Story and photo by Aefa Mulholland
This morning Whistler Blackcomb kitted me out with skis and boots and I got to join the crowds waiting to zip up the mountain. Unlike my colleague Kyra, who practically has to be peeled off the hill when light fades, I was soon back down at a lower elevation, eager to explore some of the thrilling restaurants for which Whistler is famed.
After some far from grueling research, my top vote goes to Araxi on Village Square. They get everything right: personal, professional staff; sumptuous, contemporary regional food; and killer martinis. I’m still dreaming of the lobster sushi rolls, the carrot Vichysoisse, and those raspberry-tastic Kama Sutra martinis.
At Araxi I met Dean and Sean of Alpenglow Productions, the company that a few years ago stepped in and saved Whistler’s gay ski week from a sudden demise in just days.
Surrounded by snow-obsessed people, I felt a bit sheepish about barely having dipped a toe in Whistler’s legendary powder, but Dean and Sean assured me that a large number of the 3,000 gays and lesbians roaming Whistler’s streets had a similar social agenda.
In fact, they said one of the reasons behind the event’s name change from Altitude/Whistler Gay Ski Week to the less winter sports-centric WinterPride was to emphasize how much more this is to the festival than merely skiing some of the world’s best slopes.
On that note, I’m going to head off to check out the night’s hot parties.
Check back tomorrow for tales of the Snowball and the L-Party!
