Local cycling organization maintains trails, brings the community together and supports competitors

They make your morning latte, haunt the halls of Millennium Place and pass you on local trails - Whistler Offroad Cycling Association (WORCA) members represent an incredible cross section of Whistler.

WORCA riders are a unique bunch of gravity mocking mountain bike addicts. WORCA is an essential ingredient for the Whistler lifestyle recipe. Founded in 1989, to lobby against pending bike trail closures in Garibaldi Park, WORCA now has more than 1,500 members and is managed by an eleven-member board of directors.

As a cycling organization in one of the best mountain biking destinations in North America, WORCA promotes appreciation of and care for public lands, while working to secure and maintain mountain bike access throughout Whistler. Working with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, WORCA helps mountain bike access and trail development evolve through planning.

During the bike season WORCA hosts regular Thursday night Toonie Rides, with sponsorship from local businesses and organizations. The rides cost $2 and riders are supplied with food and beverages at the end of every ride, courtesy of the sponsors. Toonie Rides are open to everyone, young and old, and of all abilities, with the etiquette being “Have fun and smile lots”. Funds go toward trail maintenance and support for local competitors who are training for the Nationals or World Cup.

WORCA helps to maintain hundreds of kilometres of trails to the highest environmental standards through member fees and volunteer efforts. The association also encourages evolution of the sport through its youth programs and teaching clinics, etiquette and technique to cyclists. With a sustainability attitude WORCA is working hard to maintain a world class system of trails for riders to use for years to come.

Long-time volunteer and Whistler resident keeps the slopes in Olympic shape

Often before the sun rises the Whistler Weasels are out, clamouring up the mountain to dig the snow and scrape the slopes.

The gruelling work takes place in order to get the ski race course up to Olympic standards. Over 500 volunteer Whistler Weasels make ski races happen and they’ve been working around the clock. In February, under the watchful eye of one Weasel, Chief of Course John Benbow, the race courses are prepared to perfection.

Benbow works around the clock alongside the weasel crews. It’s Benbow’s “lead by example” style that earns him much respect. “Weasels work arm in arm to get the jobs done and the long hours and gruelling work creates strong bonds,” says Benbow, with a smile.

Benbow’s leadership helps maintain the resilient team bond, evident at the end of the day when the Weasels enthusiastically gather in the Weasel House for a cold beer with each speaking in ski race slang. These bonds are what have kept Benbow working as a volunteer weasel for 18 years.

Benbow first moved to Whistler in 1992 and was looking to get involved in the community. When the World Cup came to town he signed up with the volunteer Whistler Weasels and never looked back. Raising three daughters in Whistler, who all grew up as ski racers, Benbow was constantly working on local and distant courses. The hard work of Benbow and the Weasels has not gone unnoticed throughout the Games.

Recently told by a friend that the downhill course looked like the best one he had ever seen, Benbow carries immense pride in the work of all the Weasel volunteers that have made the ski race events a success, right in his own backyard.

Thanks to John and all the Whistler Weasels.

By Kevin Damaskie Feeling Green? Smile!

It’s not easy being green. No, Kermit the Frog is not in Whistler, but a bunch of Whistler youth will be charging around the Village taking photos to represent “Green.”

All day tomorrow, 13-18 year old Whistler residents who are participating in the Whistler Youth Centre’s “The Initiative” will be defining all aspects of Whistler’s green scene in a 24 hour photo competition – and they’ll be clickin’ it old school.

Armed with recyclable cameras supplied by Whistler One Hour Photo, contest participants will have a limited number of frames to shoot and a mini viewfinder. Stark contrast to the instant edit and 10 centimetre LCD screen featured on the digital cameras most of them use daily.

“It’s not just green in the sense of nature or environment,” Caroline Stroud, Whistler Youth Centre coordinator told me. “It’s green in anything. It’s an interpretation of green in terms of colour, sense and imagery. These photos are going to be cool… and green.”

The Initiative is an initiative (go figure) of the youth centre users. Whistler Secondary School has been closed for Februray, and so the Youth Centre decided to ask local youth what they wanted to do when school’s out, the Initiative is the result.

Any youths, resident or guest, between the ages of 13-18 who want to participate in The Initiative’s Green 24 Hour Photo Challenge, should meet at high noon tomorrow at the Ted Nebbeling Pedestrian Bridge, over Village Gate Boulevard next to the North Shore Credit Union building.

For more info on the Initiative and to see the photos check out theinitiative2010.blogspot.com

Share your innovative stories of life during the Games in Whistler at kdamaskie@whistler.ca
 

Reducing our waste output can help in the fight against global climate change

Whistler is a community with a huge goal: “zero waste”. This means not contributing to landfills or incinerators. What are we doing to get ourselves to this goal?

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has invested in a regional composter able to take 20 tonnes per day of compostable input; Whistler Blackcomb initiated an on-mountain composting system; and locals can now compost at the waste transfer stations at Nesters and Function Junction.

We still have a long way to go. According to the Whistler2020 Materials and Solid Waste Strategy indicators, in 2008, 27,870 tonnes of materials (just over one tonne per person) were used then landfilled, reused, composted or recycled in the RMOW.

The Whistler2020 Materials and Solid Waste task force will continue to generate actions to help us get there.

One of the advantages of having this goal are the secondary benefits we will achieve. For example, reducing waste helps fight against climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

According to a 2008 report titled “Stop Trashing the Climate” produced by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, “A zero waste approach is one of the fastest, cheapest and most effective strategies to protect the climate...decreasing waste disposed in landfills and incinerators will reduce GHGs the equivalent to closing 21% of U.S. coal-fired power plants. This is comparable to leading climate protection proposals such as improving national vehicle fuel efficiency.”

So, as we move toward our shared community goal of zero waste, Whistler can be proud of our multiple efforts to date. Keep up the good work!