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Page 2 of 4
Still, I worry. What's it going to feel like when I make that first big powder turn to the right? Will the new hinge be able to handle the stress placed upon it by a funhog like me - even if I radically moderate my lifestyle?
You see, no matter how positive the outlook, these fancy new knees are only designed (as one surgeon put it) "to help 80-year-old men get to the toilet without too much pain." Alas, they haven't yet conceived of an all-terrain model for us younger geezers...
And the kicker, dear reader, is that I still have to replace the damn thing in a decade. But that's only if I'm reasonable. If I play too hard, my surgeon warns, that time period could be much shorter. Yuck. What a prospect.
Which brings me to the subject at hand. As a mid-1950s baby, I sit smack-dab in the middle of the loudest, most indulged generation of modern times: the baby boomers. We also make up the biggest proportion of skier/riders in the history of snowsports. Indeed, if it weren't for us, the "ski industry" would still likely be a mom-and-pop business dominated by floppy-hatted mountain enthusiasts and muesli-munching snoweaters. Which, in retrospect, perhaps wouldn't be such a bad thing...
But my generation did happen. And we moved in like fleas on a mutt's back. Raised in the wild-west economy of mid-20 th century America, we were the recipients of more free time and more play opportunities than anyone before or since. We didn't wait for an invitation to get involved. We just figured all that fun was ours by divine right.
As for Whistler, the place was virtually colonized by boomers. Look around you. From Hugh Smythe to Paul Mathews, from Barrett Fisher to Brad Sills, Drew Meredith to Ken Melamed, the movers-and-shakers in this valley have overwhelmingly been post-war born.
And that's what made its charm in the early years. The people who ran Whistler were young. They were bold and irreverent and passionate and fun. And that's what drew so many newcomers to this community. It was a social experiment worth getting involved with. A wild and crazy mountain adventure in which to partake.
And what an adventure it became. Riding the seemingly endless wave of boomer demand, developers cut up this valley like junkies at a shooting gallery. New lifts, new homes, new hotels, new restaurants: more was always better. Growth was everything. You didn't get it if you didn't support more development at Whistler. You were a Luddite. Or worse, a whining tree-hugger.
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June 17, 2013, 5:00 PM
Whistler Blackcomb Foundation donates $300,000 to Centrepoint complex
Social services, church and housing being built by Sea to Sky Community Services and United Church More...
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June 17, 2013, 11:15 AM
Whistler Farmer's Market sees busy first day of operations
Market opens with vendor numbers at maximum More...
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June 16, 2013, 12:30 AM
Neal Kindree takes Test of Metal win
67-kilometre mountain bike race sees 871 racers at the start More...
