Along with the 10-person gondola which will run from the Upper Village to the top of the mountain near the Peak 2 Peak gondola and replace the Solar Coaster and Wizard chairlifts the company plans to upgrade two chairlifts. A new six-person, high-speed lift will replace the four-person Emerald Express, while that lift will be refurbished and replace Catskinner. “What we’re saying with these projects is we want to focus on what we do best,” Sonntag told media after he and a WB panel answered questions as part of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Power Lunch. “We want to take the guest experience on the mountain and make it the best it can possibly be. We know there are larger issues out in the community. We continue to partner with the local municipality and our other partners to do everything we can to minimize our impacts. But what we can have an impact on now is providing a great experience for our guests and deal with any issues we might see.”
“For somebody new to go in for a year, it would take them a year to figure out how everything works,” McCarthy said. “There’s no learning curve for me. In terms of what needs to be done and how it works with people on council and the staff, I know who to talk to about certain stuff and they know where I’m coming from. For me, personally, it’s a simple thing for me to go and do.” McCarthy said some of the major issues he’d like to tackle in the coming year, if elected, are the ongoing housing shortage, increased pressure on local parks and working with events like Ironman to make locals happier hosts.
Sonntag’s appointment comes following current WB COO Dave Brownlie’s announcement last month that he’d be stepping down from his post after nearly three decades working for the resort. Sonntag, the current head of Vail’s Lake Tahoe region will be stepping into the role as soon as his work visa paperwork is complete ideally next month, he said. After beginning his ski industry career as an instructor for the Beaver Creek Ski & Snowboard School, Sonntag was eventually promoted to adult ski and snowboard school director in 2001. He went on to direct the Copper Mountain Resort Ski & Ride School and skier services at Keystone Resort and Vail Mountain Ski & Snowboard School, before being appointed to lead Heavenly Mountain Resort in 2010, eventually taking on the senior vice president position in 2015.