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A New Life in Whistler
Ex Eastbournian Ashley McMillan writes about his new life in Canada.
So, the decision was made. Having spent many a ski vacation in various European resorts and always yearning for longer stays, there was a desire to ski North America.
The guys whom I regularly skied with always said that Whistler in British Columbia was ranked amongst the best out there, "never heard anything but good things, different type of skiing with lots of powder''. So I often asked, "OK guys, where to next year.. Whistler?" The response I got every time was, "Sure! Why don't you organise it?!".
A trip to North America was always going to be a bit of a logistical nightmare for us as a group. Traditionally we usually, nay, always organized a very last minute deal to somewhere in Europe. Much easier to arrange and cheaper. So to make a longer flight and travel worth while (allowing for a bit of jet lag, etc), realistically a trip of a minimum of 10 days was required – again, further increasing costs. Not only this, for those of us in relationships, negotiating with the only boss that mattered in these circumstances was always a bit of a minefield to justify 10+ days away with the guys.
So anyway, having gone down this route for a good few years, the opportunity presented itself for me to finally say, "I'm moving to Canada!!" Now, I recognise that this may seem a little extreme to some, just to get a chance to ski at Whistler. However, the decision between myself and my girlfriend was made to get everything in order and then to travel across Canada and ending up in Whistler, where we would stay for a winter ski season and see how things went... Well, that was three years ago and we're still here!
For anyone who hasn't ventured across the 'pond' to Whistler, it is located on Canada's west coast, some 2 hours drive north of Vancouver. It is blessed with an above average snowfall of over 10 meters each year, in part, because of it's proximity to the coast and mountain ranges. Surprising to some, but it is actually a rainforest area or 'wetland' depending on where in the valley you find yourself. This is even more surprising at times when you realise that during the Whistler summers, the land can be extremely dry and arid and as recent as this year, we experienced some forest fires in the region.
Anyway, hopefully by now, some of you will know that Whistler & Vancouver are hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. This should prove to be a very exciting and yet challenging time to the community of Whistler. Personally I can't wait for all the hype to 'land' and for the formalities to begin. As a year round 'resort' (it's actually a municipality as any local will tell you..) the winter and summer seasons present a real buzz around the main village area with as many as 2.1 million visitors passing through. These figures are expected to grow exponentially this winter as visitors descend to ski / board, eat and drink (Whistler has many famously superb dining and drinking establishments. Did anyone see the recent 'Hells Kitchen' where the winner landed a contract to work for Araxi – one of our finest..??) and of course, spectate some of the number of Olympic events taking place right here. The world's focus will firmly be upon us, highlighting us to those who were not already aware of Whistler as a beautiful mountain playground.
There were some differences in the way things are done around here for sure for us. For example, no more pushing and shoving in the lift queues, waiting and jostling for position for 10, 15 and 20 minutes at a time as is often experienced across Europe. There are probably only two or three lifts where now and then you may have to queue for 5 minutes or so. They are also very cordial and polite in taking turns to load onto the various lift chairs. Some might even say gracious – and yes, I was chastised once or twice until I stopped fighting the developed and accepted 'way to do things'. Not my fault, I'm European!!
Then there's the skis: Everything is wider or fatter round these parts and I'm not talking about any individual – whatever notion you may have of some nation's dietary habits! Because there is typically so much more snowfall here than in Europe, the usual 'carver' skis you and I have perhaps commonly used definitely come up a little 'skinny' over here. The basic concept – the wider the ski, the more the ski floats on the snow / powder. Of course, there may also be a case of what has become fashionable or vogue over here these days. So anyway, we wanted to fall in with everyone else and became part of the 'fat' ski crowd. Boy, what a difference! For anyone who hasn't tried powder skis, or perhaps 'freestyle' or 'big mountain' as they are often categorised, you seriously should try to at least 'demo' a pair to understand the difference they offer in softer, deeper snow.
Now, as for the grass root impact of the Olympics, there are some locals who are perhaps feel a little put out by the whole paraphernalia. Securing the Olympics has or will come at a cost of some inconvenience for a couple of months or so for many residents. For example, much of all of the usually available parking by the foot of the hills will be closed off to be used by VANOC (the Olympic organising committee) and various security, etc. Many local roads around the village and the Whistler suburbs will be either closed off to all public and residents or severely restricted – again for security and for organisers and team staff, etc to be able to move around. Locals are being encouraged to travel to grocery stores or purchase their petrol between midnight and 6am (apparently we're very nocturnal characters out here..!). This has also meant that some business', typically many building firms, are effectively closing down for the whole Olympic period as moving around and transporting building materials will either prove impossible or very difficult at best. Don't get me wrong. The community of Whistler wants this event staged here and we wouldn't miss it for the world, but the peripheral arrangements don't necessarily suit everyone.
In the meantime, we've just finished our spring / summer season and are in the 'close' season – basically waiting for the snow to work it's way down the hill. We have hosted our annual music festivities and staged some of the world's best mountain biking events. The ultra athletes who crave the physical challenge of long distance events biking and running over the mountains and the hundreds of km's of trails have had their fix. The usual 'month of pain' (challenge to see who competes in the most distance events during September with the best combined times, etc) has thankfully passed and I can relax – briefly. Having spent most of this summer in various states of repair, with one or even two casts on, I for one am making the most of no real adrenalin sports until the ski season starts in mid November. Even the bears who I often see on my morning runs or mountain bike rides are thinking about hibernating, although they're still leaving their evidence for us to acknowledge that they're still around. Other locals are headed out of town for some last minute sun while we wait for the October rain to turn to snow – I might join them.
All in all, it's a sure sign that winters a' coming and what a winter season it promises to be. Keep your eyes peeled.
• Who is Ashley McMillan, click HERE for a short biography.
• Click HERE to visit Whistler's local newspaper website
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Weather for Eastbourne
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
