Call it what you will - biggest snowsport, music and art celebration in the world, longest-running mountain arts and culture showcase, best end-of-season fling in the winter resort biz - but in the end, anyone who tries to go the distance at Whistler's annual Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival (TWSSF) can really only call it only one thing: a marathon.
Set for April 13-22 this year, the 17th TWSSF (aka The Festival, Telusfest) features ten jam-packed days of daily on-snow competition, free outdoor concerts, groundbreaking evening arts events, all-day après sessions and late-night parties.
The AFP World Skiing Invitational includes a halfpipe competition, a slopestyle and the mother of all Big Airs. On the snowboard side, Monster Energy's Shred Show includes a Slopestyle, the Big Hip big air invitational, a Mogul Duel, and the return of the Boarderstyle - combining the multi-racer starts and rolling courses of a boardercross with slopestyle features.
Arts events begin with the State of the Art Opening Party on Friday (April 13) where viewers can see action sport sub-cultures and streetmovements portrayed in gritty and thought-provoking mediums; Pecha Kucha, a quickie showcase of thoughts, ideas and interesting concepts kicks off a week of arts and culture on Monday (April 16); the grueling and ever-popular Olympus 72-hour Filmmaker Showdown takes place on Tuesday (April 17); with Intersection, on Wednesday (April 18) action-sport filmmaking is pushed to its limits; the world's preeminent big-screen photo event, the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown takes over on Thursday (April 19); Fashion EXPOSED and Freeze Dance Showcase finishes up on Friday (April 20). Oh, and did I mention ten straight afternoons of free outdoor concerts with big-name acts in Skiers Plaza at the base of both mountains?
You can't do everything or be everywhere, of course, but staying connected will help maximize your fun. Check out the official event schedule at www.wssf.com or join the @WSSF Twitter and Facebook accounts to stay on top of breaking news - like catching main outdoor stage acts in spontaneous intimate settings as part of the Kokanee Freeride Club Series.
All tickets are available online, and for popular sold-out events like the Pro Photographer and Filmmaker Showdowns, there are accommodation package deals that include event tickets. Other smokin' lift ticket and lodging deals for one to four nights can be found on Tourism Whistler's whistler.com website, or by calling 1-800-944-7853.
Whether you check out just one or several TWSSF events, remember that if you decide to take on the whole festival, you'll likely have to adapt the town's official motto: "Party in April, Sleep in May."
