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Thank you Whistler

March 9, 2012
Health & Wellness, Lifestyle
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Five years ago, I arrived in Whistler by Greyhound bus in the middle of a snowy January night. I had nothing but a suitcase and a dream to live in my favourite ski town on the planet.

My goal? To stay for the season and check off my “live in a ski town” bucket list item. Quite quickly, however, a season turned into a year, a year into three and three years turned into five.

The clichés are all true: “I came for a season and stayed for the summer.” and so on and so forth
Recently, however, I had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave this town I’ve grown to love from the bottom of my heart. It was a life choice – the kind that brings you to your knees and shakes you to your core. But it was a necessary decision for so many reasons.

And so, one weekend not long ago, I left Whistler; filling an entire moving truck with bikes, boards, belongings, a boyfriend and a dog.

My, how life can change in the blink of an eye.

Thankfully, we’re just moving 1.5 hours down the road and I’ll probably be up on weekends, couch surfing and cashing in all that karma I racked up letting friends stay with me over the years.

That being said, I wanted to take this space here to thank you, Whistler:

Thank you to the soul skiers who have lived in town for decades and still wake up early on pow days with a huge smile like a kid on Christmas.

Thank you to the seasonnaires who come to town with their suitcases and ski bags each fall with bright eyes and big dreams.

Thank you to the community of Whistler for being the heart and soul of this town. The old-timers, the young families, the young professionals and the in-betweens whose life passion is to make a home in this beautiful resort town. You’ve sacrificed a lot to live in Whistler.

Thank you to the creatives. Your amazing photos, music, words, videos and art are inspiring and wonderful. You bring culture, beauty and light to the Whistler community.

Thank you to Whistler Blackcomb for believing in me and giving me so many amazing opportunities to grow professionally and personally. You will be missed.

Thank you to my friends. You mean the world to me and are the reason I have so many wonderful memories to cherish. I will see you soon!

I’ll always remember those perfect winter days, when the timing works out just perfectly and you meet your friends at first lift. And you head up to enjoy face shots all day long. Then, you fit in an après and the Hairfarmers just happen to be playing.

And those summer days when you wake up late and you spend the day getting dirty on the bike trails or lounging on the cool shores of Alpha Lake. That sweet smell of alpine flowers and the heat of the sun feed your soul.
Those days, in particular, are the days you think: “I never want to leave this place.”

Resolution…How do you say that in Sanskrit?

January 2, 2012
Health & Wellness, Lifestyle
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Whistler yoga instructor visits Africa Yoga Project

Photo: Robin O'Neill

kRtasaMkalpa. It’s Sanskrit for “one who has formed a resolution.” (Yup, that is the kind of sh*t yogis say.)

I’ve always been a little hesitant of resolutions. The guilt one feels for not quitting smoking or not exercising every day for a year – it hurts the soul, man.

Alas, I have found an attainable goal. This year my resolution is twofold: give back more and do more yoga to find balance in my own life. So, what better way to do it than to combine the two?

I rang out the New Year on December 30 at the Yoga Jam, run by local yoga instructor, Erin Anderson. The regular events are held to raise money for the Africa Yoga Project, which helps empower at-risk African youth by introducing them to the healthy lifestyle and physical and mental benefits of yoga. The program trains Africans to become yoga instructors, and then, in turn, they become employed to teach in their communities to help bring a ray of light to those facing darkness.

“My favourite thing about the Yoga Jam Events in Whistler is the amazing vibe of community coming together in the spirit of giving and in play,” says Erin. “It’s an unusual yoga class because when we practice yoga for others there seems to be a dropping of seriousness and the mood becomes more playful and light. It’s fun.”

Yoga Jam in Whistler

Photo: Darby Magill

The Yoga Jams take place every month or so at the Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre and are frequented by around 70 people. The atmosphere is upbeat with live DJs setting the scene for kids, tourists and locals sweating it out on their mats to a mash-up practice where multiple instructors take turns leading the class. There are even door prizes at the end.

Anderson, who owns White Gold Yoga, has a loyal following of yoga devotees with her light-hearted teaching style and specialized classes like Stiff Guys Yoga and Teen Yoga.

She recently visited Africa to teach classes and see the Africa Yoga Project in action first-hand. Anderson was joined by renowned action sport photographer, Whistlerite Robin O’Neill. You can check out more of Robin’s Africa photos here.

visiting Africa for the Africa Yoga Project

Photo: Robin O'Neill

“My biggest takeaway from Africa is that I saw and experienced is that yoga can empower others to give back. I saw a lit up group of youth who had once been living on a dangerous edge now leading others into self-awareness and health,” Erin explains. “They now reach out to the far corners of Africa and it’s changing lives. From what I saw, I take with me the possibility of empowering others to live big, to reach high and to change the world. Why not?”

Africa Yoga Project

Photo: Robin O'Neill

With passionate yoga leaders in the Whistler community, it’s hard not to feel inspired to take in all that yoga has to offer. In the spirit if giving and receiving, here is what yoga has given Erin:

“Yoga grounded me, gave me a place to come into true presence. Yoga brought me the ability to step into a big life from a very simple place. Yoga allowed me to give to myself so I can give to others.”

Well, if that’s not a good reason to check out the next Yoga Jam, I don’t know what is.

Stay connected

Yoga Jam Events Facebook Page

Africa Yoga Project on Facebook and Twitter (@AfricaYoga)

And more proof that one should never take themselves too seriously:

125km per hour in a Bobsleigh

December 24, 2011
Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Travel & Adventure
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bobsleigh at whistler sliding centre

This week, the Whistler Sliding Centre opened its public bobsleigh experience. This activity on the fastest track in the world now joins skeleton as a once in a lifetime bucket list item that brings you closer to being an Olympic athlete than you ever thought possible.

Many Canadian lads and lasses have grown up watching the Winter Olympics on TV with their parents. Aside from figure skating and ice hockey, what else is more iconic and exhilarating than bobsleigh? Hulk-like men and women running, then jumping into a tiny bathtub sized sled and pummeling down the track at lightening speed. We’ve all secretly wanted to be one of those bronzed gods and goddesses in tights and spiked Adidas shoes.

Much to the chagrin of my boyfriend – who has wanted to be a bobsledder since he was a little boy – I had the opportunity to try the experience with some of my colleagues.

bobsleigh and whistler sliding centre

After a brief introduction to the sport and some important safety information, we are shuttled up to the start, which is more than two-thirds up the track above the public skeleton start.

There, we meet our professional bobsleigh driver Pat Brown, who just so happens to have been the coach of the original Jamaican Bobsleigh Team and the inspiration for John Candy’s character in the film “Cool Runnings.”

Pat tells us that the minimum age to begin bobsleigh is 16 and there is only one junior bobsleigh team in Canada.

As my 2 female colleagues and I hop into the sled, my heart skips a beat. “Has anyone ever thrown up in one of these things?”

Our fearless leader Pat bonks us all on the helmet as a show of solidarity and good luck before he hops in.

The track crewman gets us off to a running start – we aren’t allowed to run ourselves for obvious reasons. And, we’re off. I can hear one of them on the radio: “Be prepared. It’s a light sled.” What does that mean?

bobsleigh at the whistler sliding centre

At first the sled moves at a slow, rattling pace and I think: “This isn’t so bad. It’s like bumper cars.”

Then all of a sudden, the sled picks up speed. I assume the position we learned: shoulders shrugged, arms wide and strong, holding on for dear life with a white knuckle grip.

As we swerve from left to right through the turns, our sled is now a Mack Truck and then a 747 Jet. “Sweet Jebus, hold on!” I’m screaming the whole way down and so are my 2 sled companions. Pat is as calm as a cucumber – I assume.

As we enter the final Thunderbird turn, the sled hits its fastest speeds and my brain feels a little fuzzy.

As we come to a complete stop, my head is still buzzing from the G-force and adrenaline. Pat high-5s us as we step onto the finish platform, just like his Jamaican brethren many years ago.

In just 45 seconds we’ve descended the world’s fastest track, reaching speeds at 125 kilometres per hour. No big deal.

Would I do it again? Heck yes! And you should too.

More Info

The public bobsleigh experience is $149 CAD + tax

Sessions are 2 hours

1 bobsleigh ride per participant

http://www.whistlerslidingcentre.com

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