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The future of the festival

Arts events now equal to athletics at World Ski and Snowboard Festival

On a sunny afternoon on an outdoor patio Doug Perry, president of W1, the event planning organization responsible for the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, lays out a tri-circle mathematical diagram.

The orbs in this case represent three elements of the festival: athletic events, music events and arts events. What’s significant about this particular representation is that all the circles are of equal size, and are positioned so that their area contribution to the overlapping heart of the festival is also equal.

No need for a PhD in physics to figure things out.

The official moniker (minus the corporate sponsor) is a reference to the festival’s original focus. Nine years ago organizers brought together several existing ski and snowboard contests and races for a seasonal send-off like no other.

But something interesting has happened along the way. Off-hill events, considered at first to be mere distractions from the on-hill action, began elbowing their way into prominence. Photography showdowns featuring top action/sport sharpshooters from all over the world, outdoor music concerts, film events, and most recently a literary evening have proven themselves integral to the draw and flavour of the festival as a whole.

The tremendous growth of these former side dishes has elevated them to entree status now, as Perry’s diagram indicates, helping to define the Whistler festival as a step above the typical season-ender slush-skiing boozefest common to many North American ski resorts.

And according to Perry, it’s the music and arts events that show the biggest potential for future growth.

It all started in 1997, says Perry, when local ski and snowboard photographer Eric Berger and writer Jack Turner approached him with the idea of hosting an evening during the festival featuring a slideshow of images from a snowboard excursion to Iran.

"I think (Perry) was a little leery at first," recalls Berger. "He was trying to bill an event that was full of excitement and energy and this was like, ‘slideshow? Yawn!’ It was more or less a last minute thing, a few weeks before the fest, and he was concerned it would be a no-show."

The event booked a conservative-sized hotel bar and drew a full-house crowd with people turned away at the door. But it confirmed interest in slideshow photography events during the festival.

With Berger, Turner and Perry at the helm, the event emerged the following year as the first Pro Photographer Showdown at the festival. Three more top action/sport photographers were invited to join Berger to exhibit, the event venue relocated to the atrium of the conference centre and a crowd of what Berger estimates to be 500 people were there for the ride. Berger was awarded Best Of Show by a judging panel, an element the trio had included as a quality and innovation incentive for the participating photographers.

"You can do more with slides than just show them," explains Berger. "You can entertain with them in a fun way that really draws you in. Like a film. It wasn’t as much about winning as about showing what you can do.

"It wasn’t that my shots were better, it was more that I had something that moved people a bit more than the other guys. That kind of set the standard."

The idea that the winner would have to come back to defend the following year was scrapped in favour of the addition of a wildcard entry, to be won in the Pro Photographer Search. The Pro Photographer Search, a second event added in 1999, was designed as an opportunity for less established photographers.

Now in their sixth and seventh years, the Pro Photographer Search and Showdown draw international competitors and play to consistently sold-out crowds paying between $15 and $25 a head.

"I think we saw some potential, but I don’t think we saw that it would take off the way it has," says Berger, who counts the inaugural win, the addition of the Search and the 2001 series where Whistler local Blake Jorgenson won both events as highlights.

"We were all a bit surprised but we’re not as surprised anymore, because now we know there’s no limit to it."

Experiencing the same meteoric growth is the music element at the festival. The first outdoor concert held in the Village Square in 1998 featured before-they-were-stars Nickelback, who were admittedly still a little rough around the edges when it came to performing, Perry remembers, chuckling.

Flash forward to this year. Approximately 38 acts are booked for the 10-day series of free outdoor concerts sponsored by DKNY//Jeans, staged at the base of the mountain. Included in the lineup is chart-topping hip-hop collective Black Eyed Peas, who have fit the festival into a concurrent 10-date tour.

"That was a huge coup," says festival entertainment agent Derek Arrowsmith of Vancouver-based Upstream Entertainment. "They’re as hot as you can get right now."

The Peas’ profile sets a precedent now for years to come and Arrowsmith says if he’s offered the chance in the future, he intends to further diversify and bolster the lineup, working toward the goal of having the series considered a festival of note on the North American circuit.

"It’s the way to draw," he says. "Music is something that makes people get up and get out and check things out. One of your favourite bands is playing a free concert outside in the beautiful mountains in Whistler on a bright sunny day, you’re going to pack your bags and you’re gonna book on out and check it out. I think it’s a key part of the festival for sure."

Younger events that are also proving themselves integral to the atmosphere of the festival include the three year old Filmmaker Showdown, an event Perry says has "the potential to go to the moon," and the two year old Words & Stories showcase of Whistler writing talent. The next frontier is the inclusion of fine art.

"The future is the arts," he concludes, packing up his circles. "That’s what will always make the festival exciting and intriguing. It’s important for people to know we’re not another X-Games. The life span of the X-Games is done. The festival can have longevity if all the creative valves open up and we’ve only just begun to explore the root system of creative culture."

"It offers something to more people," agrees Berger, "people who are not necessarily here for the sporting events. The arts side of it is only going to continue to improve."



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