What Happens When You Make Whistler Your Home?

Let’s take a moment to reflect back upon the first time you ever came to Whistler.

What brought you here?

There’s a good chance you were enticed by the mountains, known for top notch skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking. Maybe you were first introduced to Whistler as a participant of a major event that took place in town, like GranFondo, Iron Man, or Tough Mudder. Perhaps you were just looking for a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of city living – or, on a greater scale, you wanted to escape your own backyard to experience a season in a new country.

More than meets the eye

Most people are attracted to Whistler by the same features that appear on tourism websites and brochures – the views, the events, the activities, and the fresh mountain air. And don’t get us wrong, the novelty of these amazing attractions never really goes away.

But when you make Whistler your home, not just for a weekend, not just for a season but for the long run, you quickly reveal a whole new layer of Whistler that you come to appreciate even more than the lakes, the snow, and the killer trails.

You meet people from different countries with different accents than your own. You become acquainted with those who had vastly different upbringings than you did – they have different philosophies than you do, possibly a different religion or outlook on life. You meet former lawyers who now wait tables while yielding a goggle tan, or engineers who tune skis at night after a solid day on the slopes.

You become a community with people who are vastly different than you in every way but one.

The one thing you have in common with them is that you all felt a calling to come to the mountains. You all gave up something – maybe family, a job, friends, or a nice downtown condo – in order to establish a life in Whistler.

A truly incredible community

Over time, you’ll come to appreciate the people that make up the community even more than a 20 cm powder day on the mountain. You’ll laugh with them over sake margaritas at Sushi Village. You will rally with others to help them when hardship hits. You will learn from them on long walks along the Valley Trail. You will create everlasting memories together on the mountain that, somehow, have nothing to do with the conditions that day and everything to do with a shared sense of adventure.

You will support them when they take a step towards realising their dream of starting a new business in town. You will volunteer alongside them, taking tickets at a ski film premiere or handing out cups of water at a local race. You will grow your families together. Occasionally, you may have to say goodbye to a few, as life takes them in a different direction (although you’ll remind them that they always have a couch to sleep on, should they want to return for a quick visit).

Few places in this world have as rich of a community as Whistler does. The people who live here truly want to be here, and the smile that’s plastered to their face 95% of the time is a clear indication of this.

If you’re contemplating moving to Whistler, know that you have a lot to look forward to – not just the mountains and adrenaline-heavy activities, but the people who will make your world a better place.