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Making a difference – Whistlerites who shone in 2011

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts..." - William Shakespeare What a year.
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"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts..."

- William Shakespeare

What a year. Featuring one of the most prolific winters in a long history of great winters — with more snow, more powder and more attention than we deserved — 2011 also saw Whistler entrepreneurs of all stripe struggling to make ends meet. It was a fun year. It was a tough year. It was a high year. It was a sobering year. And nobody, I think, got exactly what they wanted. But we learned a barrelful!

For the resort's marketing mavens, this past year marked a return to the trench warfare of regional business. Gone were the high-flying spenders of the 1990s. Disappeared was the cheap Canadian dollar. Lost were the big talkers from Intrawest and the IOC and Vanoc and everyone else who wanted a piece of this valley once upon a time.

Suddenly convincing people to come here and spend their hard-earned shekels on a mountain holiday was a daunting challenge. But we got better at it.

For the first time in a long time we woke up to the fact that no one else but us was responsible for making this place successful. And what a breath of fresh air that was. If Whistler was going to survive and thrive, we realized that positive results could only come from our own hard work and determination. And that made us all grow up.

Consider the last election. In the four decades that I've been around this place, I've never seen the kind of anger, hope, enthusiasm, disdain, disgust, faith, optimism, engagement and passion that I saw during the fall campaign. And it got ugly. Really ugly. Friendships were tested. Loyalties were questioned. I even witnessed some nasty fisticuffing on election day. But in the end, we all got what we deserve.

Which brings me around to this week's theme. History has shown us over and over that it's during the really hard times that the really good people shine. And Whistler is no exception. While some residents were whining about the fates, others just put their head down and got on with the job. The following is my list of ten Whistlerites who made a difference this year. They're the heroes of 2011.

Doug McFarlane: It doesn't matter what's going on outside — storm or sunshine, powder or rain — WB mountain manager Doug McFarlane shows up for work every day with the same quiet, confident smile painted on his face. And every day he applies the same quiet, confident energy to his job. There's no artifice with this guy. No drama. In fact, he makes his job look easy. So easy that one might be forgiven for missing the fact that his job is one of the toughest in the valley. I mean, imagine being the guy responsible for getting the Whistler Blackcomb behemoth up and running each and every day of the winter. And when things go sideways, guess who gets the call? But all that pressure doesn't seem to faze the still-boyish looking ops veteran one bit. Lucky for us. And lucky for WB. Whistler wouldn't be the same without him.

Joan Richoz: Okay, so maybe it's not a secret anymore. Still, I think Whistler's 2011 Citizen of the Year deserves all the accolades we can give her. I mean, her smile alone can warm the air in a chilly room. By the way, has anyone ever seen her not smiling? As for her involvement in the arts, well, Joan Richoz is the kind of woman who just gives and gives and... Really, she's one of the community's enduring treasures. And she gets it! She truly understands the play of environment and people here. She knows what's hidden in the heart of this fledgling mountain town. So let's not mince words. Joan Richoz — our first librarian — is also one of the founding parents of "Whistler culture,"

Rob Boyd: You recognize the chin first. It juts out of his black parka like the prow of a battleship emerging from the fog. Scrunched up in his jacket — it's early still and very, very cold outside — Rob Boyd sits on the Redline Chair, walkie talkie in one hand, phone in the other, notepad in his lap, quietly finalizing the schedule for the day with his Whistler Ski Club coaching colleagues. He's been up and working since 5:00 this morning. He won't hit the sack until well after midnight. And for what? It's certainly not for the money. I mean, if it was moolah the former World Cup star was after, being a junior ski coach at Whistler is the last place he would have looked. Simply put: Rob does it because he loves skiing and ski racing. And everyone benefits.

Britt Janyk: Speaking of ski racing.... She's been at the very pinnacle of the sport. Rode the high's and low's of the alpine ski racing game with grace and good humour. As a World Cup competitor — and champion! — Britt Janyk was the consummate ambassador for this place. And she gave of her time and energy generously. So what does she do now that she's retired and pregnant with her first child? She lends a hand at the Whistler Ski Club with special on-hill initiatives. Now that's an Olympic legacy.

Mike Varrin: I think he was dipped in a vat of potion magique when he was a child. You know, just like in the French comic book where the fat guy, Obelix is dipped in said vat as a baby and emerges immeasurably strong. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to say that Mike Varrin is fat or immeasurably strong. Au contraire. What I'm trying to say is that the special tub of potion that Mike was dipped in made WB's czar-of-entertainment an inestimably happy guy. And it's tainted his view of the world ever since. I mean, have you ever seen a happier man at work? It's gotta be magic...

Cathy Jewett: Don't tell her she can't do something; it will only encourage her... As a young liftie in 1970 — tired of shovelling snow from Whistler Mountain's t-bar track while the envied "Redcoats" did avi-control laps on the Peak — Cathy Jewett set her sights on becoming a professional ski patrol herself. And succeeded! Still a working pro patrol today — and a long-time volunteer in Whistler's education sector (son Max is studying engineering at UBC and daughter Bryn is just finishing High School) — the 50-something mountain momma is as active and outgoing as she's ever been. Only now she allows herself to decline certain on-mountain assignments. As she told me the other day: "I have the right to refuse unsafe work." Indeed.

Roger McCarthy: Speaking of pro patrols... That's what Roger McCarthy found himself doing as a newcomer to Canada. Along with the likes of Hugh Smythe, Chris Stetham and Brian Leighton, the young Kiwi got to experience the near-mythic life of these bigger-than-life ski pros during Whistler's early years. But McCarthy's ambition (and quiet commitment to hard work) drew him up the corporate ladder like mercury in a sun-heated thermometer. After senior- executive stints with both Intrawest and Vail Associates, Roger tried his hand at international ski-resort development — and learned all sorts of interesting things. Back in Whistler now (the place he says he loves more than anywhere) and a newly minted member of municipal council, McCarthy will bring his low-key, commonsense approach to bear on local issues. Look out carpetbaggers...

Sandra Epplett: My recent visit with Spring Creek's kindergartners reminded me once again just how fortunate the kids are in the Whistler Valley. Passionate, organized, outgoing, motivated, enthusiastic — fun even — the teachers who work in the community's schools are not afraid to push the envelope to make sure our children get what they need out of their educational experience. And no one does it with more verve than Spring Creek's Sandra Epplett. Recently honoured with the National Excellence Award For Teachers, Ms Epplett embodies well Whistler's own tradition for teaching excellence.

Nancy Wilhelm Morden: She refused to run for mayor last time around because she wasn't all that big a fan of the Olympics, and thought it would be hypocritical of her to represent the town as Games Host if she won. Talk about principles. And her recent victory speaks volumes on that subject. Although council's recent compromise on pay parking in the village was a bit of a political wake-up call for the new mayor, I believe Nancy Wilhelm Morden has the intellect, the sense of humour and the chutzpah to herd Whistler's sacred cows into eventual submission. It won't be easy. And it won't always be fun. But this gal's got serious jam. Just watch her.

Ken Melamed: He might have been stubborn at times and dismissive and even on the wrong side of polite now and then. And yes, he started politics as a one-issue guy who pontificated on his favourite subject — the human threat to our environment — until you wanted to run away and hide. But Whistler's former mayor has always had one big asset going for him: he loves this community with an ardour that few will ever match. As for integrity, Ken Melamed can look at himself in the mirror today and smile. For he knows that for the best part of two decades, the little-stone-mason-who-could devoted his life to this town with zero ulterior motives. And if only for that, we should be mighty thankful.

So there you go. My top-ten list for 2011. What does yours look like?