Talk to any guy whose been living in Whistler for a while and he’d say there aren’t enough girls around town.
It’s an infamous lament among single men here.
It’s strange because as a general rule, I’ve found that it’s usually the other way around – too many girls complaining there aren’t enough men in the world.
It was certainly that way among my group of girlfriends when I left Toronto.
Ever since then I’ve been urging them to get out to Whistler because despite what any census report will tell you, that there are fairly equal ratios of men to women in this town, it seems that the fairer sex are nowhere to be found.
Just look at any posse of six men heading to Garf’s on a Thursday night, or the crowd of guys hanging out with a football at the park or the crew lollygaging around the liquor store/Grocery Store.
Where are all the girls in Whistler, they ask?
And I would like to pose that question too.
Girls really are hard to come by in Whistler, whether you’re looking for a date or for some simple, female companionship.
After hanging around boys for the past eight months now, I’ve decided that a good dose of estrogen every once in a while is essential to keep a girl sane.
I long for the day when I can go into a video store, pick out Riding in Cars with Boys (or in fact any Drew Barrymore movie) and not be mocked.
Sometimes, I don’t even get mocked, just a withering stare, followed by a smirk.
The next thing you know, we’re back at home watching Joe Dirt. Or better yet, Pootie Tang (don’t ask, and don’t rent it – that’s two hours of your life you’ll never get back).
And what’s wrong with a little Gilmore Girls, Sex in the City or Felicity every once in a while?
Sure, it’s not great acting but it certainly beats a cartoon James Bond agent running around trying to kill people in a gory video game.
I also long for the time when I can get on my snowboard or mountain bike with a buddy and just cruise along at my own pace.
Instead, I’m subjected to constant suggestions about how I can be better, faster, and more aggressive.
And the worst is pulling up to the group waiting at the bottom of the hill or the end of the trail, forever waiting for me, and me in turn, forever having to apologize.
And wouldn’t it be nice to talk about the inconsequential things in life. The kind of things that take up two or three hours on the phone with my best friend, at the end of which there is still so much more to talk about.
Hanging out with girls involves things that you just can’t do with boys – an aimless window shop around the village, some cheeky gossip, a run down on Oprah’s latest book, and a roundabout discussion on the merits and pitfalls of men in tank tops.
I haven’t had much female companionship since I got here and there’s only so much more Sony PlayStation a girl can take.
Here’s my theory on why it’s been difficult to meet girlfriends in Whistler.
At this stage in life (the real job stage) you have to be proactive to make friends
It was always so easy before. You made friends with the girls on your neighbourhood street growing up. You made friends with the girls in your high school class. You made friends with the girls who smoked in university. You just kind of fell into friendships and once you had them, kept them. Maybe I was one of the lucky ones, because finding a girl to watch Dirty Dancing with me for the umpteenth time was never a problem.
Girls are hard to approach, infinitely much harder than boys.
Now I can relate to the perpetual dilemma of every single man out there.
Short of asking, will you please by my friend because I’m so pathetic I don’t have many, let’s face it – it’s hard to pop that question – way harder than asking any guy to do something with you.
I pity any boy who has to work up the courage, put his ego on the line and ask a girl out on a date.
Generally, the guys around here and pretty fun to hang out with so you only miss hanging out with girls at those few crucial moments.
The guys in Whistler can keep you busy from Frolf to park BBQs to bike rides. It’s hard to miss girlie companionship when you’re having so much fun.
Girls in Whistler come and go with the seasons.
As soon as you make a friend here, they’re gone in the next breath. Aussie girls are friendly, Kiwi girls know how to party and even the Americans can make you laugh.
But inevitably they all go home.
Oh well, if living in Whistler means having fewer girlfriends then so be it.
And I’m ashamed to say it. But I’ve turned my boyfriend into one of my girlfriends. It was only last weekend that he was sitting on my living room couch, totally engrossed in the June issue of Cosmo.
He said he was reading the article on Charlie Sheen’s new wife – the girl of James Bond and Spin City fame – but we both know he was memorizing the 10 easy steps to get that perfect summer butt!
Thinking back, I’m not sure if I’m okay with that. I think that might a key sign I need to meet more girls.
