Lose A Little, Gain A LOT!

The past year has been an interesting one, there definitely seems to have been an air of change. I've seen it with friends, with events going on Whistler, and in my own personal life.

I started to think about several of the fun events that DIDN'T happen in Whistler this year. B-Grade Horrorfest? They stated that they needed to take a break so they could come back better next year. Masquerave and Casino Royale? Rumour has it that both these soirees didn't have the funds to throw the epic parties that we have grown accustomed to. What else did we miss this year because people just couldn't pull it together?

It's all good however, because in the end I did many new things this year that were amazingly fun! Yes, there were many changes, but it was for the better. Some firsts that I experienced- my first float down the River Of Golden Dreams, Whistler Tweet-Up, Two-Acre Shaker, Pemberton Slow Food Cycle and Shuswap houseboating trip. Not to mention my first time being a Showgirl at Cornucopia (that's me in the purple)!

I'm happy to see that there are some events that are going ahead as planned this winter. The Amsterdam's infamous 'Red Light Party' on December 13th is a good start. The 12 Pubs of Christmas will be back on December 17th, so be sure to keep an eye out if you're in the Village for a large group wearing hideous Christmas sweaters and getting quite drunk as they stagger from pub to pub. I'm also ecstatically thrilled to see that the Hairfarmers will be throwing their ever popular Afterburn Party each Sunday Funday at the GLC.

There's an endless list of fun Christmas and New Years activities, so let's hope that everyone gets out there, enjoys the snow, and has a safe and happy holiday season. As for me, I'll be doing the same, then curling up with my new guy and saying cheers to change with my rum and eggnog.

Double Exposure in 2013

Whistler Exposed, the brainchild of local entrepreneur and feisty bar mistress Shannen Carlson, is gearing up for another year of northern exposure with not 1 but 2 calendars. The Whistler Exposed calendar is in its 4th edition and is not showing any signs of slowing down. Starring fifteen of Whistler's finest ladies doing what they do best, the Whistler Exposed calendar displays not only the beauty of Whistler, but the playfulness, athleticism (and good genes?) that its residents possess.

Carlson recently inked a deal with website and calendar distributor Calendar Club, which operates over one thousand stores in malls across North America. With this type of widespread distribution, Carlson is hoping to see a huge impact on the funds raised for her charity the Canadian Spinal Cord Research Organisation. In the past the calendar has raised over $20,000 for the charity and garnered 2 awards from the National and World Calendar Association (Best Wall Glamour Photography, Bronze Award, 2011 & 2012).

I've been fortunate enough to be featured in 3 of the Whistler Exposed calendars, and for the 2013 release I was asked to model a sport that had never been featured before- beach volleyball!

In response to demands and the growing popularity of the women's calendar, the Whistler Exposed team has just completed a men's calendar- The Men Of Whistler Exposed. Selecting fifteen of Whistler strong, athletic and handsome men was no easy task, but Carlson was up for the challenge, and from what I've seen so far she has done a stellar job.

For your first peak at The Men Of Whistler Exposed calendar, be at Tommy Africa's nightclub in Whistler on Wednesday, December 26th. Calendars will be distributed at the door and the models will be on hand to autograph your copy. See something you like? Bring cash as they will be doing a charity auction and you can bid on your favourite Whistler guy for a hot date!

Poker Tour De Force

I haven't written in a while... got caught up in the usual holiday crunch. Was it me or was it busier than usual this December? Combine that with several trips to Seattle and this Whistler Girl got exhausted pretty quick. The icing on the cake was a whirlwind trip to Florida with my family. Yup, met Mickey, Minnie and the whole crew. Drank my way around the world at Epcot and played 'Auntie Kristy is Silly'.

Now back in Whistler, and swept up in mountain life. Lots of snow, lots of work. No wonder I haven't written! Well there is one ray of sunshine amid all the work drudgery (besides the continuous dumpings of snow) The annual POKER TOUR!! This stunningly spectacular event is in it's 6th year running. With over 100 participants to sweeten the pot, this day is one that we look forward to each January. Well, all of us that know about it anyway (it's kind of a private group thing). So if you saw an abundance retro ski gear and one giant squirrel on the hill on January 21st, this would explain why.

So here's the deal: Each participant puts in $30. They then draw card #1 and take a shot. They can then proceed to shred to their hearts content until the next check in, where they will draw their next card. There are pre-determined check in spots around both mountains. You must make it to each spot within the expected time frame to draw your next card. The person with the best hand at the end of the day wins! It's anyone's game until the last draw. There were about ten of us with pairs, it was down to who could draw a three of a kind or a full house. The crowd is cheering...we step up to the table... we draw our cards. Where the EFF was my 8?! I almost took the title. Alas, I failed to draw the needed card and lost to three fives! The good news is that it's expected of the winner to pay for half the apres tab at Dusty's. After a quick Chinese Downhill comp we collect at Dusty's, lick our wounds, and drown our sorrows. Til next year! That B**** is mine.

12 Pubs of Christmas

On the 12th pub of Christmas my true love gave to me.... a calendar?

It's well past Christmas but I felt the need to post about this amazing night when I came across some awesome pictures. Every year, a fun loving group of Whistler locals gather in their best (worst?) holiday garb and make the trek (stumble?) from pub to pub in honour of baby Jesus. Or rather, to get drunk. C'mon. Obviously!

If you ever participate in this event, be warned. A) You DO need to have a drink at each location B) You WILL need a silly costume. If you don't have one, one will be made for you out of various Christmas decorations sneakily taken from our destinations C) If you should spill your drink, expect the ENTIRE group to chant 'shoe' over and over again until you drink the remainder of your drink out of your footwear. 

Here is my documentation of the event:

I thought I'd end this blog on a sober picture of me and my buddy Sean at stop #3. You don't want to see what happens to a group of people this rowdy after 12 Pubs. Just sayin'

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 ;)