Every August, hundreds of thousands of gay people and their allies flood Vancouver’s West End to celebrate Pride and show their true colours. When summer ends and the clouds appear, BC Pride doesn’t hibernate, it just moves north.
For 19 years, Whistler’s gay and lesbian ski week has attracted gay crowds from Canada and abroad. Despite changes in ownership, financial woes and nearly being forced off the hill by marquee Olympic events in 2010, WinterPride is back this year for another week of quintessentially Canadian Pride celebrations.
Comedy shows, martini workshops, après-skis and all-night parties follow guided ski tours and scenic snowshoeing treks into the Whistler wilds — not to mention romantic dog-sledding tours for those of us living on the edge.
I’ll be there at the height of the action, on the slopes and at the parties, to show you what BC Pride looks like in the middle of winter and to find out what it means to the community.
Watch Xtra in print for images of the fun and thoughts from the crowd and xtra.ca for full multimedia coverage, including video!