Whistler doesn't just offer recreation - it IS recreation
On wheels, boards or blades - Whistler is recreation. This town's history is grassroots recreational development, high-level athletes who use the variety of community sports and clubs as part of their training program, and sport as a socially constructive force. Here are examples:
What did you learn in ski school today? Beginning in January each year, for a number of Mondays, about 75 per cent of Whistler elementary schools take ski or snowboard lessons through Whistler Blackcomb. For many local families, this is an affordable way to get their kids onto the local hills. Local schools arrange the ski program around other scheduled school closures so that the time missed from class is minimal.
Zero Ceiling street youth program Zero Ceiling brings street youth to Whistler and teaches them how to ski and/or snowboard and also offers some the opportunity to become snowboard instructors. The program is entering its 12th year and continues to provide a valuable resource to underprivileged inner-city kids who wouldn't otherwise be able to enjoy the mountains. With support from the Whistler community, Zero Ceiling has hosted well over a thousand kids. www.zeroceiling.org
A community of bikers The Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association is a community of more than a thousand locals who work with local government, property owners and developers to ensure mountain bike trail access. WORCA's Toonie Ride race series is a staple of the local mountain bike scene. Every Thursday night from May to early October, hundreds of competitors pay the two-buck entry fee with half of each race's total going toward WORCA's trail maintenance fund and the other half doled out as prize money for the top riders. Often these local riders are athletes training for nationals or even World Cup events. www.worca.com
Working the dream: Whistler's business owners focus on work-life balance
Whistler is home to many extremely successful entrepreneurs in a wide-range of fields – from high-tech to homebuilding, from designing bike parks to snowboards and ski clothes. Many of these entrepreneurs have left successful careers elsewhere to make Whistler their home. They have fascinating stories about how they have succeeded in Whistler and how their lifestyle enriches their lives.
Whistler Inc.: using the triple bottom line to build a successful resort
Whistler has a unique history as a resort. Rather than developing haphazardly or by chance, Whistler has been designed and managed from very early on, with a view to developing an extremely successful resort financially, socially and environmentally. Some of the people who were involved in the early development of Whistler can share their dreams and experiences of the early days in Whistler, while current community leaders can talk about the future of Whistler.
Iconic Toad Hall photo captures Whistler's colourful past
It was the early 70's, but the spirit of the 60's lingered. Whistler was not yet the world destination resort it would be a decade later. Its patrons were mostly day skiers from Vancouver. Squatters and 'ski bums' formed a significant segment of the local population. At the north end of Green Lake a group of young people leased the small cabins of the former Soo Valley Lumber Company for $75.00 a year. It was a transient, fluid group. Parties were legendary. Rumours of drunken orgies had the Alta Lake Housing Authority concerned. As a result, the buildings were scheduled to be demolished at the end of the summer in 1973. Perhaps the photographer sensed the passing of an era when he assembled the residents for a photo in front of a building identified as Toad Hall. They were all naked but for the occasional pair of ski boots. What had started as a lark became the Naked Truth Poster Company. Its first offering was a run of posters from the original Toad Hall photo. Initial sales from Dusty's pub were brisk. Eventually the company's sphere widened to include other ski areas in BC and even in Europe. The poster is an icon of a bygone era when Whistler was young and rowdy. www.whistlermuseum.org
New interactive technology launched at Whistler sporting events
Visitors to Whistler can now become directly involved in sporting events following the launch of Whistler's Mobile MUSE. Developed by the University of British Columbia MUSE (Multi-screen Urban Shared Experience) aims to provide a fun, interactive environment using mobile phones and Blackberries. Spectators can add personal contributions, such as pictures and messages, directly on to interactive screens live at venues. MUSE encourages spectator interaction and involvement as well as cultural expression. The technology has the ability to revolutionize spectator experiences at sporting events not only in Whistler but all around North America.
Keeping locals local - The Whistler Housing Authority
In the early 1970s, procuring affordable local housing in Whistler sometimes meant building a shack and claiming squatter's rights. But since 1979, the community has pursued a variety of innovative initiatives to ensure that locals (people who live and work full-time in Whistler) have ample access to affordable housing for purchase or for rent. The Whistler Housing Authority (formed in 1997) oversees these efforts, managing a progressive housing program with homes in 55 different locations throughout Whistler where "resident restricted" housing is available either for sale or for lease. Currently over 5,000 permanent and seasonal Whistler residents live in "employee restricted" housing that they either own (houses, townhouses and condominiums) or rent (townhouses and apartments) at controlled rates. Several new resident restricted housing developments are currently under construction including Cheakamus Crossing (Whistler Athletes' Village), the Rainbow Development and Fitzsimmons Walk which will result in an additional 500 new units of affordable housing to Whistler residents. Whistler's price and occupancy restricted housing for locals is scattered throughout the valley, integrated into the community's many neighborhoods, and often located shoulder-to-shoulder with non-restricted residences. Whistler has a community goal of housing at least 75% of their employees within Whistler. Currently 79% of the resorts' employees reside within municipal boundaries, with one in three employees living in resident restricted housing. www.whistlerhousing.ca
The voice of sustainable development - Association of Whistler Residents for the Environment (AWARE)
A volunteer driven non-profit advocacy group, the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) was formed in 1989 with a mandate to push for a recycling program for Whistler. AWARE has grown into a strong voice for sensible environmental stewardship and sustainable development in the South Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia. The organization is active on many environmental and sustainability issues in the valley, and seeks to protect the wilderness that Whistler residents know as their backyard and which brings tourists back year after year. AWARE sees a sensible balanced approach to environmental sustainability as the only option for the future, from both an environmental and economic point of view. www.awarewhistler.org
Whistler benefits from friends across the border
In July 2002, a small group of Americans who spend time in Whistler founded a non-profit organization called American Friends of Whistler (AFOW). Recognizing that Whistler is an extraordinary place, the group raises funds through social events and donations to benefit the local community. As well, AFOW members keep informed and up to date on news and developments via guest speakers and organized events. Since its inception, AFOW has granted more than $500,000 to the Whistler community, including donations to the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program, Whistler Health Care Foundation, Get Bear Smart Society, Whistler Public Library, Whistler Search & Rescue Society, plus many more. www.afow.com
Whistler - built for business
Long before the birth of the Resort Municipality of Whistler in 1975, this quaint hippie-esque community was planning for business development. In 1966 a small group of people met and elected the first Board of Directors of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce. A constitution was written and the Chamber was chartered under the Federal Board of Trade Act. The Whistler Chamber originally operated as a quasi-government for the fledgling community, concerning itself with such issues as tourism, highways, water, and snow removal. It also played a political role, lobbying for the establishment of not only a regional district, but a municipality. Over forty years later, the thriving Whistler business community is preparing to welcome the world. www.whistlerchamber.com
It takes an entire village to raise a cyclist - WORCA
The Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) was born in 1989 when a group of committed riders joined forces to fight the pending closure of trails they loved in Garibaldi Provincial Park. (They won.) Now mountain biking is at the heart of the experience of visiting or living in Whistler. Instead of fighting WORCA, now government, landowners and developers work with them so that access to mountain bike trails is protected. Now 20 years on, WORCA has over 1,500 members and has evolved into an integral part of the Whistler mountain biking scene. When they're not riding, the people at WORCA:
- sanction the community Toonie Rides - possibly the largest weekly mountain bike race on the continent; along with the bi-weekly 'Phat and PhaSt Wednesday' freeride series
- help to maintain hundreds of kilometres of trails to the highest environmental standards through member fees and volunteer efforts
- foster the evolution of the sport through its youth programs and clinics, teaching safety, etiquette and technique to cyclists
www.worca.com
Pet hospitality in Whistler gets five stars
Whistler is the "dog-friendly" capital of Canada with dog treats at the local bank and five-star canine hospitality. Whistler loves dogs and organizations like Whistler Animals Galore (WAG) serve as a safety net for animals without a home. It's not unusual to see four-legged friends tagging along with the locals. Many of these matches were made with the WAG Matchmaker program. It is one of many services WAG provides to Whistler's furry friends. www.thewagway.com
Church life in Whistler
Skiing and Sunday services are not often lumped together but faith communities in Whistler are bringing church to the mountains through everything from slope side bible studies to Sunday gatherings. For many Whistler residents, involvement in a faith community is as much a part of life as sitting on a chairlift. Since Whistler's humble beginnings, churches have played a role. These places of worship are part of mountain life as residents get married, raise families and live life in the mountains.