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Time for a moment of collective clarity

by G. D. Maxwell

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In other words, the strategy is geared towards bringing more people in to spend less money to help turn this thing around.

Let us pause for a moment of silence while we contemplate working harder for another season in order to profit less.

OK, time to admit I don't know what the answer is. But given Whistler's history — particularly its history of building too much too fast — I'm thinking the smart money isn't betting on a growth strategy as being the way to pull out of this death spiral. Debasing our offering and entrenching the idea we're a cheap place to spend a few halcyon summer days enjoying free concerts and street entertainment isn't going to return us to profitability. More people spending less money just makes Whistler crowded, not cool. And that's the case in either winter or summer.

Our third-rail seems to be the tacit understanding we're a smaller resort wearing bigger resort clothes. Is there no way to rightsize ourselves? Will we have to continue to chase econotourists with buy-one-get-one-free offers simply because we're so big we need more bodies, in much the same way vampires need more blood?

I watch what's happening in Greece and the EU and wonder who's going to blink first. Who's going to be the first to say this experiment hasn't succeeded and we have to try another road.

I wonder the same thing closer to home.

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