Warren Miller fans will be excited to learn his 59 th feature film, called Playground, is coming to Whistler Sunday, Dec. 30 at 7 and 9 p.m. at MY Millennium Place.
“The playground is a place where authority figures cease to exist, where fun and challenge are the only goals and creativity and freedom the only rules,” said director and producer Max Bervy. “This year we followed the leading athletes of the industry on a journey to a special place where anything is possible on the side of a snow covered mountain.
Bervy will bring armchair travelers a film saturated in deep powder, incredible cinematography shot in high definition, technical lines and massive air.
The world’s top athletes travel to all corners of the globe with film crews touching down in Sweden, Canada, Alaska, Japan and even the Arabian Desert.
Highlights to look forward to include a rare and insightful segment on ski racing king and perceived industry bad boy, Bode Miller as well as adventures of X-Game gold medalists into Alaska’s untouched Chugach Range.
A-list recording artists deliver a high-energy soundtrack, including Beastie Boys, Maroon 5 and Queens of the Stone Age.
Playground is wrapping up its U.S.-Canada tour, hitting more than 200 cities in the U.S. alone between October and December.
Tickets for Playground, presented by Extremely Canadian, are $15.
King of Storms returns
Six Whistler photographers will brave the elements to vie for the title of King of Storms at the second annual Gore-Tex Deep Winter Experience Photo Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
Discover what La Nina means to Whistler as six well-known shutterbugs chase images over three days of shooting on Whistler and Blackcomb.
Photographer Paul Morrison will return to defend his title of King of Storms, taking on Dano Pendygrasse, Ian Coble, Grant Gunderson, Jordan Manley and Phil Tifo.
The six will compete for a $4,500 cash purse as well as gear from Arc’teryx.
The slide show competition will be followed by a mix and mingle so audience members can talk with the photographers.
Doors open at 7 p.m. with the slide show starting at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and are available at Whistler-Blackcomb Guest Relations or by calling 1-800-766-0449.
All proceeds will benefit the Whistler Blackcomb Environmental Fund.
The photo challenge is only one of the many events going on during the Deep Winter Experience Jan. 4 to 13 in Whistler.
Other events include an On-Mountain Environmental Session Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. at Symphony Chair. Avalanche Awareness Tours Jan. 9 starting at 8:45 a.m. at the Blackcomb Day Lodge. A Gore-Tex Coat Drive Jan. 5 to 13 with drop boxes at The North Face Store, Showcase Snowboards, Glacier Shop and Can-Ski Village. The Whistler Alpine Guides will host backcountry tours Jan. 4 to 13. Visit the Escape Route for details. Extremely Canadian will host ski clinics Jan. 4 to 13. Call 1-800-766-0449 to register.
Reading between the lines of North America’s economy
Economists are forecasting a recession. The Canadian-U.S. currency exchange has flipped. The sub-prime mortgage industry has put the banks into a tailspin.
Whistler Reads’ next book club event will look at these issues along with how it will affect Whistler with the reading and discussion of The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan on Friday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Resort.
The Age of Turbulence is Greenspan’s encapsulation of his 14 years as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Lucas Lundin will host the event with guest speaker Glen Donaldson.
Lundin made his mark in the resource industry with his flagship companies Lundin Mining and Lundin Petroleum with holdings in more than 23 countries worldwide. His philanthropic leadership includes a pledge of $100 million to the Giustra-Clinton humanitarian-sustainability fund, administered under his own Lundin for Africa Foundation.
Donaldson, professor and chair of the Finance Department at the Sauder School of Business at UBC, will demystify his areas of research with discussion on risk management, volatility forecasting, asset valuation, financial econometrics, financial markets and price behavior during his talk. He will also illuminate Greenspan’s policies as well as give attention to Whistler and the unique circumstances our town faces here.
Whistler Reads is a local book club that hosts readings every eight weeks.
The Age of Turbulence is available at Armchair Books, which offers a 10 per cent discount for Whistler Reads members.
Tickets to the The Age of Turbulence event are $20 and are available at bookbuffet.com or at Armchair Books.
