Locker Rooms Get a Stylish Update as Winter Sports Evolve…

When the Club Intrawest Whistler ski resort was opened in 1994, it was the first of eight Club Intrawest locations to be built in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Members came from near and far to enjoy some great skiing in the white powder and to soak in the gorgeous scenery year-round. The club boasts studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom vacation homes, year round heated pools and hot tubs (yes, that’s plural!), and even has its own game room and movie theater. Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?

Club Intrawest Whistler, Whistler BC

Club Intrawest Whistler, Whistler BC

Each year, club membership continued to grow and in 2007 the 129 vacation homes were renovated and updated. The homes are warm, wood-trimmed and cabin-cozy, making for a wonderful escape from everyday life. (I’m not a huge fan of the snow, yet imagining this stunning location has me longing to vacation here! But I digress…)

Today membership for Club Intrawest has reached well over a staggering 21,000 members and many of those members are now trading in their skis for snowboards. Director of Resort Facilities Management, Chris Blaney, proposed a complete revamp of the resorts locker rooms to better accommodate the changing equipment.  

Chris shares, “The existing lockers didn’t work well for snowboard storage. Members could maybe fit maybe one board per locker, and even that was a tight fit.” When I asked him to describe his old lockers, Chris said, “They were old, rusted and some of the bottoms were falling out. We wanted to represent the high standard of our location in our locker rooms.”

In September of 2012, Chris received approval to move ahead with the locker room renovation. To allow for more locker space, he and his interior designer decided to eliminate a conference room used mainly by staff and convert it to more locker room space. Now that’s keeping the customer in mind!

Intrawest Whistler photo 3

Chris worked with sales rep, Tim Oliver, at SchoolLockers.com, and the new ski and snowboard storagelockers were installed in November of that year. In order to provide one locker per bedroom at the facility, Chris needed 192 individual lockers, and each needed to accommodate 197 centimeter skis—nearly 6 and-a-half feet long! Being the clever fellow he is rather than pay higher costs for custom taller lockers, Chris ordered his new lockers without tops so the lengthy skis could be stored easily. (Standard locker height is 6 feet high.)

Installation was a bit tricky, because having the tops removed made the lockers less stable during the install, but once they were stacked one next to the other it was a smooth process. To accommodate for the extra height needed at the top of the lockers, Chris and his team trimmed-out the lockers using cedar. “The locker rooms are now complete with rubber floors and vinyl and wood planks on the walls to avoid damage to the walls.” said Chris.

Intrawest Whistler photo 1

“Feedback from the members has been great!” Chris shares. “In the past, members were assigned a combination lock for the duration of their stay. This resulted in forgotten combinations, lost locks and diminished the vacation experience. The lockers we ordered from SchoolLockers.com have a 4 digit programmable electronic lock, set by the member, which has made the experience much easier for the members and the Intrawest team.”

That’s great news! After all, isn’t providing a great experience the whole idea behind renovating an existing space? Chris not only thought “outside the box,” he altered the box (lockers, that is) to please his members and make for a better experience at his club. Way to go, Chris! We’re happy we were able to be your chosen supplier for your successful locker room upgrade.