of writing this, the petition has garnered more than 1,500 signatures. Several commenters have weighed in, some describing the injuries they suffered after skier collisions.

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 3:07 PM.