[Life On The Slopes] Summer in Whistler

Our new columnist Jack Steele has been a keen skier from an early age, and has been living in Whistler for the past two years, working as a liftee during the ski season and making the most of the renowned BC powder fields and world-class terrain parks in his time off. He’ll travel to more BC resorts and the Alps this winter.

Summer in Whistler

My first summer living in the mountains has come to an end. Before the ski season really gets going, I would like to reflect on the positives and negatives of living in a ski town during summer.

Doing a ski season is an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anybody. Despite squandering savings, drinking slightly excessively and often living in some pretty grim conditions, you get to partake in the best sport in the world and make an amazing range of crazy international friends. The hardest part of living the dream is the speed and inevitability of its ending. The snow starts to melt and the friends you’ve been sharing far too much with over the last 6 months begin to drift away. Rather than flying home to seek a more stable routine away from the mountains this spring, I decided to battle on through the rather depressing “dead season” to see what Whistler has to offer in the summer. I was by no means disappointed.

Staying in the mountains has actually numbed my pain from the end-of-season blues. Summer has flown by and winter is rolling in already ! The fact that I was still skiing a lot in May and occasionally in June on the Glacier has reduced the withdrawal symptoms that I have felt in the past when the conclusion of ski adventures have all too abruptly led to the return to work. There are also so many other ways to scare/hurt yourself in the mountains in summer that adrenaline junkies can get their fix 365 days a year in Whistler. Between downhill biking, rope swings, cliff jumps, mountain climbing in unsuitable footwear and floating down a river in a blow-up boat filled with beers, I almost forgot that it was the snow that brought me here in the first place !

I have also enjoyed seeing this amazing environment in a different light, and a lot more light for that matter. It seems that the days are almost double in length in July compared with December, and this means there is so much time in the day to explore the now visible lakes and waterfalls. The typical ski resort bubble feel evaporates somewhat without the draw of skiing every day, keeping me in the same lift-fed area of Whistler Blackcomb, and I have therefore found the time to seek out vistas and activities further afield.

Overall, I would definitely recommend at least a holiday to the mountains in summer. Ski towns often have more to offer than meets the eye. Just exploring the insane terrain on foot gives you a whole new perspective on the speed at which skiing and snowboarding allow you to travel around the mountains. This experience has strengthened my passion for skiing and allowed me to broaden my horizons on mountain culture in general.

Credit – Whistler Blackbomb