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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Info

The public bobsleigh experience is $149 CAD + tax

Sessions are 2 hours

1 bobsleigh ride per participant

http://www.whistlerslidingcentre.com

To prepare for the upcoming day I thought I would shreducate myself by asking some new and old snowboarding legends the question: “What does snowboarding mean to you?” Here’s what they had to say:

Finn Finestone, Whistler grom

Photo: Brian Finestone

“Snowboarding makes me feel calm, all week I look forward to riding so I can try new tricks and get better at my old ones. Riding in powder is fun, I like the way you float and it gets all quiet.”

Brian Finestone, Whistler Blackcomb Terrain Parks Manager (Finn’s Dad)

“Snowboarding has been a part of my life for 26 years. It used to be the personal progression that kept me going but now it’s the enjoyment of sharing it with my son. There are very few things in life that get me stoked like riding deep powder!”

Braden Dean, Voleurz athlete

“Snowboarding means a reason to wake up early in the morning, to continuously work on being in good physical condition, and to eat healthy so I can ride harder for longer.

Snowboarding gives meaning to the seasons and the weather. Changes in temperature, visibility or precipitation have an affect on where I go and what I do on any given day, week or month.

Snowboarding has introduced me to my best friends and given a purpose to my travels around the world.

Snowboarding has given me a reason to stay healthy, strong and in tune with my environment, and passion to share with my friends.”

Ken Achenbach, Camp of Champions Founder/snowboard legend

“Snowboarding means I get to be 15 for the rest of my life. It means being able to close your eyes and see the exact second your life changed. It means making friends that last a lifetime. It means traveling the world. It means being a local everywhere but at home.

It means having a secret handshake that opens doors to places you never imagined. It means days you never forget. It means days where you wish you could turn back time. It means days where time stops. It means changing your life without even realizing you are doing so.

It means surfing. It means living in the future you imagined and created. It means living in a bubble. It means experiencing your friends at their happiest moments. It means learning things about yourself that you never knew you needed to learn.

It means you know what luck is. It means sharing the worst of times. It means being alone in amazing places. It means traveling inside your head. It means seeing things that don’t get seen by normal people.

It means having the last laugh. It means waking up and always being happy. It means toothpaste from Tokyo, life and haircuts from Chamonix, socks from Verbier, appreciation from Ballarat, pit stick from London, pies from Auckland, music from Melbourne and friends and pictures from everywhere.

It means trees and the spaces in between. It means never growing up. It means the smell of pine. It means living somewhere where everyone gasps with envy when you tell them where you live.

It means you always buy “Powder Fresh Scent” even though you know that’s not the powder they are talking about. It means seeing mountains up close. It means you know the thousand of shades of blue.

It means you can smell winter. It means you know light. It means never being an adult. It means Fuji 50, 500, 5.6. It means you love helicopters, snowcats, powder, your friends and not in that order.

It means nothing and everything. It means fun.”

Dano Pendygrasse, legendary snowboard photographer

Photo: Dano Pendygrasse, James Kurylo 1996

“The easy answer is that Snowboarding is one of the parents of my career, that it is responsible for the direction I’ve taken in life and that I owe it a huge debt. The more complex answer is that my feelings about the idea of snowboarding have changed dramatically, that the parts of the sport that I like are harder to find, and that my desire to be a part of the current incarnation of the sport has waned. Considerably.

Still, strip away the industry, fashion, trends and resorts, put me on top of an untracked run with Morry, Warburton, Garry, Shin and Kearns, and there is literally no place in the world that I’d rather be. I’ve had my share of 100-day seasons and now it’s all about qualityover quantity. Even if that means going without if I can’t ride the way I want.”

Vera Janssen, pro rider

“Snowboarding makes me feel free and it let’s me be the person I want to be. It has given me an identity, yet it does not press me into a form.

Snowboarding is my way of self-expression; drawing lines into the mountains is my form of art – I am closest to myself when I am in the mountains, in nature, with the elements and my board – it purifies my soul.”

Graham Turner, Showcase Snowboard Shop boss man

“Snowboarding to me means sliding on snow and sliding on snow has been a part of my life for the past 40 or more years. The sliding on snow business has been my career since I was 14 years old. Snow can take a huge rugged mountain and turn it into a white magic carpet that you surf over incredible terrain that would normally be impassable. Snowboarding with my friends & family makes me smile a lot:) I am super stoked to pass this down to my little boy!”

Me, a BC girl who just loves to slide

“Snowboarding is freedom. It’s relaxation and exhilaration all in one moment. Snowboarding is the first time I learned how to link turns. It’s also my first cliff drop and those really stormy days when the alpine isn’t open and you can still get un-tracked lines every run. It’s hitting the pipe and high-5ing my boyfriend after an epic session. It’s listening to that little rattle on the chairlift as you upload and inhaling the scent of hot wax. Snowboarding is smelling like fresh alpine air and soaking up the muffled silence a big snow storm brings. Snowboarding completes me.”

It’s clear that the passion we all have for this sport can’t be boiled down into on simple answer. This Sunday, pay tribute to the sport that has brought you joy and go sliding. You’ll be glad you did.

What does snowboarding mean to you? We welcome you to answer in the comments below:

I’ve been reading Julien Smith’s (@Julien) new free e-book called The Flinch this week. It’s a sharp-witted and edgy piece about how fear prevents us from doing what we really want/need to do in our personal and professional lives and how we should face and conquer our fears to live a more fulfilled life. His first homework assignment is to jump into an ice-cold shower to face “The Flinch” head on.

Aside from cold showers, many people flinch at the thought of doing things alone. After all, intentionally being by yourself – even if you’re waiting for someone – can be a little intimidating. Thank god for iphones, right?

Whether it’s eating dinner solo, going to a movie or even shredding with you, yourself and you; it’s important to experience and enjoy your own company every once in a while. Here are 5 reasons why you should intentionally embark on an inbounds solo shred. (And I don’t mean solo the same way as “no friends on a powder day” and you lost your friends for a few laps.)

1) You can go exactly where YOU want to go – how many times have you gone with a big group and ended up hitting runs you weren’t super keen on? This is your chance to go exactly where you feel like going. And if you don’t know the mountain, this is your chance to explore (safely of course).

2) You can work on your mad skills – When we ride with other people, there isn’t a ton of time to stop and practice our skills. Maybe they’re way better than us or maybe they’re slower. Riding solo allows you to take the time to perfect your jumps ‘n jibs in the terrain park or just get faster and stronger by doing hot laps on a hard and fast groomer – or whatever else you feel like working on.

3) Time to take it all in – Often when we’re with a big crew, we forget to stop and smell that fresh alpine air, enjoy the views and even take a few tourist photos. When you’re on your own time, you’ve got all the time in the world to take it all in – and it’s a beautiful thing.

4) Go at your own pace – You’re not worrying about meeting up with friends at lifts or bombing to the next run in search of pow. Go as fast as you want or cruise and stop for a snack after every lap. It’s your day.

5) Meet new people – Often when we are cruising in numbers, we don’t take the time to talk to that outsider on the chairlift. Skiing or riding solo allows you to go outside your comfort zone and say hello to the person next to you. You never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.

The recent bluebird days we’ve been experiencing are perfect and recommended for a solo session. So, next time you feel the flinch at the thought of skiing or riding solo, do it anyways. It might just be the stepping stone to making your life even more awesome than it already is.

**NOTE: If you’re going to ride solo, do it safely! We recommend trying this adventure inside the ski area boundary. Always tell people where you’re going, be careful of tree wells and creeks in the glades. Never venture into out of bounds zones without a partner.

This Sunday, Whistler Film Festival goers will have a chance to watch the award winning Switchback Entertainment documentary “Freedom Chair,” a film about the journey of Paralympic skier Josh Dueck.

Dueck, an aspiring skier himself, was coaching now big name athletes Riley Leboe, TJ Schiller, Justin Dorey and Josh Bibby, when a ski jump gone horribly wrong turned him into a paraplegic in 2004. In the film, Dueck says the pivotal moment in his recovery is when his doctor told him he’d be “kick ass” in a wheelchair and be back in the mountains, using a sit ski.

Since then, he’s has turned his life changing accident into a new chapter in his life. One that has won him a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games and the Monoskier X title at the X Games.

The crew behind this film that is generating buzz – both within the ski industry and beyond – is Switchback Entertainment, consisting of pro freeskier Mike Douglas and Jeff Thomas.

“The Freedom Chair was the most emotional and rewarding project I’ve ever worked on,” says Douglas. “Josh is as much an inspiration to work with every day as he is in the movie. We hoped the film would be well received but the feedback has been truly overwhelming.”

The film has gone on to win awards on the film festival circuit this fall: Best Mountain Sports Film – Banff Mountain Film Festival 2011, Best International Short Documentary – All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival 2011 and Best Family Film – 15 Minutes of Fame Film Festival (Florida) 2011

“It was a pretty big surprise for all of us to see how well Freedom Chair has been doing,” says Dueck.

“The comments are piling up right now and it feels great. The one comment that really stands out for me was girl that came up to me after the Banff Mountain Film Festival and said: ‘It’s no longer Impossible, it’s I’M possible.’”

Dueck speaks highly of the Switchback team, describing Douglas as “super innovative and creative” and Jeff Thomas as “one of the raddest and hardest working MoFo’s around.”

His most memorable moments from filming are shredding pow with his buddies and sending it with pro skier Mark Abma.

This Sunday when you watch the film, hopefully you will find some inspiration to pursue your dreams, regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way.

“Embrace the challenges that life brings, they’re opportunities to gather strength and perspective,” says Dueck.” It’s not what happens to a person in life that defines their character – it’s how they respond to change.

After all, like his twitter handle, Dueck’s message is clear: @JustDueck.

“Freedom Chair” plays at the Whistler Film Festival Closing Gala alongside Warren Miller’s “Like There’s No Tomorrow.” More information is available at whistlerfilmfestival.com.

A roller derby girl could be your girlfriend. She could be your mom. A roller derby girl could be the nurse patching you up at the clinic or driving you home in the wee hours of the night. Derby girls are all around you – and you may not even know it.

The Whistler Roller Girls Society – as diverse as we all are – have become good friends. We’ve bonded over a common interest. But it’s so much more. There is a new, alternative sisterhood in Whistler. A sorority – but with hitting and high fives; bloody noses and a few twisted body parts.

We’ve enjoyed getting to know the community and having you get to know us. We thank you for coming along for the ride as we grow as a team and a league. And what a ride it has been so far:

We have a new website. Thanks to the hard work of local ski instructor, Whistler Web Shop owner Suzie Black AKA “Guns,” we were able to get our online presence up and running. Here you’ll find info about roller derby, the Whistler team, events and news. So, be sure to tune in and connect with us. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

We have a new coach. After searching high and low for someone who could wrangle this group of women, Pemberton’s own Bill Sirota stepped up to the plate to help us get into tip top shape. Bill AKA “Coach Kill Bill” has a background coaching women’s volleyball and an aptitude for all skating sports. He’s been great for us so far and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.

We have a consistent venue. Again, Pemberton has been kind enough to offer up its Old Community Centre as a regular place for us to train. In addition, the lovely Sea to Sky Sirens from Squamish were kind enough to take our team under their wing and offer up some training sessions in their home – an uber cool, spacious warehouse near the Home Depot.

And finally, we’re hosting our first fundraiser at Creekbread restaurant on November 29 from 5-9pm. The event features live music by fatymagee and Susan Holden and a raffle and 50/50 draw with great prizes from Big Sky Golf Club, Nesters Market, Hempire and Nagomi Sushi. Simply eating pizza will help the team as part proceeds from every pizza sold will go towards team uniforms, training equipment and our venue.

We’re ever so close to our skills test in February and once we can pass that, we’ll be well on our way to reaching our goal of competing in our first bout this spring.

So, support your local roller derby and we will bring this town one heck of a good spectator sport. And while you’re in the supportive spirit, help vote Roller Derby voted best Indoor Sport in the Pique’s BEST OF WHISTLER!

Cornucopia Whistler has come and gone, and the massive hangover can be felt around town as abandoned Masquerave masks blow in the wind like tumbleweeds. Luckily, the mountain will be opening soon to help us work off the massive amounts of cheese, wine and champagne we consumed this weekend.

Still, as we nurse headaches and sleep deprivation today, the culinary celebration can continue long after Cornucopia is gone. The appreciation of finer things in life can continue in the homes of all Whistlerites.

All you need is cheese and wine.

Cornucopia combined two of life’s best things into one delicious seminar with the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Blasted Church and Summerhill Pyramid Wineries yesterday.

Four of the six cheeses sampled were finalists in the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, a worthwhile resource if you’re looking for a delicious cheese to bust out at the next social gathering. The odyssey of fromage took us on a journey across Canada, from Prince Edward Island to Quebec, and then to BC. To sample cheese, one must touch and smell, then put a small piece on the top of the tongue, gently warming it with the roof of the mouth.

Contrary to popular belief, white wines generally pair better with cheeses, according to our tasting coaches; and blue cheeses often taste best with a dessert wine. My biggest take-away from this seminar was this: Life’s short, so cut the cheese! And always, whatever you do, accompany that cheese with a healthy pour of wine.

Here are six pairings you may want to try:

1. Cheese: Island Brie – Little Qualicum Cheeseworks
Wine: Summerhill Pyramid Winery – Cipes Brut N/V

2. Cheese: Aged Lankaaster – Glengarry Fine Cheese
Wine: Blasted Church Wines – Chardonnay Musqué 2010

3. Cheese: Le Mont Jacob – Fromagerie Blackburn
Wine: Blasted Church Pinot Gris 2010

4. Cheese: Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar – Cows Inc.
Wine: Blasted Church Wines – Big Bang Theory 2010

5. Cheese: Cracked Pepper Veredelait – Natural Pastures Cheese Company
Wine: Blasted Church Wines – Pinot Noir 2009

6. Cheese: Bleu Benedictin – Abbaye St. Benoît
Wine: Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Chalice N/V

Top 25 Wines

If you’ve managed to check off the above list, try this on for size. Every year, an esteemed panel of judges chooses Cornucopia’s Top 25 wines to showcase at both the Crush Gala tasting and the Top 25 Celebratory Reception. This year’s list included a powerhouse of wineries with White Wine of the Year going to Bellingham – Bernard Series Old Vines Chenin Blanc, selling for $24.99. Red Wine of the Year went to Nk’Mip Cellars – Qwam Qwmt Syrah, which sells for $34.99.

As a self-professed armchair sommelier, I’ve always followed my taste buds more than the tasting notes. My trusty buds tell me their favourite wines of the Top 25 were Cupcake Vineyards – Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Mistaken Identity Vineyards – Abbondante Bianco Certified Organic, Cottesbrook – Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010, and the dramatic Bodega del Palacio de los Frontaura y Victoria – Nexus Crianza 2005. You can find the complete list on the Cornucopia website. Don’t worry, you have a whole year to get through the list!

So..who’s hosting the next wine and cheese party?

Friday evening at Cornucopia started off with a fabulous dinner at Alta Bistro. The “Symphony Bowl” 3-course menu included a Fresh Fall Salad with carrots, beets and candied walnuts; a second course of Goat Cheese Terrine and a main of Arctic Char with heavenly gnocchi.

Our cocktail wizard just so happened to be the restaurant’s co-owner, Ed Dangerfield. He mixed up a delightful daiquiri, followed by a mysterious lime and mint-infused rum concoction that can only be described as a party in my mouth. Arriba!

Next, we headed to Cornucopia’s Gala Grand Tasting event in the Whistler Conference Centre.

As always, the people watching was spectacular; from Vancouver’s glitterati to Whistler’s Twitterati and everyone in between. There were people there wearing furry boots, bejeweled cocktail dresses, Tom Selleck mustaches; as well as a man who looked like “The Situation” in 20 years.“I prefer tails over ties,” said the man dressed as a giraffe. No one said “dressing up” for an event can’t mean coming in costume.

As expected, the wine selection was spectacular, especially for the armchair sommeliers in the crowd. Attendees flocked to Cornucopia’s Top 25 wines, which were identified with white stickers. Other popular tastings included Argentina Wines, Black Hills, Blasted Church, Sterling Vineyards, and Painted Rock.

While food plays a much smaller role at CRUSH, the few food stations that were there offered a variety of sumptuous treats, including Nita Lake Lodge charcuterie, Crepe Montagne, SIDECUT at the Four Seasons, Terra Breads and Agropur Fine Cheese.

We changed our name to Black Diamond Betties
After some thought, the team chose a new name that better represented our ski town and also played up on the Roller Derby theme. We’re eagerly awaiting our new logo and website, but for now, you can “Like” the official Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter @DiamondBetties.

We helped open Big Al’s Car Wash in Pemberton

Photo: Brigit Sirota-Goldammer

We’re still looking for somewhere to train in Whistler
The old Pemberton Community Centre has been kind enough to allow the Betties to train in their gym once per week. Boy is it ever amazing to skate at a clean, warm indoor facility. However we’re still in search of a venue closer to home, especially during the winter months. The closer we are to Whistler, the more practices we can have and the faster we can prepare for world domination – or at least roller derby competition.

Thank you Pemberton!

We’re looking for a coach
The Betties are doing a pretty good job of keeping ourselves on track, with several team members stepping in to help lead practice each week, using skills and drills learned from the Raw Meat drop-in sessions in Vancouver. But, to amp up our game we really need someone to help take the reigns. This is a great volunteer opportunity to be part of one of the fastest growing women’s sports out there. If you or anyone you know has a coaching and/or ice skating background with a keen interest in roller derby, please get in touch with our teammate Claire Leitch.

The Whistler Roller Girls have certainly overcome many obstacles since we first organized last June. Forming a league isn’t a cake walk, but this dedicated group of ladies is up for the challenge.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in roller derby action, the Blood and Thunder Roller Derby World Cup takes place in Toronto this December. Team Canada features 2 players from the Terminal City Roller Girls in Vancouver: Eight Mean Wheeler and Luludemon. This is an amazing opportunity to get to know the sport so you’re dialed when the Whistler Roller Girls begin bouting in 2012.

Until the next update, don’t forget to “Reach out and ‘whip’ someone.” If you didn’t catch the innuendo, then you definitely need to watch the movie “Whip It.”

As some of you know, I use social media for a living. One of my favourite parts about social media is that it’s opened up the lines of communication. We can now put our keypad on the pulse of our community, our nation, or even the world. Some may call this voyeuristic, but I call it the modern way of “getting to know your neighbour.”

So, I thought I’d use my mad Twitter skills to bring you Whistler’s world over the last few days. Whenever I cruise my “Whistler Tweeps” Twitter list, I’m amazed by the diversity in this community. From the comedians to artsy types; from pro athletes to bar stars; hippies to dirtbags, we pretty much have all walks of life. Whistler is a thriving community, pulsing with little slices of life, nearly 24/7.

Here’s a snapshot from a moment in time…in Whistler, according to Twitter.

We have the skills, roller skates and fierce determination. Now we just need a venue to call home.

The Whistler Wolfpack Roller Derby team, comprised of more than 25 Whistler ladies, has been training for over two months and in Spring 2012 is hoping to compete in bouts sanctioned by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).

Before we can achieve our goal, we need to overcome our largest hurdle. We’re currently homeless and looking for a permanent indoor venue(s) to train and compete.

We’re looking for a clean, flat surface suitable for roller skating that will allow for 30 feet of taped track. Acceptable surfaces include polished or painted concrete, wood, or game court floors.

The derby girls aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty – so if you have a fixer upper, we’ll be more than happy to pitch in to get it training ready.

Our sisters in the neighbouring communities of Squamish, Sunshine Coast, BC Interior and Metro Vancouver have also joined the roller derby movement that’s been sweeping the globe over the last decade. Their leagues are now thriving, their games attracting sell-out crowds.

There are over 1,000 leagues worldwide – with more than 30,000 women playing roller derby internationally. BC alone has more than a dozen roller derby leagues.

Whistler’s roller derby team is a dedicated group of ladies passionate about the sport and determined to bring it to our community. This is an entertaining, high adrenaline spectator sport that will bring a new flavour to the local athletic roster.

If members of the community have any ideas about a venue, please contact us at whistlerwolfpack@gmail.com.

For more information about the Wolfpack, please visit facebook.com/whistlerwolfpack

Thanks in advance for your support!

The Whistler Wolfpack Team