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Pique n' Your Interest

For all the new people…

This is for all those who have just arrived in town and others who might care what I think.

I was new in Whistler last year so I thought it might help if I listed a few things that I wish somebody would have told me last year.

Step One, Two and Three:

Study the bus schedule. The map and times on the bus schedule are your best friend until you figure out where you are. Pay particular attention to the names of all the suburbs because this will help you if you want to find a house. If you don’t have a car buy a monthly, or 20 times, bus pass because it’s always cheaper and much more convenient (and don’t forget to say thank you to the bus drivers when you get off – it’s tradition.)

Getting a house:

Some of the landlords around here are very dodgy so ask these questions after you’ve found out how much they want you to pay per month.

1. Does this price include hydro (hot water), Internet (connection), cable (TV) and/or phone? 2. How much is the security deposit? 3. Is there a cleaning fee when we move out or before we move in? 4. Will you be inspecting the place or wanting to use it? 5. Do you require us to sign anything? 6. Do we have to be out before a certain date? 7. Where’s the nearest garbage depot, bus stop and shops? 8. Are there parking spots for cars? 9. Are there any other fees you will require us to pay?

Getting a job:

Be persistent and DON’T WORRY YOU WILL GET A JOB. There is always a huge job shortage in Whistler, and it’s getting worse, so if you don’t get what you want, just get something in the interim and wait for an opening. Keep in mind that if you’re willing to stick around and make an impression then you can normally make great strides in your career very quickly. In some of the big retail stores, employees don’t last more than two months so if you stay for three months you’ll probably be an assistant store manager.

Getting a job with the mountain because you need a seasons pass and/or you missed out at the job fair:

Same as above, but just be more persistent. One of the smartest guys I knew went for a job as a liftie last year and was rejected because there was some mess up with his name, but he was persistent and was one of only a few lifties Whistler-Blackcomb retained for spring.

Cheap Food:

The bad news is that the word "cheap" is not something you will use very often, if at all in Whistler. But there are some places that seem to make an effort to be cheaper and they are: Behind the Grind, Gone Bakery and the soup at The Grocery Store. Ingrid’s café is not quite as cheap but they have quality food.

For shopping - IGA in the village and Nester’s Market are the best.

For dinner - the Brew House and The Old Spaghetti Factory are good and so is Uli’s in Creekside but for the most part you should expect to pay upwards of $25 for dinner in most restaurants. A good way is to watch for the meal deals.

If you’ve got no food or money then you can always visit the Food Bank, which is behind the Catholic Church off Lorimer Rd.

Sex, relationships and the male/female ratio:

Let me remind you that this is just an opinion and that this opinion is ONLY valid for Whistler and nowhere else in Canada…

There are about six males in Whistler for every female. This means several things, but the obvious point is that the women have a much greater choice than men and that choice, at first glance, is quite good because most males in this town are generally pretty fit.

The only thing I’ll say about sex is that you should ALWAYS use protection because there are quite a few people in this town that have slept with more than 80-100 partners.

And relationships… if you meet a Canadian in Whistler and they’re under the age of 24 then you should expect them to be seeing, or attempting to see, at least one other person at the same time. If they’re over 26 then they probably would have been in scores of relationships and they’re going to be – shall we say – pretty focussed.

So if you’re a foreigner and you want a "relationship", my advice would be to stick to other foreigners BUT never close your mind to other possibilities.

Drugs:

If it’s weed you’re after then congratulations, you’ve landed in one of the best places in the world for it. Just remember that marijuana is still illegal in B.C., although this might change. And be careful with the white stuff they serve in lines because there is a lot of that around town as well and it can have more severe side-effects. If you get in trouble at any stage contact Whistler Community Services – they’re very good at what they do.

Useful places:

If you want to stay healthy for the entire winter season then you’ll need to get fit and for this reason the Meadow Park Sports Centre is useful. Lost Lake is beautiful in summer and winter. The Re-Use It centre in Function Junction is full of great cheap stuff and Function is also a good place in general to buy cheap goods because the rent rates are cheaper so the businesses can, generally, afford to offer a better price.

Tipping:

In North America tipping is essential but it can also be very annoying. There are exceptions but as a general rule you should tip anyone who serves you anything 20 per cent of the bill. Cab drivers should be tipped and so should hairdressers and other estheticians, as well as people such as bellmen at hotels.

Staying safe:

You will find that this place is truly a blessing from mother nature but just remember that mother nature still runs the show. So always know where you’re going because it’s so easy to get lost and WEAR PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, especially a helmet. A good thing a lot of thoughtful people do when they’re in a crowd is "call" what they’re doing before they do it. This method is particularly useful when you’re on a fast cat-track surrounded by beginners.

The right attitude for Whistler: Just about all of you are here to have a seriously big party on the snow and in the clubs, so you will get whatever work you can.

Many of you will have amazing resumes and be extremely overqualified to do just about any job in Whistler. But if you have any attitude about it you won’t get anywhere because you would be surprised at what kinds of people work in Whistler.

A W-B manager told me once that a chief surgeon from one of Australia’s biggest hospitals came to Whistler to be a validator because he wanted some time off (validators check, and then beep tickets all day for about $10 an hour, which is a "good" entry level wage with W-B).

So in other words KEEP YOUR EGO TO YOURSELF and just get on with the party.

French speaking people:

There are millions of people in Canada who speak French and many of them come to Whistler to play. The people with the heavy accents generally come from Quebec and most of them are usually very good on snow. There is a bit of an East vs. West, Quebec vs. Rest of Canada thing going on but I think the only thing foreigners can do to help this is to call French Canadians, French Canadiens or Quebecois – don’t call them French, because they’re not from France.

A few party pointers:

You figure it out, but here are a few tips for days of the week. Keep in mind that things change constantly once winter starts, so read the paper.

Monday: ’80s night at Tommy’s; Tuesday: DJ Seanski at the Savage Beagle (R’n’B/House); Wednesday: Buffalo Bill’s (industry night); Thursday: Garfinkel’s (locals’ night); Friday: Moe Joe’s (Last Call, the band); Saturday: Garibaldi Lift Company, or the GLC; Sunday: The Boot Pub’s punk night, the Crabshack (lots of good bands), and/or Tommy’s (Soul Kitchen — house/soft-core techno).

Make sure you also see the Hairfarmers and/or Guitar Doug; they play everywhere. BCDC, an ACDC cover band, are also huge here.

Visa information if you want to stay:

Remember it’s not hard , you can do almost all of it yourself, there’s just a lot to it . Keep in mind: you CANNOT get an extension on a working holiday visa in Canada, you must apply for another work permit, or immigrate. To get another work permit you have to be sponsored by an employer and then you, and them, have to demonstrate to Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) that you are an indispensable addition to the workforce. Once you’ve get a favourable opinion from HRDC then you put this recommendation with your application to Immigration Canada for a work permit. Look up www.cic.gc.ca for more details and do it early; you’ll know after about three-five months if you want to stay.