NIE ACTIVITY
GEOGRAPHY
CONNECTIONS
This year-long series is presented in collaboration
with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.
Whistler, Take
LOCATION: Whistler,
British Columbia: 50.1208° N,
5
122.9544° W. British Columbia’s
neighboring provinces are Alberta,
British Columbia, Canada Yukon Territory, and the Northwest
Territory. In the U.S. it borders Alaska,
Washington State, Idaho and Montana.
PLACE: British Columbia has mountains,
valleys, rivers, lakes and borders the ocean.
It is one of the most ethnically diverse areas
in Canada. Over 40 aboriginal groups are still
represented. BC is 364,764 square miles in area
and Whistler is 62.44 square miles.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION:
Lumber followed by coal and solid fuels are the
biggest exports from BC. 12.5% of the land in BC
is protected.
MOVEMENT: The First Nations People were
the first people to populate BC. The Europeans
settled in the area in 1778. The main forms of
transportation currently are air, car, bus, rail, and
CITY/COUNTRY VIEW ferry.
Chelsea Crooke, University of New Haven REGION: The mountains, coastline, and mild
weather bring many outdoor enthusiasts who
Ever seen a lake so blue or huge mountains popping out from all over the Earth’s floor? Home to the largest
participate in a variety of outdoor activities.
bike park in the world, largest skiing area in North America, and renown hiking, skiing, backpacking, fishing,
camping, kayaking, rafting, and mountain biking, Whistler, Canada provides all of its visitors this and much
more. It is a beautiful area with scenic views for miles. The two-hour road trip north from Vancouver
to Whistler provides great scenery too along the Sea to Sky Highway. Whistler Village is nestled into the
MAPPING ACTIVITY
Fitzsimmons Mountain Range, which is located in southwestern British Columbia. Find the nearby mountains to Whistler in British Columbia
on a map given their longitude and latitude and mark them
Originally founded for it’s skiing now the town and area have become a popular summer attraction. First
to get an idea of the Fitzsimmons Mountain Range and
named London Mountain, the biggest reason people came to the area was for fishing. Winter sprung upon
surrounding area.
some businessmen visiting in 1960 and soon the mountain was developed with ski lifts and operating as a ski
area. It was the founder’s dream to have the Winter Olympics held here and they finally were held in Whistler Find:
in 2010. There has been a significant environmental improvement effort, including the Run-of-River project, Whistler Mountain 50.057982, -122.954132
which draws power from Fitzsimmons Creek. This hydroelectricity is capable of producing 33 gigawatt hours of Shark’s Teeth Peaks 53.001809, -127.216915
electricity per year, which is like powering 3,000 homes or the Whistler Ski Resort’s year round operations. Hungabee Mountain 51.317916, -116.302082
Along with its large span of skiable terrain there is a vast trail system in the area for hikers and bikers offering Mt Sylvia 58.071490, -124.445698
challengeable hikes and bike rides, each of which offer great photo opportunities, nature observations, and Mt Lester Jones 58.709197, -133.199055
excitement. The climate is temperate, providing another reason this area is a popular destination for tourists. Oscar Peak 54.921781, -129.032490
Coniferous forests span the mountainsides. This area offers so much for its visitors in the area of outdoor Tlakwa Mountain 50.307066, -127.049801
activities, family vacations, and environmental science. Extension: Find the elevation of these mountains and
determine average yearly temperatures. Compare these
with the other mountains in British Columbia. Are they
similar, if different why might they be different?
DID YOU KNOW?
1.) The elevation of Whistler is 7,156 ft.
2.) More than 2 million people visit Whistler every year.
3.) There are more than 200 marked trails.
Community Connections/ Using the News 4.) Whistler has a skiable area of 4,757 acres.
This is close to 3,700 football fields put together.
A snowboarder survived an avalanche in Whistler underneath the Peak to Peak Gondola,
5.) There are many bears that call Whistler their home.
which is an area out of bounds. He was pushed 150 feet down the slope into a tree well.
Snow closed in around him and at one point snow went into his airway. The friends he 6.) Average yearly snowfall is 33.5 feet.
was with were able to help him but they triggered more avalanches on their way to him. 7.) There are 38 total lifts on Whistler Blackcomb.
His friends begin digging him out and once his head was seen his friends removed the This includes a peak-to-peak gondola connecting
Whistler to Blackcomb, which has the longest lift
snow from his airway. He said the experience was very scary. Ski patrol took this as an
span in the world at 1.88 miles long.
opportunity to warn those of how dangerous skiing in trees can be and especially how
8.) Long before the Europeans settled there Whistler
important it is to remain in your partner’s view.
was the home to a main trading route of the
Critical Thinking Questions: Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations people.
1.) What are some of the things that have been discovered because of mountaineering?
2.) What dangers are associated with mountaineering?
3.) How do avalanches affect the environment? What causes them?
Retrived from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/skier-survives-tree-well-avalanche-1.3379388
Common Core
Online Resources: Curricular Connections
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/about-us/history
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
http://www.whistlersbest.com/facts-about-whistler/ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3
http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/statisticsbysubject/ExportsImports/Data/Country- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3
TradeProfiles.aspx CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/after-transportation.asp CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.2 For students who are blind, learning
http://geography.about.com/od/canadamaps/a/britishcolumbia.htm disabled or print challenged,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2
http://peakery.com/canada-mountains/british-columbia/ visit CRIS Radio at
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
http://www.chrisradio.org and click
http://www.hellobc.com/vancouver-coast-mountains/things-to-do.aspx CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5 Kids On-Demand for a free audio
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2 version of Geography Connections.
