Pique Newsmagazine 3224

JUNE 13, 2025 ISSUE 32.24

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FROM THE DOOM SCROLL

10

TALKING TOURISM B.C. tourism minister visits Whistler

11

FIRE SEASON Fire crews battle blaze near Squamish

32

CLOSE TIES Raven Spirit Dance performs in Whistler June 13

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

28

24

32

‘Can I have your attention, please?’

The new world of adventure journalism. - By Steven Threndyle

06 OPENING REMARKS There’s no shortage of anxiety-inducing nonsense in the

10 TALKING TOURISM B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Spencer

news these days, writes editor Braden Dupuis—why not find a nice bench and take a load off?

Chandra Herbert made stops in Whistler and Squamish last week.

08 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week’s letter writers share thanks for another

11 FIRE SEASON Wildfire season is underway in earnest in the Sea to Sky after an out-

successful BioBlitz, and wonder why our government leaders get such extended breaks.

of-control blaze threatened homes near Squamish this week.

22 RANGE ROVER If you’re a dinosaur nerd, the Sauriermuseum in Aathal is the place

28 DOWNHILL DYNASTY Consider it a dynasty: Pemberton Secondary took home a

for you, writes Leslie Anthony.

fourth-consecutive provincial mountain biking banner last month.

42 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST When it comes to your personal interests, there can

32 CLOSE TIES Indigenous female dance company Raven Spirit Dance brings “Braiding

be too much of a good thing, writes David Song.

the Land” to Whistler on June 13.

COVER Print is the new vinyl! It’s not like anyone hoards web addresses, right?! - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@piquenewsmagazine.com Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@piquenewsmagazine.com

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NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH JUNE 1 – 30 Celebrate National Indigenous History Month during June at the Skwxwú7mesh Líl’wat7úl Cultural Centre in Whistler.

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OPENING REMARKS

Whistler’s best bench (to watch the world burn) THERE IS NO denying these are fraught times.

Any way you care to slice it, it seems Western society is in for a rough ride in the months and years ahead, with seemingly no shortage of anxiety-inducing items in the news these days.

Caught in a pointless trade war, Canada is

BY BRADEN DUPUIS on the brink of a recession—at least according to TD Bank’s chief economist, Beata Caranci, who predicted in a recent interview the economy will shed 100,000 jobs by Q3 2025.

This at the same moment in history Artificial Intelligence is threatening to make millions more jobs obsolete—sooner than we might expect, by some estimates.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal government, fresh off a slim minority election win, are trying to pass a “border control bill” that has been criticized in various corners for its “wild overreach,” allowing law enforcement to force internet companies to turn over user data without a warrant, expanding their ability to open and inspect mail, and even permit them to cancel or suspend immigration documents (it’s worth reading up on—and writing our MP Patrick Weiler if you have concerns).

South of the border, U.S. President Donald Trump and his merry band of deeply unqualified sycophants have deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles in an effort to quell protests about ICE deportations.

Powder keg, meet match (seriously… as this is being written on a Monday morning, there is no telling how the situation will evolve or escalate by the time this hits the stands on Friday. Martial Law anyone?).

A human-caused wildfire burning out of control near peoples’ homes just north of Squamish.

It’s a lot to digest all at once, and enough

to force any decent human out into the sun and onto, say, a nice quiet bench beside some water to contemplate it all.

Luckily, Whistler has a lot of those, the majority strategically positioned to give you something pretty to look at while you sit and consider all the bullshit.

But then, who wants to write about such downer topics when it’s so nice and sunny out?

With that extended, somewhat depressing preamble out of the way, we can get down to the real meat of the matter in this week’s Opening Remarks: a highly unscientific, deeply subjective look at the best benches in Whistler (from which to watch the world burn).

THE GREEN LAKE BENCH

The bench to end all benches, this bad boy on the southern shores of Green Lake has it all: an impressive mountain vista stretching in nearly all directions; abundant sunshine; mama ducks swimming by with all their babies; float planes roaring in directly overhead and landing on the emerald-tinged lake.

Tourists and locals alike roll by behind

FITZ CREEK BY SPRUCE GROVE

Unassuming and slightly out of the way, at first glance you might think this bench doesn’t have much to offer. Die-hard sitters know the real beauty of it only becomes apparent on repeat visits throughout the spring, summer and fall.

Nestled against the banks of the Fitzsimmons Creek at the entrance to Spruce Grove Park, this bench rarely offers up the same views twice. Watch as the creek level rises and falls, ebbs and flows, shapes the shoreline and the creek bed at its whim; the snowline descending and in time retreating on Blackcomb Mountain in the distance.

This bench offers both a peaceful retreat to sort out your thoughts when it all gets a bit too muddled up there, and a window into the natural rhythms of the local environment.

A solid 7.5/10.

If you’re brave, you can cool off in Green Lake—Whistler’s coldest valley offering.

you as Nicklaus North golfers hit the links. If you’re brave, you can cool off in Green Lake— Whistler’s coldest valley offering.

Many of Whistler’s benches are part of the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s tribute plaque program, and carry worthwhile stories from Whistler’s past for anyone willing to do a bit of research.

Dedicated to the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation, this bench holds a special

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meaning to the Whistler community—and it serves as a regular reminder to check up on your people (read more at thekeltyfoundation. org).

Among the very best of wooden butt support in Whistler—9/10.

TUCKED AWAY IN THE BUSH AT MEADOW PARK

There are a few instances of benches like this one—stealth seats seconded away behind some tree cover, or a few extra steps from the beaten path.

If you didn’t already know they were there, you very well might roll right past completely unawares.

The bench tucked away in the bush right

next to the Meadow Park Sports Centre, against the bank of the River of Golden Dreams, is among the best of these options— but located as it is in a high-traffic area, it is often occupied.

It doesn’t offer the best view, but it’s perfectly suitable for a quick breather, or just a spot to watch the summer floaters drifting by. 6/10.

ANY BENCH ON THE VILLAGE STROLL

As noted in a previous instalment of Opening Remarks (see Pique, July 7, 2023, “Sonder on the Village Stroll”), the Whistler Village Stroll is perhaps among the best places in the entire world to just sit and people watch.

Take a moment to sit with your thoughts, and you’ll often be treated to a steady and varied stream of locals and tourists alike filtering past.

Where are they going? Where are they from? What are their hopes, dreams, fears, past traumas? Are they happy and fulfilled, or broken, lost and yearning?

How did they land on that horrible choice of outfit?

There’s no shortage of benches lining the Stroll, but during high-traffic periods they’re in high demand. So there’s a chance you have to sit by a (potentially pungent) stranger, which knocks it down a few pegs.

But if you land one near COWS with a couple big scoops of, say, Messie Bessie— look out. Anywhere from 4/10 to 8/10, depending on the day.

IN CONCLUSION

There you have it: the most controversial, thought-provoking opinion piece you’ll read all day (assuming you read literally nothing else).

The fires, follies and rising fascism aren’t going anywhere, and addressing the challenges ahead will demand the best of us—well-rested and of clear minds.

So the next time you’re out and about in Whistler, don’t be afraid to visit your own favourite bench and take a load off. n

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Whistler BioBlitz another ‘speciesfilled success’ Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the 19th Whistler BioBlitz another speciesfilled success! Over the course of five days, BioBlitz scientists presented to almost every elementary school class and blitzed forests and wetlands throughout Whistler.

BioBlitz is an event that celebrates biodiversity through education and scientific research. The goal for our June event is to provide an annual opportunity to reach students about all the fascinating animals, plants, and fungi, as well as other organisms (like slime moulds!) that make Whistler home.

This year’s BioBlitz presented to 27 classes and 600 students at Spring Creek, Myrtle Philip, École la Passerelle, and Whistler Waldorf. This year’s topics included pollinators, fish, reptiles and amphibians, plant-fungus relationships, food chains, and animal tracks. Thanks to the visiting and local scientists who volunteered their time to present.

For the second year, we focused our biodiversity on slime moulds, a fascinating group of organisms that have not been studied much in B.C. We again welcomed three of the authors of the upcoming field guide on slime moulds combing under logs and in the soil for

tiny specimens. Thanks to Tyson Ehlers, Ryan Durand, and Andy MacKinnon for making the long trip, as well as co-author Pam Janszen.

A huge thank you to the Whistler Community Foundation, the Resort Municipality of Whistler Community Enrichment Program, and BC Nature for providing the funding that makes BioBlitz possible. Huge thanks to Vanessa Stark for the inspiring logo that adorned our bright pink shirts and to Tia Blunden and Jane Millen for organizing the school schedule. We are also incredibly lucky to have such generous local suppliers who provided in-kind support,

including Toad Hall Studios, Creekside Market, Nesters Market, Whistler Blackcomb, Tantalus Lodge, Whistler Museum, Creekbread, Splitz Grill, and BC Parks.

Bob Brett // on behalf of the Whistler Naturalists

Extended government breaks are ‘outrageous’ It is nothing short of outrageous that the British Columbia legislature will not reconvene in Victoria until Oct. 6. One hundred and thirty

days of no one in the legislature. Even more astonishing is that this fall sitting follows a 278-day break between the spring sessions, from May 16, 2024 to Feb. 18, 2025.

Then there’s Ottawa. In the past year and a half, the House of Commons has sat for roughly 257 days. That’s 14 days per month.

Next, MPs will close shop in late June and not return until mid-September.

Governing a province and country seems to be a part-time gig. But it sure pays well.

While Canadians face a worsening housing crisis, a collapsed health-care system, global instability, and soaring costs of living, our elected officials spend the better part of a year in legislative hibernation. A backbench member of Parliament receives a base salary of $203,100 per year which is roughly three times the average Canadian income. Who else gets to vanish from their jobs for months on end while drawing full salaries in the hundreds of thousands, travel stipends, second houses and platinum benefits?

Canadians deserve a government that works year-round, not one that hides behind recess calendars while Canadians face real problems with no break in sight. Democracy demands more than headlines, travel junkets and ribbon-cuttings.

Maybe we should rent out the legislature and Parliament to wedding and catering events during the time our officials are not there.

Patrick Smyth // Whistler

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NEWS WHISTLER

B.C. tourism minister tours Whistler and Squamish MINISTER SPENCER CHANDRA HERBERT VISITED KEY SITES AND HEARD FROM LOCAL LEADERS ON HOUSING, INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND TOURISM’S IMPACT ON RESIDENTS

BY LIZ MCDONALD B.C.’S MINISTER OF TOURISM , Arts, Culture and Sport made an in-person visit to Whistler and Squamish June 4 and 5, touring key venues, viewing employee housing in Cheakamus, and speaking with municipal and tourism leaders about what’s needed to ensure the sector thrives—without compromising livability for locals.

Spencer Chandra Herbert’s June tour included the Squamish Adventure Centre, Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club’s new driving range, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), and sightseeing on Whistler Mountain alongside officials from the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and Whistler Blackcomb. The following day, he met with the local camping industry at Riverside Resort.

Mayor Jack Crompton said it was the first time Whistler has been able to show Chandra Herbert the community in his new role as tourism minister. “He’s been here many times, but when you’re here as a tourist you see the place differently I think than when you tour as minister of tourism,” Crompton said.

The visit also included briefings on the provincial grants that have helped fund business conferences, leisure events, and

TALK OF THE TOWN B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Spencer Chandra Herbert, visited Squamish and Whistler June 4 and 5.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE B.C. MINISTRY OF TOURISM, ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORT

10 JUNE 13, 2025

affordable housing projects in Whistler. Barrett Fisher, president and CEO of Tourism Whistler, said the purpose of the meeting was to show the minister all Whistler has to offer.

“We’re always looking at opportunities and challenges. Really it was to showcase Whistler.

We’re fortunate he’s familiar with the B.C. tourism file, and he’s led it as the opposition critic,” said Fisher. “It was important for him to see it again with our updated facilities.”

Fisher provided the minister with a tourism performance update, noting strong

said the province is preparing for a “busy summer.”

“I think it’s going to be a great year for tourism in B.C. I think so far, at least the outlook based on future bookings, it will be strong,” he said. “We’ve had some conventions shift out of the states to come to B.C. So, so far to the positive.”

Beyond the bookings, the minister said the province is focused on smart growth that puts residents first.

“How do you both grow tourism, but

“I think it’s going to be a great year for tourism in B.C.” - SPENCER CHANDRA HERBERT

results from U.S. and Canadian markets, with international visitation still lagging. “Certainly, some buoyancy offsets declines, but there are unknowns,” Fisher said. “We don’t know the full effect of U.S. tariffs on economies in Canada, jobs, consumer confidence and travel patterns.”

While pacing is strong through June and into August, Fisher stressed that bookings can fluctuate. “Pace alone doesn’t tell the whole story,” she said. “July [is] flat. August [is] up a bit. September pacing up—but again, it’s a window in time.”

Chandra Herbert acknowledged the economic uncertainties facing the sector, including the trade climate with the U.S., but

also ensure that it benefits locals?” he asked.

“Many of us probably have done the hike up to Garibaldi or got out to various places and found them crowded in the busy summer tourism season. So how do you make sure we’re keeping these wild places as beautiful as they are?”

Chandra Herbert said conversations are underway with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship to ensure B.C.’s “natural capital” isn’t eroded. He also pointed to investments in culture and Indigenous-led tourism as ways to build a more inclusive, sustainable sector.

“There’s a huge opportunity in supporting and working with Indigenous nations around

Indigenous tourism,” he said. “There’s a hunger in both the Indigenous communities to share their stories … but there’s also a huge interest in tourists.”

Chandra Herbert praised the SLCC as “hugely popular,” and said the province has seen explosive growth in Indigenous tourism businesses—from 50 a decade ago to more than 500 today.

The minister also touted the doubling of the BC Arts Council budget, which grew from about $20 million to more than $40 million under the current government.

“I’m pretty proud that we were able to get up to over $40 million now, while other provinces have been reducing investments in arts,” he said. “It’s good for the soul, but it’s also an economic generator.”

While specific funding requests weren’t the focus of the visit, Crompton said the conversation helped underscore the shared goal of sustainable tourism.

“My request of him and of the province is that we have a good look at the ways property tax underwrites the B.C. tourism industry,” Crompton said. “Finding ways to ensure tourism pays for tourism.”

Crompton said he emphasized the importance of ensuring the benefits of tourism reach those delivering the experience—from housing to parks and trails.

“All of this leans on a group of people who love what they do, but certainly need to experience the benefits of the industry to make sure they have a stable community,” he said.

For Chandra Herbert, that message resonated. “The best lesson I ever learned about tourism was, if it’s good for the locals, then usually it’s good for tourists,” he said. n

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AIR ATTACK Fire crews had their hands full as a wildfire threatened homes in Squamish this week.

3

PHOTO BY JILLIAN BROWN / @JILLIAN A BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

Squamish wildfire threatens homes WHISTLER EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY AS DISTRICT OF SQUAMISH DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

BY BRADEN DUPUIS AS AN out-of-control wildfire threatened homes in Squamish this week, Whistler was thinking of its friends and neighbours to the south.

“I want to start tonight’s mayor’s report by expressing our solidarity with Squamish as they deal with the Dryden Creek fire. This is a really scary time for the Sea to Sky,” said Mayor Jack Crompton at the June 10 council meeting.

“That said, knowing many of the people leading the emergency response, it’s fair to say we are in very good hands. We are so fortunate as Whistler to be neighbours of such a fantastic community, co-workers, colleagues, friends and family—during this very difficult time, I would like to express Whistler’s great love for Squamish.”

At that point, the fire, believed to be human-caused, was burning out of control over 14.4 hectares off Highway 99 just north of Squamish, by Brackendale.

As Pique went to press on Wednesday, June 11, the fire had grown to 20.2 hectares, and was still classified as out of control.

On Tuesday, the District of Squamish declared a state of emergency due to the fire, burning east of Highway 99 between Dowad Drive and Depot Road.

According to the District, the declaration allows the municipality to take immediate action that might not be possible otherwise, such as evacuating areas or controlling the use of property, “to prevent, respond to, or alleviate the effects of the emergency.”

As of Pique’s press time on the morning of June 11, an evacuation alert was in place for “properties at the east end of Depot Road, east of Highway 99 including the Depot Road campground, and properties at the end of Tantalus Road, properties along Tantalus Road north of Dowad Drive, and the Skyridge subdivision,” according to the District.

Squamish officials asked the public to conserve water for firefighting efforts, and instituted a campfire ban “effective immediately” on Tuesday.

The fire was first discovered on the afternoon of Monday, June 9.

Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford said the state of emergency is not due to the fire behaviour or elevated risk to the community.

“This is about our access to provincial resources so that we can address the issue at hand. It also allows us to make decisions around who’s on evacuation notice,” he said.

Hurford said officials will go door-to-door knocking and alert people should they have to evacuate. He’s asking people to avoid the entire area.

“The best way that the community can help is by staying far away from the fire itself so we can ensure that the crews have the space they need to have to do the work that they need to do to protect our community,” he said.

There were 93 active wildfires burning in B.C. as of Wednesday, including the Dryden Creek wildfire. Since the start of the wildfire season on April 1, there have been 349 fires, burning close to 564,000 hectares; 90 of the fires (26 per cent) were caused by lightning, 249 (71 per cent) were human-caused, including the Squamish wildfire; 10 have an undetermined cause.

In Whistler, the fire danger rating was high as of Wednesday, July 11, meaning a total ban on campfires, and restrictions on some construction activities.

Residents and guests to Whistler are reminded to sign up for Whistler Alert to get timely notifications in the event of any emergency. Sign up at whistler.ca/ whistleralert.

See smoke? In Whistler, report it by calling 911. Outside of Whistler, call *5555 on a cell phone or 1-800-663-5555.

Read more about local fire prevention efforts at whistler.ca/wildfire.

-with files from Alanna Kelly and Liz McDonald. n

3

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We would like to acknowledge that we work and live on the traditional territory of the Sylix Okanagan, xwməθkwəýəm, səlilwətaɬ, Lil’wat and Sḵwxwú7mesh People.

This publication is not intended to cause or induce a breach of an existing agency relationship.

JUNE 13, 2025

11

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler council approves Lot 3 development permit—without confirmed funding DESPITE A $7.2M SHORTFALL, COUNCIL ALLOWS CHEAKAMUS CROSSING EMPLOYEE HOUSING PROJECT TO MOVE AHEAD WITH SITE WORK

WHISTLER’S LARGEST employeehousing project in the pipeline was issued a development permit this week, despite lacking millions in funding.

Ahead of the development permit approval for Cheakamus Crossing’s Lot 3 at 1600 Mount Fee Road on June 10, chief administrative officer Virginia Cullen presented a staff recommendation on the project’s financial feasibility and risks of moving forward with construction while grant funding remains unsecured. Staff proposed council direct them to present a revised project plan and funding strategy by June 24 before approving any further construction spending on the 125-unit development.

The municipality has already committed $5.9 million toward the project’s equity, but $7.2 million in grant funding—crucial to completing the capital stack—remains unconfirmed. Until that money is secured, staff advised no work beyond current site preparation and excavation take place.

However, to apply for grant funding, the project required an approved

development permit.

“What we have now is a development permit and a building permit. We don’t have a finalized financing plan. We don’t have an execution of a parcel funding agreement, and so moving to the construction phase of the project, to me as staff, that does not make sense,” Cullen said.

“So, we’re recommending that the project not advance to construction until we have line of sight on how the project’s going to be funded.”

She stressed one of the “many” risks of allowing construction before receiving full financing was limiting the ability to pivot the project design should the funding not materialize. On the flip side, she said delaying construction also comes with financial, timeline and scheduling constraints for contractors.

Lot 3 is the final major residential parcel in Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 (CCP2) and would provide affordable rental housing in a multi-family building format. It’s also the most expensive Whistler Housing Authority/ Whistler 2020 Development Corp. (WDC) project to date—roughly 40 per cent more per square foot than Lot 2B, completed just two years ago.

Rising construction and servicing costs, combined with limited remaining equity from earlier land sales in the neighbourhood, mean

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Lot 3 is particularly vulnerable to financial shortfalls. If the project advances prematurely, it could be locked into a building design before financial realities are known, potentially making course corrections more difficult later.

While staff were clear about the risks and their request for more time to refine the financing plan before WDC starts pouring concrete, council chose staff ’s second option: move forward on spending while acknowledging the risks.

Council formally acknowledged the risk of permitting further construction before receiving an updated project plan and associated financing strategy. Staff were directed to notify the WDC that council has endorsed continued spending on Lot 3 site construction using funds already available to the corporation.

The move allows work to continue ahead of a finalized financial update, expected to be brought to council on June 24.

All members of council voted to proceed with the alternative approach while noting their understanding of the financial risks.

“It’s not an ideal scenario,” said Councillor Ralph Forsyth. “I think it keeps [it] moving forward. Our primary objective for the corporate plan, No. 1, was housing … I understand staff’s apprehension, but I don’t

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want to put on the brakes, and I am absolutely, 100-per-cent comfortable with the board and their ability to pivot, if need be.”

Coun. Arthur De Jong pointed to his experience on construction sites and warned delays could increase costs.

“I really appreciate the heads up on this, but I’m willing to support that we continue moving on the project, and when we get the information [we can] take another look at that,” De Jong said.

Coun. Jen Ford stressed council has moved “heaven and earth” to greenlight housing over the last six years, and Coun.

Jessie Morden reiterated she also didn’t want to delay the project.

Should the $7.2 million in grant funding not come through, Mayor Jack Crompton said in an interview after the meeting that options may include increasing rental rates, selling some units at market rate, seeking alternative grants, exploring lower interest rates or reducing construction costs.

“I mean [in] the worst case, no money comes through, we would have to stop construction. And that is not an outcome that we expect,” Crompton said.

Following the report, council approved the development permit for 1600 Mount Fee Road. n

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler students award Zero Ceiling $5K through youth philanthropy pilot NEW SCHOOL INITIATIVE HELPS TEENS BUILD SKILLS—AND COMMUNITY TIES—THROUGH REAL-WORLD GIVING

BY LIZ MCDONALD IT’S NOT EVERY DAY Whistler teens have $5,000 to give away—but this spring, Grade 11 students at Whistler Secondary School did just that, selecting local non-profit Zero Ceiling as the recipient through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Canada.

The YPI program, now in more than 300 schools across Canada, empowers high school students to research social issues in their community, connect directly with local charities, and advocate for those organizations through a classroom pitch. Since launching in Toronto in 2002, YPI has granted more than $25 million to community-based charities across Canada and the U.K., all based on youth-directed decisions.

This marks the first year Whistler Secondary has participated.

“It was so good,” said teacher Caroline Morris, who ran the program as part of her Career Life Education course. “The kids had buy-in. It was something real and tangible.”

The final event took place in the school’s multi-purpose room June 4. Student teams pitched on behalf of four local organizations: Zero Ceiling, which supports young people experiencing homelessness or instability with supportive housing, employment training, and outdoor recreation programs; Whistler

14 JUNE 13, 2025

Community Services Society (WCSS), which provides essential social supports like the food bank, mental-health services, emergency funding, and social enterprises such as the Re-Use-It Centre; PearlSpace, a Sea to Sky nonprofit offering inclusive support, safe housing, and advocacy for survivors of gender-based violence, including women, trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit individuals; and The Kelty Foundation, a Vancouver-based organization with strong local connections to Whistler focused on youth mental health, working to reduce stigma, prevent illness, and improve access to care through education and innovation.

Each presentation was approximately 12 to 15 minutes long, followed by a Q&A and evaluation by a panel of judges. Presentations were scored based on community connection, social impact, feasibility, innovation, sustainability, urgency, and the overall quality of the pitch.

The winning team’s compelling presentation secured the $5,000 grant for Zero Ceiling, which plans to use the funding to address urgent needs in its outdoor recreation and housing programs.

“This winter we had just over 170 youth come through for skiing and snowboarding, many for the first time,” said co-executive director Lizi McLoughlin. “We’re hoping for 200 this summer through our mountain biking and hiking days.

These funds will help us build staff capacity to support that.”

McLoughlin said the students’ engagement

and understanding of Zero Ceiling’s mission was striking.

“They were so proactive. I was really struck by the thoughtfulness of their questions—they’d clearly connected with the work that we do,” she said. “We mostly work with youth aged 19 and up, and we haven’t had a lot of contact with high school students in Whistler, so this was a great way to build that relationship.”

“I just loved seeing them work together.”

- CAROLINE MORRIS

Zero Ceiling also intends to invest in the long-term expansion of its housing program, which is currently oversubscribed. “Every time we open applications, we get double the number of youth we can accommodate,” McLoughlin added.

For Morris, the program wasn’t just about curriculum—it was about connection.

“I just loved seeing them work together,” she said. “I saw them really excited about the

potential. And I also saw different groups who wouldn’t usually go together be inclusive. Some were placed together and made it work—and they actually formed bonds.”

She added experiential projects like this are vital for student engagement and life readiness.

“Career Life Education can be so valuable when you actually do it every day and dive deep,” Morris said. “If you just skim the surface, it’s easy not to be invested. But real-life projects like this?

That’s what they’re going to remember.”

She’s already planning to bring the program back next year. “YPI just opened up applications again—and I’m in,” she said.

McLoughlin said she sees clear alignment between YPI’s goals and Zero Ceiling’s own values around youth empowerment.

“One of our core goals is handing real power to the youth we work with,” she said.

“YPI does that, too. These students weren’t just participating—they were making real decisions, with real money, that directly impact their community.”

It’s a reminder, both women said, that young people don’t just have opinions. They have insight—and power.

“These students are the ones who’ll be making decisions in this town in the future,” McLoughlin said. “And they clearly already get it.”

Learn more about the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative at goypi.ca. n

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Vail Resorts posts strong Q3 profit but trims full-year forecast FEWER NORTH AMERICAN SKIERS THIS SPRING, BUT EPIC PASS SALES AND SPENDING PER GUEST KEEP REVENUE STEADY

BY LIZ MCDONALD VAIL RESORTS saw a solid third-quarter profit this year—even as skier visits dropped off late in the season—thanks to strong spending by passholders and an increase in season pass prices.

The Colorado-based ski-resort giant, which owns Whistler Blackcomb and more than 30 other North American hills, reported net income of $392.8 million for the three months ending April 30, up from $362 million during the same time last year.

Revenue from lift tickets was up 3.3 per cent overall, mostly due to a 5.5-percent increase in season pass revenue. But revenue from people who bought single-day tickets was flat, and total visits to North American resorts were down about seven per cent during the quarter.

“In March and April, destination visitation among pre-committed passholders improved as expected.

However, visitation from uncommitted lift ticket guests was below expectations,” said CEO Rob Katz in a press release issued by Vail Resorts.

Spring was slower than expected, so the company is lowering its forecast for the full year. Vail Resorts now expects to bring in

HOLDING STEADY Vail Resorts, owner of Whistler Blackcomb, released its third-quarter profits June 5.

PHOTO BY MIKE CRANE / GETTY IMAGES

between $264 million and $298 million in profit for the year, down from earlier estimates. That includes about $15 million in one-time costs for a two-year resource efficiency overhaul and another $9 million in costs tied to the recent CEO transition. Katz took over as CEO for Kirsten Lynch this spring.

Pass sales for the upcoming 2025-26 ski season are slightly behind last year in terms of units—down one per cent—but up two per cent in total dollars. That’s partly due to a seven-per-cent price hike and

continued interest in the lower-cost Epic Day Pass option, according to Vail Resorts.

Katz said sales were strong among renewing passholders, but newer customers appeared to delay their decision.

Spending by guests who did show up remained strong. The company said people spent more per visit at its restaurants and ski schools, even as overall guest numbers declined. That helped keep earnings steady.

Whistler Blackcomb’s performance

isn’t broken out on its own in the report, but currency exchange rates did affect its revenue slightly. Vail Resorts used a fixed rate of CAD$0.73 to US$1 to smooth out yearover-year comparisons for the Canadian resort.

Meanwhile, the lodging side of Vail Resorts’ business—hotels and condo rentals—had a tougher quarter, with revenue down 4.3 per cent and earnings falling 22 per cent compared to last year. The company said that was due to fewer condo units available for rent and lower demand from destination skiers.

Looking ahead, Vail is investing up to $254 million this year in capital projects, including a new gondola at Park City, upgrades in Switzerland and Australia, and improvements to its My Epic app—adding more AI features to help guests plan their days.

The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.22 per share and expanded its stock buyback program.

“Overall, the results demonstrate the strength and resilience of the Company’s business model, supported by its expansive resort network and loyal guest base, even as the Company’s western North American destination resorts experienced a decline in visitation, with outsized impacts from a decline in lift ticket guests,” said Katz. n

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NEWS WHISTLER

SLRD rezones part of the Callaghan for adventure tourism THE REGIONAL DISTRICT BOARD ALSO TALKED INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES FOR HIKING AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION DURING A MAY 28 MEETING

BY LUKE FAULKS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE SEA TO SKY’S ski and snowboard season may have mostly wrapped, but the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) still has plenty of exercise and outdoor adventure issues to tackle.

To start, during a May 28 board meeting, the regional district voted to raise user fees at the Pemberton Fitness Centre.

Fees have risen annually—at increasing rates—since 2021. The 2025-26 year will include a five-per-cent increase to user fees to reflect rising wages, contractor expenses, an elevated consumer price index and a decrease in space usage as long-term rentals have transitioned into their own spaces.

The fees take effect Sept. 1.

REZONING THE CALLAGHAN

The SLRD is moving ahead on a proposed rezoning of portions of the Brandywine Creek and Callaghan Valley areas to allow local operator, Blackcomb Snowmobile Ltd. (BSL), to continue operating on Crown land as an adventure tourism operator.

BSL has licence to operate on the Crown lands through to the end of 2036, but has to abide by SLRD bylaws which require it to hold

18 JUNE 13, 2025

a six-year Temporary Use Permit (TUP). That TUP expired last year, prompting the company to seek a permanent rezoning of the tenure.

The company’s TUP permitted dog-sled tours, snowcat skiing tours, office facilities, equipment repair and storage, fuel storage, dog kennels, a staging area and a hut for backcountry guest warming and food service on 2,491 hectares of land south of Whistler.

The rezoning would change the lands from a Rural Resource 4 zone, where motorized recreation and auxiliary commercial uses are prohibited, to a Backcountry Commercial 6 zone that would allow BSL’s current uses along with a handful of proposed operations—notably, the addition of three housing units for staff.

Following a board discussion on the rezoning application in 2024, BSL returned with an amended proposal that included a discussion of the socioeconomic impacts (60 jobs and 12 contractor positions), confirmation from a qualified environmental professional that the rezoning held no danger to the local landscape, a guarantee of sled dogs’ welfare, a waste management strategy, incorporation of the SLRD’s FireSmart principles and consideration of how the Cheakamus Community Forest’s management plan applies to the rezoning.

The original submission was also amended to exclude a proposed helipad.

Squamish Director Chris Pettingill expressed concern over a lack of recent endorsement of

the endeavour from the Squamish Nation; there was a letter of support for BSL’s activities issued in 2017, but nothing since.

SLRD planner Anna Koterniak said the regional district reached out to the Nation on the rezoning application, but has yet to receive a response. She also confirmed BSL hadn’t made a separate effort to reach out.

The SLRD gave third reading and adopted the rezoning. Another BSL tenure expansion has been under provincial review since 2017, and will require a separate rezoning effort should it move forward.

BACK TO AREA C

Pemberton resident Gus Cormack wrote the SLRD to advocate for the reinstatement of a pedestrian and cycling bridge at the Birkenhead River, which would connect Mount Currie’s new site and Owl Ridge with the Friendship Trail via the Birkenhead FSR. “The absence of a non-motorized river crossing at this location represents a missed opportunity to connect communities and promote safe, healthy, and sustainable transportation options,” wrote Cormack. “A dedicated bridge would significantly enhance access for cyclists, pedestrians, and families, and it would further unify the region’s growing trail network.”

Area C director Russell Mack recalled the

original bridge, installed by the Pemberton Wildlife Association, had been “a challenging operation,” and recommended that staff develop a cost estimate for the endeavour.

The Board elected to have staff review the request and check in with the Nation on where it stands on a potential new bridge.

And in the waning minutes of the meeting, the board took up a $20,000 funding request for repairs on the Brian Waddington Hut. The hut, built in 1988 and managed by the University of British Columbia’s Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC), is located on the shore of Long Lake, near the peaks of Mount Aragorn, Shadowfax, Gandalf and Peregrine. Accessing the backcountry building from Pemberton requires a 10-kilometre hike with about 1,000 metres of elevation gain.

The BC Mountain Federation (BCMF) estimates at least 1,845 users in 2024—but adds the estimate is likely low because many visitors don’t sign in. Following work to replace the roof last year, the BCMF reports that “a massive amount of rot in the walls” was found, requiring funding to repair the building.

The BCMF requested $20,000 to allow the VOC to complete its work this summer.

Mack moved to have the money come from Area C amenity funds. The SLRD’s chief administrative officer, Heather Paul, added the funds would be provided once the SLRD confirms the BCMF’s non-profit status. n

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The FOM can be viewed at https://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects, and by searching the FOM ID#2373 or the Tsetspa7 Forestry LP Licensee using the ‘find’ function. Alternatively, the information contained in the FOM can be made available for in-person viewing from 9am to 4pm weekdays at Chartwell Resource Group Ltd.’s office at #201 – 1121 Commercial Place, Squamish BC, V5B 0S5, or at Tsetpsa7 Forestry LP’s office at 7338 Industrial Way, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0.

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19

NEWS PEMBERTON

UBC researcher turns Downton Lake wildfire experience into community-centred art project AFTER FLEEING A WILDFIRE THAT THREATENED HER FAMILY’S HOME, MASTER’S STUDENT GILLIAN DER RETURNS TO THE BRIDGE RIVER VALLEY WITH AN ARTS-BASED THESIS EXPLORING GRIEF, RESILIENCE AND THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF SMALL COMMUNITIES

BY LUKE FAULKS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WHEN THE 2023 Downton Lake wildfire forced Gillian Der and her family to evacuate their longtime summer home in the Bridge River Valley (BRV), she didn’t expect the fire to spark a master’s thesis.

“Since I was quite a little kid, I had this understanding that this is a place that burns.

And so I was kind of waiting for this wildfire,” she said. “But living through was disturbing to me and quite disturbing to a lot of other people, and I realized that community cohesion in a really small town was something I wanted to actually look into a bit more carefully.”

Now pursuing a human geography degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Der has turned her personal experience of displacement and community disruption into a research project that blends social science with art to tackle issues around grief, gender and community cohesion.

Her thesis project, which focuses on wildfire recovery in small, remote communities, wraps this July with an exhibit and community arts festival in the Bridge River Valley.

Der’s research takes a different tack than many wildfire studies, which often focus on property damage and emergency response; instead, she delved into the emotional and cultural aftermath—the feelings of grief, loss, pride and place attachment that persist after the fire trucks leave.

LESSONS FROM THE LAND ‘Since I was quite a little kid, I had this understanding that this is a place that burns,’ says researcher Gillian Der. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BC WILDFIRE SERVICE

20 JUNE 13, 2025

“Of course, homes matter,” Der said. “But so does the feeling of what it means to live in a place like this—off the grid, proud, resourceful.

I wanted to understand how people make sense of these events when they don’t just lose a house. They lose a landscape, a way of life, a sense of belonging.”

To capture those complexities, Der employed a range of methods, including 12 expert interviews and “walking interviews,” in which participants chose familiar places, from scenic trails to their own kitchens, to share stories relating to the fires.

But in a departure from how this type of research is usually carried out, she also led three “maker workshops,” inviting residents to needle felt together while talking through their experiences. The craft’s repetitive handwork, she noted, helped ease participants into deeper conversation.

“Needle felting is a really repetitive movement and really easy craft to learn, and so that repetition with your hands can often result in a little bit of lowering of inhibition and your answers can be a little more candid,” said Der.

IDENTITY AND SELF-RELIANCE

Living in a remote, rural community demands a self-reliance that quickly becomes a key part of residents’ identities. But events like wildfires can shake that identity to its core.

“Living in a remote community, there’s a tacit understanding that nobody’s going to come and help you,” said Der. “But when you’re confronted with evacuation orders and fire, there’s a real threat to that self-sufficient identity. Some people might just refuse to leave, but everyone is forced to reckon with knowing you might not be able to go back.

She noted evacuation orders can be particularly distressing events, especially for

small towns that may not have a lot of trust in the government.

“The question becomes, how do we keep people safe in those situations, and how do we keep the social fabric of those communities safe after that happens?” she said.

Der also observed a gender divide in participation: more men took part in formal expert interviews, while mostly women joined the craft-based focus groups. Those patterns, she suggests, reflect broader social norms about how grief and authority are expressed.

“Fibre arts are historically feminized, and that showed up in who felt comfortable coming to the workshops,” she said. “At the same time, expert interviews skewed male and many of the people in positions of power during the fire were men.”

Yet expressions of grief cut across gender.

Both men and women shed tears during interviews, she said, and both expressed frustration, fear and pride.

“It’s complex,” she said. “The emotions don’t split cleanly along gender lines—but the roles and expectations often do.”

Der is also attuned to the layered colonial context of wildfire in B.C. Her study area— the Bridge River Valley—is remote, mostly white and built on unceded St’át’imc territory.

The region’s history as a colonial outpost and current proximity to mining operations adds tension to any discussion of land and fire.

“We have to understand that wildfire as it is today is a completely not natural phenomenon and is due to the fact that Indigenous peoples were removed from their lands and their fire cultures taken,” said Der. “They were not allowed to practice cultural fire. And so we have this load up from hundreds of years of colonial colonization that is impacting our forest structure and making them so burnable and so hot.”

While Der’s project did not include direct engagement with St’át’imc communities, she said that omission reflects the limitations of a single thesis—and her recognition that decolonizing work takes time and trust.

A FESTIVAL OF FIRE

Der’s research will culminate in an arts festival in the BRV in July, where she will showcase works co-created with residents and invite attendees to respond to the themes of fire, resilience and remoteness.

In April, she held a preview exhibit, Hold Over Fires, in Vancouver in partnership with artist Stephanie Koenig. Two needle-felted pieces from that show will travel back up the BRV for the festival, keeping the assembled knowledge relevant and accessible to the community.

“This isn’t just about presenting data,” she said. “It’s about giving something back to the community that shared their stories with me.”

One letter of support for the festival, penned by Koenig, framed it as a chance for the community to reclaim its story so it can remember the fire as something that happened, but not something that defines us only through loss.

Though focused on a single valley, Der said her findings hold lessons for other rural communities grappling with the immediate aftermath and lingering pain of wildfire. As fire seasons grow longer and more destructive in a changing climate, she said emotional resilience and trust in institutions may be just as important as physical preparedness.

“Evacuation orders are so hard,” she said. “Staying behind comes from pride, mistrust and a deep love of your home. We need to understand all of that so we can help communities recover.” n

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21

RANGE ROVER

When worlds collide ONE OF THE BEST parts of being a travel and adventure writer is when my two main foci—skiing and science—somehow intersect.

While it tends to happen by happenstance, it’s reaffirming of the interconnectedness of everything, and I’m quick to make journalistic hay of it.

BY LESLIE ANTHONY For instance, I began a book about the study of reptiles and amphibians with a strange vignette from a Finnish ski resort high above the Arctic Circle where, in spring, venomous European vipers emerged from hibernation to sun in exposed groundcover next to the T-bar. I hadn’t known of this phenomenon when I’d been sent there, but every local who rode that lift in May was well-apprised, sliding casually by the coiled creatures and paying them no attention. What? Me, I was a kid in a candy store. How did they survive so far north?

Was this where the expression snow snakes originated?

On rare occasions, I have chance to facilitate the intersection myself. As I finalized plans for a ski assignment in Switzerland this spring, I was simultaneously researching a story for

COLLISION COURSE HJ “Kirby” Siber with a Spinosaurus model outside the Sauriermuseum in Aathal, Switzerland.

PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY

22 JUNE 13, 2025

Canadian Geographic on how technology has radically changed what we know about dinosaurs—from their feathered coverings, colours and patterns to their egg-laying, development and parenting habits; from their growth, posture and gait to their food, digestive habits and environments. Deep in my reading I found reference to a Swiss paleontologist who’d created a one-of-a-kind dinosaur museum outside Zurich. As that was where I’d land, of course I would visit.

On a rainy Sunday in March, the Sauriermuseum in Aathal, occupying a onetime textile factory, had already seen a thousand visitors, literally bubbling with childish squeals of delight and excited chatter. Outside, the building is marked by a colourful model of Spinosaurus, the bizarre, gigantic amphibious predator first described in 1915 whose landversus-water habits are still hotly debated.

With this summer’s upcoming instalment of the never-to-go-extinct Jurassic Park movie franchise—Jurassic World: Rebirth—featuring a Spinosaurus for the first time, this seemed portentous, and an opportunity to revisit humanity’s endless fascination with these talismans of an ancient, lost world that we’ve only begun to fathom. And what better way than through the eyes of a man who has dedicated his existence to the cause?

When we meet, visionary proprietor, HJ “Kirby” Siber, is naturally happy to see his museum full. “It is my life’s work,” he tells me, “but that’s not what gives me most pleasure.”

Because museum revenue allows his team to continue their work as one of the world’s preeminent commercial dinosaur discovery and preparatory institutions, Siber can indulge his true passion. “Without days like today we

couldn’t do the work we do, but what I still love most is discovering intact fossils that are scientifically significant. It’s hunting for and then discovering treasure nobody has seen before.”

As I soon discover, Siber is also a big-picture thinker on the evolution of planet Earth, from its birth coalescing out of stardust, to its two billion years of lifeless solitude, slow geologic evolution, first appearance of life, and all that each has meant to the planet in terms of what it wrought to what appeared when and why— including ourselves.

I will eventually see galleries that touch on all of these topics, but Siber tours me first through the museum’s current special exhibit, “T. rex Trinity,” a massive creature that causes visitors to simultaneously cringe and jaw-drop.

Wow is clearly the same in any language.

Other galleries focus on Stegosaurus, the diversity of hadrosaurs (those crested, duckbilled guys), carnivorous therapods and the feathered dinos and earliest birds derived from them. There are giant sauropods like Diplodocus, dinosaur eggs and babies, and fossilized footprints. Not only do they comprise some of the most exquisitely prepared and displayed fossils and casts I’ve ever seen, but they’re accompanied by a trove of dinosaur iconography and memorabilia that includes collections of T-shirts, movie posters, toys, jewelry and products ranging from motor oil and foodstuffs to a dinosaur-tipped condom mounted on a banana.

If you’re a dinosaur nerd, it’s the place for you—much what motivated Siber in the first place.

His first love was mineral and crystals, early interest in fossils a loose one until he

read a book that tracked these from primitive one-celled animals to trilobites to dinosaurs to humans, opening his eyes to the incredible history of life. Returning from a scholarship at the University of Montana in Missoula, Siber had wanted to become a movie director, a medium he loved but which had no commercial foothold in Switzerland. With his cinematic mind piqued by paleontology, however, he saw a museum as a way to look at the crucial moments of Earth’s evolution as a series of vignettes; a movie starting billions of years ago.

With the diversity of material in Siber’s museum covering literally everything, it’s clear his 30-year mission has been like storyboarding a movie. “Now I’m ready to make this exhibition that I dreamed of,” he tells me.

“In a flash I saw how all this was connected, and from then on felt both ambition and duty to explain this interconnectedness. It gives you a different perspective on every life form, every mineral crystal, every meteorite from the far reaches of the universe. And we’re really the first generation of humans who can grasp this.”

He also notes that while it’s great kids are fascinated by dinosaurs, these animals are but one point of entry for this immense world of millions of life forms that have existed through time. “The field of paleontology is evolving rapidly, and it’s fun to be part of it,” says Siber.

“Every week there’s new information published on dinosaurs, and every beast we discover is another part of the mosaic that helps to complete the picture.”

A picture I’m glad I stopped to look at.

Leslie Anthony is a biologist, writer and author of several popular books on environmental science. n

OPINION

From Waste to Action: If your business is food, don’t let it go to waste

BY ALEXANDRA CUSCHIERI RUNNING A FOOD business in Whistler—a restaurant, hotel, or grocery store—is no walk in the park. Between tight margins, seasonal swings, and ever-evolving guest expectations, there’s always something demanding your attention. And when it comes to cutting costs, many businesses focus on pricing, staffing, or sourcing.

But there’s another area that often goes unnoticed: waste.

Food waste is one of the industry’s most persistent—and preventable—issues. Every month, businesses quietly lose thousands of dollars to overordered stock, over-prepped ingredients, and oversized portions. And when that surplus ends up in the black bin, you’re not just wasting food; you’re wasting the labour, energy, and money that went into preparing it, and then paying again to throw it away.

In Whistler, all food businesses are required to separate food scraps for compost collection. While composting is mandatory, it’s also cheaper than sending waste to the landfill, as long as the compost bin isn’t contaminated.

Still, the biggest savings happen upstream: by preventing waste in the first place.

Globally, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has implemented AI-powered food waste monitoring systems in more than 600 restaurants to help achieve its goal of halving food waste by 2030. These systems track discarded food in real time, enabling teams to take proactive measures to minimize waste at the source. In just one year, they saved more than 184,000 kilograms of food, equivalent to 520,000 meals.

At Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler, the AI system enables teams to make smarter decisions around purchasing, preparation, and portion sizes.

For unavoidable waste, a robust system diverts hotel restaurant food waste away from landfills and towards composting.

Now, through AWARE’s campaign—in collaboration with GFL Environmental and the Resort Municipality of Whistler—this effort is expanding with a pilot program for organic waste collection from guest suites at the Four Seasons Private Residences.

Each Private Residence kitchen is equipped with a clearly labelled organics bin, house attendants are trained in proper sorting, and diversion rates are being monitored to build a system that’s resilient across every season.

Similarly, Marriott Hotels has leveraged AI technology to achieve impressive results.

After introducing waste-tracking systems in 53 hotels across the U.K. and Europe, they reduced food waste by 25 per cent in just six months, preventing the equivalent of 486 tonnes of CO2 emissions. By using data to inform ordering, menu-planning, and portion sizes, Marriott’s success echoes the power of measurement-driven waste reduction.

Big brands may have large teams and smart tech, but their success highlights a

key takeaway for any food business: when you start measuring waste, you can start managing it.

Even without high-tech tools, small businesses can start by using tally sheets or waste logs to track what’s thrown out, when, and why. This kind of tracking can reveal patterns, like unfinished dishes or consistently returned side salads, and inform easy, practical changes, such as adjusting portion sizes or making extras optional.

Grocery retail brings its own set of challenges and unique opportunities.

Shoppers are drawn to full shelves, vibrant colours, and perfect-looking produce. But this expectation of abundance often contributes to waste behind the scenes, and bins filled with unsold but perfectly edible food. At the same time, many in the community face barriers to accessing healthy, affordable food.

We can draw inspiration from businesses leading the way with creative and practical solutions.

France’s Intermarché launched an “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables” campaign, transforming odd-shaped produce into soups and juices and selling them at a discount. Canada’s Loblaws took a similar approach with its “Naturally Imperfect” line, offering misshapen or slightly blemished produce at a discount.

These efforts reduce waste while making nutritious food more accessible.

Other solutions are simpler still: grocery stores offering end-of-day markdowns on close-to-expiry products, or platforms like Too Good To Go, which help sell surplus food at a discount. Tim Hortons saved more than eight million baked goods from becoming waste through this app in a single year.

Closer to home, food businesses can donate surplus items like baked goods or packaged foods to the WCSS Food Bank; a powerful, community-first way to reduce waste.

Of course, not all food can be saved.

Plate scraps, expired ingredients, and spoiled produce can still be turned into nutrient-rich compost—but only if bins are properly sorted.

Plastic or other contaminants can cause the entire load to be sent to the landfill, driving up costs significantly.

Through our From Waste to Action campaign, we work directly with food businesses to reduce waste, stay compliant, and save money. From practical guidance and tailored action plans to on-the-ground training, our goal is to help you build a system that works. And that keeps working through seasonal shifts and staffing changes.

We know you’ve got a lot on your plate.

But tackling food waste doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s one of the fastest ways to make a positive impact, both for your business and for the planet.

This campaign is made possible thanks to the generous support of GFL Environmental.

AWARE works with the community to deliver bold, evidence-based solutions to the environmental issues that affect Whistler.

Learn more at awarewhistler.org. n

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At Maury Young Arts Centre, 4335 Blackcomb Way, Whistler BC in the Franz Wilhelmsen Theatre NOTICE is hereby given in accordance with Section 99 of the Community Charter that the Council of the Resort Municipality of Whistler will be considering the annual report at the Regular Council Meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

INSPECTION OF ANNUAL REPORT: A copy of the annual report is available for public inspection on our website at www.whistler.ca/corporateplan or at the Customer Service Desk of Municipal Hall, 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, during regular office hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Monday to Friday (statutory holidays excluded).

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Please send submissions or comments on the annual report prior to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 to: Email: Fax: Mail:

corporate@whistler.ca 604-935-8109 Attention: Legislative Services 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, V8E 0X5 Please address your correspondence to Mayor and Council.

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca JUNE 13, 2025

23

FEATURE STORY

The new world of adventure journalism By Steven Threndyle

stories that demanded to be told as hot dog skiers invaded the slopes and rock climbers scaled walls of granite and limestone, while whitewater kayakers and oarsmen tackled Class V rivers.

y wife is freaking out a bit.

We’re six weeks away from downsizing from a four-bedroom (with carport, landing, a back shed and side shed) North Vancouver home to a two-bedroom condo.

“What the hell are you going to do with all of those magazines?” she says. “And all of those skis?”

Maybe POWDER magazine editor (make that: former POWDER magazine editor) Rob Story had it right back in 1994. I’d been freelancing full time for more than a year and a half at the time, and he’d had the dream gig as associate editor for both POWDER and Bike for a half dozen years. “Magazines and skiing

mid-’90s, probably a bit ahead of its time.

I am neither a completist (someone who has to have every issue of, say, The Surfer’s Journal) nor, well, that much of a hoarder—I don’t even keep each and every copy of the 800-plus stories I’ve written since my first placement in the March, 1984, issue of Explore magazine (long gone…).

For most readers, these magazines made as much of an impression as a café Americano in a mountain town coffee shop. PostCOVID, scarcely any coffee shops even carry newspapers. It’s a brutal truth that advertisers will use whatever means necessary to say “no” to an advertising rep, including the COVID crisis from 2020 to 2022, an event which, according to Mountain Life publisher Todd Lawson, forced the artfully-designed Mountain Life Annual out of business; although its Whistler and Collingwood editions seem to have recovered.

Powder. Couloir. SKI. Skiing. Ski Racing. OffPiste. Freeze. Apex. Ski Trax. Ski Racing. Ski Racing Canada. S Magazine, Snowboard Life. International Snowboarder Magazine.

Snowboarder. Transworld Snowboarding.

Frequency. (Actually, I stand corrected.

The magazine rebranded itself as the Snowboarder’s Journal in the early ’00s).

Warren Miller’s SnoWorld. Telemark Skier.

‘PRINT AIN’T DEAD’ Telemark Journal. Concrete Powder. Action Then, there’s Mountain Gazette.

Now. Surfer. Surfing. TW Surf. SBC Surf When Mike Rogge purchased the rights Canada. Windsurfer. Wind Surf. American to Mountain Gazette magazine in 2019, he Windsurfer. WindSurfing Now, Northwest Windsurfer. Mountain Bike. Bike. Beta. probably never envisioned readers would Peloton. Northwest Runner. California Runner. post videos on their social media feeds of Running Times. Marathon. Climbing. Summit “unboxing” each issue; slowly pulling the heavy-stock publication from its massive (the original, not the new version) Mountain

ruined my life,” he told me. I think he was going through a divorce at the time.

The skis I can deal with, the magazines are another matter.

You might say I have a bit of a magazine graveyard in my basement. Most will end up in the blue box, but there are some true friends, too.

I’m especially fond of titles that flared up by printing outrageous stories and photography but then disappeared without a trace. Rocky Mountain out of Denver, “The Voice of the West.” The Intermountain Skier from Salt Lake, a local rag that documented the Park City ski scene in a style and format not unlike what Bob and Kathy Barnett would do with Pique Newsmagazine, the very publication you’re holding in your hands. There was Blue, a high-production travel magazine out of New York, Adventure Travel, edited by Bob Woodward of Bend, Ore., and Wend, a quirky outdoor hipster glossy based in Portland. One magazine you’ll pry from my cold, dead bookshelf will be four issues of Monocle Alpino, a large-format journal of mountain design magazine that was breathtaking in its curated content. And, of course, there was David and Jake Moe’s POWDER magazine. Purchased at Harvey Ross and Sons, a funky billiards room and smoke shop in my hometown of Kincardine, Ont., that cover photo of Wayne Wong floating down an alpine bowl wearing a Canadian flag toque probably changed my life.

But while POWDER still is in print, my magazine graveyard has more than four decades’ worth of deceased titles.

SKIER. Ski Press. Ski Freak Radical.

12-by-18-inch cardboard mailing envelope; reinforced so it can’t be folded or crushed while in transit. Getting an issue of Mountain Gazette feels a bit like Christmas morning, you never know for sure what’s under the tree.

“Print ain’t dead,” claims Rogge. In fact, the North Lake Tahoe owner/publisher/editor believes in it to the extent that he copyrighted the slogan, along with another euphemism from the magazine’s scrappy, irreverent past, “When in doubt, go higher.”

If that’s the case, then Rogge must be pretty close to the summit these days, because since he purchased the floundering title in 2021, he’s silenced the doubters who believed outdoor magazines no longer offer a financially secure way to tell bold, controversial stories, express outrageous opinions or feature fineart quality photography.

Rogge was fuelling his freelance/vanlife/ski-bum lifestyle as a fisherman up in Alaska when he heard the magazine was up for sale. MG is like one of those indie bands in a Cameron Crowe movie that attain some measure of critical and even financial success for a short while, are forgotten about, then roar to life as a couple new members take things in a whole new direction. Sort of like when Buckingham/Nicks joined the Mac in the mid-’70s.

Mountain Gazette was a niche publication started in ’60s-era Colorado as a sort of Village Voice of mountain culture. It was a time when Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff of Aspen, Colo., on the “Freak Power” ticket, and a Hollywood actress would “accidentally” shoot a glamorous young ski racer who looked a lot like Robert Redford. There were exciting new

I first happened upon some issues at the Canmore clubhouse of the Alpine Club of Canada in 1983 while participating in a backcountry skiing skills course. Jammed haphazardly on a library shelf groaning with well-thumbed guidebooks and other musty-smelling mountaineering books was a large-format magazine printed on newsprint which was already yellowing and ripping at the edges. Like the early years of Rolling Stone, stories went on for thousands and thousands of words. The photos were in black and white, nothing to write home about. Distributed free of charge at bars, backcountry stores and libraries of the American West, Mountain Gazette was full of wild, fantastical stories that quite likely were the product of drug-fuelled imaginations. Edward Abbey, Galen Rowell, Lito Tejada-Flores, Dick Dorworth and many others kick-started an entire genre of New American Western non-fiction. I had worked maybe halfway through the 10 or so issues when I had to leave; it was all I could do not to roll them up into my backpack for the trip to Vancouver. Because only hoarders steal magazines, right?

Little did I know the magazine I read in Canmore was already dead by the time I’d discovered it.

Like many of love’s labours, Mountain Gazette’s original owners ran out of money and patience in 1979. It enjoyed a Phoenixlike rebirth in 2000, this time in colour but in a less ambitious, magazine-size format, and available free of charge throughout the West.

Printed on sturdy, yet 100-per-cent recycled paper using soy-based inks splashed on a gigantic 11-by-17-inch canvas, Rogge’s

M

24 JUNE 13, 2025

(U.K.). The Mountain Yodel. Backpacker.

Wend. Kootenay Mountain Culture. Coast Mountain Culture. (You want back copies? Call me). Equinox. National Geographic Traveler.

National Geographic Adventure. Adventure West. Hooked on the Outdoors. Alpine Modern.

Mountain Sports and Living. Snow Country.

Bomb Snow. Below Zero. Men’s Journal.

I also have the full set of COAST: The Outdoor Recreation Magazine, which I edited and had a small financial stake in for the better part of a decade. Heck, you can even throw The Whistler Question and the Whistler Answer in there. And there was also 99 North, an ambitious attempt at a lifestyle magazine in the

FEATURE STORY MG re-build is a sight to behold. Alas, the new MG only comes out twice a year, and a subscription costs a rather wallet-melting $177.86. During its ’70s heyday, MG retailed for US$0.60 per issue, and the 2000s version was distributed.

These boutique outdoor publications, as Adventure Journal founder and editor Stephen Casimiro calls them, (see sidebar) are often likened to the extravagantly produced boxedset records bands put out for superfans who prefer to sit down and listen to an entire record in one sitting. Like, say, the 50th-anniversary re-issue of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon or the recently-released 13-volume edition of Wilco’s A Ghost is Born, this new crop of titles is saturated with delicious imagery, finely tuned story-telling and mind-tweaking graphics and page layouts.

“Curated” is the word that’s thrown around to describe the selection of stories these magazines produce each month.

Casimiro explains, “I always believed that the best magazine, regardless of genre, would be one where the inherent friction between an advertiser and the editorial product would be removed; where the editor directed both the style and content of the magazine.”

One thing Adventure Journal and its peers cannot do regularly is to support the kind of investigative journalism that requires two or three dogged reporters who know how to get people to talk on the record. In other words, to finance a travel budget, pay for legal counsel, and hire fact-checkers in the same manner newspapers do. There used to be a magazine that carried that editorial vision, and while you still see Outside magazine on the newsstands, it, too, has changed with the times.

THE OUTSIDE EFFECT

It’s not very often the demise of a magazine is reported upon by another magazine—media outlets are loathe to report on either the triumphs or the failures of their competitors.

Sure, everybody loves to rag on the CBC in an online forum, but you’ll never hear Global News or CTV badmouthing the Mother Corp on the dinner-hour news.

Yet here it was, in the pages of The New Yorker, the Western world’s most rigorously edited and fact-checked publication. “The Decline of Outside Magazine is also the End of the Vision of the Mountain West,” is not only a wordy title, but illustrates the enormous cultural power and political influence it once wielded in the outdoor industry.

Back in March, a group of highly esteemed adventure writers, filmmakers, and

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE JOURNALISM IN 2025: PRINT AIN’T DEAD… (AND NEVER WILL BE) START HERE: THE GOOD ONES (All prices in U.S. dollars; postage extra).

Mountain Gazette, $89, two issues annually; “When in doubt, go higher.”

Adventure Journal, $60, four issues; “The deeper you get, the deeper you get.”

The Surfer’s Journal, $84, six issues; “Never Ending Surf Escapism, since 1992.”

Alpinist, $75, four issues; “The Sharp End of the Rope.”

Trails, $70, four issues; “For people who sleep in the dirt.”

ORI, $84, two issues; “Don’t just see the world, be part of it.”

Kinfolk, $80, four issues; “What do you believe in?”

Like The Wind, $69, four issues; “It’s Not How to Run, it’s Why We Run.” Freehub, $70, four issues; “The CommunityDriven Mountain Bike Magazine.”

Hard Pack, $60, two issues; “A New Kind of Ski Magazine.” photographers informed Outside Inc. CEO Robin Thurston they no longer wished to be listed as contributors on the masthead of the company’s eponymous magazine. The diverse list included esteemed photographer/ filmmaker Jimmy Chin (Free Solo), humorist E. Jean Carroll, award-winning science writer David Quammen and a stack of other contributors who probably haven’t written a story for the magazine in 20 years. (It’s a peculiar quirk of magazines that once you become famous, you are gifted in the masthead as a “contributing editor.”)

This stable of outstanding journalists was protesting Mr. Thurston’s mass firing of the magazine’s editorial staff, the shrinking of the number of issues from six (and previously, just after Thurston purchased the magazine, 12) to four, annually—and, in the weeks after Donald Trump’s early days, a new editorial mandate that would dispense with lengthy environmental and social justice warrior type issues.

It’s hard to describe just how powerful and influential the monthly magazine was, started on a whim by Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner (indeed, the first two “prototype issues” were folded into the pages of the counterculture publication). During a time when environmental battles were beginning to rage across the United States (along with the Vietnam War and civil rights), Outside published what would soon be called “advocacy journalism,” stories championing the preservation of wild places and the activities you could do there. One of the earliest issues I ever purchased, sometime in the late ’70s, had a cover story with the enticing title “Skiing Out of Bounds.” There were stories on climbing frozen waterfalls, on the strange cult of birdwatchers who travelled around the world so they could put a checkmark beside a “tick list.” For the longest time, the most hilarious (and utterly unbelievable tale, even in 2025), was “King of the Ferret Leggers,” whereupon author Donald R. Katz travels to Scotland to track down a wildly eccentric man who stuffs ill-

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FEATURE STORY tempered, sharp-toothed ferrets down his pants without, uh, wearing underpants.

In an ironic twist (and there’s much that’s ironic about the magazine’s success), each monthly issue was manually (until the early ’90s) put together by an incredibly dedicated team of staffers based in the not-so-wild urbanity of Chicago, Ill. But even after it moved to the decidedly more adventure-friendly after-work city of Santa Fe, New Mexico in the mid-’90s, Outside was geographically agnostic.

While it’s worth noting that Outside won numerous awards for its articles and art direction (Canadian-born creative director Susan Casey would single-handedly overhaul the magazine’s “look” during her tenure, and

corrupt labour practices (AJ published a story three years ago about how managers at the beloved REI outdoor co-operative tried to stymie union organizers at its hundreds of retail stores across America). “It’s easy to print stories about environmental and social injustice and certainly we’ve done that, but right now I’m trying to focus on people who are keeping things positive and contributing to a common good,” he says.

Or, they’re just esoteric; in Mountain Gazette 205, journalist Ari Schneider traces how the Holocaust shaped his family history. (He had an uncle who travelled to local schools telling “survivor” tales; the problem was, as Schneider found out, most of them were fabricated.) There are photo essays on jam-bands and polar bears. I wrote a dazzlingly-illustrated story on midcentury modern resort architect Henrik Bull, co-inventor of the A-frame.

Boutique adventure magazines hew to a different set of rules than more mainstream titles do, sometimes counterintuitively.

The business case for magazines has traditionally been to “deliver a target market to an advertiser.” But as AJ’s Casimiro says, “It was always a bit rigged. Magazines would charge $5 at a newsstand, then sell a subscription for $10. The magazine would essentially be padding their readership by devaluing their product.”

To keep editorial integrity, advertisers must provide ads that hew to the magazine’s overall design which is a big ask given that paper stock, inks, graphic design and mailing costs are surely many times more expensive than slapping a mailing label on take home Magazine of the Year—General a flimsy rag that will easily slide through a Excellence—on three consecutive occasions), mail slot. Rogge at Mountain Gazette calls there was an element to Outside that caused these advertisers “partners.” Indeed, many jaded outdoor adventurers to kinda barf in brands will hire the magazine’s very own their mouths. designers to create words and imagery that Indeed, way, way before Instagram are consistent with the overall “vibe” of the influencers revealed the locations of remote publication. For instance, you won’t find hikes and deserted shorelines, Outside covers price-sensitive ads like “Pay for three nights, were “blowing up the spot” with tantalizing get an extra night FREE.” listicles such as “The 11 BEST FALL TRIPS ON At Like The Wind, a British quarterly THE PLANET” and “The WORLD’S 15 MOST devoted to running in all its myriad forms, BEAUTIFUL BEACHES.” ads by shoe companies cross the line into Outside perfected clickbait that appealed sponsored content or what used to be called to a casual “weekend warrior” who probably “advertorial”—an advertisement written and made a nice living in finance, medicine, designed to look like a “real” story. These real estate or high tech, but who was far too advertorials are stunningly produced stories cool to play golf, for instance. Aside from that carry the same high production values as some very minor competition from Boulder- the magazine itself. based Hooked on the Outdoors and National Part of the reason these titles have for Geographic Adventure, Outside grew a massive going circulation only can surely be found subscriber base of more than 600,000 readers, in the fact that if they were distributed in plus substantial newsstand sales, doubtless an old-fashioned way, in convenience stores driven by eye-candy covers with “sell-lines” or even conventional bookstores, very, very like “World’s 15 Most Beautiful Beaches.” few people would pay $40 per copy and they Its real moneymaker was the Outside would end up destroying many of the back Annual Gear Guide, a gorgeously produced issues, once returned. special issue that came out twice annually To preserve what marketers call “the and was breathtaking in its celebration of material consumption without environmental consequences. Outside’s new owners claim the staff cuts were needed to finance the acquisition of digital properties as the magazine lost both readers and advertisers.

‘CONTRIBUTING TO A COMMON GOOD’

Adventure Journal editor Casimiro admits these are fraught times. Casimiro himself is a bit leery about advocacy journalism when it comes to issues like the environment or

26 JUNE 13, 2025

CURATED BY CASIMIRO Adventure Journal is its formal title, but once you start reading one issue after the next, you’ll soon find out that AJ is really “curated

by Casimiro.”

That’s Stephen Casimiro, the one-time editor at POWDER magazine and western editor for National Geographic Adventure, which, at the time, was Outside magazine’s biggest competitor.

At POWDER, he saw first-hand how its fanatical readers would devour each issue, building on a 1980s-era legacy that eschewed gear reviews and stylized New York fashion shoots for cover photos of blissed-out powder hounds, fat gobs of fresh snow clinging to their beards and alpaca wool hats. At National Geographic Adventure, he saw how the pressure to sell advertisements to clothing brands and outdoor adventure destinations could potentially corrupt editorial coverage— and wanted nothing to do with it.

On the newsstand, “sell lines” on the covers lure potential readers with promises of a “Brand New You” or some other form of personal transformation.

He cautions: “Consumer magazines prey upon readers’ insecurities as vehicles to sell things. How can my life look cooler? Where should I travel next?”

Thanks to social media, consumer magazines are flailing in the “attention economy,” where readers can endlessly scroll through three-second action sports clips on their phones.

But to Casimiro, “These are not stories.

The scroll sucks, and listicles suck.”

Believing perhaps that print was indeed dead, Casimiro first launched The Adventure Journal website in the early 2000s. It quickly became a valuable hub for mountain culture and uncovering delightfully obscure stories found in its Historical Badass and Weekend Cabin features. But Casimiro wanted more.

“True storytelling is a basic human need.

Print can deliver stories in a way that digital cannot,” he says. “I wanted to put out the very best magazine in any genre; where readers could immerse themselves in a story that they wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Where the photos, the copy, the typeface and even the paper stock contribute to a value proposition” for the reader, publishers of these magazines seldom, if ever, post stories that have appeared in the magazine onto the website. Indeed, if all newspaper and magazine publishers had adhered to “not giving away their stories for free” when the internet first came onto the scene, the media landscape right now might not be so incredibly confusing and, it must be said, unprofitable for so many players in the industry.

FRIEND OR FOE?

These boutique publications’ stout presence on one’s coffee table (definitely not the bathroom), could make them semi-collectable. What is the magazine’s value and its role in today’s adventure market, dominated as it is by pros, bros, influencers, bloggers, YouTubers and Substackers?

David Beers, founding editor of The Tyee and former editor at the progressive San Francisco-based magazine Mother Jones, (RIP), once told me that “the magazine feature is the great American storytelling art form; far

unique reading experience. I also wanted to somehow circumvent the icky relationship between advertisers and editors.” These are not magazines for car companies wishing to reach a broad audience; Casimiro has turned down advertising proposals in the past that he felt would compromise the publication.

So did the transformation from digital to print work? Or to borrow from Rogge, “Print ain’t dead, yet?”

“It’s never been easy and it’s never going to be easy since outdoor magazines will always be financially challenging. But every issue has made money,” Casimiro says. “We’d published Adventure Journal online for five years before doing the first issue of the magazine and had developed an impressive database of potential subscribers. But I probably underestimated how many of those readers would subscribe to a print magazine.”

Indeed, the 7,000-plus copies he sends to subscribers and sells to boutique lodges and mountain town bookstores is a long way from the 600,000-plus circulation once claimed by Outside magazine. Financial support from advertisers—it’s worth nothing that Vancouver-based Arc’teryx pays for space—is probably more of a donation compared to the $60,000 per page the glossy consumer magazines command.

There have definitely been financial challenges. The website no longer exists, and former editor Justin Housman was laid off two years ago. Some of Casimiro’s subscriber campaigns verge on the PBS style of “contribute today! Our very survival depends upon it!”

And like most of these boutique titles, it’s Casimiro and his wife Joanie who do the majority of the heavy lifting. “We have the systems in place to create a magazine that hums along quite nicely,” he says. Beyond that, “It’s a gift to be able to present these stories to our audience.”

The ultimate compliment to Casimiro’s vision occurred last year when AJ, along with Surfer’s Journal, Mountain Gazette, and Summit Journal, were all featured in a lengthy, splashy edition of the Sunday New York Times.

The print version, of course. ahead of films, documentaries, books, and even novels.” It seems true; although their lens on the world has changed dramatically, Time, Life and National Geographic carry some weight on a newsstand, even if the subject matter is Taylor Swift.

On the other hand, when I met a former editor at Outside at the Western Magazine Awards back in the ’90s and breathlessly told him that I had Volume One, Issue One as well as many other copies, he sounded incredulous.

“What, you mean you keep magazines after you’ve read them?” I felt like a fool.

At the same event, (which no longer exists because there aren’t enough magazines) former LIFE and New England Journal editor Daniel Okrent described a well-conceived magazine as being like “a conversation with your best friend. It entertains you, informs you, makes you think, and can change your perspective.”

As I close in on my 70s, a few of my friends are dead. But there are many new ones to make out there, too. n

f o se t

N O T R E

B M 5 2 E 0 P

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SPORTS THE SCORE

‘I am extremely proud’ PEMBERTON SECONDARY SCHOOL MOUNTAIN BIKE COACH NICOLE BENES REACTS TO A FOURTH CONSECUTIVE PROVINCIAL BANNER

BY DAVID SONG LET’S CALL IT AS IT IS: Pemberton Secondary School (PSS) officially boasts a mountain biking dynasty.

How else would one describe a fourthconsecutive provincial banner? That›s exactly what these young locals accomplished on a late-May weekend in Powell River, facing stiff competition from 72 other schools across British Columbia.

Finley Wood was crowned King of the Mountain after winning the bantam boys’ crosscountry race and clinching bronze in enduro. His junior girls teammate, Arleigh Kemp, became Queen of the Mountain by way of an enduro silver medal and a fourth in cross-country.

Hayden Pegram did his part by finishing third in the senior boys’ enduro. Many competitive results in all divisions vaulted both the PSS junior and senior teams to overall titles.

“I am extremely proud of the PSS students who come out to ride with the team on Mondays after school starting after spring break,” said coach Nicole Benes. “These kids are skilled riders who’ve, for the most part, grown up here having access to the mecca of trails in the Sea to Sky corridor as well as the [Whistler Blackcomb] bike park. Our trails are world-class, thank you [Pemberton Off-Road Cycling Association], and being able to ride well here sets the kids up for success elsewhere.

“Many come from families of avid mountain bikers and have been on a bike since they could

DYNASTY WARRIORS Pemberton Secondary School won its fourth straight provincial mountain bike title in May. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN TIERNEY

28 JUNE 13, 2025

walk and most have trained with certified coaches in some of the numerous programs available in our area. Every year, we also welcome the addition of a few international students who have developed their skills elsewhere and are drawn to ride in Pemberton through the SBBA program offered at PSS.” Benes expressed respect for Wood and Kemp in particular, whom she describes as hardworking, talented, mature and humble despite their relative youth. She hopes both will find a way to continue representing their school in future years.

The feeling is mutual.

“It is great having coaches, both Nicole and Kevin [Glavas], that care and put so much effort into making it a fun and supportive environment,” Kemp said. “It’s such a great feeling to win as a team with your friends. I’ve only been a part of the team for two years but it’s easy to see how much work and effort everyone puts in.”

A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

Benes serves as teacher-librarian at both PSS and Signal Hill Elementary. She discovered mountain biking 25 years ago, right as the Sea to Sky was becoming a hotbed for the sport with weekly toonie rides, Tony Horn’s beloved events and a novel bike park. While she doesn›t claim to be an overly decorated coach, Benes has helped facilitate after-school programs at the Whistler Children›s Centre, the municipality and Signal Hill.

The Ontario native got involved with the PSS unit in spring 2022, filling a need after her predecessor Nicole Jean was injured. Benes’ role has grown ever since: this year she co-coached alongside Glavas while athletic director Krista Walden dealt with necessary paperwork.

“I did a lot of behind-the-scenes organizing

and Kevin is great at supporting the kids with any technical issues. We both rode with the kids and went with the team to the races,” said Benes.

“My coaching philosophy is primarily for the kids to have fun biking with their friends and teammates in a supportive environment and to challenge themselves. Respect and integrity are emphasized, and over the years that the students participate on the team, I see a lot of personal development and increased self-awareness.”

Upperclassmen like Sam Tierney, who joined the team in Grade 9, and Isla Inglis who signed up in Grade 10, exemplify those values. Their consistent presence sets a tone for other athletes in terms of behaviour and race know-how in the North Shore League. Benes credits Tierney for being keen in leadership, while Inglis is “so friendly and welcoming that she can put most new or younger students at ease.”

“I’ve been trying to do as much as possible to help the coaches with whatever they need,” affirmed Tierney. “[Our team] means a lot to me.

Every year that I’ve been in high school, we won provincials, and over that time I’ve … seen us become a really good force for community. It’s remained relatively small for my first two years, and then grown pretty rapidly in the last couple.

The thing that most stands out is all the times I’ve spent being able to race with friends.”

Tierney placed 14th in enduro and 28th in cross-country, while Inglis rode to eighth in enduro and 13th in the cross-country discipline.

‘IT CAN’T HURT TO DREAM BIG’

PSS is not the largest, wealthiest or most famous high school in British Columbia. That’s no secret, but it’s also why four consecutive banners represent a point of pride for athletes and their coaches. The wider student body has been supportive of its bike team, as have members of the community at large.

Obstacles do arise nonetheless. The 2025 roster featured no tenth-graders, with only three Grade 8 boys and no girls in that cohort. Roughly half the team was composed of senior boys like Tierney. Going into next year, Benes hopes more girls and kids from different age brackets will show up to even out this lopsided demographic split.

The good news is: Powell River yielded a memorable experience current team members are sure to try and sell their friends on.

“I was definitely having a good time and I just tried to do my best in each race. The trails in Powell River were fun and it was cool to get to ride there for the first time,” said Kemp. “Because I mostly race downhill, I learned that crosscountry racing is hard and I have a lot of respect for anyone who does it. I am lucky to have so many friends on the team and that makes it 10 times more fun … we always stay to cheer each other on and get sushi after the race together.”

Tierney feels PSS has a bright future ahead, especially with riders like Wood and Kemp in the mix. He himself is about to graduate, but knows mountain biking has taught him how to work hard and be a team player: lessons that are going to keep him motivated in other aspects of life.

For those who remain, a fifth provincial title is not out of the question… if students and their families step up when called upon.

“It can’t hurt to dream big, and I am hoping that next year we will be able to bring a full team to provincials with all divisions represented,” Benes said. “While we are losing a number of teammates to graduation, we are also losing several of their parents who are dedicated volunteer drivers. In addition to looking forward to getting more younger students and more girls coming out next year, we really need some keen parents as well. We can’t do it without our amazing parent volunteers supporting the team.”

More results from Powell River are viewable at zone4.ca/event/2025/Xm3R9m. n

SPORTS THE SCORE

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PEDAL POWER Members of the 2025 Whistler Secondary School mountain bike team pose in front of a B.C. provincials banner.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LESLEY CLEMENTS

Whistler Secondary earns North Shore mountain biking banner for Grade 8/9 girls, Grade 9 boys THREE STUDENT-ATHLETES FINISHED IN THE TOP 10 AT PROVINCIALS

BY DAVID SONG WHISTLER

SECONDARY

SCHOOL

(WSS) emerged from the 2025 North Shore High School Mountain Bike Series with two banners: one for girls in Grades 8 and 9, and another for ninth-grade boys.

Two of those girls, Austin Lewis and Alva Campos, made a splash at provincials in Powell River, B.C. They finished sixth and 10th, respectively, in the bantam crosscountry event, while junior Lily McGowan rode to fifth in cross-country and ninth in enduro.

WSS bike coach Lesley Clements said her young ladies—Campos, Lewis, Mikayla Goldrick, Cece Burton, Ella Winter and Josie Cooper—bought into a winning culture all season long. “[They] worked especially hard and consistently,” remarked Clements. “They didn’t miss any of the training rides. They always had really strong, happy, optimistic attitudes. We had a few riders that it was their first time ever racing, and they put a confident step forward: Mikayla, Ella, Josie, Alva had raced a little bit before in enduro but not cross-country.

“We had six Grade 8/9 girls and only two Grade 8 boys in the mix this year … which is a huge flip [from the past]. The girls have said they’re super keen to come back next year, and they’ve all basically said they have friends that they’re going to bring in.”

Of course, the boys did their part, too: Max and Reed Murray, Leo Pullen, Sawyer Munn-Gotto, Tyler Swain, Caius von Raven, Owen Levitt, Ben Carriere, Jeremy Smerychynski, Cooper Olson and Hayden Keam.

“Sawyer was probably the most enthusiastic and consistent,” Clements said.

“Reed was always super keen, Cooper Olson [had an] amazing attitude even though he wasn’t able to come to provincials. [However] I have to say: we struggled with a number of the Grade 9 boys in terms of training rides

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The banners were doled out on May 14, the series finale on home soil with 300 riders filing into Cheakamus for a day of racing and fellowship. There was music, a Lucia Gelato fundraiser and more.

“The course was a huge success. Usually we have it at Lost Lake and they like it, but they don’t love it. All the athletes loved Cheakamus with all the new trails—using Flashback, AM/ PM and After Hours,” Clements said. “The best thing to see about those races, especially the end of the season, is just the camaraderie of kids from all the different schools. Racing is important, but it’s all about the connection and relationship-building. It was pretty emotional, too, with parents being so proud.”

Keeping with the theme of relationshipbuilding, Clements emphasizes fun and participation to her students. She knows a results-driven coaching philosophy alienates lots of kids because it adds undue stress, but learning to enjoy the process is vital.

McGowan (a versatile athlete whom Clements described as “a rock star”) and Lewis both took those ideas to heart at provincials, while Campos soldiered across the finish line despite feeling unwell on race day.

With a solid young core in place, there’s reason to be excited for the WSS bike team’s outlook.

“It’s super inspiring when we’re competing against these big schools from the North Shore with 1,000 or 1,300 kids, but we’re able to have these pretty amazing results,” said Clements.

“Knowing who’s come through our team, like Finn Iles and Wei Tien … I always remind the kids.There’s a bunch of enthusiastic newcomers coming into the school so the future looks bright. I’d say we’re in a build phase right now, and I think there’s even better things to come in the next couple of years.”

Full results from provincials are available at zone4.ca/event/2025/Xm3R9m. n

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FORK IN THE ROAD

When life is a highway, Britannia rules!

BRITANNIA BEACH, THAT IS—THE BEST PIT STOP EVER WHEN IT COMES to pit stops on any road trip—but especially with these too-early blazy, hazy, crazy days of summer— here are two “must-or-busts” in my books. One, it’s gotta be good. Two, it’s gotta be fast. And, if we’re lucky, it’ll also be super interesting.

BY GLENDA BARTOSH Well, I’m happy to report that Britannia Beach has every base covered. So why do locals seldom stop there when heading to and from Whistler? God only knows, but maybe it’s got everything to do with being hypnotized by our personal road warrior fantasies and the exhaust from all the vehicles.

The old adage “life is the journey, not the destination” never appears in our rearview mirror, reminding us to take it easy, and pull over… into beautiful downtown Britannia Beach.

FORGET THE COPPER, HAVE FUN

Sure, there’s Outbound Station—the obvious quick and easy, and truly roadside stop at BB South (forgive my shorthand). Great coffee, and their burgers are to die for. But I’m talking

THE BEST KIND OF DILEMMA Will it be Kawartha’s Death by Chocolate or Sugar Shack Maple ice cream for hubby, Peter Lisicin?

PHOTO BY GLENDA BARTOSH

30 JUNE 13, 2025

about cruising into the old townsite itself, just a hop and a skip further north, and actually stopping to take it in on its 50th year as a real living museum.

Speaking of living museums, my first trip to Whistler was in 1981 to apply for a reporter’s job at The Whistler Question. It was spring and, I remind us all, it’s also still officially spring now for weeks. Only then, the havoc we’ve been wreaking with our climate that has generated the recent “early season heat events” with record-breaking temperatures in the 30s was still only on a few scientists’ radar screens. Let’s just say they warned us.

By comparison, my ’81 spring road trip was bloody cold. However, one of the most memorable bits was when I nearly drove off the road while gawking at whatever the hell that weird white building was, stepping up, up, the hillside at BB. I soon learned—from none other than Jane Burrows herself, part of the interview team with Mr. B, as we fondly called Paul, her hubbie/partner in crime in starting The Question— all about the copper mine at Britannia Beach. Jane taught the miners’ kids there in the ’60s, long before there was an elementary school, or much else (never mind a newspaper) at Whistler.

Yep, you can learn online about the history of Britannia Mine including cool facts, like it was once the largest copper mine in the world. But there’s nothing like ditching the 2D digital world for the real thing.

First, the mine site is part of the Sk_wx _wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation. Since the cliffs along Howe Sound’s eastern shores are so steep and the Indigenous people lived mostly along riverbanks, so far there’s only evidence of a small earlier settlement there. But during

the mine’s operation (1904-1974), more than 60,000 people lived at Britannia—roughly three times the population of Squamish, and nearly four times that of Whistler today.

Definitely lots of kids to teach then. And lots of cool things to discover now.

FIFTY YEARS AS A LIVING MUSEUM

In 1975, the Britannia site became the BC Museum of Mining (later renamed the Britannia Mine Museum). Overall, it’s as great a spot for TV and movie shoots (check out the museum’s photo gallery of stars), as for exploring. Historic buildings—like the Craftsman-style dining room and bunkhouse; the elegant engineering offices; the charming manager’s bungalow—have been gorgeously restored. A perfect achievement for the site’s 50th anniversary.

Many restored structures are in use today, largely aimed at that idea of a good, fast road stop. Or, better, a place to hang out. Like at Copper Beach Bar & Grill (get it? Copper beech trees?). With its cozy deck facing the huge, white No. 3 mill building, now a National Historic Site, Copper Beach is located in “The Dry”—a 1930s building where miners showered and hung their wet clothes to dry for the next shift before bunking down for the night.

Autostrada Oyster Bar and Grill will open in July, and Chatterbox Cafe is located in— where else?—the old telegraph office. But one of our favourites was the Kawartha Dairy store, opened in April in the old white church.

You’ll think you’ve already died and gone to heaven once you taste the gorgeous ice cream from this Ontario dairy, which is

also circa 1930s. Rich, creamy, and not too sweet; made with real ingredients like real maple syrup. They also serve lactose-free ice cream—a rarity. (Tip: Don’t be fooled by the ironic name “baby” for the smallest serving: It’s a giant scoop the size of a softball! A really big softball.)

Another literally cool surprise was the freshly renovated General Store. With its huge, shaded deck and array of carefully curated take-out foods and groceries, it feels like a “magical” store—compact, pleasant, with the kind of tasty, very local products we always wish for in one spot. Best—prices are fair!

On impulse, we decided rather than a resto meal on the way home, as planned, we’d have an impromptu picnic at beautiful Porteau Cove. In minutes we had bags of goodies, including Vancouver’s Not Too Sweet Craft Ginger Beer (made with pear juice); a round of Little Qualicum Cheeseworks’ delicious Island Brie; that great Portofino bread from Victoria; and Two Rivers Meats’ yummy fennel salami sticks straight from North Vancouver. (Love their cheeky message: Once opened, consume within seven days or one sitting. We don’t judge.)

Nor will I judge you if you decide to have dinner at a café or restaurant instead. But I will share this: What we paid for our Britannia General Store groceries was less than dinner for two, plus we had enough for several more lunches—maybe a packed one for our next road trip to Britannia Beach as a destination, not just en route.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who’s always up for a road trip, but still wishes spring was spring. n

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FRIDAY

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JUNE 16

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MONDAY

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JUNE 17

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Nicki

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Marie-Anne

I Cardio Circuit 9-10 a.m.

Andy

I Strength & Stability 9-10 a.m.

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Lou R Enduro Swim 10-11 a.m.

Hector

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ARTS SCENE

Raven Spirit Dance brings ‘Braiding the Land’ to Whistler THE THREE-PART 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW WILL TAKE PLACE JUNE 13

BY DAVID SONG THIS FRIDAY, June 13, Raven Spirit Dance returns to the Maury Young Arts Centre to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

“Braiding the Land” is a program that, like all of Raven Spirit’s offerings, is full of Indigenous heritage. A press release describes the show as one that “explores the deep connections between ancestral landscapes and the human body, featuring works that evoke the healing in dance, the stillness of a winter boreal forest, and the flow of a rushing river.”

Starr Muranko and Michelle Olson choreographed the repertoire, while a bevy of talented artists is on hand to bring its three unique acts to life.

The first is called “Frost Exploding Trees Moon” and depicts one woman’s solitary journey as she finds a place to set up camp in the wild, builds her temporary abode and settles into her new environment.

“Michelle created this piece as a connection to her First Nation, which is the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in up in the Yukon,” Muranko reveals. “She spent time there speaking with her elders about this idea of: how do the

STRONG OF SPIRIT An Indigenous dancer performs “Frost Exploding Trees Moon” by Raven Spirit Dance.

PHOTO BY JUAN E. CONTRERA

32 JUNE 13, 2025

grandmothers in her community move when they go out onto the land if they’re going to be gathering or preparing a camp? She watched how they moved and how they didn’t impose themselves on the land. It was like they moved with the land.”

Next up is a piece titled “Steppin’,” conceived by Jeanette Kotowich with sound design by Wayne Lavallee and guest Métis fiddler JJ Lavallee in a starring role. In contrast to the rest of the program’s more sombre

been performed numerous times before. It foregrounds and delves into the resilience of Indigenous women by incorporating a variety of perspectives and histories.

“We got the image from the idea of two rivers coming together, and this idea of [there being] different ways of expressing ourselves as Indigenous women … different ways that we support each other, hold each other in community,” says Muranko. “A lot of our personal stories are reflected in the

“A lot of our personal stories are reflected in the movement...”

- STARR MURANKO

elements, it is an energetic, contemporary Métis jig solo that has been showcased more than 50 times before.

Muranko describes “Steppin’” as a fastpaced, upbeat offering that beautifully bridges past and present elements of Métis culture while getting audiences to clap and shuffle their feet in a “celebration of the joy of movement.” She recognizes Kotowich for being a longtime collaborator of Raven Spirit with credentials both domestically and abroad.

Last but not least, “Confluence” is a fivedancer segment that, like “Steppin’,” has

movement, too, over many years, and I think that some of the images people will see will be connected to women: community, prayer, hope and images of birds.”

‘WONDERFUL, WARM AUDIENCES’

The members of Raven Spirit are excited to return to Whistler, having previously put on a show called “Spine of the Mother” in town.

“Whistler always has really wonderful, warm audiences,” Muranko remarks. “We’ve always felt that, and I have a personal

connection: my family lives up in Pemberton, too. We’re excited to be in Whistler and we’re also going to be doing some cultural work in exchange with the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. Even though [Michelle and I] have lived in Vancouver for most of our lives, it’s really important that we have those connections and conversations with the Squamish, Lil’wat and Tsleil-Waututh people.

“It’s the most important thing for us to make sure that everywhere that we’re going, we first have that connection with the local First Nations because they’re the stewards of that land. For everybody in Whistler … how beautiful that you have the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. It’s so alive, it’s so active. It’s a real place of pride for Whistler, and people from all over the world come there.”

For those who aren’t familiar with Raven Spirit: it is a company run entirely by Indigenous female dancers and choreographers. In each show, they hope to represent the various parts of a woman’s life whilst honouring multiple generations from elders to youngsters. Olson and Muranko, as co-artistic directors, are rooted in their respective Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Omushkegowuk Cree (Moose Cree) backgrounds as they share Canadian First Nations culture with viewers around the globe.

“Braiding the Land” is scheduled for June 13 at 8 p.m. Visit showpass.com/arts-whistlerlive-presents-raven-spirit-dance for tickets and more information. n

ARTS SCENE

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DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE Dance with Jane students performed “Dancing Through Wonderland” on May 29 and 30

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Jane Herrlich thanks community after successful ‘Dancing Through Wonderland’ production

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THE SHOW RAN ON MAY 29 AND 30 TO A PAIR OF SOLD-OUT CROWDS

BY DAVID SONG MANY OF LOCAL dance teacher Jane Herrlich’s pupils recently got some time in the spotlight at the Maury Young Arts Centre.

On May 29 and 30, the group presented “Dancing Through Wonderland”: Herrlich’s first full story production told entirely through the art of dance. Performers conveyed a tale where Alice retreats into the titular dream world of Wonderland, meeting a number of vibrant characters in the process.

The cast ranged from four to 17 years of age and has been rehearsing the show since February, with some going to four classes per week as a result. The program’s mix of lead and supporting characters meant some dancers had solo routines and duets to familiarize themselves with.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more support from the audience. I mean, it speaks for itself that both nights were sold out,” Herrlich says.

“Moreover, getting a standing ovation at the end of the night was incredibly humbling and emotional. Since I opened Dance with Jane in September 2022, I have had ongoing encouragement from parents and friends. Their belief in me has helped grow the studio and, more importantly, inspire and grow the children in our community.

“Having such a diverse age range is fantastic. The younger dancers look up to the older dancers and aspire to be like them. They will sit mesmerized watching them dance.

The older students are extremely reliable and become amazing role models … helping them with their hair, makeup and costumes whilst I am backstage directing is so beneficial to me.

Everyone gets on and feels comfortable around each other.

SELF-ASSURANCE, CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND RESILIENCE

Herrlich grew up dancing in her mother’s British academy, not unlike what her pupils are experiencing now. Her background includes

a stint at Preston Dance College, a Certificate of Ballet Teaching Studies from the Royal Academy of Dance and a Tap and Modern Diploma with the Imperial Society of Dance. As a professional, Herrlich travelled to multiple countries before settling in Whistler during the late 2010s.

She knows first-hand how intimidating a major show can be to prepare for, but also how rewarding the process can be.

“Being part of a big recital allows students to develop a wide range of skills and personal growth that can be used in many other life aspects as well,” remarks Herrlich. “A few important skills they learned are: selfassurance and pride when stepping in front of an audience of 200 people, creative expression when they connect to their character and the music in the story, and resilience when they are faced with challenging choreography, last-minute changes and nerves.

“Most importantly, they learned to work towards a shared goal, supporting one another while understanding the importance of commitment and contribution.”

In the future, Herrlich hopes to entice a few local businesses into supporting Dance with Jane as it grows, for community partnerships might bring future productions to a higher level. She is, however, grateful for the “amazing” volunteer parents and friends who helped “Dancing Through Wonderland” run smoothly by ushering at the door, scanning tickets, calming students and facilitating quick costume changes backstage.

“Taylah Abrahamson taught our youngest dance group their routine. She has been teaching the Wednesday four-to-five-year-old class since January where they learn various types of dance genres. They got to perform as the flowers on stage and they were so adorable. Taylah had originally covered my dance classes for me whilst I was away last November and the students had a lot of fun,” Herrlich says.

Dance with Jane will offer a few ballet classes at the Maury Young during summer, with more courses in ballet, hip-hop, lyrical jazz, and tap returning to full swing come fall. n

Get your new edition in hotel rooms and select locations around Whistler.

NEW SUMMER WHISTLER MAGAZINE IS OUT!

JUNE 13, 2025

33

MUSEUM MUSINGS & ASTROLOGY

Preserving a promise

BY BRADLEY NICHOLS LONG BEFORE the Whistler Museum and Archives Society (WMAS) was officially founded in 1987—when it was just a few shelves tucked away in the basement of the Whistler Public Library inside Municipal Hall—the idea of preserving the valley’s history was already taking root. Even then, the vision was clear: to safeguard and share the stories of the people who helped shape this community, and to make sure they would not be forgotten.

That vision was driven by a promise.

Florence Petersen, the founder of WMAS, made a personal commitment to Myrtle Philip, who alongside her husband Alex, opened Rainbow Lodge in 1914 and brought the first wave of tourism to the Alta Lake and Whistler area. That promise was simple yet profound: to ensure Whistler’s history and the lives and experiences of its residents would not be forgotten.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, efforts to collect oral histories, photographs, and films documenting life in the valley were already underway. The first items added to the museum’s archival collection reflect this early work, including 1,700 images related to Myrtle and Alex Philip and Rainbow Lodge, spanning from 1895 to 1986. These mostly black-and-white photographs, along with

EARLY DAYS Whistler pioneer Myrtle Philip in the 1920s.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

various 16mm films, capture a transformative period in the valley’s history, showcasing the growth of the Alta Lake community and the broader evolution of Whistler as a tourist destination.

Preserving these materials is a responsibility we take seriously. Following Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) standards, we handle photographs using cotton gloves and store them in acid-free, archival-safe sleeves. These simple yet essential steps ensure these fragile items remain in good shape for future generations.

Of course, preservation is only part of the

job. Sharing Whistler’s history with the public, without risking damage to delicate originals, means creating digital copies of these items.

Over the years, we’ve steadily expanded our capacity to digitize our collection. Today, we can convert a wide variety of media, including 16mm and 8mm film reels, colour slides, photographic prints, VHS tapes, Hi8, and DVCam formats.

Digitization is carried out using lossless formats like TIFF (Tag Image File Format), which preserve every pixel of the original image. A single high-resolution TIFF can be as large as 150 MB—about the size of 14 JPEGs

on a modern smartphone. Unlike JPEGs, which compress data and average out similar pixels (sometimes causing those “blocky” images you see when streaming video on a slow internet connection), TIFF files retain the full fidelity of the original image.

Once digitized, we render to more manageable JPEG versions for everyday use, including social media, educational materials, and exhibits. These smaller files are easier to handle and help us tell Whistler’s story more widely and effectively.

To ensure the safety of our digital archives, we back up all high-resolution files to offsite servers and secure long-term storage systems, including LTO (Linear TapeOpen) tapes, which provide up to 30 years of reliable “cold” storage of these digital items.

WMAS is proud to be able to continue Florence’s promise and Myrtle’s legacy. Every photo we scan, every film we digitize, and every story we preserve is another piece of Whistler’s remarkable history saved—not just for today, but for generations to come.

WMAS will host a film screening on Wednesday, June 18, at the Point ArtistRun Centre, featuring archival films shot around the Alta Lake community, including 16mm films from the Philip collection. This screening will offer a fascinating look at films from the Whistler Museum’s archives, shown right on the shores of Alta Lake. More information about this event can be found on the Museum website: whistlermuseum.org. n

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF JUNE 13 BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your definition of home is due for revamping, deepening, and expansion. Your sense of where you truly belong is ripe to be adjusted and perhaps even revolutionized. A half-conscious desire you have not previously been ready to fully acknowledge is ready for you to explore. Can you handle these subtly shocking opportunities?

Do you have any glimmerings about how to open yourself to the revelations that life would love to offer you about your roots, your foundations, and your prime resources? Here are your words of power: source and soul.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you have any frustrations about how you express yourself or create close connections?

Are there problems in your ability to be heard and appreciated? Do you wish you could be more persuasive and influential? If so, your luck is changing. In the coming months, you will have extraordinary powers to innovate, expand, and deepen the ways you communicate. Even if you are already fairly pleased with the flow of information and energy between you and those you care for, surprising upgrades could be in the works. To launch this new phase of fostering links, affinities, and collaborations, devise fun experiments that encourage you to reach out and be reached.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’ve always had the impression that honeybees are restless wanderers, randomly hopping from flower to flower as they gradually accumulate nectar. But I recently discovered that they only meander until they find a single good fount of nourishment, whereupon they sup deeply and make a beeline back to the hive. I am advocating their approach to you in the coming weeks.

Engage in exploratory missions, but don’t dawdle, and don’t sip small amounts from many different sites. Instead, be intent on finding a single source that provides the quality and quantity you want, then fulfil your quest and head back to your sanctuary.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Let’s talk about innovation.

I suspect it will be your specialty in the coming weeks and months. One form that innovation takes is the generation of a new idea, approach, or product. Another kind of innovation comes through updating something that already exists. A third may emerge from finding new relationships between two or more older ways of doing things—creative recombinations that redefine the nature of the blended elements. All these styles of innovation are now ripe for you to employ.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo psychotherapist Carl Jung was halfway through his life of 85 years when he experienced the ultimate midlife crisis. Besieged by feelings of failure and psychological disarray, he began to see visions and hear voices in his head. Determined to capitalize on the chaotic but fertile opportunity, he undertook an intense period of self-examination and self-healing. He wrote in journals that were eventually published as The Red Book: Liber Novus.

He emerged healthy and whole from this trying time, far wiser about his nature and his mission in life. I invite you to initiate your own period of renewal in the coming months, Leo. Consider writing your personal Red Book: Liber Novus.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the coming weeks, you will have chances to glide deeper than you have previously dared to go into experiences, relationships, and opportunities that are meaningful to you. How much bold curiosity will you summon as you penetrate further than ever before into the heart of the gorgeous mysteries? How wild and unpredictable will you be as you explore territory that has been off-limits?

Your words of power: probe, dive down, decipher.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When traditional Japanese swordsmiths crafted a blade, they wrapped hard outer layers around a softer inner core. This strategy gave their handiwork a sharp cutting edge while also imbuing it with flexibility and a resistance to breakage. I recommend a similar approach for you, Libra. Create balance, yes, but do so through

integration rather than compromise. Like the artisans of old, don’t choose between hardness and flexibility, but find ways to incorporate both. Call on your natural sense of harmony to blend opposites that complement each other.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio journalist Martha Gelhorn (1908–1998) was an excellent war correspondent.

During her six decades on the job, she reported on many of the world’s major conflicts. But she initially had a problem when trying to get into France to report on D-Day, June 6, 1945. Her application for press credentials was denied, along with all those of other women journalists. Surprise! Through subterfuge and daring, Gelhorn stowed away on a hospital ship and reached France in time to report on the climactic events. I counsel you to also use extraordinary measures to achieve your goals, Scorpio. Innovative circumspection and ethical trickery are allowed. Breaking the rules may be necessary and warranted.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): My spirit guides enjoy reminding me that breakthrough insights and innovations may initially emerge not as complete solutions, but as partial answers to questions that need further exploration.

I don’t always like it, but I listen anyway, when they tell me that progress typically comes through incremental steps.

The Sagittarian part of my nature wants total victory and comprehensive results NOW. It would rather not wait for the slow, gradual approach to unfold its gifts. So I empathize if you are a bit frustrated by the piecemeal process you are nursing. But I’m here to say that your patience will be well rewarded.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Sometimes I’ve got to pause and relax my focused striving, because that’s the only way my unconscious mind can work its magic.” My Capricorn friend Alicia says that about her creative process as a novelist. The solution to a knotty challenge may not come from redoubling her efforts but instead from making a

strategic retreat into silence and emptiness. I invite you to consider a similar approach, Capricorn. Experiment with the hypothesis that significant breakthroughs will arrive when you aren’t actively seeking them. Trust in the fertile void of not-knowing. Allow life’s meandering serendipity to reveal unexpected benefits.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Are you interested in graduating to the next level of love and intimacy? If so, the coming weeks will be a favourable time to intensify your efforts. Life will be on your side if you dare to get smarter about how to make your relationships work better than they ever have. To inspire your imagination and incite you to venture into the frontiers of togetherness, I offer you a vivacious quote from author Anais Nin. Say it to your favorite soul friend or simply use it as a motivational prayer. Nin wrote, “You are the fever in my blood, the tide that carries me to undiscovered shores. You are my alchemist, transmuting my fears into wild, gold-spun passion. With you, my body is a poem. You are the labyrinth where I lose and find myself, the unwritten book of ecstasies that only you can read.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What deep longing of yours is both fascinating and frustrating? To describe it further: It keeps pushing you to new frontiers yet always eludes complete satisfaction. It teaches you valuable life lessons but sometimes spoofs you and confuses you. Here’s the good news about this deep longing, Pisces: You now have the power to tap into its nourishing fuel in unprecedented ways.

It is ready to give you riches it has never before provided.

Here’s the “bad” news: You will have to raise your levels of self-knowledge to claim all of its blessings. (And of course, that’s not really bad!)

Homework: What mediocre satisfaction could you give up to make room for a more robust satisfaction? Newsletter.

FreeWillAstrology.com.

IN ADDITION TO THIS COLUMN, ROB BREZSNY CREATES EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES In-depth weekly forecasts designed to inspire and uplift you. To buy access, phone 1-888-499-4425. Once you’ve chosen the Block of Time you like, call 1-888-682-8777 to hear Rob’s forecasts. www.freewillastrology.com

34 JUNE 13, 2025

PARTIAL RECALL

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1 TYPE-A-FUN Runners at the Whistler Half-Marathon on June 7 competed in five-km, 10-km, half- and full-marathon distances. Head to piquenewsmagazine.com for results. PHOTO BY TY HOLTAN 2 HISTORY AND HAIRFARMERS The Pemberton Museum held a kick-off celebration on June 8 featuring afternoon activities for the kids with Ira Pettle and an evening dance party with the Hairfarmers! PHOTO COURTESY OF SUSAN HUTCHINSON 3 CLUE DONE IT On Saturday, June 7, a couple of cowboys and cowgals descended on the Point for the annual murder mystery fundraiser. Lots of money was raised and everyone had a great time. No murders were actually committed! PHOTO COURTESY OF SUSAN HUTCHINSON 4 A BUG’S LIFE Over the course of five days, BioBlitz scientists presented to almost every elementary school class and blitzed forests and wetlands throughout Whistler. Read more on page 8. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB BRETT 5 DIRT-EATING GRIN With a face full of dirt and a giant smile, Teebo seems to have gotten up to something. With a smile like that, who could be mad at him? PHOTO BY JON PARRIS 6 DRY DAYS Scenes from the wildfire have captured the public’s attention since it ignited June 9. PHOTO BY JILLIAN A BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS! Send your recent snaps to edit@piquenewsmagazine.com

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Public Notice 2024 Annual Report Review The Village of Pemberton Council will review the 2024 Annual Report during the annual meeting on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 9:00 am.

Where to Access the Report The 2024 Annual Report is available for public review at pemberton.ca and at the Village office located at 7400 Prospect Street during regular office hours.

Why Review the Annual Report?

The 2024 Annual Report is a great way to get information on Village projects and initiatives, gauge the Village’s progress on council and operational priorities, and view the Village’s financial information.

How to Provide Feedback Residents are encouraged to share their feedback or questions with Mayor and Council. Feedback and questions can be submitted in person at Municipal Hall, by email at admin@pemberton.ca, and by mail to PO Box 100, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0.

Additionally, residents are welcome to provide comments and ask questions at the annual meeting on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 9:00 am.

Gwendolyn Kennedy Corporate Officer

Questions?

We’re Listening.

604.894.6135

admin@pemberton.ca

pemberton.ca

We’ve got you covered.

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CONSTRUCTION LABOURER – Great opportunity to learn on-the-job. Stamina for physically demanding work and perseverance to brave inclement weather required. Previous experience preferred but not required. Training provided. $28-$33 per hour.

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Pick up the latest issue of your favourite read on stands throughout Whistler every Friday

Public Notice

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NOTICE TO CONSIDER COUNCIL PROCEDURE BYLAW NO. 993, 2025 The Council of the Village of Pemberton intends to consider Council Procedure Bylaw No. 993, 2025 at the regular meeting to be held at 9:00am on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

Bylaw 993 will replace Council Procedure Bylaw No. 788, 2025, incorporating the following changes: 1.The addition of a section describing proper conduct at a meeting and providing the presiding member with tools to address improper conduct; 2.Clarification of minor procedural elements; 3.The addition of a public input period to the agenda of regular meetings; and 4.The elimination of the website as a public notice posting place.

Copies of the proposed bylaw and background information may be viewed on the Village website at Pemberton.ca and inspected at the Village of Pemberton office at 7400 Prospect Street during office hours from Friday, June 13th to Tuesday, June 24th.

All persons who consider that they are affected by the proposed bylaw will be provided reasonable opportunity to make representation to Council in writing prior to the June 24th meeting or by addressing Council at the June 24th meeting.

Anyone wishing to address Council may join the meeting in Council Chambers at 7400 Prospect Street or may connect via the Zoom webinar (Webinar ID: 840 0997 7920).

Written submissions must be addressed to Mayor and Council and must be received by noon on Monday, June 23rd. Submissions may be sent by: Email: corporate@pemberton.ca Mail or delivery: Corporate & Legislative Services, PO Box 100, 7400 Prospect Street, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L1 Written submissions received before noon on Wednesday, June 18th will be included in the package and will be available on the Village website at pemberton.ca.

Gwendolyn Kennedy Corporate Officer

Questions?

We’re Listening.

36 JUNE 13, 2025

604.894.6135

admin@pemberton.ca

pemberton.ca

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Xet’òlacw Community School • • •

Position Overview: Position Overview: Provides leadership of a comprehensive range of nursing programs within community and public health, home care and patient travel in three First Nations communities of N’Quatqua, Samahquam, and Skatin.

1 3 7 5

Early Childhood Educator - Infant Toddler ($24.00 - $29.45/hr based on experience + this position is eligible for wage top up) Administrative Assistant ($38,038.00 to $53,599.00 per year) Bus Driver ($38,038.00 to $53,599.00 per year) Recreation Coordinator ($20.90 to $29.45 per hour)

3 4

7 2

# 52

www.whistlerexcavations.com

The Sea to Sky corridor’s top civil construction company. # 50

3 8 7 4 5 2 9 1 6

Answers

5 2 6 9 1 3 4 8 7

4 1 9 6 8 7 2 5 3

8 3 5 7 4 9 1 6 2

9 4 2 1 3 6 5 7 8

7 6 1 5 2 8 3 9 4

2 9 8 3 6 5 7 4 1

6 5 4 2 7 1 8 3 9

The Sea to Sky corridor’s top civil construction

1 7 3 8 9 4 6 2 5

company. # 51 9 7 3 5 8 1 2 6 4

# 52 9 8 4 1 2 6 3 7 6 8 4 9 2 3 7 1 5 6 5 7 4 minded 9 3 1 8 We are currently recruiting professionally 5 2 1 4 7 6 9 3 8 3 1 2 5 8 7 6 4 people to join our team: 1 3 9 6 5 7 8 4 2 4 3 1 6 5 9 7 2 Class8 15or6Class 3 4 23 Truck 1 9 7Drivers 5 7 8 3 4 2 9 6 7 4 2 1 9 8 3 5 6 2 6benefits 9 7 1 8(after 4 5 *Competitive wages, extended health 4 6 8 2 1 9 5 7 3 7 4 5 8 3 1 2 9 3 months) 3 9 7 8 6 5 4 2 1 8 9 3 2 6 4 5 1 Email2resume 1 5 7 to: 3 4info@whistlerexcavations.com 6 8 9 1 2 6 9 7 5 8 3

Page 13 of 25

JUNE 13, 2025

5 2 9 8 1 3 6 7 4

4/11/2005 39

PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 14 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 35 39 41 43 45 47 48 51 53 55 56 59 61 62 64 66 68 70 72 73 75 77

Make sore by rubbing Daddy “-- Kind of Wonderful” Secret supply Embankment Actors Arkin and Alda Ward off Approximately With Daring feat “The -- House Rules” “-- -- We Trust” Sprinkle On guard Has food and drink Timbre Firm, said of pasta (2 wds.)

Frighten Makes done Insect stage Figure of speech Courted Kind of forensic evidence Unfair Anchor Magic carpet Jazz enthusiast Sculls Germanic god Cubbyhole Angry speech Pic from a movie Consumes Deficient in amount General drift -- said than done Poor Actress -- Zellweger

79 80 82 84 86 88 90 91 95 97 101 102 104 106 108 110 112 114 115 117 118 120 121 122 124 126 128 129 131 133 135 139 141 145 146 148 150

Large structure Record book Employ again Revelatory Like some wines and cheeses Dull finish Neat Supersedes Slanguage Breakfast fare Headquarters “Little -- Lupe Lu” Swoon Hair curler Fossilized resin Extreme want Asterisk Beast of burden Insect part -- avis Esker Urban pollution Rocky hill Craze Mother of Horus One choice among others United Drive back Choose Failed Ford of the ‘50s Like a parody Quarrels Devilish Leander’s love Dazzled Goes at a quick pace Female animal

151 153 155 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165

Sister of Clio “Three Musketeers” author Writer -- Zola More broad Chops Get away from Claw Cat- -- -- -tails Farming need Ferrum Tidings Peddler’s goods

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 23 31 33 36 37

Aunt in “Bewitched” Of blood Eschew Herb used in cooking Brain test, for short -- de deux Not baja Singer -- Abdul Earthworm Plant pouch Old Roman poet Corpsman Prior to this moment Bio or chem Colored Jargon Quick bread for tea The underworld Fine violin, for short Seismic event Decorate Spurt Seize Performing group

38 40 42 44 46 48 49 50 52 54 56 57 58 60 63 65 67 69 70 71 74 76 78 81 83 85 87 89 91 92 93 94 96 98 99 100 101 103 105

Sidestep Antlered animal “Kosher” Chinese, e.g.

Grinding tooth Medicinal amount Of one’s birth Develop Inscribe Thesaurus name Human-made waterway Cherish Gull cousin Skidded Doctrine Singer -- McEntire Licit Appear to be Baffle Object from antiquity Kingly Twofold Church officer Summary, for short Lab burner Alps region Hinder Sponsorship (Var.) Lover in a play Glowing coal Skin Biblical mountain Leading (2 wds.)

Building wings Texas landmark Dud Weapon’s handle Hospital worker Liking

107 109 111 113 116 119 123 125 126 127 129 130 132 134 135 136

Great anger Allude Tracks SWAT team actions Swift Sub -- (in secret) Period of years Clan Cushioned stool Snood Raised an uproar Lapis -Insert mark Thin plate Storage structures Nest

137 138 140 142 143 144 147 149 152 154 156 157

Vestige Ring-tailed animal Set of steps Low point Peace goddess Dwarf planet Pedestal part Decelerate CIA predecessor Upperclassman (Abbr.)

USN rank “Yikes!”

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

Enter a digit from 1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that: • Each horizontal row contains each digit exactly once • Each vertical column contains each digit exactly once • Each 3x3 box contains each digit exactly once Solving a sudoku puzzle does not require any mathematics; simple logic suffices.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

7 8 6 8 2

6 1 2

4

4

1 9 6 9

7

8 7 3 2

2

1 3 7 5

9

2

9 7 4

MEDIUM

5

5 # 49

1

9 8 4

3 4

9 1

3 2

7 2 1 5

7 9

6 7

8 6

9

MEDIUM # 50 Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

ANSWERS ON PAGE 39

40 JUNE 13, 2025

4

7

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JUNE 13, 2025

41

PIQUE’N YER INTEREST

IMAGE BY JON PARRIS

When it comes to your interests, there can be too much of a good thing MARK TWAIN is credited with the quote: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That makes sense at first blush: if you like something and are able to support yourself doing it, why wouldn’t you be happy?

BY DAVID SONG dsong@piquenewsmagazine.com Like Twain, I’m a writer. Alas, I cannot take credit for dreaming up recognized literary characters like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but I am fortunate to be employed as a small-time journalist for Pique Newsmagazine. They pay me to exercise one of my lifelong passions: I get to write about the formidable athletes, gifted creatives and varied happenings in our town.

My job fits me well and some aspects of it (like Crankworx or a World Championship) are particularly enjoyable… but I still don’t fully agree with Twain because writing for work will never be the same as writing for fun.

During my childhood, I authored Winnie the Pooh fanfiction by hand in large notebooks procured by my mom. It sounds corny as heck, but that was how naturally the

42 JUNE 13, 2025

written word came to me. As years passed, I began to try my hand at more mature, less derivative projects taking the form of both science fiction and fantasy universes.

Yet these activities often get put on hold.

I love writing, but I manage how much of it is done in my spare time. Were I to ever feel burnt out as a writer, that’d be disastrous for my job.

Twain likely meant to say that an individual who enjoys their career won’t be miserable doing it, but let’s be real: any job can feel like work sometimes because our employment duties are not ours to choose. In a perfect world I could spend as much time as

all kinds of added responsibility. You might love what you do, but you’re not going to love working insane hours to make ends meet during hard times.

It’s great to love your job, but it’s also key to hold realistic expectations about your day-to-day routine. Not everything is going to be fun, and that’s normal. Too much of a good thing can also be unhealthy outside of work.

Years ago, I spoke to a friend whom I once attended Bible camp with. He loves cars, and I wondered why he’d quit his job at a garage to be the assistant cook at camp.

His response went something along the

I love writing, but I manage how much of it is done in my spare time. Were I to ever feel burnt out as a writer, that’d be disastrous for my job.

I want penning fiction, but in this world the bulk of my writing energy goes toward Pique assignments because I’ve got bills to pay.

Folks who freelance or run their own businesses don’t deal with manager-imposed tasks or deadlines, but in exchange they field

lines of: “After a while, I realized that being employed as a mechanic took the joy out of working on cars for me.”

Weeks ago I talked with a different friend, a professional ski racer who expressed a similar notion. She loves competing and

skiing for fun, but skiing to train feels at times like a necessary chore associated with her career.

I’m a huge sports fan, and in the past I’ve burned many hours keeping up with various leagues. I am known to get up early, stay up late and do whatever it takes to enjoy games without being spoiled (and without ignoring other aspects of life). Yet this spring, I’ve only watched two NHL playoff games on my own time… more or less heretical behaviour for a Canadian and a self-professed “fan.”

A Stanley Cup Final between the hated Edmonton Oilers (I’m from Calgary) and the Florida Panthers who just won a title last year does not pique my interest. More importantly: my brain needs a break from sports. I still cover them at work, but finding other things to do in my spare time helps me do that without feeling overloaded.

Here’s my point: any activity can become negative when done to excess. We’ve all heard the term “work-life balance,” but perhaps “hobby balance” can be just as good for you. I’m a writer, a sports fan, a casual gym-goer, a movie buff, a sci-fi geek, a very part-time improv artist and more… that kind of variety benefits my overall growth more than if I were just a nerd or just a jock, etc.

Of course, there are still locals who might read this and continue to spend 100plus days skiing every winter. To each their own, I suppose. n

ENGEL &VÖLKERS WHISTLER

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