Decimal Degrees (DD)
50.118730, -122.954297
Degrees Decimal Minutes (DDM)
50° 7.1238' N 122° 57.2578' W
Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS)
50° 7' 7.428" N 122° 57' 15.4692" W
Built as a place where the world could gather to celebrate during the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Whistler Olympic Plaza is where athletes received their medals during nightly victory ceremonies in front of cheering crowds.
Today, the much-visited venue sees outdoor concerts in summer, ice skating in winter, and a host of events year-round. Here, you can lunch on picnic tables, sit on hexagonal stools made from columnar jointed lava, throw a Frisbee on the grass, watch kids play on the wooden jungle gym, huddle around an outdoor fire, take in a film or a symphony orchestra, and pose for photos at the Olympic rings, Olympic bobsled or the Olympic Lightning Figure totem towering over the plaza that pays homage to the legend of Lightning Snakes who brought skills and tools to the Squamish and Lil’wat peoples.
Located in the north village. Easy walking access from several directions on the village stroll or from Marketplace; abundant nearby parking.
Protection and guardianship are at the heart of the Geopark philosophy. We ask that you treat the land with the same reverence as its original inhabitants, and not remove anything from a site but what you’ve brought to help preserve it for future generations.
50.118730, -122.954297
50° 7.1238' N 122° 57.2578' W
50° 7' 7.428" N 122° 57' 15.4692" W
Geosites of the Aspiring Geopark lie wholly within the unceded traditional territories of the Líl̓wat Nation and the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation. The nations have lived in—and shared parts of—these territories since time immemorial, with many landscape features and geological events woven into their cultural and oral histories. We are grateful for, and committed to, the opportunity to learn and share these perspectives of the land alongside its original stewards.
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The Fire & Ice Aspiring Geopark comprises four main geological pillars referenced in all interpretive material: (M)ountain Building, (G)laciation, (V)olcanism and (C)ollapse.
Mountain building can involve several processes that contribute to the formation of mountains, such as the collision of tectonic plates that result in folding, faulting, metamorphism and the creation of subduction zones associated with volcanic activity and igneous intrusion.
Glaciation refers to landform phenomena associated with the formation, movement and recession of glaciers and ice sheets. In temperate latitudes such as British Columbia, montane glaciation at higher altitudes is the norm while continental glaciation occurred during Ice Ages like the recent Pleistocene.
Volcanism is the eruption of subterranean molten rock (magma) and gasses onto the surface of the planet and includes the production of volcanic landforms and the effects of eruptions and flowing lava on pre-existing surface formations.
Collapse is a term that refers broadly to both slow processes of destabilization and erosion by wind, water and ice, as well as rapid processes like rockfall and landslides.
Whether acting as primary or secondary forces, one or more of these processes figure in the creation of each geosite.