Description

This memo will address the need for better public hiking access to the Fitzsimmons Valley, Singing Pass and Russet Lake.

At present the lower Fitzsimmons valley is entirely closed by Whistler Blackcomb (“WB”) and Whistler Sports Legacies (“WSL”) tenures. Access to the spectacular mountains of the Spearhead range and to Blackcomb Glacier Provincial Park is now controlled by WB and WSL. The old mining road on the Whistler side of the valley, used by hikers for many years to drive to a trailhead 5 km above Whistler, was blocked by the Fitzsimmons slide and WB subsequently gated it and built part of the mountain bike park over it. As a result the hiking distance to Singing Pass from Whistler increased from about 7 km to 11.5 km and the trail to the Park boundary deteriorated badly.