whistler

Whistler Print Sets New Auction Record

Filed under: Art

Swann Galleries' auction of Whistler and His Influence on Wednesday, October 27 offered approximately 150 prints by James A. M. Whistler and nearly 20 of these set world auction records, including the sale's top lot, a very early impression of Nocturne, etching and drypoint on Japan paper, 1879-80, which became the most expensive Whistler print ever sold at auction when it brought $282,000.

The moody etching, shown above, was likely one of the first that Whistler made after arriving in Venice. It was estimated to sell for $80,000 to $120,000 and bears his rare butterfly signature. Todd Weyman, Swann Vice President and Director of the Prints & Drawings Department, said, "Setting the record price for any Whistler print shows the quality and scarcity of the material we have been able to gather in the past few seasons."

Among the many other Whistlers that set records in the October 27 sale were a very scarce first state of Rotherhithe, 1860, etching and drypoint, $14,400; Little Smithfield, etching on Japan paper, which had not appeared at auction in the last 20 years, $18,000; Battersea: Dawn, drypoint, 1875, with soft, hazy tones and inky plate edges, $13,200; Fishing-Boats, Hastings, etching and drypoint on Japan paper, 1877, $15,600; Fulham, etching, 1879, one of three etchings Whistler made of the old Putney (or Fulham) toll bridge in 1879 before its destruction, $14,400; Exeter Street, etching, circa 1886-88, $22,800; and Rue des Bon Enfants, Tours, etching and drypoint, 1888, created while he was honeymooning in the Loire Valley, $21,600. The two day sale brought in a total of $2,527,512 with Buyer's Premium.

Tags: art, etching, james whistler, swann galleries, whistler, whistler print

Whistler Blackcomb Facing Foreclosure Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Next month's Winter Olympics have been anticipated for years in Whistler. But one resort is facing an unexpected snag, foreclosure. Whistler Blackcomb, which will be hosting part of next month's games may end up being auctioned off in the middle of the Olympics. The owner, private equity firm and hedge fund Fortress Investment Group, has failed to make payments on a $1.7 billion loan. The company bought resort operator Intrawest for $2.8 billion in 2006 back when everything was smooth sailing in the real estate world.

Flash forward to now and Fortress is trying to refinance the loan and lenders to Fortress have been publishing notices of foreclosure in places like the Wall Street Journal announcing a public auction of the assets of Intrawest which includes a bunch of winter resorts sprinkled across North America. The auction date of February 19 puts the sale of Whistler Blackcomb smack dab in the middle of the Olympics. Intrawest is said to be negotiating with the lenders but plans to continue with business as usual and the auction likely won't affect the running of the event. Intrawest properties also include the Whistler Sliding Centre, shown at right, which is the site of the Olympic bobsled and luge events.

The Globe and Mail reports that Intrawest ULC has sold its Panorama Mountain Village resort as part of its effort to stave off the auction. Panorama is located in eastern British Columbia and neither the buyer nor the price have been revealed. Intrawest already sold Copper Mountain in Colorado last November.

Tags: foreclosure, fortress, hotel foreclosure, HotelForeclosure, hotels in trouble, HotelsInTrouble, intrawest, OlympicGames, olympics, whistler, whistler blackcomb, WhistlerBlackcomb, winter olympics, WinterOlympics

Former NHL Hockey Players Invest In Whistler Spa

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

A former NHL hockey player is one of the investors behind a luxurious new spa. Vincent Damphousse is a part of the $8.5-million Scandinave Spa Whistler, opens this month just in time to ramp up for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Vancouver Sun reports that Damphousse owns a 25-per-cent stake in Quebec-based spa developer Gestion Riviere du Diable Inc. (GRD), which has spas in Montreal, Mont Tremblant, Quebec and a franchise spa in Blue Mountain, Ontario. Another player, former defenseman Eric Desjardins owns five per cent of the company.

The project has six separate buildings with green roofs and offers a spa experience that starts with a steam bath or sauna before a quick cool off in Nordic waterfalls or a cold bath or shower, a process that is repeated several times. The baths experience costs $55 and there are also packages that include massage.

Damphousse has been involved with GRD since 1999, when he was still actively playing. He was later the National Hockey League Players Association's director of business relations and is on the boards of four different companies.

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Tags: hockey, scandinavian spa, ScandinavianSpa, spa, vincent damphousse, VincentDamphousse, whistler

Your Second, Winter Olympic Home is Ready

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

Admit it, the biathlon has always fascinated you: skiing, spandex, and guns -- what's not to make a heart flutter? Vancouver, Canada isn't so bad either. With the Winter Olympics headed that way in sixty days you can add Granville Street and massive natural beauty to that fetching, dual-sport combination -- if only you had a place to stay...

Enter Evolution Whistler, a mountain home development just over a year old in the away-from-it-all Whistler Creekside. Evolution houses seventy residences from 590 sq. ft. up to 1,630 sq. ft., with 1 bed/ba units at the low end and 3 bed/ba units at the high. Some of them will be available during the Olympics, so when you're not slopeside at the ski jump or hoisting a nostalgic Jamaican flag at the bobsled, you can enjoy Evolution's own exercise facilities, outdoor sauna and hot tubs, or the eucalyptus steam room.

And if you decide you just can't get enough of Evolution or Vancouver, you can take a quarter ownership in one of Evolution's offerings -- there are 280 on offer -- with serious discounts from last year's The-Gods-Must-Be-Crazy prices. What better way could there be to remember the city where you jilted the biathlon and fell in love with the luge? (Don't worry, you will...)

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Tags: canada, evolution, olympic, vancouver, whistler, whistler blackcomb, WhistlerBlackcomb, winter olympics, WinterOlympics

Whistler's New Gondola Goes Peak To Peak

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

Those skiing in Whistler this winter will have a new to ski both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The Peak 2 Peak gondola will offer an eleven-minute trip that spans the two mountains. The gondola will link 8,171 acres of terrain into one continuous lift system so that skiers and riders can move across the valley to the best snow and weather in each area.Each gondola cabin can hold 28 people and can transport 4,100 people per hour. Two of the 28 gondolas will have glass bottoms allowing a birds eye view of the Fitzsimmons Valley below. The gondola will also be open during the summer months. Whistler Blackcomb's Unlimited Adult Seasons Pass is available for $1879. The Peak 2 Peak gondola opens on December 12.

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Tags: british columbia, BritishColumbia, canada, gondola, skiing, whistler

Adara Hotel - Whistler, British Columbia

by Matthew Collins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you haven't been able to hit the slopes this winter, why not head up to Whistler, BC and enjoy their 300cm snowbase. And hang your hat for the evening at a smart new boutique hotel called Adara. I'd call the decor rustic retro, Austin Powers with antlers. The hotel is in the heart of Whistler Village, steps away from the gondolas. The rooms feature modern furniture, rain showers, and views of the mountains. The hotel even has a ski services that will wax your skis while you sleep. It makes for a pleasant place to prop your feet up after a day of tumbling down those black diamond runs.

Via: American Way Magazine

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Tags: ski hotels, SkiHotels, skiing, whistler, whistler, bc, Whistler,Bc