It’s easy to be cynical about awards and rankings.
For one, there are so many—from so many different sources—it can be hard to keep track, or know which carry the most weight.
For example, how much stock does one afford The Wall Street Journal, which recently named Whistler Blackcomb the No. 1 overall ski resort in the U.S. and Canada, as a ski-area authority?
Meanwhile, there are numerous otherwise prestigious-seeming awards in B.C. for which you can nominate yourself (which many do—and win!).
Talk about patting yourself on the back.
It’s not confined to skiing and tourism… almost every profession out there has some sort of recognition system attached, whether it’s internal incentive programs or an annual awards gala with all your peers (journalism of course being no exception).
And that’s to say nothing of the relentless onslaught of awards and honours Hollywood bestows upon itself year after year.
Spend too much time thinking about it, and it might start to seem like our entire society is propped up by peer recognition; just one gigantic, ego-inflating circle of self-congratulation, back-pats and attaboys.
It’s the age-old philosophical thought exercise: If a person or organization completes a task, and nobody is around to notice or commend them for it, did they really complete it at all?
But then, maybe we’re just hardwired to crave and seek out recognition. Everyone likes to be appreciated once in awhile, after all.
All of this to say, it’s probably best not to put too much stock in the value others place in the things we care about.
One recent listicle in my inbox did catch my attention, however—a list of the top eight ski resorts in the world, published by Vogue on Dec. 15.
Yes, that Vogue—the fashion magazine founded in 1892 that boasts tens of millions of subscribers both in print and online.
In their endless ski-industry wisdom, the fashion scribes at Vogue ranked Whistler Blackcomb (WB) the No. 2 resort in the world, behind only Aspen-Snowmass in Colorado.
In its writeup, Vogue mentioned the little-known facts that WB boasts TWO mountains (and a gondola connecting them!), and hosted the Olympics in 2010. It also touched on our “neighbouring village” with all its “exciting nightlife for your dining and après-ski needs, from shops and cafés to bars and memorable nightlife.”
See that? Whistler’s nightlife is both “exciting” and “memorable,” according to American fashion experts.
It’s hard to nail it down, exactly, but something about this list is just delightful. It is a perfect blend of mundane absurdity.
First of all, why Vogue? Why is it only the top eight, and not, say, top 10? And what is the methodology behind this seemingly completely subjective list of eight ski resorts?
The answer to all three of those questions is this: easy content.
There’s no method to the madness. It’s a list of ski resorts on a website, each with a brief description of its offerings gleaned from Google searches, the only purpose of which is to drive clicks for advertisers—and possibly spark a debate amongst overly passionate locals and ski bums.
On that note, how dare you, Vogue? Second place? Seriously? Stay in your own lane.
Here are just a few of the reasons why Whistler Blackcomb, and Whistler in general, is unequivocally the best damn ski resort in the entire universe—if only to tide you over while I finish my list of the Top 8 Fashion Trends to Get Excited About This Winter.
Whistler Village is a design marvel
Yes, it boasts cafés and shops, and nightlife that is both memorable and exciting, but there’s a subtle magic to Whistler Village that doesn’t quite translate in a paragraph written by someone who’s never seen it for themselves.
With its meandering flow and absence of right angles, the design was meant to encourage “variety, intrigue and excitement,” while also promoting “exploration” and “surprise,” its architect Eldon Beck said in a presentation in Whistler years ago.
Taking a page out of Vogue’s book, here are my thoughts on Aspen-Snowmass.
Having never set foot there in my life, and after just a cursory review of their village and shopping maps, I can say with a healthy degree of confidence that Whistler Village makes Aspen-Snowmass look like a shanty town at the foot of a backwater bunny hill in comparison.
The four-season terrain is unbeatable
When discussing the best ski resorts, the criteria is rightfully focused on things like lift capacity, elevation, and skiable terrain—areas in which WB excels.
But the true value of Whistler’s natural offerings can’t be seen from a distance, or on a week-long ski vacation.
Do any of the other ski resorts on Vogue’s list also boast one of the best mountain bike parks in the world in the summer months? No fewer than four pristine lakes in biking distance of the town centre? More than 40 kilometres of paved trail connecting nearly the entire valley?
Can any of the other resorts on the list even begin to compare with Whistler’s total, year-round offerings?
Again, having never set foot in any of them, and exerting only exactly as much research effort as I imagine Vogue did, I can say with absolute certainty, that no, they cannot.
No other ‘ski resorts’ can match Whistler’s sense of community
One of Whistler’s main points of pride is how many workers actually live in the resort. Thanks to the efforts of the Whistler Housing Authority and local government over the years, Whistler has consistently hit its target of housing 75 per cent of the workforce locally for many years running.
I’ll never forget my first winter in Whistler, when a drunk Texan struck up a conversation with me at a urinal in a village pub. Through his slurring southern drawl, he asked me where I was visiting from—and was positively shocked to learn I live in the resort (yes, these are the polite conversations men sometimes have with strangers while they pee).
The efforts to ensure Whistler is still an actual community are not seen in ski resorts the world over, and the results are particularly evident around Christmastime.
It’s the season of giving, after all, and while Whistlerites don’t contain their generosity to just one month, they go above and beyond in December.
There are endless ways to give back this holiday season, whether it’s donating to the food bank or the Whistler Community Services Society’s outreach programs, the Whistler Museum’s fundraiser for a new building, or any of the other non-profits that would be eternally grateful for your support (find more ways to give back at whistlerfoundation.com).
