Australian Belinda Trembath was recently appointed chief operating officer of the Vail Resorts owned Whistler Blackcomb in Canada. The Canadian resort is not only one of the biggest in North America, but is recognised globally and frequented by many Australians eager to experience the huge expanse of terrain.

People who know Belinda have no doubt she will succeed in this new role, even though it may have come as a surprise for the mega resort company to pluck their new COO from Australia. Her most recent role was 12 months as vice president and general manager of Australia's largest resort of Perisher.

In a way it was disappointing that she only spent 12 months in Perisher, as we know she was well liked and people were looking forwrad to see how she could further improve Perisher. After running the Hotham lift company since 2006, and more recently overseeing Vail Resorts' Victorian assets of Hotham and Falls Creek lift companies, Belinda has years of experience on her side.

SnowNews.com.au spoke with Belinda prior to her departure to Whistler where she was obviously excited for the new venture and the opportunity to oversee such an elite resort on the world stage.

Now after landing in Canada and being on the ground in Whistler Blackcomb for her first week, she has offered her thoughts so far in a post via the Whistler Blackcomb social media.

𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘖𝘯𝘦: 𝘈 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣’𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘊𝘖𝘖 ⁣

What a whirlwind first week – I could not be more honoured to be here as I step into this new role. As I reflect on my first nine days here, I’m filled with excitement for all that is to come, and I’d like to share a few thoughts about the impact of these initial days. First of all, I want to thank everyone – the Whistler Blackcomb team and the community – for such a warm welcome. What is clear is everyone’s shared love and passion for these mountains, and it’s been a pleasure to be immersed in that spirit.

I also had the opportunity to spend time learning about the history and importance of these lands as the shared unceded territories of the Lil’wat Nation and the Squamish Nation. I am immensely grateful for the chance to begin my learning journey here with the guidance of each Nation, and am committed to listening and learning, always.

One of the biggest things that has truly moved me over the last week is seeing the Whistler Blackcomb team in action. I can tell you that what I have seen so far has been nothing short of exemplary – especially with last Friday's opening of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park! Speaking of which - if I have to look at one day in my first week and say “ok, this was the standout,” it was easily Whismas! To be amidst the stoke with the team and riders alike was spectacular. A huge shout out to the Bike Park Crews, Lift Maintenance, and Lift Ops for the extra care to build trails around the construction zone and to create a smooth loading process for four bikes into the Whistler Village Gondola – no small feat.

I am still processing all of the experiences and learnings from week one, and I look forward to continuing to meet members of our team here and more members of the community. More than anything, I really am just so happy to be diving right in as I immerse myself in all things Whistler Blackcomb!

I’ll also plan to share some thoughts from time to time as I continue to settle in – and if you see me on the trails or around town, please don’t hesitate to say hello!

Cheers,

BT

See recent stories on Belinda Trembath here

Trembath appointed COO of Whistler Blackcomb

Read Interview 1 with Belinda Trembath

Read Interview 2 Belinda Trembath Page 51 Autumn Snowy Mountains Magazine