Model Behavior at Cornucopia

Over the years, I've seen Cornucopia become one of the best events in Whistler. Among all the skiing, boarding and biking, local booze hounds and party animals have found yet another festival that celebrates... well, celebrating!

My Cornucopia begins with the Trade Tasting. I happily turn over my $10 donation to WAG and enter the conference centre for a chance to try as many wines as possible within the window of a few hours. This is Crush for the local hospitality staff, and a wine drinkers dream. Since my recent wine-tasting trip to the Okanagon, I feel like an old pro and grab a glass to start sipping. It's a pleasure to see my fav wine from Oliver BC, Cassini Cellars, present. Along with various stations of cheese and crackers, Rogers Chocolate was there and I tried a to-die-for caramel chocolate with sea salt. Delish! Guess what everyone's getting for Christmas?!

Later that night is Ric's Grill Casino Royale party. This event has grown every year, and each year it gets even better! The ladies of Whistler Exposed (including moi) were out in full force as showgirls, Goldmember girls, and good ol' calendar girls. In a new twist this year, my girl Bree and I were dressed as burlesque-candy girls. We had a blast selling candy for charity, thanks to those who donated!

This was an amazing gig as we were able to move through the crowd and see every corner of the party. People were have a ball gambling in the gaming tent and dancing to the rocking DJs and musicians in the lounge. The lobby was unrecognizable with sculptures, performers, and beautiful people everywhere! This was a party that had it all - even Dr. Evil even put in a special appearance. Casino Royale had an amazing vibe and it was great to see so many locals out in their best attire having such a good time.

After a quick recovery breakfast on Saturday with my Vancouver friends, I head over to the Loft Salon for the 'late' call time of 1pm to get my hair done. From there it's to the Listel Hotel to get body painted for Masquarave. Being in a room for many hours with 45 of Whistler's loveliest, little-clothed ladies is an opportunity that most guys would kill for. Trust me boys, that was a sight to see. I absolutely adored my paint job, but being a painted model is not an easy gig and certainly not for the faint of heart. Thank God a couple of my gal pals were in it too... we definitely had some laughs. 

From our perches up on the podiums, the Bearfoot's Masquarave certainly looked like the party of the year. Who knew that an underground parking lot could be transformed into what looked like a hot Vegas nightclub? Andres Saint-Jacques, that's who! I'm sure that the people on the floor didn't know where to look next - from the acrobats, DJs, dancers, chefs passing out yummy food, trays of champagne, models... they had their choice. And I'm hoping that they chose not to look up my nose...

One day and many, many showers later, I've recovered from my Cornucopia experience. Rumour has it that Masquarave will be back next year, and they may lengthen the festival. Better start prepping your liver now! That should be easy to do, the mountain just opened so you have at least 150 days of apres to practice.

Hit Me Heavily, I'm Bored To Death. Whistler's Heavy Hitting B-Grade Horrorfest

One thing can be said about the shoulder season in Whistler – it’s boring. However, when the inspired minds of Whistler get bored, they do what they do best. Guess what that is... Party? Dress up in costumes? Make movies? Get drunk? How about all of the above. Roll all these fine activities up into one evening and you’ve got the Heavy Hitting B-Grade Horrorfest.

In its tenth year, ‘B-Grade’ is not to be missed and one of the top events in Whistler. All the most creative, fun and wild people in this little ski town assemble every October 30^th, dressed in our creepiest, goriest and most inventive costumes. People don’t F around with this – check out my BFF Bree and her talents:

Starting with (many) drinks, we mingle, chat, take photos and excitedly discuss the films that we are about to screen. Once we settle in, host Feet Banks gives us his always entertaining schpeel about how it all started, oh so many years ago, and where they are at now. Rolling into the first film, you can see they’ve come a long way. The quality of films this year was unparalleled. Graced with the usual gore, boobs and blood, there was an added abundance of penises getting cut off and vomiting this year. Nicely done, kids!

A special touch this year was a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' film created by Whistler Creeks Productions mastermind Stuart Andrews. Audience members chose what path his daring and dangerous heroine would take via Twitter during intermission. The star of 'Mystery Line', Darla, aka Tajana Popovic took home Best Actress.

Taking home the top prize of Best In Show once again is Conrad Shapansky and my bud Kevin Hardiman with ‘So You Think You Can Write’. Winning every ounce of the 'Fearless Performance' Manimal award was Janice Low. I can't even write fantastically disgusting things she did to win that prize. I’d love to give a special shout out to my long time friend Andrew Vella, who starred in ‘The Sweater’ and gave me the chance to stab him in the eye with a knitting needle – my first B-Grade appearance!

It was another stellar night for stars in Whistler to be dripping in blood, then vomited on, then shine! Can't wait til next year!

check out this fantastic photo collection from Magdalena of IPartyinwhistler.com here:
http://www.ipartyinwhistler.com/oct-30-b-grade

Getting Exposed in Whistler! ... not like that, like this:

Ah, ‘The Dead Season’. 

It sounds like some sort of new and edgy HBO special. But dead season isn’t a glamorized show about zombies or vampires, even though the time of year is appropriate. No, dead season falls in Whistler between the closing of the bike park and the opening of the mountain. It's rainy, cold, and generally boring. It’s a time when Whistlerites follow either the ‘Sober October’ regime or the complete opposite, seeing it as an opportunity to fight their boredom by regularly getting shitfaced.

There is one other way to keep yourself entertained during the dark and dreary days of the slow season. Warm yourself up by taking a good look at the new 2012 Whistler Exposed bikini calendar! These hot blooded local girls will surely keep you warm on a cold fall night, that is certain.

The brainchild of local entrepreneur and socialite Shannen Carlson, the Whistler Exposed Calendar was first launched in 2009. Carlson figured that by taking Whistler’s stunning scenery and making it the backdrop to Whistler’s finest assets, she could really create something phenomenal and raise money for the Canadian Spinal Cord Research Association (an organization dear to her heart). Not only has the calendar raised over $10,000 so far, it is also making it's mark around the world. The 2010 calendar took home the bronze medal with the World Calendar Association - beating out other big name productions.

Some of Whistler’s best and brightest ladies shone at Tommy Africa’s last week at the calendars official launch party. While tumbleweeds rolled through the rest of the village, nearly everyone out that night made it to the club. People lined up to meet the models, get their calendars signed, and catch a jaw-dropping performance from a pole dancing champion. Screw the dead season; this was one hell of a party! 

If you didn’t make it to Tommy's that night, you can pick up your 2012 calendars at Armchair Books, Project Denim or O Canada stores (just to name a few).

Keep your eyes open around town for the calendar models – they regularly make appearances to raise funds and sell calendars. Remember when getting yours signed to specify when you want the autograph to be naughty or nice ;)

Clinching the Title of Miss Whistler!

I’m sitting at my computer drinking a gin and tonic and wearing a crown. What’s with the crown? Perhaps it’s my new thinking cap, or maybe I just have little girl dress-up syndrome now that I actually own a crown. No, it’s because I’m the new Miss Whistler and although wearing a crown isn’t necessary, it makes for a funny start to this blog.

A couple weeks ago, the final honours for Mr. Whistler went to Brendon King, aka Quatchi from Moe Joe’s. Since every king needs a queen, fast forward to Friday, August 26^th and the highly anticipated Miss Whistler competition.

I’m standing backstage with 14 other gorgeous women and the little girls are playing dress up once again. First up? Ski bunny wear. Thank god I would never ski in this or my butt would get frostbite. I strut my stuff and show off my ski bum to loud cheers. I felt surprisingly comfortable despite my minimalistic approach to the category, but I think that had to do with the fact that A) I love being onstage, and B) the entire first row consisted of my friends. Not only did they come out and cheer the loudest, they also made signs like ‘Kristy IS Whistler’ and ‘Kristy For Ms Whistler’ in glitter which pretty much dominated the landscape of the bar that night. My friends are amazing! I tell everyone what the wildest thing I’ve ever done is (not to be printed here, just in case Mom is reading) and I exit the stage happy with the first part of my performance.

Next up is bikini / lingerie wear. My best friend comes backstage to help me change outfits and feed me reviews. It’s going great! I step back onstage and flirt with the crowd. I then remain to perform my talent, which was to take over the mic and make it snow! I had a feeling it would be a crowd pleaser and it couldn’t have gone better.

After a small intermission the runner up is announced. Congrats to the gorgeous Jocelyn Connelly! She will be a welcome addition to the Whistler Exposed calendar next year. Then it was announced that I was the new Miss Whistler for 2011-2012. Wahooo!! Everything is such a blur after that I couldn’t really tell you what happened next. I do know that I ended up high fiving people as I ran through the village in my sash and went to Fat Tony’s at 2am to get pizza, just a like a good Whistler Girl.

I’m so thrilled to have won. Big thanks to Shannon, Jessica and the crew from Whistler Exposed, Jeff from Tommy Africa’s, Magdalena from Ipartyinwhistler.com, Patrick and Darcy for helping with the snow making machine, my bestie Bree for creating the signs and being my ‘dresser’, all my friends who came to support me, and most of all, to my own Mr. Whistler, Jon for his love and support!

Ladies Night with Mr. Whistler

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. For the second time in my spray-tanning career, I had the opportunity to tan a male model. Hard job, right? This time it was a contestant who was participating in the Mr. Whistler competition at Tommy Africa’s. As I bronzed his buff bod, he assured me that it would be an entertaining evening, and that myself and my girlfriends would most definitely be amused. He wasn’t lying.

Our group collects at the Mix, then we head over to Tommy’s for a night of girlicious fun. I get the luxury of sitting front row with another Whistler Exposed model and the judges, including Whistler’s own hairstylist extraordinaire Carlito Bonito, most talented mixologist Tia Stonier and former Miss Whistler Virginia Smith. One by one, the competitors hit the stage. Contestant #1 sets a goal for the following contestants to do 20 push ups (after which each guy intends to outshine the next). The ‘talent’ portion of the evening consisted of strip teases, air guitar and champagne sabre-ing. My favourite – the newly bronzed Patrick, who ‘baked’ muffins onstage, then treated us to a show of what was under the apron... a very tanned bum indeed. (thanks to yours truly).

Top honours went to Quatchi from Moe Joe’s. He took home a trophy, $350 cash and a Texas Mickey of Jack Daniels. Not bad!

Shannon and the Whistler Exposed girls always throw a great party, and more funds were raised for the Canadian Spinal Cord Research Association, their charity of choice. Don’t miss the next event! Next Friday August 26^th the lovely ladies of Whistler will go head to head for the title of Miss Whistler 2011-2012, so be there and be ready to cheer! I hope to be competing, if I get summon the gusto to get ‘er done. Wish me luck!

Whistler Warriors Make A Mad Dash

I’m running up Blackcomb Mountain, and one would think that that would be enough for a race. Not this race. For this isn’t just any race - this is the Warrior Dash.

The Warrior Dash is about 5 hellish kilometres of good fun. It’s a race of a different sort, not just running but obstacles as well. And hey, let’s throw on some costumes for good measure. This is my kind of race.

I’d like to be on the committee that decides what obstacles to add to a race like this. I think I’d have some pretty good ideas, or at least improvements on some of the current obstacles. I’m not sure what happened between the design of the course and the making of it, but some of the more fun obstacles listed on the website seemed to be missing. C’mon! I really wanted to rappel down a steep ravine and walk a tightrope! I may have to write a sternly worded letter to Customer Service.

The first obstacle is the mountain itself, in which groups of over a hundred people would tackle at a time. Loud cheers and running falter into loud breathing and a slow, but steady, pace for most. Next up are some hurdles, followed by barbed wire, a snow-making gun blasting cold water, walking the plank, a cargo net, and so on. They saved the best for last, and with my final ounces of strength I leap over burning fires, then chuck myself in the mud and crawl under barbed wire to the finish. And all dressed like a pirate! I should have got brownie points for doing all the obstacles with my sword. I do believe that the photo of me in mud up to my elbows with a pirate sword wedged between my lips will be forever cherished.

This is a stellar event, and is sure to be back next year so don’t miss out! After coming in 1724 place out of 3911 people (103 out of 403 in my age group, thank you very much!), I’m pretty sure next year I can step things up a notch. Maybe next year if I’m dressed like Wonder Woman I can get a bit of an edge.... hmmmm....

Of Dueling Banjo's and Secret Stashes

One thing that is certain in Whistler is that theme parties are the norm. Everyone loves to get dressed up, and in this creative community people not only go all out, but also tend to raise the bar.

This past weekend for example, there were two well attended theme parties.

The first, on June 9^th, was a 50^th birthday bash for one of my favourite Whistlerites, Andy Dittrich. Known as the ‘Whistler Paparazzi’, Andy knows everyone, and everyone knows Andy – that giant smile, bald head and impish laughter has won the hearts of all who meet him. His birthday party theme: Biker Bar.

At the Bearfoot Bistro for a staff dinner, I pulled a Superman and ducked into the bathroom, to re-emerge in my biker best (torn jeans, tasseled vest and Trans Am t-shirt). We found the GLC bumping with Ace Mackay-Smith's groovy sock hop tunes and danced the rest of the night away. To the tune of Dueling Banjo’s an impromptu air guitar competition broke out, Andy was all grins and having a ball.

On Sunday night, the Mix Lounge was transformed into a secret, underground hideaway where a stash of Spicebox Canadian Whiskey was ‘uncovered’. This prohibition themed party went off! After giving the secret password at the door, we entered the transformed lounge to find people dressed in 1920s garb sampling Tia’s delicious concoctions.

A successful launch for a delicious new alcohol (because Whistler always needs more booze) – cheers to Tia, Sunny and Nadia for throwing an amazing bash! They may have raised the bar, but we swung off it.

Tiggers like to hop and one helluva mop

Gaper Day Tigger



Mr Mono-Ski

Gaper Day 2011 - Rapture On The Slopes

Just because it was the second biggest snowfall on record, doesn’t mean that the season should end any differently than usual. And just because the world didn’t end as predicted by some fruitcake radio host, doesn’t mean that the apocalypse didn’t hit- at least some areas of the world. Namely Whistler, BC on May 30, 2011.

Or at least that’s what some people might have thought. It was a surprisingly warm and bright day at the end of May. Because our weather as of late has gotten us a little TOO used to rain and cold in early summer, I can actually refer to it as ‘surprisingly’. Blast! Anyway, why wouldn’t there be over a hundred people dressed in costume heading up for one last ski? For strangers to Whistler it would seem unusual, for locals, it’s just another day wasting away in Gaperville.

And so things kick off with a race down the Pan Pacific stairs. To my surprise, everyone made it, with no broken skis or bones. Then onto the gondola! One last trip up Blackcomb for this group of fun loving lunatics. Up the lifts people randomly cheered and shouted at the top of their lungs. Translation: “Life is good!”

At the top of the first runs of the day, a huge group of people would collect, all waiting patiently for everyone to arrive at the top. I stop to ponder how there’s something rather nice about that, but in a beat we all take off at top speed. One would think that holding a beer whilst riding would slow some people down. Apparently not.

A visit is made to the Jersey Cream cliffs, and everyone shows off their best tricks. Props go to the gentleman who did the front flip on a mono-ski. I believe he was wearing a giant afro wig. There were lots of bails, lots of moves, and most of all, lots of smiles.

Next up – the pond skim. The pond was a little small this year, a small price to pay after such a spectacular season. The sun beat down and huge crowd gathered to see who had the guts to go for glory.  It was more the spectacular falls that got the cheers this time around, being that it was deemed ‘easy’ to make it across. I enjoyed watching the real Gapers skiing down, with no turning back, had to face a gauntlet of snowballs in order to pass through to Excellerator. Now you know for next time, folks.

Gaper Day is a Whistler tradition, and it’s so fun to see people get out there and make it a day to express how much we love the mountain, being silly, a little sunshine, and our friends.

Hot-Diggity-Dog! The Hotdoggin' IV party

I’m not much of a fan of hot dogs. Never have been. But I’ve changed my mind after attending my first Hotdoggin’ party at the GLC. This year was the 4^th annual party, thrown by Ace Mackay-Smith. I can’t believe I hadn’t attended this event before – it has all the ingredients for a legendary party. Costumes, music, drinking, debauchery and... hot dogs.

It’s the last day of the season on Whistler Mountain so we headed up for a few runs. Then we screamed down mountain in our 1970s – 1980s gear, much to the dismay of other riders, who couldn’t quite grasp the sight of my boyfriend in his (very) tight florescent one-piece and mullet wig. I opted for a more 70s hippie feel, as did my roommate. We flew down to the GLC and kicked off the party on the patio with a beer and a gourmet hot dog.

I’m glad we got there early, for it meant prime seats by the entrance to watch everyone arrive. This is a party where you can tell the costumes have been carefully planned and chosen far in advance. When you can’t wait to don that amazing one-piece, miraculously found at the Re-Use It Centre, and strut into the party. I, on the other hand, felt it was time for a wardrobe change and suited up in my three-piece velour suit for the second time during TWSSF. Hey, I couldn’t decide what to wear!

Events of the day included the hilarious Ski Ballet competition, Hot Dog eating contest and Limbo. There was an appearance by both Jesus AND the Easter Bunny, who duked it out in a melee that had everyone rolling on the ground. What an Easter.

Slushin' It Up At The Cup

If anyone were to ask someone who knew me “what does Kristy Mitchell love?”, one of the answers would surely be “costumes”, and another would also be “skiing”. Hence, when they announced a new event called the Palm Bay Slush Cup I was in heaven. So I suited up in my three piece crushed blue velvet suit and tie, packed a few cold ones in my backpack, shook off my hangover and hit the hill.

This event is surely the most talked about thing during this year’s festival. The sun was shining as hundreds of people gathered outside of the Glacier Creek Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain. Riders lined the mountain, waiting for their turn to speed down it, off a jump, and into  a pool of freezing water. The goal? To skim all the way across. Most people didn’t make the full length, but their attempts to do so were highly entertaining. But skimming the pond was not the only objective of the day. So was winning one of the many prizes for Best Costume, Best Wipe Out and Best Trick. We saw everything from Batman to Sasquatch to Borat. We saw tandem riders, back flips and piggy backs. There was a gratuitous amount of nudity, both male and female. It’s ok guys, we know that water was cold. Luckily the sun was hot and the crowd basking in it cheered long and hard.

A friend commented how an event like this makes Whistler feel like it did in the old days...  nothing like a day of costumes, nudity, skiing and drinking to bring a community together.

You An' Me Just Sittin' In Tha Dark...

One of the things I love about Whistler is the caliber of talent that is here, both on and off the mountain. Even better is the fact that those of us not so talented enough to be featured in, say, the Pro Photographer Showdown, love to gather and appreciate those who are.

Going to the Pro Photographer Showdown at TWSSF is a who's who in mountain culture. As I walked through the sliding doors to the Conference Centre, I immediately recognized most people in the room, something that was pleasantly maintained throughout the evening. Then we all settled in to our seats, the lights went down, and.... we all looked at pictures. But not just any pictures. Photos of our lives, our friends, the mountain, and riders doing what we only wish we could do - in places we only wish we had been. We saw photos from around the world, photos that inspired us, photos that made us laugh and made us gasp.

To be in a room with some of the coolest people in Whistler, sitting in the dark, admiring the talent and beauty out there in the world is an amazing thing. My favourite was Steve Lloyd, whose flawless presentation left me wanting more, as each photo was seemingly better than the last. Bryn Hughes took home the Peoples Choice award, by having the most balls. No really, he had the most balls! (that's how they voted, by collecting ping pong balls) And once again, Blake Jorgenson took home Best In Show, his compilation of images from Kashmir and around the world, and his stunning use of light ensured his victory.

After the show, I threw on my bunny ears and hit the annual Night At The Mansion Party at Garfinkel's, because my TELUS adventure is never complete without a visit to Hef and the Bunnies. Three days left and counting...

Filmmaker Showdown Best In Show!

Check out the winner of the WSSF Filmmaker Showdown! I would have loved to have been there, but I was strutting my stuff at the Calendar Model party at the Longhorn

http://vimeo.com/22672591

Cockle is one lucky guy!

Jeff Cockle from Tommy Africa's celebrated his 31st birthday with the Whistler Exposed Calendar girls during TELUS. The event raised over $2000 for the Canadian Spinal Cord Research Association. Birthday cake, hot ladies... and all for a good cause. Happy Birthday Jeff!

You Wanna Be On Top? The Search For Whistler's Next Top Calendar Model

TWSSF is bringing sexy back this year with a bevy of Whistler’s most beautiful girls gathering at the Longhorn Saloon last night to see if they had what it takes to be Whistler’s Next Top Calendar Model. The Whistler Exposed Calendar, in its third year, has become a local success story and Director Shannon Carlson couldn’t have been more pleased with the turn out. If you weren’t at the Filmmaker Showdown, then this was the place to be. And even the filmmaker’s knew it – I think they must have ran from the Conference Centre straight to the Longhorn to try to catch the show!

Almost 25 girls competed on the runway, showing off their athletic prowess and sex appeal to prove to Shannon and a panel of judges that they could embody the Whistler spirit AND look pretty darn good doing it. It’s all about attitude - as a current Whistler Exposed Calendar model, I can tell you that posing in the snow in a bikini is both fun and hard work, so you have to know how to laugh about it! Even I found the competition stiff. I mean, I know that Whistler girls are notoriously attractive and fit but this was off the charts! For the sportswear competition we saw everything from baseball & football girls, to dirt bikers, boogie boarders and boxers. I can tell you that ‘backstage’ aka the Longhorn kitchen, that those chefs left with big grins on their faces. It’s not often that they will be closing down a shift while 25 hot women change into lingerie while they clean the grill. The lingerie / swimwear competition nearly brought the roof down. It’s safe to say that Shannon has her pick of the best and sexiest girls to fill out the 2012 calendar.

Proceeds from the calendar go to The Canadian Spinal Cord Research Association, a charity close to Shannon’s heart and sometimes overlooked in a community that’s commonly affected by spinal injuries. The night’s cover charge of $10 a head to a sold out event put the Whistler Exposed Calendar closer to its goal of beating last years funds raised ($10,000!). Way to go Shannon!

Tupac meets Dr Seuss and Bob Dylan at TWSSF!

Creative 5 Eclectic is Stephen Vogler’s baby. And a proud papa he is, as he should be, with his latest performance series bringing down the house during TELUS. A diverse crowd packed the upper lounge at The Players Chophouse in Creekside. Away from the crowds and chaos of the Village, we settled in for an evening of poetry, beat-boxing and god knows what else. “All hell could, and probably will, break loose at any moment”  Vogler promises, before leading the audience to howl at the moon for this Full Moon Edition of Creative 5 Eclectic.

Mr. Vogler led the performances with his entertaining and humorous prose. “Poetry is NOT fun”  he insists with a comical beat. I beg to differ, Stephen. Accompanied by Rajan Das on the stand up bass, they have my complete attention. This. Is. Cool.

Garnet Clare of Animal Nation brought his musical stylings to the stage and entertained the group with a heartfelt and hilarious rendition of his song ‘Bacon and Eggs’. Any guy that can sing that passionately about breakfast food is good in my books.

I ran into the Whistler ‘Twitterati’ (accurately self dubbed, these guy ARE the Twitter scene in Whistler) and we all agreed that it was great to see a new and different kind of creative gathering at TWSSF, outside of the Village. And C.R. Avery had us all riveted from the first beat-box. Sex, drugs and the spoken word might have gotten this artist in ‘trouble’ in the past, but we were all more than happy to sit and give him our complete attention, like children in a daycare sitting on the floor with our chins in our hands and naughty grins on our faces. A mixture of Spoken Word, Blues, Hip-Hop and Rock N Roll, Avery’s unique performance had us laughing, cheering and singing along. ‘My life is based on a true story’ we all sing, while his signature beat-box harmonica, twanging banjo and belting poetic verse blows our minds.

Fingers crossed that C.R Avery pays us a visit again, because he put this baby to bed.

Spirit Of The West, Indeed!

Day 3 of the Fest and it’s Sunday Funday! I headed up the mountain and found sun, powder and a mixed bag of visibility. All in all the conditions were great, and as I skied out the sweet sounds of music rose up from the village to meet my ears. Riding out to the stage with the sun beaming down and Brother Twang rocking out was enough to make me smile. And things just got better. My gal pals met me in front of the stage bringing delicious offerings of beef jerky (gotta love promo girls!). We enjoyed said jerky while watching our long time friends Brother Twang wail. These guys are right in the heart of Whistler’s music scene, and rightfully so. They are a talented bunch of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and we’ve watched them come into their own over the years and do Whistler proud!

TWSSF would not be complete without a session on the Longhorn patio. We enjoyed a bucket of Coronas (thanks Kat!) while listening to the inspired Delhi 2 Dublin. This was a first time for me, and wow, was it ever impressive! An amazing mash-up of world music– I loved the blend of Celtic, dub-reggae, electronica and Bhangra, and it looked like everyone else did as well, as they drew quite the crowd.

Another Corona and you’ll have to excuse me... at this time I’m not at my best. Next to hit the stage are Spirit of the West, a Whistler favourite. How could they not be? They sing of vacations, bars, drinking and debauchery – all things much beloved here in Whistler, especially during Telus. More smiles abound as a little girl joins the band onstage for a jig. And soon it spreads to the crowd and everyone gets their jig on!

Ending an epic après with another win from the Canucks and I’m spent! We don’t call it Sunday Funday for nothin’.

Comin' In Hot!

 Yesterday morning I kicked off my TWSSF experience with a stroll through the Village to check out the free samples in true local's fashion. This is a known highlight to the first day of the festival for us Whistlerites - the gathering of the goodies. I was not disappointed! Hot Sauce, Beef Jerky, Gum, Body Spray, Deodorant....Sweet. I'm set.

The Village certainly has that energy about it already, and when I returned later that night you could feel the vibration in the air. Everyone was clearing out from the State Of The Art opening party, and with their artistic buzz on, were filtering out into the clubs and pubs. My destination? Maxx Fish Nightclub for the Girl Powder Party.

It might have been called 'Girl Powder' but the dudes were out in full force. Good on them! Nice to see guys out supporting a good cause- all door proceeds were going to the Breast Cancer Research. As my friend Big Kev put it 'Save the Breasts!'. It was also a Svedka Vodka launch.  Booze and Boobs? The two go hand in hand, don't they?

Ace Mackay-Smith's pumping beats got everyone on the dancefloor (nice work on the pole, guys) and infamous bartender Jimmy fired things up on the bar (literally. He lit the bar on fire). Adding to the fun there was a 72hr film team taking advantage of the sexy setting to shoot their entry for the showdown.

This is what TWSSF is all about. Coming together and having a good time. The fact that we were raising money for a good cause and celebrating the strength and empowerment of the active female shows that Girl Powder is more than just a brand, it's a lifestyle. And a fun one at that!

and the WSSF crank starts turning....

T-minus 24hours until the biggest and best festival of the year explodes in Whistler like a hot pizza pop in our mouths! Without the burning. Hopefully.
Yep, most people I know are either chilling on their couch tonight (well I am, anyway) because we know that the next 10 days of our lives will be exhaustingly fun, OR preparing their costumes/ set decorations / film & photo productions for an onslaught of Whistler's creativity at it's best.
Tomorrow morning while I meet with fellow bloggers, others will be meeting at the starting line for the Filmmaker Showdown. So far I've heard rumours about Zoolander characters, hot tubs, zombies - all good things. It wouldn't be a Filmmaker Showndown without them!

So get a good nights sleep tonight my friends. Tomorrow IT IS ON!

hmmmm... interesting

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I started blogging. I get inspired. I like to write. I just hope that whatever I end up writing is interesting, or at the very least entertaining!

Join me in the next coming weeks as I enjoy the debaucherousness that is the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival. It's the best time of year in Whistler - concerts, events, parties, spring skiing... and I'll be blogging all about it. Need I say more?