Crankworx Whistler marks its two-decade milestone, with local athlete Tegan Cruz poised to challenge for an overall title
Year 20
Crankworx Whistler marks its two-decade milestone, with local athlete Tegan Cruz poised to challenge for an overall title. - By David Song
06 OPENING REMARKS Whistler has enjoyed a near perfect summer, writes editor Braden Dupuis—but the resort isn’t out of the wildfire woods just yet.
08 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week’s letter-writers share gratitude for a classic firefighter cat rescue, and thanks to patrol staff in the bike park.
18 RANGE ROVER Leslie Anthony chronicles the early days and growth of trials riding on Hornby Island.
38 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST The biggest party of the summer is officially kicking off this week, writes Vince Shuley. Where does Crankworx go from here?
10 CROWN CAMPING RV living and Crown-land camping isn’t going anywhere in Whistler. What do long-term campers, residents and officials have to say?
12
OVER THE
RAINBOW
Tourism Whistler is ending its working relationship with Whistler Pride’s CEO over unpaid bills and a lack of contact since January.
22 WOLF LIKE ME It was another strong season for Whistler Wolves rugby, with the men’s roster tallying its second straight undefeated campaign in 2025.
26
IN CONCERT The Whistler Summer Concert Series resumes Aug. 21 with Canadian DJ duo PINEO & LOEB.
COVER Still pretty proud of my short-lived career as a Crankworx competitor—breaking my collar bone in the time trials of the inaugural bikercross event after taking the step up with far too much speed and unearned confidence. - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art
Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@piquenewsmagazine.com
Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT www.piquenewsmagazine.com
Whistler is not out of the wildfire woods yet
AS FAR AS summers in Whistler go, 2025 has been almost perfect so far (well, except for some intermittent closures of Alta Lake beaches due to elevated coliforms from goose poop—but you can’t win ‘em all).
It’s been perfect in the sense that it hasn’t been one long, sustained heat spell
BY BRADEN DUPUIS
plagued with drought, wildfire risk and smoky skies—which is far more than many Canadian communities can say at this point of summer
We’ve had a few good stretches of intensely hot weather, often interspersed with just enough rain and cooler temperatures to keep the wildfire risk at bay.
But Whistler is not out of the proverbial wildfire woods just yet, and with thousands set to descend on the resort for the biggest party of the summer in Crankworx, it’s worth reiterating the message: All it will take is one careless individual for things to go south fast.
While it’s forecast to drop back to moderate this week, as of this writing, the fire danger rating in the resort is still extreme, where it has sat for more than a week. And the sunny skies and high temperatures are forecast to return on Saturday, right around the time the Crankworx action kicks off in earnest.
If you’re new to the resort, or just visiting
for the party, here’s the key takeaway: No fires of any kind are allowed in Whistler now until Sept. 15, no matter the fire danger rating— including campfires and fireworks.
Anyone in contravention of that faces a hefty financial penalty. In Whistler, the fine for having a fire without a permit is $500, reduced to $300 if paid within 14 days. The fine for having a campfire during a ban, as Whistler is now under until Sept. 15, is $1,000. The RCMP and COS can also issue an additional $1,150 ticket for fire-related infractions.
Outside municipal boundaries, a Category
bylaw department. Since Jan. 1, 2024, two tickets have been issued for open-air burns in Whistler.
That’s not a lot, but make no mistake— local officials take the threat seriously.
According to a Resort Municipality of Whistler communications official, there were 35 calls reporting outdoor burning in 2024, though not all of them led to direct enforcement.
“Often, we receive complaints over illegal fires that, upon investigation, turn out to be something else, like someone using a
these instances rather than issuing fines.”
But at the end of the day, “blatant disregard of the bylaw and/or fire ban is strictly enforced,” they added.
While Whistler has enjoyed clear skies and low fire risk for much of summer 2025, other provinces and towns haven’t been so fortunate.
According to the federal government, there have been 3,582 wildfires so far in Canada this year, which is below the 10-year average of 3,931—but those fires have burned an astounding 6,260,975 hectares, blowing the
If you’re new to the resort, or just visiting for the party, here’s the key takeaway: No fires of any kind are allowed in Whistler now until Sept. 15, no matter the fire danger rating—including campfires and fireworks.
1 open fire prohibition is in place throughout the Coastal Fire Centre, banning campfires and backyard burns. The order will remain until Oct. 31, or until rescinded by officials.
Anyone in contravention of a BC Wildfire Service prohibition can be ticketed $1,150, or a penalty up to $100,000, and sentenced to up to one year in prison. If your fire results in a wildfire, you can also be ordered to pay the government’s cost to suppress the fire and other damages.
Inside municipal boundaries, the Whistler Fire Rescue Service can hand out fines, but typically defers to the municipal
propane appliance, which is permitted. In some cases, crews arrive onsite to find an abandoned fire, with nobody around to fine. In other instances, fires are called in from areas outside of our jurisdiction,” the official said in an email to Pique. “It’s also not unusual for open burns to be called in when there is no fire ban in place (although a permit is still required). Seventeen of the fires reported last year fall into this category. Many of these 17 were abandoned campfires, some related to propane appliances, and a few with people on scene that were unaware of the permit requirement. We often rely on education in
10-year average of 2,704,359 hectares out of the water.
Many prairie communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have endured a summer blanketed in thick smoke. Hundreds of structures have been lost, and more than 40,000 Canadians have been evacuated from their homes due to wildfire threat.
Relative to that, Whistler’s summer has been one for the ages—but it’s not over yet.
Find more info and resources at whistler. ca/wildfire. See smoke? In Whistler, report it by calling 911. Outside municipal boundaries, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone. n
B1EvaLakeVillage
Renovated3-bedroom townhome inNordic.Perfect fora Whistler familyorlocalbusinesslookingfor staff accommodation.
Securebikeandgearstorage is available at Whistler Village Olympic Plaza, LostLake Park andR ainbow Park.
Freeparkshuttles
Freeshuttles to Rainbow Parkand LostLakePark every 20minutes.
Free weekend transit
From FunctionJunction to Emerald Estates(GreenLake Lookout).
Gratitude for WFRS after successful cat rescue
I am writing to express my gratitude to the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS) for the successful rescue of my cat.
A large, black dog came bounding over the cliff at the rear of the property and gave chase to my cat who climbed to the first branch of the nearest tree, some 12 feet high. Having no ladder, I called the non-emergency number for the WFRS.
Deputy Fire Chief Hunter, assisted by his daughter Bree (it happened to be father/ daughter day at the Fire Hall), assessed the situation and called one of his crew to bring a ladder. Jackson performed a brilliant rescue mission, bagged my timid cat and brought her to safety. What a wonderful community service by the Whistler Fire Rescue Service.
Thank you to everyone involved. I am indeed grateful.
Christine Lewis // Whistler
Shout-out to Whistler Mountain Bike Park staff
A big shout-out to the Whistler Mountain Bike
Park patrol for their assistance recently. I was riding my bike in the Garbanzo Zone of the park on July 28. I had just started down Original Sin and got a rear flat tire. I always carry two spare tubes and a pump in my backpack, so I was miffed, but not that concerned.
As I was going through my pack, I discovered I didn’t have my pump with me (turns out I had forgotten it at home). As I was beginning the long push down to the Raven’s Nest building at the top of the Creekside Gondola, a patrol member on his bike passed me and suggested that I call patrol and maybe they could give me a lift in their buggy.
Write to us! Letters to the editor must contain the writer’s name, address and a daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 450 words. Pique Newsmagazine reserves the right to edit, condense or refrain from publishing any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine. Send them to edit@ piquenewsmagazine.com before 11 a.m. on Tuesday for consideration in that week’s paper.
I made the call and a patrol member was there in minutes. He dropped me off and even lent me a pump so I could repair my flat. These guys saved me A LOT of pushing. Thank you very much to them both.
Stuart Smith // Langley n
“A
large, black dog came bounding over the cliff at the rear of the property and gave chase to my cat who climbed to the first branch of the nearest tree...”
- CHRISTINE LEWIS
FOR THE RECORD
Due to a production/editing error, several categories in last week’s Best of Pemberton feature didn’t make it into print. Find the remaining winners on page 16. n
‘Just
need
a
place to park’: RV living highlights Whistler’s housing crisis
LONG-TERM CAMPERS, RESIDENTS AND OFFICIALS WEIGH IN ON SAFETY, HOUSING AND THE FUTURE OF FOREST SERVICE ROADS
BY LIZ MCDONALD
PAUL STEPHENS lives a lifestyle familiar to many Whistlerites—mountain biking, river swims and long walks with his two dogs, Winterfell and John Snow. Each day, he heads to work as the owner of Whistler Garbage and Recycling.
But unlike many, Stephens lives in an RV on Crown land up Wedge Mountain Forest Service Road. He’s called the outskirts of Whistler home for the past four years.
After separating from his partner and facing the town’s notoriously high cost of living—where roughly 90 per cent of residents can’t afford market-rate housing—Stephens made the decision to adopt a less conventional form of housing. Owning two large dogs added to the challenge of finding a suitable rental.
“I did one winter in the cargo trailer—froze my ass off,” Stephens said. “In the spring, I bought the big camper.” Come winter, he moves to an RV park for the season. “It’s easier to do it that way because you have the electric hookup. The camper’s winterized. If you put
PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONALD
in a wood stove, you could survive the winter, no problem. But once the fire goes out, it gets extremely cold.”
Living off-grid brings its own set of challenges beyond harsh temperatures. Stephens has had to deal with repeated theft due to the remote nature of his home.
Over the years, he’s had numerous tools and other belongings stolen. The problem became so persistent he installed a security camera system.
many of the same concerns as his traditionally housed neighbours. He agrees wildfire risk, garbage, and unregulated camping are real issues. But he believes the solution isn’t stricter enforcement—it’s infrastructure.
His proposal: a permanent, designated RV site on Crown land that includes basic services and security.
“If you have a gate for the entrance, you know who’s coming in,” he said. “It adds security and a little bit of peace of mind.”
“It feels better than constantly struggling to find a place. I have some peace of mind.”
- PAUL STEPHENS
That camera is how Pique came to meet him.
In response to reader concerns about illegal camping near Whistler—largely focused on wildfire risk, garbage dumping, and unsanitary conditions along forest service roads—Pique began searching for people to interview on the topic. While exploring the Wedge area, my presence triggered Stephens’ security system. He arrived shortly after, and a conversation followed.
Though he lives off-grid, Stephens shares
His vision includes sewer access, bathrooms and garbage bins—essentials that would improve living conditions and reduce environmental impact.
“It would remove all the people... There’s been a lot of complaints in Cheakamus about people just parking wherever and setting up and staying long-term,” he said. “But the guys that work here, they just need a place to park.
“When you’re living here, we’re not, I guess, as aesthetically pleasing as some of the weekend [campers]. I’ve got snowmobiles,
tools, generators—it’s a whole package that comes with living in an RV and living this kind of lifestyle.”
A MODEL FROM SQUAMISH
Stephens’ idea isn’t without precedent. A campground in Squamish already offers a version of what he envisions.
John Harvey runs Mamquam River Campground, a four-season, affordable, nonprofit campground situated on Crown land with a 30-year lease supported by the District of Squamish.
“I’ve always felt our campground is replicable,” Harvey said. “It started with me writing six pages on paper, sent to the Ministry of Forests, saying I’m interested in abandoned Crown land.”
He accepts long-term, self-contained campers in the winter by application only. In the summer, reservations are limited to a two-week stay.
Harvey hires staff to manage the property and doesn’t run it to make money.
Winter tenants must meet specific conditions. Campers must interview with Harvey and sign an agreement to vacate by April 15.
“The reason it’s done that way is it immediately excludes problem people I don’t want,” he said. “I’m concerned about ruining the environment. One person can ruin it for everyone.”
CAMP NOWHERE Paul Stephens lives in an RV on a forest service road near Whistler with his two dogs. He wants a safe, permanent site established for people like him.
A CALL FOR ACTION
Whistler resident Trevor Mitzel says the time has come for authorities to take action—both through enforcement and through solutions.
“They live without proper access to sanitation. Then there’s the concern regarding fire danger. You’ve got barbecues, generators, campfires in an area close to population. There’s a big risk there,” he said. “In Cheakamus and Wedge, it’s getting popular enough that it’s an area the public can no longer access.
“It’s Crown land. The province and town have developed these recreation areas, and we can’t access them.”
Mitzel acknowledges some campers are left with no other option, but he believes the trend is largely enabled by a lack of enforcement.
“I think we’ve made it an option. You can find a place to live, or buy an old RV and live in the woods. It’s not a good solution,” he said. “The municipality is basically saying we don’t want to get involved because they don’t want to force people with housing issues to move.
“But if we’re going to tacitly approve of this, then do it properly. Provide somewhere these people can have a permanent campsite, porta potty or access to basic sanitation.”
THE VANLIFE PERSPECTIVE
Dan Finn, a seasonal visitor from Utah, shares some of Mitzel’s concerns, despite also living in a vehicle while in Whistler.
For the past 13 summers, Finn has driven north for adventure. He used to stay with friends, but becoming a dog owner made that more complicated.
His solution? Vehicle camping. He travels with a Starlink internet system mounted to his truck and moves every few days.
His setup is minimalist, designed to minimize impact and avoid attracting attention—from bears or people.
“The cost of renting during the summer is prohibitive,” he said. “But I also pursue this lifestyle for the flexibility—it lets me travel through the province while I’m here.”
While his own habits are mindful, Finn says not everyone is so conscientious.
“It’s definitely concerning to me, which is probably a weird thing to say, because I’m doing the same thing,” he said. “But I feel like my impact is pretty minimal. There’s definitely some people that are maybe less concerned or less aware of their impact.”
He’s seen people camp in the same place for years at a time and wonders why no action is taken. Legally, people are only permitted to camp on Crown land for 14 days.
A PROVINCIAL RESPONSE
Jeremy Valeriote, MLA for West VancouverSea to Sky, said the issue of long-term Crown camping is on his radar—but the underlying cause is no mystery.
“The systemic cause is unaffordable and unattainable housing,” he said.
Valeriote pointed to BC Housing’s support of the Heart and Hearth program and his push to direct funding to Squamish Helping Hands, which runs the shelter nearest to Whistler.
“What’s really needed are deeply affordable, non-market homes for people,” he said.
In terms of enforcement, Valeriote said his office recently requested a briefing from the
Ministry of Forests in response to heightened wildfire risk.
“We want to know where they stand currently on enforcement through Conservation Officers, Natural Resource Officers, and possibly even the RCMP, if that’s required,” he said.
Still, he acknowledged enforcement is only a temporary fix.
“People being asked to move after 14 days is not the ultimate solution,” he said. “But when there’s danger to others, danger to the forest, or danger to the environment, then enforcement really needs to come into play.”
Stephens’ suggestion of a designated site?
Valeriote said it’s worth exploring.
“I think it’s worth consideration. I know there are not enough low-cost campgrounds, and the ones that do exist are often quite expensive,” he said. “There is Crown land that would probably be suitable. But that’s why this needs a push in the right direction.
“So far, it flares up once or twice a year, then there’s a bunch of jurisdictional finger-pointing, and then it fades away as we get into winter.”
RMOW’S POSITION
Pique asked the Resort Municipality of Whistler whether there’s any formal discussion about a permanent site like Stephens suggested.
Acting Mayor Jessie Morden said housing conversations are “always evolving,” but nothing concrete is underway.
“We recognize that the status quo probably isn’t sustainable for many reasons, but we’re committed to build as much as we can,” she said. “On municipal land, we can build more apartments, condos and townhomes than we can fit RVs and campers.”
The municipality has received complaints about Crown campers, and Morden said the RMOW is trying to balance those concerns with compassion for underhoused residents.
Last year’s complaints sparked interagency meetings and a commitment from the province to increase patrols and signage. Whistler bylaw services is now taking what Morden described as a “compassionate approach,” including referring people to the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS).
While WCSS does not operate a permanent shelter, executive director Jackie Dickinson urged residents to approach the issue with empathy.
“Once you hear someone’s story— whether it’s the person in a house or the person seen as a contributor who lacks a safe place to live—they both have reasons to be frustrated,” she said. “But we often don’t understand the ‘why,’ which leads to conflict. This isn’t limited to Whistler—it’s happening across the country.”
She pointed to Whistler’s high cost of living, tight housing market, and precarious employment as some of the key reasons people seek help from WCSS.
For Stephens, the RV lifestyle is far from perfect—but it offers something the local housing market doesn’t: stability.
“It’s almost impossible to rent a place. Even when you do, it’s often temporary,” he said. “You’re good for two years, and then you’re on the hunt again.
“This sort of stabilizes your housing situation. It feels better than constantly struggling to find a place. I have some peace of mind.” n
Tourism Whistler ends working relationship with Whistler Pride CEO
THE MOVE COMES AFTER UNPAID BILLS AND ZERO COMMUNICATION FROM THE CEO SINCE JANUARY. A TRIVIA COMPANY IS ALSO STRUGGLING WITH SIMILAR
PROBLEMS
BY LIZ MCDONALD
TOURISM WHISTLER has ended all business dealings with the event producer for the Whistler Pride and Ski Festival.
In a statement provided to Pique, Tourism Whistler said the decision was made because of financial and communication issues.
“Tourism Whistler and Whistler.com have formally ended all business dealings with the event producer who has delivered the Whistler Pride and Ski Festival since 2019. This decision was not made lightly. It follows unresolved financial issues and a complete absence of communication after the conclusion of the 2025 event in January,” the organization said in an emailed statement.
“Whistler has a long and proud history of being inclusive to all, and Tourism Whistler remains deeply committed to celebrating and welcoming the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to our destination. Whistler event stakeholder organizations, including Tourism Whistler, intend to conduct a formal [request for proposal] process to identify a new event producer for a Pride event in Whistler for 2026 and beyond.”
Sunil Sinha is the CEO of the event and has been at the helm since 2019.
Tourism Whistler isn’t the only one that has had communication and payment problems with Sinha.
A Vancouver trivia company owner has taken his unpaid bill from Sinha to the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal after he didn’t receive the full payment for services rendered during Whistler Pride.
Michael Whitaker, owner of IQ 2000, was contacted on Jan. 18 to run a trivia event on Jan. 21 in Whistler. Sinha approached Whitaker to produce the trivia content and
provide a host for the evening, and just over half of his invoice remains unpaid months after it was due.
Whistler Pride owes $544.75 for the services rendered, according to an invoice provided to Pique. Whitaker said he worked hard on short notice to produce the show.
“It was a logistical feat. We had to send a host to Whistler for an evening show, and so they had to stay overnight. As it happened, I had a host who was available and enthusiastic to go the Pride trivia event,” he said. “The host was provided two-way transportation and accommodation from Whistler Pride, did the show, and when it was time to pay the rest, everything went silent.”
Whitaker had sparse communications from Sinha regarding fulfilment of payment before he reached out to Pique, which the newsmagazine has confirmed.
“They sent two texts, both are pretty insubstantial. I’ve called every day, texted, emailed. I got a text Feb. 8 which said, ‘I’ll be in touch, don’t worry,’ after quite a number of texts and emails. I said, ‘OK, when?’” Whitaker said. “If they needed time, talk to me. No reply. A few days later, the text said, ‘Bro I will take care of this, just waiting for funds to clear.’ There was a casualness that’s concerning given the situation. I asked again when that would be, no reply.”
Pique has reached out numerous times to Sinha through text, email and calls, and he has not provided an official comment by deadline.
When Pique initially reached out to Sinha in February after Whitaker first brought his concerns to the paper, he sent a barrage of text messages arguing the reporter had no credentials, requested confirmation from the editor that Pique hired the reporter, and that he was justified in not paying the remainder of
his bill to IQ 2000 Trivia because he paid the “performer,” a host who works for Whitaker. He also began sending mass text messages to Whitaker after weeks of little to no contact. “Aside from payment, I’d like an apology for the inconvenience, or to know if anyone else is in the same boat. I’ve run the company for 11 years. It’s my full-time job. I don’t do anything other than this. I put love and passion into these shows,” Whitaker said. “I love working with Pride ... I’m hoping there’s a miscommunication and we’d love to get this taken care of.”
Pique reached out to Sinha again on July 29 with a request for comment through phone and email. The publication received an autoreply that said, “Thank you for your email. I apologize for my unannounced absence and lack of response to texts and emails. I intend to start responding back soon. Sunil.” n
Human remains found in Whistler belonged to missing Coquitlam man
JONATHAN WHITE, 35, WAS LAST SEEN IN WHISTLER VILLAGE IN MAY 2022
BY BRADEN DUPUIS
HUMAN REMAINS discovered north of Whistler Village last fall belonged to a Coquitlam man who went missing in 2022, Pique has learned.
Jonathan White, 35, spent the Victoria Day long weekend in the resort that year, and was last seen May 22, 2022, walking northeast on Blackcomb Way.
He was reported missing by a family member May 25. Despite an extensive search of the area that included land and water search teams, search and rescue and even human-remain-detecting dogs, no sign of White was found.
More than two years later, on Oct. 8, 2024, a person walking in the forest near Mons Road found a human skull, with White’s identification and the clothes he
July 31, toxicological testing was not possible due to the length of time that had passed, and a limited examination by a forensic anthropologist “did not find any trauma that
“I classify this death as undetermined...”
- LAURA YAZEDJIAN
was wearing when he went missing nearby. Though officials were able to confirm his identity by comparing DNA with a family member, no other remains or indications of how he died were found.
According to a coroner’s report released
could indicate a cause of death.”
Though the report redacted his identity, Pique can confirm the remains belonged to White.
An investigation revealed White had been struggling with depression, but “he did not
exhibit any overt signs of suicidal ideation, and did not leave any indication that he intended to take his own life,” wrote coroner Laura Yazedjian in her report. “He was a regular user of alcohol, but did not have any history of unregulated substance use.”
And while White had not seen a doctor in many years, he did not have any documented history of natural illness.
“Police investigation did not reveal any indication of foul play,” Yazedjian wrote in her report.
“After a full investigation and consideration of all available information, there is insufficient evidence to classify this death as natural, accidental or suicide. I classify this death as undetermined and make no recommendations.” n
RAINBOW CONNECTION Scenes from the 2024 Whistler Pride ski-out/parade.
FILE PHOTO BY BRADEN DUPUIS
Whistler’s Lost Lake Disc Golf Course set for rejuvenation
COUNCIL ENDORSES FEASIBILITY STUDY, ASKS STAFF TO EXPLORE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
BY BRADEN DUPUIS
WHISTLER’S LOST LAKE Disc Golf Course is set for a rejuvenation after council endorsed a related feasibility study on July 22.
The study was initiated in 2023 “in response to issues of unauthorized course building, environmental impact, safety, user experience, trespass and capacity,” said parks planning technician Connor Eccles in a presentation to the committee of the whole on July 8.
Disc golf, with its wide range of appeal for all skill levels and physical abilities, is considered an important activity in the resort, Eccles said, noting its low cost barrier has led to steady growth in the past decade.
In 2022, more than 18,000 users were tallied on the Lost Lake course from May to October.
“The Lost Lake Disc Golf Course is truly unique, offering both open and forested play, wilderness experience appeal, and several holes are considered iconic,” Eccles said. “The issues previously listed require attention through an increased level of formalization, investment and management.”
Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) staff and a “consultant team” developed three different scenarios through the study, ultimately recommending a plan (which council supported) to expand the Lost Lake course using its existing footprint, while also expanding to connect with Spruce Grove Park.
“This scenario can meet the project’s objectives, address stated issues and best balance new course development with environmental protection, mitigation and restoration,” Eccles said. “The location is central to the community and is accessible by active transportation and transit, and use of
facilities at Spruce Grove Park makes best use of existing infrastructure.”
All told, three different consulting agencies worked on the study with RMOW staff.
“The total project cost so far is $68,000. A portion of that value—$30,000—was for environmental review and monitoring on all seven possible study sites, which was key to understanding the impacts of disc golf, the need for remediation in some areas, and identifying the sites with the least ecological impact. This work helps us understand how best to manage the current facility and would have been done whether or not a new course is developed,” a municipal communications official said in response to questions from Pique.
“Using the findings of the environmental review, the other consultants came onboard
to identify several potential course options for consideration. This feasibility work was necessary and will help guide any future decision on a possible course option.”
The costs were covered by MRDT revenue and included in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 project budgets, the official added.
As part of its resolution, council also directed staff to explore external funding opportunities for capital development and annual operating costs of the Lost Lake course. It is expected a budget of about $400,000 will be required to cover things like course development, hardware (tee pads, baskets and signage), environmental protection and restoration, professional services and permitting (as well as a 15-percent contingency).
The RMOW expects annual operation
‘His life was filled with creativity, kindness, and love’
FAMILY OF ILLYA RECHYTSKYY FUNDRAISING TO COVER FUNERAL COSTS
BY BRADEN DUPUIS
THE FAMILY OF A MAN tragically swept away in Whistler’s Cheakamus River on Canada Day is remembering him as a devoted family man who loved to share his creations with others.
Illya Rechytskyy, from Israel, was visiting family in Whistler with his wife when the tragedy occurred July 1.
“Since then, we have made every possible effort to find him, together with search-andrescue teams, volunteers, and as a family searching tirelessly for an entire month. After 30 long days of searching we finally found him, he had been swept away by the river’s current and carried into Daisy Lake,” wrote his daughter, Veronika Misyura, on a fundraiser page set up to help with funeral costs.
“Throughout his life, he selflessly volunteered and helped others in need. This
time, it is our family humbly asking for help to give him the farewell he deserves.”
Originally from Ukraine, Rechytskyy was an Israeli citizen and a proud Jewish man who lived for more than 10 years in the city of Ofakim, Israel, the fundraiser reads. He was in Canada visiting his children on vacation.
and maintenance costs will be about $5,000 a year.
“Looking to the future, it is recommended that a smaller course near Function Junction be given consideration for longer-term development,” Eccles said. “A second course would disperse users over a larger area, thus reducing wear and capacity issues on the Lost Lake course. Being located on mostly disturbed lands under the hydro right-ofway and former highway right-of-way, it is preferable to using non-disturbed lands.”
Council was supportive of the project in endorsing it on July 22.
“People say, oh it’s a ‘nice-to-have,’ or whatever. Yes, it’s a ‘nice-to-have,’ but let’s find some grant funding and do it because it is an incredible community asset that our guests enjoy and that our own young people enjoy, that is something that we can create, that is free for someone to do,” said Councillor Ralph Forsyth. “So [I’m] all about it.”
Coun. Jen Ford concurred, adding disc golf users are some of the most engaged in the forest.
“The members of the Whistler Disc Golf Club are out there every day, and they’re watching. They’re watching for fires, they’re watching for changes in the landscape. They’re watching for broken trees,” Ford said, adding Whistler is becoming a “destination” for disc golfers.
“Believe it or not, there’s actually a Professional Disc Golf Association, and they do like big-time tours, so it’s a thing,” she said. “But these people are also watching for cigarette butts, and they’re watching for garbage and they’re cleaning up our forest. So having people in that park is hugely beneficial to the use of the space.”
An Expression of Interest will be posted for the project work, which will inform next steps. Read more at whistler.ca/parks. n
“He was a writer, an artist, and a devoted family man who loved to share his creations with everyone around him. His life was filled with creativity, kindness, and love for his family and community,” Misyura wrote.
“We are now facing the difficult task of arranging his funeral and burial here in
Canada, far from home. Any support to help our family cover the costs of his final journey means the world to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and compassion.”
In a Facebook post on July 31, Rechytskyy’s wife, Irina Andreeva, said Rechytskyy was found in Daisy Lake on July 30.
“This is a heartbreaking moment, but your efforts brought us the closure we so desperately needed,” Andreeva wrote.
“To the people of Whistler—your kindness, your solidarity, and your humanity have touched me and my family forever. You showed what true community means. Please take care of yourselves. Life is fragile. Don’t forget to speak words of love to those dearest to you—while you can.”
Pique reached out to the Whistler RCMP, but did not receive a response before press time. Find the fundraiser at gofundme.com/f/ in-loving-memory-of-our-father-illyarechytskyy. n
EXPANDING DISC In 2022, more than 18,000 users were tallied on the Lost Lake Disc Golf Course in Whistler.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT MUNICIPALITY OF WHISTLER
LOVE AND KINDNESS Illya Rechytskyy and his wife, Irina Andreeva. GOFUNDME PHOTO
NEARLY 300 CHILDREN REMAIN ON THE PEMBERTON CHILDCARE SOCIETY’S WAITLIST
BY LUKE FAULKS
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
THE LONG-AWAITED expansion to Pemberton’s daycare is now targeting a fall 2025 opening—so long as qualified early childhood educators and sufficient housing for new hires can be secured.
The $3.5-million expansion was completed earlier this year but remains shuttered, despite there being 295 children on the Pemberton Child Care Society’s (PCCS) waitlist.
“Regarding the long-anticipated centre expansion, we share the community’s concern with the delays,” said the PCCS board of directors in a July 28 statement. “[We recognize] the significant challenges and frustrations families face when trying to access affordable, high-quality early childcare.”
The new facility has encountered a series of setbacks during its six-year development.
In 2019, the Village of Pemberton (VOP) listed daycare expansion as a strategic priority after a report found there were only 12.5 licensed spaces for every 100 kids in Pemberton.
In 2022, following unsuccessful applications in 2020 and 2021, the Village secured $2,771,000 for 50 childcare spaces through the ChildCare BC New Spaces Fund. Site work began later that year; however, after a funding shortfall emerged, the VOP had to apply for supplementary funding. A further $800,000 was awarded in early 2023.
The expansion’s construction
required relocating the Nature Play Park and Playscape next to the Pemberton & District Community Centre, sparking concern over a reduction in green space in the village.
A week out from the original opening date of Sept. 3, 2024, the PCCS announced the timeline would be pushed back. The post confirmed the facility would only open once it received a license under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and was safely operational.
The daycare received its Community Care and Assisted Living Act license on Jan. 2, for an initial capacity of 25 students, with an expansion to the full 50-student capacity once additional staff are secured.
On Feb. 25, the VOP and PCCS released a joint statement citing structural issues that further pushed back the daycare’s opening, including “the HVAC system, a roof leak and the need for future assessment of areas impacted by previous water exposure.”
A lack of housing options for qualified personnel and structural issues aren’t the only hurdles.
The VOP explained in a statement that, because the building is not physically connected to the existing daycare, the expansion is considered a separate facility under B.C.’s $10-a-day childcare program. That separation—of only two metres, according to the Village—triggers additional licensing and independent staffing requirements that have contributed to delays.
That decision not to join the buildings together was made to avoid disruption to the existing centre’s operations during construction.
For MLA Jeremy Valeriote, the stalled opening highlights the link between housing and barriers to delivering essential services in
rural communities.
“We share the frustration of the community about delays to the reopening of the facility,” Valeriote wrote to Pique. “We’ve long been aware that there is insufficient childcare capacity in the Sea to Sky corridor, with residents in Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish feeling increasingly despondent over waitlists.
“We asked the Ministry of Education and Childcare for an explanation about delays to the opening of Pemberton Children’s Centre almost two weeks ago, and they have not yet given us an answer.”
He added the additional licensing and staffing requirements incurred by the $10-a-day childcare policy were running counter to the objective of increasing access to the service.
“It is absurd that an existing $10-a-day childcare operator is required to submit a whole new application to the province because their new building is two metres away from the existing facility,” Valeriote said.
He pointed to a commitment by the B.C. government to “protect, purchase and build 30,000 units of non-market housing over the next four years” as part of the ruling NDP’s cooperation agreement with the Green Party. He also singled out the Harrow Road project by Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS), which will deliver 63 rental homes—most at affordable rates.
“While that’s still a year away from opening its doors, we will continue to support SSCS and other non-profit housing providers in the corridor, and advocate for more government support for these types of muchneeded, non-market affordable housing solutions,” he wrote.
With nearly 300 children on the waitlist, and some 61 per cent of families in the Sea to Sky requesting additional childcare options, according to a 2025 SSCS study, the PCCS and VOP are recommending residents raise their concerns with higher levels of government, like MLA Valeriote.
“Community members with concerns are encouraged to share them with their local MLA and MP,” the Village said. PCCS echoed the call, urging advocacy “for increased investment in childcare infrastructure.”
The Village also clarified its role. While it helped secure grant funding and oversaw construction, the VOP’s involvement ended there.
“The Village is not involved in recruiting or accommodating staff for the childcare centre expansion and does not provide staffing or housing support for external organizations,” the Village stated in a written response. “However, the Village may support community initiatives through measures such as waiving development fees or expediting applications for affordable or dedicated rental housing.”
The VOP told Pique it has no plans to pursue further childcare infrastructure without a committed operating partner in place.
The PCCS board has asked those with constructive ideas or suggestions on how the Society could improve childcare access to reach out at community@pembykids.com.
“We understand how difficult and disheartening this situation can be for families,” the PCCS board wrote. “Rather than letting this challenge divide us, we hope to face it as a united community.”
expansion has seen numerous delays since the Village listed it as a strategic priority in 2019.
From sea to sky: Ishan Tewari’s path to Pemberton
ONE OF PEMBERTON’S NEWEST ENTREPRENEURS IS BRINGING ULTRALIGHT AVIATION TO THE CORRIDOR
BY LUKE FAULKS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
FOR ISHAN TEWARI, flying is more than a business—it’s a calling for which he has set aside multiple high-paying, stable careers.
The former Indian Navy officer and newly minted Pemberton resident is the founder and chief instructor behind Whistler Sky Sports, a new ultralight and power hanggliding flight school launching this fall from the Pemberton Airport.
It’s been a long road to get to Pemberton. But he told Pique that residents’ appetite for adrenaline and exploration is what ultimately drew him to this corner of the planet.
“You talk about skiing, you talk about snowboarding, you talk about different kinds of sports,” Tewari said. “What is it that is common? That people here are willing to go out and do these things, right? It is a community of extreme sports people.”
IN THE NAVY
Tewari’s journey to aviation started, improbably, in the Indian Naval Academy.
“We had these different clubs—arts, culinary, music, dance—and I chose the paragliding club,” he explained.
An end-of-term paragliding session lit the fuse for him. He recalled spending five, six hours flying off the Vagamon mountain in the Kerala state. Ten years in the Navy—where he served as an electrical officer and deepsea diver—never dulled that initial spark. He even started to expand into more extreme iterations of the sport.
“I started doing power flying,” he recalled. “Same paragliding setup, but with a 30-kilo motor on your back. You can take off from a flat field—football field size. No mountain needed.”
Still, despite that passion, Tewari’s career nearly took another direction entirely. After leaving the Navy in 2022 against the wishes of his family, he applied to Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in international business. And while he’d received a handful of promising job offers—including one in San Francisco managing a multi-million dollar EV depot—none ultimately piqued his interest.
“The pay was very good, I will not deny,” he said. “But with the long hours, I was like, ‘If I have to work so much, why should I not work for myself?’”
His initial idea was to try to challenge a provincial power monopoly in New Brunswick, offering remote communities access to renewable energy sources on independent grids. During his final semesters at Harvard, he developed a business plan, started consulting with these communities and lined up investors. But he knew his passion lay elsewhere.
“I figured I would do part-time flying. I will not generate money out of it, but it will be like an equilibrium where my expenses would
be covered by the business and I could fly on the side,” he said.
“But I came to a point where I wanted to do something which generates money and is also able to cater to what my passion [is].”
So, after speaking with his business mentors, he started looking for an established resort town with an airstrip, mountain ranges that could accommodate paragliding and a community of like-minded adventurers.
In June, he moved to Pemberton—close enough to Whistler to access its tourists but in a town that possessed the flying infrastructure he needed.
BUILDING AN AIRSTRIP DREAM
In March 2024, Tewari began working with the Village of Pemberton (VOP) and the Pemberton Airport to secure permits for Whistler Sky Sports.
“They have been super helpful with me,” he said, singling out the VOP’s director of corporate and legislative services Gwendolyn Kennedy and deputy corporate officer Elena Aranguren. “They have gone out of their way to help me.”
Unlike a typical adventure outfit, Whistler Sky Sports operates as a Transport Canada–certified flight school, where even a 15-minute intro ride is considered a flight lesson.
“There is no joyride as such,” Tewari explained. “Though it is a joyful way to spend your time, you also get to learn something with that.”
That means hands-on controls, cockpit briefings and an intro to mountain flying physics—how thermals rise, how lift bands form, and why birds with open wings mean good air.
“Even if you are going for an introductory flight, you should think of it as a learning,” he said. “Those flights are like tasters. You get a taste of what flying is all about.”
The school’s two ultralight aircraft—an open-cockpit trike and a closed-cockpit RANS S-6 Coyote II—are currently stationed in Calgary, awaiting transport west. Full programming is expected to begin mid-September.
Despite his rigorous safety-first mindset, Tewari has had a few close calls. He once crashed into a river in India with a paramotor on his back—only surviving thanks to his naval diving training and a well-timed rope rescue by local police.
“I figured I had already lost my life,” he said of the incident. “So I learned it’s better to learn from others’ mistakes rather than doing it yourself, because you don’t get many chances up in there.”
In addition to passing on the knowledge he’s gained over more than a decade of aviation, his ultimate hope is that Whistler Sky Sports will help turn Pemberton—not Whistler—into “the true adventure capital” of the Sea to Sky.
“The signs as you drive in, ‘Adventure begins here,’” he noted. “I really want to help make it true.” n
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PEMBERTONBest of 2025
Best of Pemberton winners (cont’d)
Due to a production/editing error (or possibly a ghost?), several categories in last week’s Best of Pemberton cover feature were not included in print. The missing categories are included below—congrats to all the winners!
BEST DOG TRAINER
1. DawgSmartz Dog Training
2. Modern Dog Training
3. Mt. Currie K9 Adventures
BEST PET SERVICE/ SUPPLIES
1. Whiskers Pet Shop
2. Animal Barn
3. Ruth’s Pet Hotel
BEST CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC
1. Heather Munroe Chiropractic
2. Pemberton Valley Wellness
3. Local Motion Therapy
BEST PHYISOTHERAPY/ ACUPUNCTURE
1. Local Motion Therapy
2. The Ridge Physiotherapy
3. Allison Megeney Physiotherapy
FAVOURITE ELECTRICIAN 1. Fenner Electric
Rainbow Electric
Wire-it Electrical Contractors
FAVOURITE PLUMBING COMPANY
1. 220 Plumbing 2. Grizz the Plumber 3. Straightline Plumbing and Gas
BEST CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
1. Dorgelo By Design
2. New Leaf Contracting
3. Pedrini Construction
BEST AUTO SHOP
1. Spierings Automotive
2. Black’s Hot Wheels
3. JT Heavy and Auto Repair
FAVOURITE GAS STATION
1. AC Gas
2. Lil’wat Station
3. Petro-Can Pemberton
BEST LANDSCAPING
1. Snapdragon Landscapes
2. Super Natural Landscapes
3. Mountain Top Landscapes/Bandit Farms
BEST NEW BUSINESS
1. Snapdragon Landscapes/ Pemby Foods Gyoza
2. The Bread Warehouse
3. Tempest Jiujitsu
Of trials and tributes
CALL ME NAIVE, but until I saw a demonstration in Pemberton in 1995, I had no idea an entire subculture of mountain biking— trials—existed in which people balanced in upright wheelies atop sawed-off logs, bunnyhopped sideways over the necks of petrified human volunteers, and pogoed cycles up and down mounds of tottering rubble, eventually jumping to the ground off the roof of a battered pickup that more readily conjured images of a
BY LESLIE ANTHONY
monster truck rally than two-wheeled athletics. Nevertheless, this display of balance, strength and impressive marginalia drew me that summer to a now-defunct bike-o-centric celebration known as Hornby Island Bike Fest, an event that more than any other in those early days of the sport seemed dedicated to the entire depth and breadth of the mountainbiking experience.
Upon arrival it was clear Hornby’s deal was mountain biking. Even then, a trail network held the island together like a wellwoven salmon net: you could cross from one side to another from anywhere by linking singletrack with bits of old logging road. The nexus for all of this was the 150-acre family farm of bike-shop owner and Bike Fest impresario Tig Cross.
At the farm, I’d set up camp in a mowed field beside two teens from Victoria named
John and Morely who’d bussed part way up Vancouver Island, then pedalled the rest of the way on their one-speed trials BMXs. We were the only people on the vast acreage when we retired early in the evening, but the solitude didn’t last. By midnight, a microcosm of every facet of mountain biking had trickled in: not only trials riders but dual slalom, cross-country, and downhill peeps. Some serious, some not so much. There were men, women, children, pets, dirtbags, debutantes, jerks, jocks and Vancouver A-type weekend warriors, along with partyers and teetotallers, Jesus freaks and NORML crusaders, hippies and rednecks.
By the time the B.C. Trials Championships started next morning on a boulder-littered
bike magazines didn’t cover trials. I thought of the 20 or so competitors versus the hundreds of cross-country and downhill racers and the answer seemed obvious. But Morley had given me pause to reconsider. “It’s a real crowd pleaser,” he’d noted, pointing to the hordes crowding into Tig’s barn to watch riders tackle a series of stumps, beams and ladders. He had a point. Many famous early mountain-bike racers had ridden trials on small bikes before cross-country and downhill became popular. “It’s what made them great technical riders,” Morley added.
Friday night was typical of a few hundred people camping together: beer flowed like tapwater, and music drifted into the sky from every quarter. RCMP on mountain bikes
Upon arrival it was clear Hornby’s deal was mountain biking.
rock shelf near the island’s main beach, I was deeply engrossed in the alien proceedings. The short trials courses—collections of incredibly technical manoeuvres compressed into a few short yards—traversed the lunarscape leftovers of sandstone, glaciation and relentless tidal erosion. As the crowd surreally perched atop mushroom-like rock formations, the contest began.
It was wild stuff, with enough serious biffs to explain the profusion of shinpads and other protection I’d never before seen. While the cornucopia of bike categories and their componentry was also mesmerizing, the show the riders put on blew neophyte observers like myself away.
Later, back at the farm for the second part of the championships, Morley wondered why
cruised the encampment, their presence enough to keep a lid on things. At one point, loud teens on the loose threatened any hope of sleep, but they passed out almost in unison, leaving only crickets chirping under the stars.
With cycling already a big part of life on an island swathed in gravel roads and forest paths, mountain bikes made instant sense, and Tig had acquired his first in 1981, age 11.
The idea for an event came years later during a debauched evening with friends who’d agreed to do something cool around mountain biking. The first Bike Fest in 1989 drew 13 riders, the next 83, then 190; when a party/dance was added to the fourth, the number of registrants leapt to more than 300—impressive for any offshore event. The seventh edition I attended saw 400 competitors, with 17 classes in crosscountry alone.
Bike Fest’s success galvanized the island’s youth into a mountain-bike mad lot, so it wasn’t surprising to see wide-eyed spectators gather at the cross-country start. The cheerleaders included the vociferous females familiar to any little-league bleacher scene known as “hockey moms.” Waves moving through the start were like a reverse timelapse of mountain-bikers aging; in the final class, kids so small their CamelBaks resembled expedition packs stood on their pedals at the gun as the hockey moms roared.
Once the start cleared, the crowd filtered uphill into the forest to follow the incoming racers. In sun-dappled woods, riders dropped into the barrel of a trail called “No Horses”— an incredible series of banked turns that represented an unheralded marvel of dirtbag engineering in those pre-bike-park days. The ground shook as riders thundered by, zipping up and down the dirt walls. As the spectacle continued, some observers began trickling over to the dual-slalom qualifiers on a nearby grassy slope, where an entirely different hellbent breed was at play.
The carnage of a beer-fuelled outdoor concert that night ensured the next day’s downhill started late. Memorable morning visuals included a lycra-and-plastic-clad Darth Vader strolling a sea of collapsed tents and passed-out kids like some interplanetary conqueror. With so many factions that were all essentially connected yet fundamentally different, Hornby had seemed a planet unto itself, orbiting the outer galaxy of the mountain-bike universe.
I’d gone for the novelty of watching trials but came away convinced that this greater universe could only keep expanding.
Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like. n
TRIAL BY WATER The beach scene at the 1995 B.C. Trials Championships
PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY
This economic story doesn’t end well. Let’s change it!
THE NATURAL WORLD is foundational to every aspect of our lives. We all need food, air and water. But nature is not our sole underpinning; stories are also foundational. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to make sense of the world or create meaning within it.
Nature sustains human economies. More broadly speaking, economies are built on commonly held stories through which we agree on the means to exchange goods and services and ascribe value to products and labour. Economics is a societal story as are the narratives that propel it.
Economic instability provides fertile ground in which fear-based narratives can take hold. The floundering economy in Germany fomented Nazism, the story that subversives and radicals were responsible for the country’s economic problems fuelled the military junta in Argentina, and Trump came to power in the U.S. after spinning tales of rigged systems and immigrants stealing jobs.
These narratives can infuse us with longing, contentment or fear (among other
BY DAVID SUZUKI
emotions). The ones that capitalize on longing or fear are often spun by those with something to gain from their proliferation—those in power seeking to justify their actions, or
A successful narrative fuelling policymaking today is that environmental safeguards delay development and hinder extractive activities and are thus obstacles to “progress.”
Examples abound. They include passage of British Columbia’s Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, under which ventures “in the provincial interest” (such as mines and fracked gas activities) can be fasttracked. Similarly, Bill C5, the federal Building Canada Act, enables expediting infrastructure deemed to be in the “national interest.” The recently passed Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, discards
In Canada, the narrative that environmental protections should be ditched to fast-track resource extraction has been so successful that Ontario and Alberta’s premiers wrote to the prime minister demanding that, to “counter the impacts of the United States trade policy,” remaining federal environmental protection measures should be repealed—including the Impact Assessment Act, Clean Electricity Regulations, Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act and Species at Risk Act. They even had the gall to demand that the federal government “refrain from reintroducing” an act “respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands.”
Indigenous land and rights defenders have been among the most vocal opponents of these deregulation initiatives. In Ontario, nine First Nations issued a legal challenge to strike down Ontario’s Bill 5 and the federal Bill C5, arguing that, “delay results from Crown choices and unwieldy bureaucracies, not from First Nations,” and asserting that, “Making changes now in some effort to ‘streamline’ (or ram through) projects, cannot be at the cost of First Nations, their rights, the Constitution and reconciliation.”
We often buy into mainstream narratives without realizing it. Many people simply accept the story that regulations to protect the environment are an unnecessary hindrance, despite evidence that Canada’s existing
Many people simply accept the story that regulations to protect the environment are an unnecessary hindrance...
the Endangered Species Act while granting unfettered power to Ontario’s premier, cabinet and, by proxy, their “trusted proponents” to disregard environmental and other regulatory measures in yet-to-be-determined “special economic zones —including the Ring of Fire, an area of mineral deposits in northern Ontario on First Nations’ traditional territories.
These pieces of legislation imply that upholding Indigenous rights also impedes economic progress, as each was designed with the potential to bypass standard processes for consultation, and none embeds Canada’s international commitment to obtain free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous nations before approving development.
Politicians advancing these acts have adorned them with imagery of Canadian prosperity, strength and sovereignty in the face of economic uncertainty unleashed by the U.S. administration.
safeguards have been insufficient to halt or reverse biodiversity loss.
No one can force us to accept the stories spun by others. We are free to articulate stories of our own that counter those prioritizing short-term economic gains from resource extraction over long-term planning for a healthy future. Many of us share stories of Canada wherein Indigenous rights and responsibilities are upheld, and the knowledge that we can’t have healthy economies without healthy ecosystems to support them is recognized. These stories don’t merely reflect back a different reality; they help to shape a different future.
David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Boreal Project Manager Rachel Plotkin. Learn more at davidsuzuki.org. n
Crankworx Whistler marks its two-decade milestone, with local athlete Tegan Cruz poised to challenge for an overall title
BY DAVID
SONG
LPhotos by Clint Trahan
Longtime locals might not quite believe it, but Crankworx Whistler is already due to commemorate its 20th instalment.
The festival sprouted from relatively humble beginnings in 2004 as a push to unite all gravity-assisted mountain bike disciplines and their practitioners beneath one umbrella. Existing items like the Air Downhill (DH) and Joyride Bikercross masterminded by Chris Winter and Paddy Kaye were on tap that year, as were the B.C. Downhill Championship, slopestyle and Garbanzo DH. In 2025, the Air and Garbanzo DHs will be joined by two
more high-velocity races: the Rockshox Canadian Open DH returns to 1199, a formidable track in Creekside, while the previous Canadian Open (abbreviated as the OG CDN OPN DH) shall be resurrected at its original venue on Aug. 9 as a separate event.
Claire Buchar, a longtime Team Canada rider from Whistler, was one of several people invited to walk the 1199 course during its seven-year construction. Builders wanted a range of opinions on whether it measured up against top-flight downhill tracks from around the globe.
“It is definitely a World Cup-calibre track,” Buchar remarked about 1199. “It’s got big jumps. It’s super gnarly. There’s a lot of thinking going on and strategy. Actually, I kind of think the 1199 track is more World Cup-calibre just because it’s a lot more raw, whereas the old Canadian Open [trail] was quite bike-parkish ... but [the OG CDN OPN DH] is cool because it’s located in the village.”
At least two brand-new items are on the calendar as well: the Outdoor Research Trick Showdown and BOSCH eMTB Challenge, both scheduled for Aug. 15.
“The Outdoor Research Trick Showdown is Crankworx Whistler’s newest freestyle event, set to bring an NBA Slam Dunk Contest–style showdown to the legendary Whistler Boneyard,” said Christopher Colpitts, senior manager of sport at Crankworx Events Inc. “This high-energy, head-to-head contest will feature eight invited men and four women, each throwing down their wildest and most creative tricks, but with one rule: no repeated tricks. Riders will be randomly matched up and go trick-for-trick in a knockout-style battle judged by guest athletes.”
Meanwhile, BOSCH eMTB is a standalone racing series expanding into Canada for the first time, with existing stops in Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland. Three divisions— amateur, advanced and pro—will be offered, with all athletes facing roughly 35 kilometres of trail and 1,000 metres of elevation gain.
“Adding the BOSCH eMTB Challenge to our Whistler program is a natural evolution for the festival,” remarked Crankworx managing director Darren Kinnaird in a press release. “As the ebike space grows, so does the diversity of the riders and race formats we celebrate. This event is going to
MARTHA GILL
NATASHA MILLER
bring something completely new, challenging and exciting to the schedule for all levels of riders.”
Lots of Sea to Sky denizens are expected to check out all of these events, but only one is in position to possibly win his first King of Crankworx award: Tegan Cruz.
‘JUST TRYING TO CHECK ALL THE BOXES’
Tegan was inevitably going to spend plenty of time on a mountain bike in life. His older brother Lucas is a World Cup athlete, his younger sibling Levi a recurring sight at Kidsworx, and they all grew up in Pemberton (a town boasting a high school with four straight provincial biking titles).
As a young boy, Tegan chased his big brother up through the ranks of youth BMX. Lucas transitioned into mountain biking first, and by his preteen years Tegan was following suit.
Perhaps not everybody expected the middle Cruz child to level up as quickly as he has. After a tumultuous inaugural World Cup season last year, Tegan raised eyebrows with a fourth-place Crankworx dual slalom result on home soil, at which point he voiced intent to contend for the overall tour title in future years.
Now Tegan sits second in the rankings with 641 points, a dual slalom victory from Cairns and a DH breakthrough from Silver Star to his name. He’s proven capable of defeating elite opposition, too: upsetting incumbent King Ryan Gilchrist in Whistler last year and besting incumbent overall runner-up Jackson Frew in Cairns.
It’s a big step up for a man who finished seventh overall last year.
“For me personally, it’s a little bit different coming into Crankworx Whistler in my first season chasing after the King of Crankworx overall title. It’s a very important week for me,” Tegan said. “I’ve been to all the other stops this season and I’m absolutely loving my experience. I love what I do … and my training is really locked in this year.
“I definitely came into the season with a bit of a different mindset, different training program, all of the above. Shifting from a full downhill focus to multi-discipline, it’s been a great season leading up to Crankworx. Just trying to check all the boxes as far as pump track, dual slalom, now that new event we had in Cairns—Full Tilt, and downhill. It’s really trying to be able to compete with everyone in all disciplines.”
Versatility is the goal, but at this level nothing comes easy, and Whistler often bears witness to late-season drama.
KINGS AND QUEENS
Gilchrist ran away with the 2024 King accolade after a torrid outing in the Sea to Sky, during which he struck gold in Air DH and pump track to complement his Garbanzo DH silver medal. In fact, he was the only man to break 1,000 points with 1,144 that season.
Blessed with superb fitness due to his background as an enduro athlete, Gilchrist has no doubt cemented his
reputation as one of the world’s most well-rounded mountain bikers. He’s also tough as nails, as evidenced by his battling through a turbulent crash in the 2023 Whistler dual slalom. With 878 points as of this writing, Gilchrist finds himself atop the ranks once more.
That leaves Frew in third (614). The Aussie’s best weapon is pure speed: he’s usually a podium threat in any downhill race and wields just enough of a trick bag to factor into Speed and Style. Last year he won Whistler’s dual slalom and filled the runner-up hole among Air DH riders. Couple those assets with a tendency to swing for the fences, and it won’t be easy for anyone to overtake Frew.
Also worth mentioning is Samuel Blenkinsop in fourth (485), who is arguably one of New Zealand’s most decorated mountain bikers of all time. Sea to Sky folk may recall his Air DH victory from 2023.
Meanwhile, reigning Queen of Crankworx Martha Gill faces an uphill fight to reclaim her throne. The Brit is cooling her heels in fourth overall (470) and, despite a 1,152-point season last year, has yet to win a Crankworx event in 2025.
Instead, another familiar face tops the aggregate: Jordy Scott (722). An overall title slipped through the American’s fingers last year because of her disastrous Whistler outing, with a lone silver in Speed and Style not enough to outweigh 13th in the Garbanzo DH, 16th in Air DH and 10th at dual slalom.
Fans should not look forward to another underwhelming performance from Scott this time around. Her well-rounded toolkit has delivered a pump track win in Silver Star and four runner-up outings to date: Christchurch pump track, dual slalom in Rotorua, Cairns and Silver Star.
Lurking in second (585) is the one and only Caroline Buchanan. A two-time Olympian, three-time BMX world champ, five-time mountain biking world titleholder and twice a former Queen of Crankworx, Buchanan is hungry to add to her already-stellar career. Expect her to partake in Air DH, pump track and dual slalom in addition to serving as a broadcast reporter for Red Bull Joyride and the RockShox
Canadian Open DH.
Third among women, Sabina Košárková has taken the circuit by storm. This Crankworx newcomer from the Czech Republic boasts 560 points earned by way of four gold medals: pump track in Christchurch to go with Full Tilt, dual slalom and pump track in Cairns. Interestingly enough, Košárková’s main goal is to qualify for the next Summer Olympics… as a BMX rider.
“I’d pick BMX any day—it’s my No. 1 goal because of the Olympic dream,” she revealed in an April 2025 interview with Škoda We Love Cycling. “Mountain biking is fun, but BMX is where my heart is.”
Canada’s top dog in the Queen race is Natasha Miller, who ascended to silver in the first Red Bull Joyride ever held for women. That happened last July, when she was just 17 years old. Currently in sixth overall (290), Miller probably won’t challenge Scott and company at the top but did win this year’s Christchurch Gold Cup slopestyle. Watch for the DFX alum to make more noise when Joyride returns on Aug. 16 to Whistler’s Boneyard.
No matter who goes home with ultimate bragging rights, the 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler promises to be an unforgettable experience for athletes, fans, coaches, sponsors, industry experts and more.
“It’s one of the first places I got to watch professional mountain bikers compete, and just seeing the festival grow through the years is amazing,” said Tegan. “For example, I’m turning 20 so the festival started the same year I was born. [So is] being able to compete with some of my idols.
“Growing up watching Bas [van Steenbergen] win King of Crankworx a couple years in a row, and names like Mitch Ropelato winning it in the past, it’s really cool to be able to ride and race alongside people I’ve looked up to for so long.”
Visit crankworx.com/schedule/#whistler for a full schedule of events and keep up with Pique Newsmagazine for all the latest Crankworx coverage. n
RYAN GILCHRIST
TEGAN CRUZ
Whistler Wolves men, U19s hunt down respective Grand Final titles
THE
MEN’S ROSTER FINISHED ITS SECOND STRAIGHT UNDEFEATED CAMPAIGN IN 2025
BY DAVID SONG
WHISTLER’S WOLVES bared their teeth on July 26 en route to Rugby League British Columbia (RLBC) championships in both the senior men’s and U19 juniors’ divisions.
Despite having to go most of the fixture down two players after Neil Irwin’s early injury and Michael Balanda being sent off, the men grinded out an 18-16 triumph over the Vancouver Valley Vipers in Langley.
“We’ve gone back-to-back undefeated seasons, and that’s including the nines [tournaments],” said Whistler head coach Blake Stewart. “It’s extremely difficult. We actually had two of our U19 players step and play for the men, and one of them got voted Man of the Match. We have a good succession plan in place now, whereas in previous years we hadn’t.
“Especially when you’re the defending premiers like we [are], most teams put out their best possible team against us. They want to knock us off. It’s really difficult to go one season undefeated. To go for two is amazing.”
Speaking of the U19 boys, they ran amok to notch a 34-10 breakthrough over a combined Vipers/Mud Bay Mudders squad.
VICTORY OUT OF A HAT
Whistler had to adjust its tactics right away as starting halfback and key playmaker Irwin hurt his ankle during the game’s first five minutes. Things went from bad to worse after officials ejected Balanda in the 25th minute, forcing Stewart’s crew to deploy just 12 athletes against their opponents’ 13 for most of the match.
Vancouver Valley took a 16-14 advantage with 10 minutes to go, but the Wolves found it within themselves to bite back. Joe Griffin and Blake Mahovic mounted a late assault into
to work harder. They had to get to that next tackle, it’s not going to be the other person’s job, and that [grit] was across the board.
“We pulled a victory out of a hat and it was really pleasing: the signs that we weren’t going to give up.”
CONTAGIOUS PASSION
Hours before their adult counterparts played, Whistler’s juniors entered battle with two Point Grey Tropics athletes filling out an 18-person
“It’s really difficult to go one season undefeated. To go for two is amazing.”
- BLAKE STEWART
enemy territory, with Harvey Lew building upon their progress. Ryan Ketler reaped the fruits of their collective labour by scoring a try in the endzone corner.
With just two minutes remaining at that point, the Vipers fell short. Lew was named MVP and Mahovic ended up playing all 70 minutes through the middle.
“We’ve been able to score lots of points against a lot of opponents, but our defence has been the one aspect most pleasing,” Stewart remarked. “The core group have played together quite a few times … but it was the mental strength of our boys to know they had
roster. They besieged the Vipers/Mudders coalition with a quick-strike offence and smooth, sweeping plays to establish a two-try lead going into halftime.
The only blemish on the U19 Wolves’ day was Tannen DesBrisay’s late first-half injury, but Jack Macalister and Rory Jago took command of the offence nonetheless. Brady Nooski and Will August led the charge up front, and a stout team defensive effort gave up only two tries.
Macalister received MVP honours from RLBC officials and board members.
“Every game that we played in, we got
better and better,” Stewart said about his juniors. “There’s definitely a few standouts who would go very well in the men’s league. Brady Nooski and Michael Chandler did play for the men, and a few others would have but they were away trying out for Team Canada in rugby union. The level of U19 rugby in Whistler is pretty strong for both codes: rugby union and rugby league.”
Stewart aims to launch a women’s branch sooner than later. The junior pipeline will also remain important for fostering a love of rugby among Sea to Sky youth—Whistler is a transient town and its Wolves will need more grassroots backing as current club leaders inevitably begin stepping down or moving away.
Modern Concept Contracting and Base Electric have been vital sponsors for the men and U19s respectively, with a few other local businesses contributing as well. Nonetheless, Stewart hopes to find more partners and further lower the costs of entry into Wolves rugby.
“Blake’s passion is truly contagious and his dedication to the Whistler Wolves is unmatched,” said treasurer and team manager Cassidy Arons. “Over the past five years, his tireless energy, steady presence and unwavering belief in this incredible group of young men has shaped something remarkable. His calm, focused approach has brought out the best in the team— and the results speak for themselves. I’m already excited to see what’s in store for next season.” n
HOWLIN’ FOREVER The Whistler Wolves won their second straight RLBC Grand Final on July 26 in Langley.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER WOLVES
SPORTS THE SCORE
Bosch eMTB Challenge extends registration deadline to Aug. 11
THE
NEW E-BIKE RACE WILL BE HELD AUG. 15 AS PART OF CRANKWORX
WHISTLER
BY DAVID SONG
RIDERS NOW HAVE until Monday, Aug. 11 to sign up for the maiden Bosch eMTB Challenge in Whistler.
Since its origins in 2017, Bosch eMTB has become known as a standalone circuit that blends electric mountain bike racing and adventure. With existing stops in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain, the series is expanding into Canada for the first time.
“While eMTB racing is firmly established in Europe, North America riders haven’t had the chance to experience this thrilling format on their home soil,” said Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems, in a press release. “Crankworx is the perfect backdrop for the eMTB Challenge, and we anticipate some fierce competition among amateurs attending to spectate, riders from the industry racing against their co-workers and peers, and pro riders looking to compete for prestige and prizes.”
The event features three divisions. Amateur and Advanced require its participants to complete five and six stages, respectively, for a total of 35-odd kilometres and 1,000 to 1,500 metres of elevation gain. Each timed stage involves both uphill and downhill sections with no training runs, while untimed transfer zones focus on navigation by allowing riders to use bike computers and other devices.
New this year is the Pro category. Once the UCI put its EDR-E (e-enduro) World Cup on hold, Bosch decided to launch an alternative for professional athletes to compete and maintain the visibility of e-biking as a sport. Pros tackle seven stages in Whistler, two of which are meant to push the limits of what’s feasible.
Monetary prizes of $800, $400 and $200 will be awarded to male and female podium finishers alike. The top 10 riders in each race accumulate points throughout the season as well: €3,000 (about CDN$4,786) is at stake for overall victory in the Pro Series, €2,000 (CDN$3,190) for second place and €1,000 (CDN$1,595) for third.
“The success of the series has overwhelmed us,” said Claudia Wasko, VP/GM of Bosch eBike Systems Americas, despite the fact that Bosch never intended to replace the UCI EDR-E circuit. “There are racing teams that are relying entirely on our Pro Series for the 2025 season, and the feedback from highly successful riders has been excellent. This is the first season with a Pro Series, and we are truly delighted with the tremendous response.
“But the best thing was and remains: the Bosch eMTB Challenge concept enables riders with very different skill levels to have a great
and thrilling day on the e-bike together, and that’s what it’s all about.”
‘WE’VE SEEN SEASONED CROSS-COUNTRY
PROS DISCOVER THEY KNOW NOTHING’
Folks unfamiliar with eMTB might assume the sport revolves around making mountain biking easier. However, e-bikes actually unlock new possibilities: climbing steep technical slopes and gradients insurmountable without motorized aid.
“What’s fascinating about eMTB racing is how it demands completely different skills than traditional mountain biking,” Wasko elaborated. “You can’t just be a great downhill rider and expect to win—you need universal technical abilities. The races are designed to find the fastest complete e-bike rider, which means mastering uphill stages, navigating technical sections and handling those tricky ‘no feet zones’ where putting your foot down costs you five seconds.
“Whistler’s terrain is actually perfect for showcasing this: the technical variety and elevation changes here will really test riders’ ability to adapt their motor management across different conditions. The local trails everyone knows and loves become completely different tactical puzzles when you add battery strategy into the mix. So the real game-changer is learning to work with your motor perfectly.”
Battery management approaches can vary depending on the vehicle and race format at hand. Relatively small power units force athletes to play chess on longer stages, only going full throttle when it matters most.
Bosch’s local course will not be unveiled until race day, but fans may wish to take note of potential viewing areas. The base of Blackcomb on Rabbit Tracks is a good starting point, while Angry Pirate offers a harder-toreach alternative. There’s also the finish area and timing flats in Creekside.
Whether you’re throwing your name in the hat or just spectating, Wasko suggests you don’t underestimate the demands of eMTB racing—nor its rewards.
“You need to learn everything from scratch. Attack timing, energy management, riding technique, it all changes when you add that motor assistance,” she remarked. “We’ve seen seasoned cross-country pros discover they know nothing about this new discipline. The power shifts the whole focus from pure physical endurance to mastering that critical interaction between rider and machine. It’s familiar enough to feel like mountain biking, but different enough to keep even veterans learning.”
For more Bosch eMTB Challenge details and registration, visit crankworx.com/ whistler/events/bosch-emtb-challenge. n
Ants in our pants—and other favourite summer spots
BEFORE YOU FLICK THOSE LITTLE GUYS AWAY, GIVE THEM A SECOND LOOK
E.O. WILSON has got to be one of my favourite all-time heroes. Or that’s Edward O. Wilson, as he’s more officially known, but given how beloved he is still (he died during the height of the pandemic at the lovely age of 92) the more familiar “E.O.” it usually is especially amongst his admirers, like me. But don’t let that friendly moniker fool you. He’s one of the finest biologists that ever lived. Some call him a modern Charles Darwin.
In a nutshell, E.O.’s on my Top 40 list for two reasons.
One, he’s the first scientist I’ve ever heard articulate something I’ve believed in since I was a kid playing outside in the dirt: That we humans have a duty, an obligation, call it what you will, to protect all life forms on Earth
BY GLENDA BARTOSH
for their own sake, not just because we “value” them for our purposes. The brilliant thing was E.O. could say as much in serious science- or academic-speak as he could in the kind of passionate, poetic language you seldom hear from such experts. He even earned a book cover blurb from Margaret Atwood praising him for same.
The second thing I love about E.O. is he pretty much wrote the book, literally and metaphorically, on ants. Better make that “books,” because in the pantheon of his many works, which won him two Pulitzers along with a lot of scientific awards, he wrote or co-wrote four books on ants and
other social insects. My favourite has an honoured spot on my very crowded office bookshelves. Tales from the Ant World is a terrific eye-opener about ants, and an even better intro to E.O. himself, including how he got hooked on studying these tiny, usually overlooked creatures.
To start, if you ever see a photo of him, E.O. always looks like he’s squinting or winking. That’s because when he was seven, the same year his parents divorced, he suffered a fishing accident that blinded him in his right eye so his love of nature ended up zooming in on tiny creatures—like ants!—that he could focus his one good eye on at close range. (Proving, once again, that what first seems like a tragedy just might turn out to be far from it.)
Tales from the Ant World, “with colony pitted against colony. Their clashes dwarf Waterloo and Gettysburg.” Huh.
ANT-IDOTES TO BOREDOM
These little factoids might keep you from getting antsy (add winking emoji) in many a different setting by piquing your curiosity about these amazing creatures. If you really want to get into it, E.O. suggests rather than shooing away your kitchen (or picnic) ants, have some fun with them.
Put a few pieces of food the size of your thumbnail on the floor or sink, patio table or whatever, then watch and see what happens. According to E.O., house ants like honey, sugar water, chopped nuts and canned
Put a few pieces of food the size of your thumbnail on the floor or sink, patio table or whatever, then watch and see what happens.
So in this beautiful summer weather when we see those long lines of our friendly neighbourhood ants marching, marching, marching relentlessly through our kitchens and gardens, across our picnics and into our tents, maybe take a second look. Even get down on your hands and knees, preferably with kids since you’ve all left your cellphones at home for the day while you’re taking a nature break, and take a good close look at these little wonders and how they operate. And if you read E.O., you’ll learn how they talk, smell and taste.
Heck, they can probably even offer us a quirky socio-political insight or two as we negotiate these troubled times. “Ants are the most warlike of all animals,” E.O. writes in
tuna! Soon a scout will appear, and then the action really starts. “There will follow social behaviour so alien to human experience it might as well be on some other planet,” he writes. Something there about cooperation versus competition?
The first five tidbits, below, are from Tales from the Ant World. The rest are from The Book of Ant Records: Amazing Facts and Feats by Katja Bargum, a Finnish writer, science journalist and former ant researcher. It was originally published in Swedish, but I bet your favourite library, including Whistler’s, carries the 2024 English version published by Orca Books in Victoria. And I bet they’ve got at least one of Edward O. Wilson’s treasured books, too.
FUN FACTS IN ANT-ICIPATION
• More than 15,000 ant species roam the Earth, and about ten thousand trillion ants. We humans currently number about 8.2 billion.
• In 1955, E.O. Wilson identified some 175 different species of ants in one square kilometre in Papua New Guinea. Years later, other scientists collected 355 different ant species at a single location in the Amazon.
• Ants carry no disease, and may help eliminate other insects that do carry disease.
• You’re a million times larger than an ant. We humans inspire fear in ants; they shouldn’t inspire fear in us.
• Using simple graph paper, a scale and a basic system that works for you, like “F” for “foraging food” or “N” for “nest,” you can map the path of ants you follow.
• The best farmers in ant world are leafcutter ants, which live almost entirely on fungus. If the fungus gets diseased, the ants control it by using an antibiotic substance that grows on their own skin.
• Ants eat a lot of different things, including other small animals, plants, seeds and mushrooms.
• The strangest ant sustenance is one Dracula ants prefer. They suck blood from their own larvae—their own babies. But the larvae don’t die. They still develop into totally normal adult ants.
Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who was fascinated by the long highways of house ants when she lived on the Big Island in Hawaii. n
MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE
Whistler Summer Concert Series resumes Aug. 21 with PINEO & LOEB
THE ELECTRONIC PRODUCER/DJ DUO WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY FELLOW ARTISTS JAH’MILA, DEF3, SAM MATTHEWS AND SMOOTHIE
BY DAVID SONG
THE CANADIAN partnership of PINEO & LOEB began rather serendipitously.
Ottawan JR Loeb messaged his Halifaxbased countryman Mitchell Pineo on SoundCloud, inviting him to collaborate. They pulled up to the same show not long after in 2013, where a potential scheduling conflict arose. Organizers told the duo there was just one hour left in the program and recommended they split it in half.
Pineo and Loeb took the stage together instead, and the rest was history. Each musician fed off of the other’s divergent—but not clashing—tastes and personalities and decided to team up officially a few months later. Formerly independent electronic producers, all they needed was an “and” between their surnames.
Twelve years later, their professional partnership is in great shape, as is their friendship.
“[Loeb] is probably the nicest, friendliest person you’ll ever meet,” says Pineo. “I’m a little more of the withdrawn artist type, but that guy can make friends with any person which really helped us become friends
initially. Anybody would want to hang out with him, whether it’s a grandmother or a frat guy.”
The two live together and hang out with their cats whenever they’re not on the road— which is eight months of the year. Pineo and Loeb commit to more than 100 shows annually, flying overseas to different venues and festivals like Shambhala, Friendship,
it more of a dance approach. We’ve remixed [everything possible], from all the old classics to the newest songs.”
About their collaborations with the likes of Glass Tiger, Matt Mays and Ashley MacIsaac, Pineo added: “Remixing, we think of as collaborating with an artist from a distance, but actually sitting down with them is our favourite thing. We love Canadian icons
“You’ve really just got to have fun with everybody, no matter their approach ... bringing out the inner kid, going along with what you’re excited about...”
- MITCHELL PINEO
Envision, Burning Man, Future Forest and Escapade. Their approach to DJing and producing melds various genres like dance, hip-hop, rock and electronica, and they’ve also remixed the work of Sabrina Carpenter and other such big names.
“It’s diverse and it’s eclectic. It’s kind of universal,” Pineo elaborates. “We both have our own particular tastes, but in shows we meet in the middle. When we’re making remixes, we just want to make something that’s going to fit our sound … whether that’s adding a bunch of bass, drums or synths to make it sound more modern, or just giving
and we really like to bring those artists to our shows.”
‘PLAY AND PLAYFULNESS’
Pineo and Loeb have been to Whistler on numerous occasions. They’ve enjoyed lighting up the Garibaldi Lift Co. and adding to the vibe at the bottom of the ski hill, but August will be their first opportunity to bring live instrumentalists along—and the duo is not holding back.
Jah’Mila is a Juno-nominated, Jamaicanborn reggae artist known for marrying the
classic aspects of her chosen genre with socially-conscious lyrics. Def3 (a.k.a. Danny Fernandez) is an award-winning Vancouver hip-hop performer and visual creator. Sam Matthews plays lead guitar for CHIMP IT, a hybrid live/electronic act from Nelson. Smoothie, according to Pineo, is “one of Western Canada’s funkiest saxophone players” who has graced hundreds of stages across North America, Europe and Asia.
This August, all of the above will join Pineo and Loeb at Olympic Plaza.
“You’ve really just got to have fun with everybody, no matter their approach … bringing out the inner kid, going along with what you’re excited about and having fun,” remarks Pineo. “When you’re in a group, it’s the test: if this idea can pass the two people in the room, you know it can go on from there. You don’t second-guess yourself … and whenever we write a good song, it comes out quickly and fun most of the time. Doesn’t matter what style it is. It’s really just about play and playfulness.
“I think what’s so exciting about working with all these different artists is [finding] the common ground between artists that seem like polar opposites. Most music we listen to is music that makes you feel happy. We’ll mix in a sad song here and there, but the common ground behind them all is really just fun.”
On Aug. 21, DJ Foxy Moron gets things started at 6:30 p.m. in Olympic Plaza. PINEO & LOEB (and their entourage) will take over at 7:30 p.m. Visit whistler.com/events/ concerts for more details. n
DYNAMIC DUO The Canadian DJ/producer duo of Mitchell Pineo and JR Loeb.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PINEO & LOEB
Heather Hendrie to release new memoir in March 2026
WHERE THE EFF IS MY RED TENT DETAILS HENDRIE’S OWN HEALTH STRUGGLES AND THE LESSONS SHE’S LEARNED FROM THEM
BY DAVID SONG
LOCAL AUTHOR and clinical counsellor Heather Hendrie is anticipating the March 2026 release of her next book: Where the Eff is My Red Tent.
It’s a collection of memoirs and essays based on Hendrie’s personal life and professional experiences, but it’s not an autobiography nor does it present its writer as the centre of attention. Rather, Hendrie tries to use stories from her life as a trail of “breadcrumbs” for people who may likewise have grappled with eating disorders, codependent relationships and other such hurdles.
Red Tent is a book 30 years in the making. Its core thread revolves around premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a stigmatized and poorly understood ailment that impacts one’s mood.
“It’s physiological in nature, and the thought is that one in 20 menstruating people suffer with this condition,” Hendrie explains. “Around [the time of] ovulation, most people would feel quite good, but for folks with PMDD, it’s the opposite and the wheels really fall off.
“I would include a trigger warning in that PMDD is a very dangerous condition. It’s thought that over 30 per cent of people with the condition experience thoughts of suicide, and very specifically during the time of the cycle between ovulation and menstruation. The pure fact that it is so dangerous, and also so often misdiagnosed, is what has inspired me to write this book.”
PMDD disrupts the nervous system, opening the door to several other comorbidities (i.e. the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical afflictions in a patient). For instance, Hendrie’s bouts of anorexia often correlated with her PMDD.
Her father was a doctor, yet she went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for three decades, and the average time to a diagnosis is roughly 10 years. PMDD is often wrongly labelled as anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder.
POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH
Sea to Sky denizens might relate to the fact that spending time in the woods—when combined with professional medical aid—set Hendrie on her road to recovery.
“Elizabeth Gilbert spoke about finding God on her bathroom floor, Glennon Doyle speaks about knowing, or her God in the closet, and I’ve always found my flow in the forest—which is part of what has led me to Whistler,” Hendrie explains. “Folks with premenstrual dysphoric disorder tend to be very, very sensitive to their context and environment. It’s been really important for me to land in a place that has felt really supportive, really close to nature.”
If nothing else, Hendrie wants her audience to know that they are not alone. Red Tent can be a beneficial read not just for those struggling with PMDD, but those who suffer from other physical or mental health conditions and the toxic social narratives which may hinder them from finding timely assistance.
Hendrie has also learned through writing her Awfully Hilarious series that strategicallyutilized humour can be an invaluable tool for creating some “breathing room” during one’s exploration of painful themes.
“We talk a lot these days about posttraumatic stress disorder, which also ends up happening if you’ve got untreated PMDD for years … but what we don’t think about enough—and I love to speak about as a clinical counsellor—is post-traumatic growth,” she says. “Once we have walked the path, we know the way. I’m not saying that every counsellor has to have suffered to be a good counsellor by any stretch. What a good counsellor needs is to be well-regulated and self-aware.
“My joy would be if people who have PMDD and don’t know it were to pick this up and see themselves in the pages. And if this book is not for you, could it be for your wife, for your daughter, for your sister?”
Where the Eff is My Red Tent releases on March 6, 2026 with pre-orders already available. Visit caitlinpress.com/Books/W/Where-the-Effis-My-Red-Tent to learn more. n
Availableuntil August28th Sunday-Thursdayfrom Sunday-Thursday from 6:00pmto9:00pm
ROAD TO RECOVERY Sea to Sky author and clinical counsellor Heather Hendrie.
Here’s a quick look at some events happening in Whistler this week and beyond. FIND MORE LOCAL EVENT LISTINGS (and submit your own for free!) at piquenewsmagazine.com/local-events
CRANKWORX
CRANKWORX WHISTLER
Back for its 20th-anniversary edition in 2025, Crankworx Whistler brings together the best riders and biggest bike fans in the world for 10 days of elite and amateur racing, slopestyle competitions, Kidsworx events, bike demos, expositions, and the chance to shred Whistler’s trails with other like-minded bike fans. While the festival has gone international, each year the global mountain bike community comes home to Whistler for the ultimate celebration of all things mountain bike.
> Aug. 8 to 17
> Various locations
ROCKSHOX BRACKET TESTING WORKSHOP
RockShox is hosting a full-day event focused on suspension bracket testing, where riders can gain hands-on guidance from experts to optimize their bike setup. The day includes meals, lift access, and an indepth look at suspension performance and tuning.
> Aug. 9, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
> Skiers’ Plaza
PROPHECY X JEFF SAVAGE
Experience the perfect pairing of award-winning mixology and mountain luxury as you join acclaimed bartender Jeff Savage for an unforgettable evening of innovative cocktails, live music, and the unmistakable spirit of Canadian hospitality. This is your chance to sip, savour, and discover how world-class drinks and alpine elegance come together for an experience you won’t forget.
Aug. 10 and 11, 6 to 9 p.m.
Four Seasons Resort
WHISTLER FARMERS’ MARKET
A feast for your senses, the Whistler Farmers’ Market features local produce, tasty food, local artisans, live entertainment and family activities. Markets happen every Sunday until Thanksgiving on October 13, with the addition of Saturday markets on Aug. 30 and Oct. 11.
> Aug. 10, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
> Upper Village Stroll
20TH ANNIVERSARY CRANKWORX PARTY
Crankworx turns 20, and Gibbons has been part of the journey every step of the way. To celebrate, the Longhorn Saloon is throwing the official anniversary party. This will be an unmissable night to mark a legendary milestone!
> Aug. 12, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m,.
> Longhorn Saloon
CRAFTS IN THE PARK
Join the Whistler Museum on Wednesdays for a weekly summer event featuring a Whistler-themed craft with some local history. A fun and educational way to enjoy summer with your little ones! All supplies provided and suitable for kids aged six and under with an adult.
> Aug. 13, 11 a.m. to noon
> Florence Petersen Park
PATIO PARTY AT CINNAMON BEAR
Cinnamon Bear is turning midweek into a mood with their newest event, Wine & Dine Wednesdays! Think curated wine pairings, standout dinner specials and patio vibes that don’t quit. Perfect for date night, mate night, or just because-it’s-Wednesday night. Pull up a chair, swirl something special and let your tastebuds do the talking.
> Aug. 13, 5 to 9 p.m.
> Cinnamon Bear
GARF’S LOCALS NIGHT: BICYCLE NIGHTMARES TAKEOVER
Bicycle Nightmares is stoked to present a jam-packed evening of music for riders, by riders, featuring live music from some of the bike world’s biggest stars including Jackson Goldstone (J-Money), Thomas Lemoine (Lil Moine), Josh Lewis (LOOSE), as well as live band performances from Serious Talk and Space Mesa! This is sure to be one of the most high-energy events of the whole week and you will not want to miss out!
> Aug. 14, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
> Garfinkel’s
MUSEUM MUSINGS & ASTROLOGY
Having a Ball in Whistler
BY ALLYN PRINGLE
WHEN THE ALTA LAKE Volunteer Fire Department (ALVFD) was formed in 1962, it had five members and was supported by donations from community members. Alta Lake residents contributed axes, mattocks, shovels, stretchers, first-aid kits, hoses and more. When the ALVFD made its first purchase of a Wajax pump and 400 feet of hose for $305, Florence Petersen collected $15 from each property owner along Alta Lake Road. Regular fundraisers were established to provide funding for the ALVFD and the money raised was used to supply the firefighters with necessities. Members of the fire department continued to volunteer their time.
The fire department remained a volunteer organization for some years after the Resort Municipality of Whistler was formed in 1975, and fundraisers continued to be an important source of funding. One fundraiser was the annual Ice-Break-Up raffle held in the spring. Each year, a barrel would be set out on the ice of Alta Lake and tickets were sold with guesses of when the ice would break and the barrel would fall into the water (in 1976, Bob Dufour was announced as the lucky winner, though it was later revealed that an error had been made and the raffle should have been won by Guy Baervoets). This tradition continues
today, though it is now a fundraiser for the Point Artist-Run Centre rather than the fire department.
Another annual fundraiser for the fire department was the Fireman’s Ball. This event was reportedly first held at Rainbow Lodge in support of the ALVFD though it appears to have stopped by the mid-1970s. The Fireman’s Ball, however, was revived in 1985 to raise money for the Whistler Volunteer Fire Department’s (WVFD) Life Saving Equipment Fund. Specifically, the fire department wanted to purchase a Jaws of Life, a tool described to the Whistler Question by Fire Chief Lindsay
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Tagalog word gigil refers to the urge to squeeze or pinch something adorable. It’s an ecstatic tension that verges on overflowing the container of decorum. In the coming weeks, you Aries could feel gigil for the whole world. Everything may seem almost too vivid, too raw, too marvellous, and altogether too much. I advise you to welcome these surges and allow them to enhance your perceptions. Laugh hard. Cry freely. Invite goosebumps. Please note: But don’t actually squeeze anyone without their permission.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In Japan’s Snow Country, artisans practice yuki-sarashi. It involves laying woven cloth on snow under sunlight to bleach, brighten, purify, and soften the fibres through the effects of snow, sunlight, cold, and ozone. Because this process doesn’t require harsh chemicals, it helps maintain the fabric’s strength and prevents it from yellowing over time. I propose you make yuki-sarashi a useful metaphor, Taurus. Something fragile and fine is ready to emerge, but it needs your gentle touch and natural methods. You are often grounded in the adept manipulation of raw material—what works, what holds, what can be relied on. But this burgeoning treasure needs maximum nuance and the blessings of sensitive care.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When African American dancer Josephine Baker arrived in Paris in 1925 at age 19, she was seeking refuge from her home country’s racism. Her electrifying performances soon made her a celebrity. Author Ernest Hemingway said she was “the most sensational woman anyone ever saw.” As she grew wealthy, she donated generously to French charities, hospitals, and schools. Her compassionate works evolved further, too. During the Second World War, she worked as a spy for the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation. Later, she became a civil rights activist in the U.S. Can you guess the astrological sign of this multi-faceted star? Gemini! I hope you will be inspired by her in the coming weeks. May
WEEK OF AUGUST 8 BY ROB
you, too, use your natural gifts and stylish flair to serve the greater good. Look for opportunities to mentor, encourage, and advocate for those lacking your advantages.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): When a glacier moves, it doesn’t rush. It presses forward incrementally, reshaping mountains, carving valleys, and transporting boulders. In a metaphorical sense, Cancerian, you are now in glacier time. A slow, relentless, and ultimately magnificent process is afoot in your life. Others may not yet see the forward momentum. Even you may doubt it. But the shift is real and permanent. Trust the deep, inexorable push. Your soul is hauling whole landscapes into new configurations.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the Arctic, the sun shines for 24 hours a day during midsummer. There is no night, only the surreal glow of prolonged gold. The human body, confused by the unending day, may be confused about when to sleep. For some, this creates disorientation, and for others, a strange euphoria. In my astrological opinion, Leo, you have entered a metaphorical version of this solar dreamscape. Your creative powers are beaming like a relentless sun. There may be little darkness in sight. So how will you rest? How will you replenish under the glow of fervent possibility? Be wisely discerning with your energy. Don’t mistake illumination for invincibility. Bask in the light, yes, but protect your rhythms.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Now is an excellent time for you to swear sacred oaths. I suggest you get less comfortable with transitory arrangements and short-term promises. The near future will also be a ripe phase to make brave commitments that require you to go farther and deeper than you’ve dared to before. I recommend you forgo the cheap thrills of skipping along from one random moment to the next. Embrace a game plan. Finally, I urge you to cast magic spells on yourself that will release your unconscious mind from old fixations that subtly drain your power to fulfil your dreams. Please, please, please surrender
Wilson as a “hydraulically operated cutting and spreading device used to gain entry to damaged vehicles, thereby facilitating speedy and safe rescue.”
The 1985 Fireman’s Ball on Sept. 21 was one of the first community events to take place in the Conference Centre, which had held its official opening ceremony just two weeks earlier on Sept. 7. Tickets were sold at local businesses and directly by members of the fire department. There was even a weekly Top Ticket Seller competition reported on in the Question With the support of volunteers and sponsorships from the community, the
BREZSNY
trivial obsessions that distract you from your life’s key goals.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In West African traditions, griots are key figures in their communities. They serve as storytellers, oral historians, poets, genealogists, and advisors. Their presence is often central to events like weddings, funerals, and ceremonies. In the coming weeks, Libra, I hope that you will embrace a role that resembles the griot. Your ability to enhance and nurture your network is at a peak. You have extra power to weave together threads that have become frayed or unravelled. Given your potential potency as a social glue, I advise you to avoid gossip and instead favour wise, kind words that foster connection.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The phrase “elegant sufficiency” is an old English expression meaning “just enough” or “a sufficient amount in a refined or tasteful way.” I am expanding it to also mean “the simplest solution that solves a problem completely without unnecessary complexity.” It’s your power phrase, Scorpio. What you need is not intricate perfection, but elegant sufficiency: enoughness. I suggest you welcome this gift with enthusiasm—not in a resigned way, but with a quiet triumph. Maybe your plan doesn’t need more bullet points. Maybe the relationship doesn’t require further analysis. Maybe your offering is already thorough. Allow yourself the sweet satisfaction of having just the right amount. What you have created may be more organically whole than you realize.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): How do you become a maestro of desire? What must you do to honour your beautiful yearnings and cull your mediocre ones? What’s the magic that will help you fulfil your life’s purpose by trusting your deepest cravings? Here are some tips. First, jettison your inessential desires and cherish the precious yearnings that are crucial. Second, dispose of outmoded goals so you can make expansive space for robust goals that steer you away from the past and guide you toward the
Fireman’s Ball was reportedly a success, raising about $15,000 for the fire department. There was dancing in the ballroom to the sounds of the Bobby Hales Orchestra, a full-service casino in the atrium area, a cash bar, and hors d’oeuvres. Organizers had promised it would “be THE social event of the year” and its popularity guaranteed it would return in 1986. Due to the success of the Fireman’s Ball, the fire department was able to purchase its Jaws of Life. On Sept. 11, 1986, the driver of a 1985 Jaguar left the road while turning left at the intersection of Village Gate Boulevard and Highway 99. This was the first time the fire department put its Jaws of Life to use, allowing responders to remove the driver from the vehicle with a broken femur much more quickly than they otherwise would have.
In 1998, the Ball was a smaller affair held at the GLC and the money was split between the fire department and the school’s Parent Advisory Committee. According to Alex Bunbury, who had then retired from the WVFD, the Ball had become less profitable for the department over the years as more events sprung up and the Ball was no longer “the only event of the year where Whisterites dressed formally.” As Whistler grew, the fire department became a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters. The event became known as the Whistler Firefighters’ Ball as women such as Sheila Kirkwood joined the department, and continued in different forms into the 2000s. n
future. These are challenging tasks! The very good news is that the coming weeks can be a turning point in your quest to claim this birthright.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m writing a fairy tale about an ancient land whose queen regards poetry as essential to the public good. She often invites poets to perform for her and her court. When they finish a stirring passage, they bow—not to the queen or other observers, but to the silence they mined to access their inspiration; to the pregnant chaos from which the poem was born. The pause is a gesture of gratitude and acknowledgment. I invite you to partake in similar acts of appreciation, Capricorn. Bow toward the mysteries from which your blessings flow. Honour the quiet sources that keep you fertile. Praise the treasures in the dark that fuel your intense activities.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When I advise you to get naked, I’m not necessarily suggesting you doff your clothes. What I primarily mean is the following: Shed the armour around your heart; strip off your defense mechanisms; discard knee pads you wear while kissing butt or paying excessive homage; recycle shoes, jackets, pants, and opinions that don’t fit you; and discard pride-spawned obstacles that impede your communions with those you love.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The Finnish word sisu describes a radical, unglamorous persistence. Those who possess sisu can summon extraordinary determination, tenacity, and resilience in the face of confusion or difficulty. It’s not about bravado or flair, but about soulful gutsiness. I suspect it’s time for you to draw on your sisu, Pisces. It will empower you to tap into reserves of strength that have previously been unavailable. You will activate potentials that have been half-dormant.
Homework: What brave breakthrough could you make simply by being your authentic self? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
BALL IN Vancouver band Station to Station performed at the 1992 Fireman’s Ball, a masquerade held on Oct. 31. WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION, 1992
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IF THERE’S one week in Whistler’s busy summer event calendar that’s a slam dunk, it’s Crankworx. There’s racing. There’s Joyride. There’s film, photography and other artistic mediums that celebrate mountain biking. Then there’s the parties.
BY VINCE SHULEY
When I meet mountain bikers in other parts of the world and they bring up their dream of making the Whistler pilgrimage, I advise against visiting Whistler during Crankworx. While the atmosphere during the week is unlike any other mountain bike festival, it’s not the most ideal for exploring Whistler’s trails for the first time. Conditions are usually hot and dusty. You can’t get accommodation anywhere because it’s booked out months in advance by all the visiting athletes, entourages and industry folk. There are trail closures for various races, so you may not get the chance to ride exactly what you want. And good luck finding a spot on a patio in Whistler Village after your day of riding the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. However, if you’re coming specifically to spectate by day, party by night and riding
is completely secondary, then I couldn’t recommend Crankworx enough. It doesn’t cost anything to watch the world’s best riders in their competitive element. And if you’re an amateur racer who loves to cheer on riders trackside, you’ll have a full week.
The Canadian Open Downhill on the 1199 track is setting the stage for an eventual World Cup or World Championships event, so a no-brainer. If you enjoy speed, jumps and scrubs, the A-Line Air DH and Official Whip-Off Championships have it in spades. If you want to ride around the valley while you spectate, you can follow the stages of the Canadian Open Enduro. New for the last couple of years are dedicated adaptive events for tech, flow and
many spectators are viewing it with coffees in hand rather than vodka Red Bulls and making the collective post-Joyride hangovers a whole lot more manageable.
When I heard Crankworx was turning 20 this year, I had yet another reason to feel old. The mid-to-late 2000s were formative years for this mountain bike festival as it suddenly eclipsed Whistler’s previous marquee event, the World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF), both in attendance and attention.
“It became so successful that the resort started asking us about pushing Crankworx back into August, because we made July too busy, too successful,” says Mark “Skip” Taylor, a marketing consultant and key
“It became so successful that the resort started asking us about pushing Crankworx back into August, because we made July too busy, too successful.”
- MARK TAYLOR
slalom. The speed at which these adaptive riders take corners will probably surprise you.
Then there’s Joyride itself, the marquee event which draws tens of thousands of physical spectators to the Boneyard for arguably the most impressive show of the week. After several years of strong afternoon winds and a blinding sun dipping behind the horizon, the slopestyle competitors had enough of dropping in with the added risk. Joyride is now a morning event, meaning
influencer behind the original WSSF before kickstarting Crankworx in 2004. “In all the events and projects I’ve ever run around the world, it’s the one that I use as a model of event marketing driving sport tourism. Especially if you have the right teams (of stakeholders) working together to embrace it and support it at all levels.”
Vail Resorts became Crankworx owner when it purchased Whistler Blackcomb in 2016, but promptly sold it in 2020 to
Crankworx Live Marketing (headed by Crankworx World Tour general manager Darren Kinnaird) and Montreal-based Boombox Group. Since then, the festival has missed one year due to the pandemic, launched a regional Summer Series of events around B.C. and has continued to hold World Tour events throughout the year in New Zealand and Australia.
But the mountain biking industry is not without its headwinds. The postpandemic overstock of bikes and apparel still lingers, with many companies slashing their marketing budgets, downsizing their growth targets and in some cases, filing for bankruptcy protection. You never really hear about those issues as a Crankworx spectator. Drink tickets are still being handed out at parties and races are still going ahead. But behind the scenes, there are likely some difficult conversations happening about how much money title sponsors can continue to pour into a global event series like Crankworx every year.
Despite the aforementioned industry headwinds and every other proverbial stick-in-the-spokes, what I do know is the Crankworx team is incredibly resourceful and has managed to pivot multiple times in the last few years to keep this signature Whistler event going. Will it sustain to make it to the 30 or even 25-year milestone? I hope so. But like the WSSF, there will come a time when mountain biking’s biggest freeride festival runs its course, to either fade away or evolve into its next chapter. I’m confident it will be the latter.
Vince Shuley will see you at Joyride. n
ODE TO JOY Red Bull Joyride is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16.
