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WSSF hopes to shed light on Whistler’s soul

As it enters its eighth year the festival continues to grow and bring people to Whistler, injecting $14 million into local economy Everyone in Whistler has a tale to tell, and there is no doubt some of them are tall.

As it enters its eighth year the festival continues to grow and bring people to Whistler, injecting $14 million into local economy

Everyone in Whistler has a tale to tell, and there is no doubt some of them are tall.

This year the organizers of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival decided the stories of Whistler needed to be heard and celebrated.

They are stories of human drama, of triumph and of defeat and the hope is that they will offer a glimpse of Whistler’s soul.

"We are putting the spotlight on great journalists and storytellers," said Doug Perry former professional skier, founder of the festival and president of W1 the sports, entertainment and production agency that manages and operates the Telus WSSF.

This year’s legendary word smiths are the Pique’s own G.D. Maxwell, Leslie Anthony, Michel Beaudry, Peter Oliver and Susan Reifer.

There is no doubt that as the festival grows each year the art and cultural component continues to expand and venture into new mediums.

"(The festival) is for the young and the young at heart and it is inspired by the mountain resort lifestyle," said Perry.

"It is entertainment. But it is much more than just a ski and snowboard competition now."

It all started as a dream to hold a ski and snowboard event that would push the limits of the sports.

Eight years later the Telus WSSF is not only the place to watch on-hill talent shred the boundaries of their calling, it is the largest free concert series in the country and a showcase for mountain culture unlike any other.

"Whatever you see here in April is really leading edge," said Perry.

"All the participants are looking for is to be listened to and have a forum to do the things they have always wanted to do, and that is really what the essence of the festival is."

The formula is a winner all round for the festival, which starts today and runs through April 20.

Not only do the spectators love it, the industry loves it and so does Whistler, which has come to depend on the festival to keep its businesses busy in a traditionally slow period between the end of Spring Break and the Easter long-weekend.

Perry, who describes the corporate sponsored budget for the festival as top secret, estimates that the event pours $14 million into the resort and attracts up to 250,000 people.

"It is significant," he said.

Not only does the event draw spectators of its own, industry conferences are held in conjunction with it and unsuspecting tourists get the show of a lifetime.

It’s a formula which leaves other ski resorts drooling.

"We certainly know a lot of our competitors are studying the formula to see if it is something they can mimic," said Suzanne Denbak, president and CEO of Tourism Whistler, a founding member of the festival.

"We are very proud of how it has developed into North America’s largest winter festival and it is a very important part of our April business and it allows us to extend our season."

Putting life into the resort in April was one of Perry’s goals when he first put the idea forward to the mountains in the early 1990s.

He was once ski school director on Whistler and has called North America’s top ski resort home for 19 years.

The event itself grew out of a crazy event Perry came across while competing in Japan. It was a sort of triathlon for on-hill athletes with each participant collecting points for each event depending on how they did. The one with the most points won.

"I thought the concept was so good that there should be a similar one in North America," said Perry.

"So I had a ridiculous idea to host a World Technical Skiing Championship on Blackcomb in 1994, and as I started I began to feel I had bitten off more than I could chew."

But it all came together and in 1996 the first festival was held. It was strictly athletic and it stayed that way until 1998 when, at one of the many brainstorming sessions held during planning, someone had the bright idea of adding music to the mix.

"It was something that just ignited the festival," said Perry.

"And what became clear was that to the people in the snow-sport world, the skiers and the riders, music was an integral part of their life, without a doubt.

"And this just evolved into a road that we have gone down almost unexpectedly or almost by accident."

This year 50 bands are expected to perform – and keep your eye on them. Looking back at the WSSF’s record it’s uncanny how many of the bands that have played have gone on to stardom.

Nickelback, which performed at the festival in 1998, is practically a household name now.

"They are one of the biggest bands in North America today and they played for 200 people in Village Square back then," said Perry.

"The festival seems to have a knack of handpicking artists that are just breaking through and there is a long, long list of them that are doing really, really well now."

And this year’s Juno Award winner for best rap recording, Swollen Members, will be front and centre with a free performance April 16.

But it is not just the addition of music and art to the event which has made it so popular – it is the way the festival is arranged.

"A classic example of this is the Big Air competition in the village," said Perry.

"It is an athletic event that has live music playing with the athlete and to the athlete and then we try and build a visually artistic spectacle around it and when those three things converge it is incredibly powerful and incredibly unique.

"You can go to GM Place and see a concert and you can go to a sporting event and see that, but when you weave those worlds together it is unique."

Producing this experience goes right to the heart of how the event comes to life each year.

There are not sport federations involved here. Rather the people involved in each portion of the festival get together and come up with what they want to see happen.

At the last event, for example, the ski-brainstorming team wanted to host a half-pipe event. Well, that was something totally new.

"That created quite a debate," said Perry.

"Is the sport really mature enough to have that kind of thing? Sure enough it was unanimous and so we gave it to them and it turned out to be a great success.

"This is totally unique. It is one reason why people come and it is one reason why the industry comes. They come here en masse because of that.

"What happens then is it becomes a showcase for innovation, in fact the leading edge, because it is putting the power in the hands of the artists."

The same process occurs with each of the design teams for each segment of the festival. When you look back at previous festivals you can see the result.

"The first festival was in 1996 and it had a whole lot of different events," said Perry.

"But not a single one of those events exists today (as part of the festival), which is really a wonderful thing and that is just because there is so much feedback or input."

But the festival is more than just music and mountain madness, it is a celebration of mountain art and culture.

A hallmark event not to be missed is the Pro Photographer Search and Showdown.

"These are actually sport photographers who choreograph their presentations to music," said Perry.

"It is a very pure artistic display and when people leave that room they know they have witnessed something unique. It is a powerful experience."

Each legendary in their own fields the Showdown contenders this year are surf photographer Warren Bolster, Swedish-based outdoors photographer Mattias Fredriksson and skateboarding photographer Jon Humphries.

A "wildcard seat" is saved for the winner of the festival’s Pro Photographer Search.

Another event not to be missed said Perry is the Filmmaker Showdown in which pros and amateur filmmakers have 72 hours to shoot, edit and produce a film up to 4 minutes 30 seconds in length. The only restriction is that the film must be made within 100 kilometres of Whistler.

For more information go to www.livelarge.ca .