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Alta states: The world may be going crazy, but the mountains remain soul-defining

Christmas Cheer: I’ll have some more of that please
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It’s easy to get down. Especially during a season like this one. Nose-diving economies. Global conflicts. Crazy weather. Even crazier politics. Can you say ‘the country is going to hell in a handbasket’? And it’s no better at the local level. I mean, what about lifts to nowhere that get promoted with great hype while lifts to somewhere ‘freeze up’ and nearly kill people? Insane. It almost makes you want to throw up your arms in despair and move to southern climes.

But not really. For the mountains — those wonderful, natural, soul-defining sentinels — are still there, high above our heads, beckoning us to aim as high as we can with our dreams and goals. That’s why I’m not too worried about Whistler’s future. Sure the carpetbaggers may pack up and go off in search of new hosts to infest. No surprise there: as the Whistler business climate gets tougher, the poseurs are sure to make themselves scarcer. But the people of this community — your neighbours, your friends, your teammates and colleagues — are far too resilient to give up that easily.

There’s just too much to love. As anyone who’s spent any time here knows: this is but another turn in the cosmic (dare I say karmic?) Whistler-Boom-And-Bust wheel. This too will pass. The Olympics will come. The Olympics will go. Whistler will remain. Doesn’t mean the next little while isn’t going to hurt. Doesn’t mean there won’t be tears spilt and sweat invested and dreams quashed. But the community will survive. Stronger, funnier probably, and with a much greater appreciation for life.

Here are some Christmas wishes from a gaggle of local Snoweaters. You might want to listen up. They have a lot of thoughtful things to say…

Photographer Bonny Makarewicz is one of the happiest, wisest people I know. She made this suggestion nearly three years ago. Her message is even more relevant today: “I think people here should take a moment every day to look around and see — really see — the beauty around them. We’re not at war. We’re not starving. And nobody is beating us up for our political views. In fact, we’re pretty well off by any standard you care to measure us by. We should be thankful for our good fortune…”

Brad Sills learned an important Olympic lesson while working up at Callaghan Lodge last spring. His encounter with a group of young biathletes there made him suddenly realize just where the magic resided. “You have to look deeper than ‘what’s in it for me’,” he says. “If you’re looking for a return from the Games, the only place you’ll ever find it is in the hearts and souls of the competitors. My recommendation: get to know the athletes this year, support them any way you can but most importantly… share their journey! It is this investment that will reap the real reward of hosting the Olympics.”

For web-entrepreneur Caroline Smalley, it’s all about reaching out and touching people directly (not so different from Brad’s message when you think about it). This is how she sees the future: “It’s all about making connections. When people feel connected to other people, they stop being fearful. And when they stop being fearful, good things happen…”

Claire Daniels has just about completed her degree in geography and environmental studies at UVic. But for the 23 year old, Whistler is still the greatest place in the world to come home to. In her 2004 Valedictory speech, Claire addressed some of the unique aspects of growing up in this valley. “We have been among the fortunate ones,” she wrote. “For Whistler, as a place to grow up, has provided us with all the right conditions in which to learn and realize our potential. This nurturing environment has come from supportive families, dedicated teachers and school staff, enthusiastic coaches and community workers who have all given tirelessly and generously of themselves to guide us on our journey.”

Ski racing means a lot to Manny Osborne Paradis. When you’re aiming for downhill podiums on the World Cup circuit, you can’t afford to think of much else. Still, he knows just how important the local ski racing community was to his own development. This is how he puts it: “I’m a Whistler Mountain guy and Robbie (Dixon) is a Blackcomb Mountain guy. Usually when I go skiing Blackcomb, I find it pretty boring. But when Robbie takes me skiing there, suddenly we’re hitting all these cool lines that I had no idea were there. Same thing when Robbie comes skiing with me at Whistler. It’s like there’s this whole other world that you never knew existed. And that’s pretty cool…”

Drew Meredith has been around for a while. He’s seen the good times. And he’s seen the bad times. But he doesn’t scare easily. This is what he thinks about Whistler’s future: “We have to focus on our strengths,” he says. “We have take to the high road and keep Whistler’s core story front-and-centre. You know, this recession could be the best thing for us. We’re all going to take a hit. There’s no question about that. But maybe it will make us all reflect on what a special place this is. And what a great community we have.”

Intrawest retail maven, Graham Turner agrees. The challenge, he says, is staying true to that core story. “It’s not easy staying on the edge,” admits Turner. “And that’s probably our biggest challenge right now. The people making the decisions at W/B are a lot older than they were just a few years ago. But we have to stay plugged in to youth culture — particularly in our business. We have to empower the guys who are still living on that edge and give them a reason to stay involved.”

Pro skier and mountain bike marketer Smiley Nesbitt couldn’t agree more. In fact, he believes that if Whistler doesn’t stay plugged in to youth culture the town is going to find itself in real trouble. Keeping a core image among young influencers is not only key to Whistler’s immediate success because of their relationship to today’s decision makers,” he says. “But it’s also a key to future success when those people eventually become decision makers themselves.”

Olympic gold medallist, physician and local paddling coach Hugh Fisher is one of the most inspiring people I know. He sees loads of potential in our young people. But he also sees the need to challenge them — on all sorts of fronts. “I look around this place and I see all these 8,000-foot mountains,” he says. “It’s like living in a big bowl. And as beautiful as this valley is, I believe you have to get out of the bowl every now and then in order to see the rest of the world.” He pauses. “For me, that was a big motivation in getting these high school kids to get involved with dragon boat racing. When we go down for an event in Vancouver now, it’s not just 40 kids and their coach. It’s parents and family and friends and… you know what I mean. It’s a community thing…”

For young visitors like France’s Matthieu Ros, Whistler is a mix of a lot of things — not all of them positive. “There’s a slightly schizophrenic aspect to Whistler, if you know what I mean,” he says. “On the one hand, you have this great all-encompassing wilderness with forests and lakes and bears and glaciers and endless mountains. And on the other, you have this overly-manicured, overly-managed village that makes you feel like everything has been calculated to make sure that you and your money are quickly separated.”

It’s a fine balancing act. And for many locals, it’s an act that has tipped overwhelmingly in favour of the crassly commercial. “We’re paving over paradise,” says builder/designer Andy Munster. And then he sighs. “The ‘Whistler Experience’ is becoming way too industrial. And I believe our community is falling apart because of it. We’re losing our seniors, can’t find homes here for our grown-up kids…” Another pause. “You know, I truly love this place. But I really fear for it’s future…”

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Particularly if we can keep attracting people like Phoebe Phoenix to the valley. “I just love this place,” she gushes. “It’s paradise. I love the forests. I love the mountains. I love all the secret spots I’ve discovered over the years.” She stops speaking. Smiles hugely. “You know — the more I travel, the more I want to stay in Whistler...”

In many ways, Charlie Doyle has been the conscience of this valley since he arrived in Whistler over 35 years ago. Sharp as a whip, cheeky, irreverent, and creative beyond belief, the diminutive funhog has always managed to keep things in perspective. In an article that he wrote in 2000 for the book Whistler – History In the Making , he put forth his rationale for having remained a Whistler resident for so long. “It’s still a big mountain, out west, where you don’t have to ski on the runs,” he wrote. “The magic is still here. If you know what it is… you know what it is. If you don’t… I can’t teach you. It was here then. It’s here now.”

Does he still feel that way today? “Absolutely,” he says. “You just have to look a little harder for the magic now…”