Solving the Whistler-Blackcomb Mega Day Challenge

The Whistler-Blackcomb (WB) Mega Day challenge requires a skier to ride all 24 lifts at the resort in a single day. Among over two million people who ski annually at WB, only 313 completed the challenge in the 14 months following the introduction of a system that tracks lift use by skier. Apart from the physical challenge of skiing, a key difficulty is finding a route that matches one’s skill level while accounting for variable lift opening and closing times. We use data from WB’s radio-frequency identification (RFID) ticketing system to estimate ski times between lifts for skiers of various skill levels. We then formulate and solve the problem by a combined, iterative integer programming and heuristic approach, up to the highest feasible skier skill level. The problem’s distinctive features preclude the use of known solution methods for similar problems; therefore, we use a practical, staged-solution approach. Our results include a recommended route that enables the greatest number of skiers, roughly the fastest quartile, to achieve the challenge. We also provide a benchmark that skiers who can ski a particular common run in 12 minutes or less should be able to complete the challenge. In the three months following communication of our recommended solution, the rate at which skiers completed the Mega Day challenge increased by two-thirds over the previous seven skiing months.