Nicknamed the "animal magnet" as a kid, Casey Anderson grew up in Montana surrounded by wilderness and animals. Today, Casey and his best friend Brutus, a 9-year-old grizzly in his prime, educate the public on grizzly conservation as well as star in educational videos, television shows and feature films. Now you can hear their remarkable story and participate in a Whistler bear guided excursion as The Fairmont Chateau Whistler and National Geographic present "Into the Wild".

Whistler – Austin Grabkowski saw snow for the first time in his life just a few days ago, but it seems the 12-year-old Australian is a natural on the slippery white stuff.

His Whistler Blackcomb (WB) ski instructor told him he’s almost a Level 4 skier — not too shabby for a first-time skier who’s just discovering the joys of snow.

“My ski instructor said I was pretty good,” Grabkowski said.

Though it’s interesting for people in Whistler to imagine seeing snow for the first time at age 12, that’s not what makes Grabkowski a VIP in the resort this week. He’s had the opportunity to visit Whistler through the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a two-time cancer survivor.

WHISTLER – Anyone who’s spent more than a few days in Whistler during the winter, or at just about any ski resort for that matter, knows that most days are cloudy, snowy, blustery and/or stormy. So how come so many professional ski and snowboard photographs depict bluebird days without a cloud in the sky?

All that glorious powder had to fall sometime, after all.

That’s one of the reasons Whistler photographer Jordan Manley likes the Deep Winter Photo Challenge, taking place this week on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

By Clare Ogilvie

December tourism came in quietly but the end of the month seems to be going out with a bang.

In some cases occupancy at Whistler hotels has almost doubled as the snow continues to fall and the resort markets itself aggressively, offering value deals too good to be missed.

However, there is little doubt when all the numbers are in that overall the month will be down from last year, and that 2009 will be a year full of challenges.

Golfers looking to improve specific aspects of their game need look no further than Fairmont’s golf schools. Everything from club fitting and equipment, short and long-game instruction, fitness enhancement and insights into golf’s subtle mental aspects are covered.

There are different schools to match specific different game-improvement goals.