Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

The climb to the top of the ladder

As I sit and watch the snow falling on Monday morning I am reminded of my day on the hill two Saturdays ago. Anyone who was up on that 81cm day would have to agree that it was one of the best days we have had this season.

As I sit and watch the snow falling on Monday morning I am reminded of my day on the hill two Saturdays ago. Anyone who was up on that 81cm day would have to agree that it was one of the best days we have had this season. There was more snow than my legs could handle and the mountains did a stellar job of getting everything open - kudos to WB for that.

But what made my day the most memorable was what my ski partner and hundreds of others climbing Spanky's Ladder saw that Saturday afternoon. It was the group in front of us slowly making their way up Spanky's for some freshies of their own. What made this group so remarkable was that everyone there was working extra hard to get up that damn ladder... because one guy was in a sit ski. That's right, a sit ski.

There were times when he was sideways, times when we thought he was going to start going back downhill and times when we thought everyone else behind him was going to go down too. But thanks to the efforts of everyone there, including anybody around who could help by carrying skis, poles, etc., the gang made it to the top safe and sound. Talk about getting a group pumped up - there were cheers galore as the whole crowd got carried away in the spirit of what it means to get out there and play.

So I just wanted to say thanks to the guy in the sit ski and thanks to everyone who made it happen - you've truly inspired me. Maybe you guys do this all the time but it was a first for me to witness what will be one of the most memorable events I have seen on the mountains and here in Whistler.

Cindy Bonnell

Whistler

 

Beware the P3 model

Whistler Watch would like to congratulate the RMOW for completing the long-awaited upgrades to Whistler's Waste Water Treatment Plant and extend a warm welcome to Harry Kim, the new GM of Environmental Services.

As many in the community may remember, Whistler Watch led a public campaign in 2006 to convince council to maintain public operation of our waste water treatment and actively participated in a local public consultation process called the Alternative Approval Process (AAP).

As cash-strapped municipalities confront continuing needs with plummeting resources, they are resorting to public-private partnerships or P3s, but citizens are clearly saying they want public services to be provided by the government, not private corporations.

A new study by Truthout.org released on Jan. 15, 2010, exposes the widening use of P3s and their fueling of a new era of public asset sales in the U.S. and around the world.

We hope that residents will continue to decide how and where public tax dollars will be invested when it comes to providing a multitude of services - fire and police protection, utilities, water, transportation, education, health care, housing, and parks and recreation facilities.

Pina Belperio

www.whistlerwatch.org

 

Go big at home

The global economy almost crashed. Haiti crashed. I won't say it for fear of setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy but just in case the light pollution from our Olympic bus terminal is the only afterglow we see after the Olympics, we should be looking for innovative ways of bringing tourist cash to our town.

The brightest idea I think is to put all the Olympic torches into our parliament. If they unify Members of Parliament the way they are, according to the advertisers, unifying Canadians and citizens of the world, then the money saved by eliminating political conflict could be used to resurrect our community. If as I suspect the effect of the flame lasts only as long as the cameras roll, then we can sue the misleading advertisers.

Another popular way of attracting visitors to a town is to advertise it as "The Home of the Biggest..." We could have three such attractions. The aforementioned bus terminal could be promoted as the latest human installation that can be viewed from space, at night; and the erect hydrogen tank could be a side attraction. We could put a huge trunk at the bottom of the sliding centre and advertise it as the world's largest white elephant.

The third possible attraction doesn't yet exist. We'd have to get Randy at Proteck to fabricate a giant screw. It would be placed on an attractive concrete footing with the pointy end up in front of a "The home of the 2010 Olympics" sign. On the sign we would paint "Home of the Largest Olympic Screw Up (so far)." To finish the monument we could staple on the sign packets of unused Olympic condoms, if there are any.

Doug Barr

Whistler B.C

www.thelastwhy.ca

 

Greenest Games ever?

I can no longer contain myself. With the latest notice from the Muni in last week's paper (Greetings Olympic Guests) I wonder if we will ever get a handle on the disconnect between disposing of our garbage and our desire to get everyone using public transit? The notice from the Muni lets visitors know that all household garbage must be disposed of at the Nesters site. But how do you get it there? It is not permitted on WAVE transit and most of these visitors have no vehicles.

When one of my sons asked a member of our current council how he could get rid of his garbage without having  transport he was advised to hide it in a knapsack and take it on board the bus.

I met with four police officers from Quebec who are staying in our neighbourhood who asked me what they were to do with their garbage without having a car and was without a viable response for them. I suppose that the owners of the house may find what the greenest Games really means when they come to clean the house and find a month and a half's garbage piled up inside growing a fine crop of green mold.

Sylvia Dolson of Get Bear Smart Society proferred up a solution through the 2020 Task Force meetings of having a rotating drop off throughout neighbourhoods of a garbage bin/recycling container on scheduled dates but the Muni was unable to move this forward because there was no space to put it and no funds to pay for it.

I will probably offer to take the officers' garbage on my weekly run to Nesters but it sure doesn't address the reality for countless guests and seasonal workers who have no way of getting their garbage to Nesters.

Carson

Whistler

 

No snow tires needed for VANOC?

None of the VANOC vehicles I've seen sport proper winter tires, just the regular all seasons. Are they getting turned around at Alice Lake in severe winter driving conditions like they should?

At least no passengers will be harmed if they slide in the ditch since there seems to be only one person traveling per SUV - the city driver.

Good luck to all of us.

Andy Dittrich

Whistler

 

Games look good from here

It seems like a lot of people are concerned about the upcoming Olympics being "green" and ''sustainable'' and transportation during the Games. I went to the last three winter Olympics as an athlete and Vancouver/Whistler looks great compared to the ones I went to. The distances between the venues and Olympic Village are very reasonable and all the innovations in the Olympic village, like using rainwater etc., seems great to me. And for transportation the easy answer would be to get on the bicycle -thanks to global warming the weather is appropriate. I was riding from Alpine Meadows to the village and quite enjoying it; my car is a bit upset though.

Nickolai Skriabin

Whistler

 

Security priorities

Hmmm... I couldn't help but wonder this past week... what if Canada had spent the $900 million "security budget" for the optional circus that will descend upon us in a few short weeks building Haiti into a structurally stronger, safer country over the years? Surely, if we are able to spend this kind of money to prevent danger during a sporting event, are we not morally obligated to do the same to ensure that less fortunate countries are protected from disaster before it strikes?

Seems to me the athletes should sign a waiver, as they have the right to participate or not. Unfortunately, Haitians didn't have that same right when the earthquake struck. Nevermind. I've gotta get to the library before it closes to get my free Olympics scheduler.

K Turner

Whistler

 

Green around the gills

I just found out why the five Olympic rings of the 2010 Olympics are green instead of each one representing a continent with a different colour. Green will be the colour of people's faces in Vancouver and Whistler when they inhale fumes from all the temporary electrical generators for the Games.

There is nothing worse than somebody touting great achievements when in fact actual results may be much different. But then of course nobody should be surprised by that when government and big business are involved.

Drago Arh

Whistler

 

Make the most of Games

I am from Sydney, Australia, holidaying in Whistler until the end of this week, then go back home. I have lived in both Vancouver and Whistler in the past, for several years. The Summer Olympics hosted by Sydney in 2000 was the most amazingly exciting event we have ever experienced. It was such a fun time, great for Sydneysiders as well as the visitors and everyone said it was wonderful, due, in no small part, to the enthusiasm and friendliness of us locals. It earned us the title "the best Olympic Games ever" from Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Try and make the best of this experience, get behind it and cheer on your own athletes as well as those from elsewhere. They have put their whole lives into getting here to fulfill their dreams at the Olympics/Paralympics.

I lived here in Gordon Campbell's reign too and I have no time for him and his gravy train sycophants either, but don't spoil it for the competitors! We Aussies hope to do well here and not just doing it a la Steven Bradbury either! Enjoy!

Dee Corscadden

Mosman, Australia

 

Amateur hour repeated

I have read the articles with great interest regarding the seniors housing at Rainbow. Mayor Ken Melamed was able to convince some council members to vote against the free-enterprise contractor building the units.

Firstly, I don't think the mayor or the likes of Ted Milner would recognize a good (or bad) proposal if it hit them in the face. I agree with Councillors Zeidler and Forsyth, this move by the mayor and weak councillors is beyond silly. I think the mayor wants to repeat the disaster where we get a $6 million library for $13 million, more or less.

I don't understand why the mayor wants to go against the recommendations of his staff and many other people. Will he never graduate beyond chairing "amateur hour" at every council meeting?

I think Zeidler and Forsyth may be giving us a good option for a new mayor.

Don Wensley

Whistler

 

El Nino did it already

This is intolerable - 10 p.m. and there is an enormous carbon-spewing front-end loader on the street below the house flagrantly disturbing the peace with its operator slamming and banging the machine's how-ever-many-cubic-yard-bucket onto the pavement, revving and grinding its engine and moving frenetically to and fro with its back-up warning device squawking.

What ever happened to noise abatement? What happened to "green"? Does anyone in RMOW office give a hoot about the people who pay the bills? My lord, there is no appreciable snow to speak of on these streets. This is just plain unacceptable disregard for the people who live in this community.

If the RMOW feels it necessary to discharge tons of carbon into the local atmosphere in an attempt to scrape the remaining asphalt off the already El Nino-washed out streets, at least have the decency and respect to do it during reasonable hours.

Christopher Shackleton

Whistler

 

A necessary evil?

The decision by Pemberton's town council to build a community skate/bike park for children directly under high-voltage power lines might, at first glance, seem like a necessary evil if one only considers two facts: (1) that the grant money for this project must be used or will disappear and; (2) that town council has determined that this is the only feasible location for a park of this kind.

Consider two more facts: (1) that Cancer is a leading cause of death in Canada and; (2) the many online references to studies which show increased probability of childhood leukemia and brain tumors in residential areas due to exposure to strong electromagnetic fields.

This park is an opportunity to act proactively. There has to be another location, or no park at all. Please think of the children and the pregnant mothers who will be supervising their families. If a community park requires environmental warning signs, then it should not be built.

Pemberton is a beautiful town that prides itself on local organic farming, outdoor recreation, community spirit and health. Please help it stay that way and e-mail Mayor Jordan Sturdy at jsturdy@pemberton.ca .

Nicole Erika Trigg

Garibaldi Highlands

 

Spring Creek supports Haiti

The Jan. 12th tragedy in Haiti is a stark reminder of how fragile life is. This desperate situation has caused us all heartache because of the loss of life, but also hope as communities all over the world have come together to show their support for the people of Haiti.

On Jan. 20th, students and staff at Spring Creek Community School and ...cole la Passerelle decided to work together to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross and their relief efforts in Haiti. In three short days, our students and their families raised over $2,700, money that will be used to help provide medicine, food and shelter.

On behalf of our staff, I would like to recognize the effort and enthusiasm of our students as they came together to encourage one another to contribute what they were able to. I would also like to thank the families of our students for showing their support in this project.

Erin Boisvert

Whistler

 

Think of others

I wanted to write this letter to remind others about the importance of acting responsibly and respectfully on the mountains to ensure their safety and others while snowboarding and skiing at Whistler Blackcomb.

Recently I was involved in an incident that occurred on Whistler Blackcomb, between Mountain Safety and myself. Whistler is a small community and it's important to respect the guests that visit our town and the mountain employees that enhance your experience while on the mountain. The Mountain Safety staff in particular work hard, educating people about the Alpine Responsibility Code to ensure safety on the hill and doing their very best to keep this ski resort number 1 in North America.

When you are in a slow zone you reduce your speed; you should be going at the same speed as everyone around you. Remember that people in these zones are mostly beginners and are not always in control, even if you are.

There are rules on the hill and there are reasons why those rules are in place. Keep it simple. Ski or shred safe, keep your smile on your face, don't break the rules by acting irresponsibly or disrespectfully and everybody will enjoy their day to the maximum.

My advice to all is: if you love Whistler keep it simple! If everybody acts the same way the ski resort will live in harmony... Be safe.

David Mélançon

Whistler

 

Keep groomers on course

Blackcomb Grooming and Blackcomb Ski Patrol need used bicycle reflectors. We will be attaching the reflectors to the bamboo on the South Side Green Road, 7th Heaven to assure the safety of the groomers when they are working at night in the storms. Please drop them by Horstman Hut Patrol on any Saturday. Thanks.

Andor Tari

Pemberton