On Saturday June 28, the mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb played host to an extraordinary event believed to be the first of its kind in the world, when SKYHIGH – A Dinner With Altitude took place on the Peak2Peak Gondola as it travelled between the mountains.
In a logistical tour-de-force, the Bearfoot Bistro, under the culinary direction of Executive Chef Melissa Craig, served a six-course fine-dining menu to 248 guests seated across 25 gondolas as they journeyed 436 metres above ground for 4.4 kilometres between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.
“The key to this event was all in the planning,” noted Craig, Executive Chef of the Bearfoot Bistro. “We had to be organized down to the second, with everything from bread service through to dessert.”
Two kitchens were set up on either side of the Peak2Peak, with hot food served on the Whistler side, and cold on Blackcomb, as the gondolas passed through each terminal.
Staff had only one minute and 20 seconds from the time the gondola doors opened to clear the previous course and serve up to 10 guests with food and wine, before the doors closed again.
As the final gondola was served one course, the first gondola re-entered the terminal, giving the kitchen staff less than two minutes to regroup and begin plating the next dish.
A total of 16 service staff interacted with each gondola as it passed through the terminal, making sure guests received the level of service and hospitality they would expect from Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler’s premiere fine-dining restaurant. 
“We knew what we were trying to pull off was something more like a Formula One pit stop than a traditional dining event,” said Bearfoot Bistro General Manager Kerren Bottay. “On the day, the team worked under immense pressure to hit exact timings and deliver an incredible, flawless experience for our guests. We could not have imagined such a successful execution of our plan.”
Guests travelled between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains a total of six times, with each leg taking 18 minutes.
A 36 minute bathroom break was given between courses four and five, with a palate cleanser served atop Whistler Mountain.
Guests paid $7500 for a gondola that seated up to 10 people in a fundraiser for The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. Wines for the event were donated by individual wineries.
“It was wicked,” said Bearfoot Bistro founder André Saint-Jacques. “For sure there is always stress when you strive for perfection, but the team was so prepared, Melissa was so calm, we couldn’t have hoped for a better execution.”
“My only worry was that guests would not be on time and miss their gondolas,” Saint-Jacques added. “But they respected all of the guidelines, and there wasn’t a single hitch. In fact, we had one couple get engaged while on the gondola.”
Although originally conceived as a one-off, the event was so successful that Saint-Jacques began fielding requests for gondolas for next year almost as soon as the event ended.
“Dining at 436 metres, suspended over Fitzsimmons Creek with spectacular views of glaciers, mountains and the Whistler Valley at sunset was remarkable,” said Dave Brownlie, President and CEO of Whistler Blackcomb and President of The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation.
“The meticulous execution of the countless details by both Whistler Blackcomb and Bearfoot Bistro staff was nothing short of impressive,” Brownlie said. “Working with the Bearfoot Bistro to create a truly unique experience with the first ever dining event on our record breaking Peak2Peak Gondola exceeded all our expectations.
About The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation:
The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation has raised over $8.2 million since 1992 for Registered Sea to Sky Charities making it the largest fundraising organization in the area. Its mandate is to provide financial support to non-profit organizations whose activities provide benefit to residents of the Sea to Sky Corridor in the areas of health, human services, education, recreation, arts & culture and the environment. Special emphasis is placed on children, youth and family. For more information on The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, visit whistlerblackcombfoundation.com.
About the Bearfoot Bistro:
No visit to Whistler is complete without an evening at the Bearfoot Bistro, the resort’s premier fine dining restaurant. Enjoy a spectacular meal created by award-winning Executive Chef Melissa Craig, try your hand at sabering a bottle of Champagne in the 20,000-bottle wine cellar, or visit the Belvedere Ice Room, the coldest vodka tasting room in the world. Take a seat at the pewter bar in the Champagne Lounge with its spectacular rail of ice designed to hold and keep your glass of Champagne perfectly chilled, or enjoy a full bar, oyster and dinner service outdoors on the Bearfoot Bistro’s patio. Bearfoot Bistro founder André Saint-Jacques believes beautiful food and great wine shared with friends and family is always a celebration. For more information on the Bearfoot Bistro, visit bearfootbistro.com.
About Whistler Blackcomb:
Whistler Blackcomb, the official alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is situated in the Resort Municipality of Whistler located in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia 125 kilometres (78 miles) from Vancouver, British Columbia. North America’s premier four season mountain resort, Whistler and Blackcomb are two side-by-side mountains which combined offer over 200 marked runs, 8,171 acres of terrain, 16 alpine bowls, three glaciers, receives on average over 1,174 centimetres (462 inches) of snow annually, and one of the longest ski seasons in North America. In the summer, Whistler Blackcomb offers a variety of activities, including hiking and biking trails, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, and sightseeing on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. For more info on Whistler Blackcomb, visit whistlerblackcomb.com
About the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola:
Spanning the distance between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is a 4.4 kilometre / 2.7 mile, eleven-minute journey now recognized globally as a tourism icon of epic proportions. By connecting the high alpine terrain of both mountains, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola has changed the way skiers, snowboarders and sightseers experience Whistler Blackcomb. In addition to being the number one landmark in Canada according to TripAdvisor.com, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola also holds three world records, including:
- Longest unsupported span of 3.024 kilometres
- Highest lift of its kind at 436 metres above the valley floor
- The longest continuous lift system on the globe
For more information about the PEAK 2 PEAK you can check out: http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/media/stats/p2p/
SKYHIGH – A Dinner With Altitude
MENU
Reception
Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial
1st Course
House Smoked Sockeye Salmon textures of peas, rye bread, crème fraiche, trout roe
Dom Pérignon 2004
2nd Course
Vancouver Island Black Cod sweet corn, dungeness crab cream
Château de Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2009
3rd Course
Rougié Foie Gras Terrine beluga lentil vinaigrette, chanterelle mushrooms, truffle brioche
Louis Jadot Beaune Boucherottes Premier Cru 2006
4th Course
Palate Cleanser & Bathroom Break
5th Course
Braised Milk Fed Veal Cheek apricot mostarda, salsify puree, mustard jus
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2010
6th Course
Caribbean Chocolate & Pear poached pears, cognac foam, chocolate chantilly
Hennessy XO Cognac
Petits fours
Executive Chef Melissa Craig
Executive Pastry Chef Dominic Fortin
