Announcement | July 27th 2026 | Dave Murray National Training Centre Upgrades
WHISTLER MOUNTAIN SKI CLUB AND DAVE MURRAY NATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR MAJOR UPGRADES
Up to $2.2 million in Capital Funding from the Federal Government via Alpine Canada, and Extended Agreement with Whistler Blackcomb
Whistler, B.C., July 27, 2026 — The Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) and Dave Murray National Training Centre (DMNTC) are together announcing plans to upgrade the Dave Murray National Training Centre.
The improvements will extend the alpine training and racing season at Whistler and provide additional resilience to the effects of climate change. The plans include a significant increase in snowmaking capacity and changes to improve the terrain, as well as the conversion of the existing Garbo Hut storage facility into an Athlete Centre, with space for athletes to meet with their coaches and do video review. Together, these upgrades put Whistler in a position to host high-level alpine training and events for many years to come.
The upgrades are shovel-ready and are starting immediately, with completion expected in 2027.
To support these initiatives, the Government of Canada announced today that it is providing up to $2.2 million of capital investment funding for WMSC and DMNTC through the Build Communities Strong Fund. The Hon. Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport) made the announcement today of a federal investment of $33.6 million in key sport infrastructure projects through the Build Communities Strong Fund, including the Whistler investment.
WMSC and DMNTC are launching the Vision 2050 Capital Campaign to raise the remainder of the capital funding to complete the transformation of the Training Centre and Athlete Centre.
To enable both the contribution from the Build Communities Strong Fund and the Vision 2050 Capital Campaign, Whistler Blackcomb agreed to extend its existing agreement with WMSC and DMNTC for an additional 10 years, to 2040. The original agreement dates back to the legacy investments made in the Training Centre in connection with the 2010 Winter Olympics.
“Today’s announcements represent a huge step forward for the Dave Murray National Training Centre,” said Rob Toole, Chair of the DMNTC’s Board of Directors. “We have terrific legacy assets from the 2010 Winter Olympics, but they need investment and upgrades to provide for more consistent conditions across the whole season. We’re very appreciative of the support from the Government of Canada and Alpine Canada, as well as our fantastic partners at Whistler Blackcomb, and we’re thrilled to launch the Vision 2050 Capital Campaign with WMSC today.”
Duncan Reid, Chair of WMSC’s Board of Directors, said “The quality of our training facilities is a key part of our success as a Club, and we’re excited to continue to develop the next generation of alpine skiing athletes in British Columbia. We’ve been working on launching this project together with DMNTC and Whistler
Blackcomb since early 2025, and the support from the Government of Canada and Alpine Canada has come at a crucial moment.” Reid added: “Collaboration has been a key part of this project – we owe a special debt of gratitude to Alpine Canada Board Chair Tim Dattels and former CEO Therese Brisson, as well as BC Alpine CEO Anders Hestdalen, for all of their leadership and support.”
Tim Dattels, Chair of Alpine Canada’s Board of Directors, said “Alpine Canada is excited to see the implementation of the major upgrades at the Dave Murray National Training Centre in Whistler, a 2010 Winter Olympics legacy asset. We view the development of critical infrastructure at key centres across Canada as a key element of accessibility and development for Canadian high-performance skiing. We thank Secretary of State (Sport) Koeverden for his leadership on the Build Communities Strong Fund projects.”
Anders Hestdalen, CEO of BC Alpine, added: “This investment is a major step forward for ski racing in Whistler and British Columbia. The Dave Murray National Training Centre has long been a crucial training facility for World Cup winners and Olympic medalists, while also being a training and racing venue for thousands of young athletes. We’re delighted to see the investments being announced today for the development of future alpine talent for British Columbia and for Canada. Congratulations to Alpine Canada, WMSC and DMNTC for putting this project together.”
The news release from the Government of Canada is here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2026/07/building-canada-strong-from-playground-to-podiumgovernment-of-canada-makes-major-investments-in-alberta.html
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Founded in 1968, Whistler Mountain Ski Club has a legendary history of developing world-class athletes, serving as a vital pipeline to Canada’s national alpine ski and ski cross teams. WMSC has played a central role in the development of alpine ski racing in British Columbia and Canada, which continues in 2026 with five of the six BC Training Group athletes being WMSC alumni and ten WMSC athletes on the National Team, more than any other club in Canada. With approximately 250 athletes from the early development stages through FIS and Masters programming, WMSC is committed to continuing to develop champions in life and sport.
Media Contacts:
Rob Toole Chair, Dave Murray National Training Centre robert.j.toole@gmail.com 416.816.3107
Duncan Reid Chair, Whistler Mountain Ski Club dreid@farris.com 604.816.9424