In February (February 1 through February 8, 2009), this glam little town with a year-round population of about 10,000 hosts its annual WinterPride celebration - sort of a Pride festival and Gay Ski Week all wrapped into one. There's entertainment, parties, and great meals planned throughout the week, not to mention, of course, plenty of outstanding skiing.
Whistler WinterPride Events this year, during the town's 17th annual gay ski week, include skin-care workshops, cooking classes, winetasting, snowmobile and dog-sledding tours, the wild and wooly Bear Trap Party for you bearish ski bums, the Queerly Canadian Comedy Show, a United Colors of WinterPRIDE Fashion Show with guests from International Mr. Gay, the Snowball party at TELUS Whistler Conference Center (featuring top Brazilian DJ Ana Paula, and the MountainTOP party held high atop 7,000-foot Mt. Whistler. There will also be more women's events than ever apres-ski parties to snowtubing rallies.
Some of the prominent bars and restaurants hosting parties and gatherings include the Ric's Grill, part of a popular group of B.C. and Alberta restaurants with locales in several cities; the stylish Tandoori Grill, known for contemporary Indian food; the elegant Monk's Grill, which is acclaimed for its juicy steaks and magnificent mountain views; and cozy Bavaria Restaurant, for hearty German and Swiss fare and fondue.
Among the performers this year, you can come see Taiwan DJ Victor Cheng, Cape Town DJ Adien, London DJ Wayne G, San Francisco DJ Luke Johnstone, and Montreal DJ Mat Ste-Marie. And you can hang out with CURVE magazine's Lipstick & Dipstick columnists Gina Daggett and Kathy Belge. If that last name sounds familiar, she's none other than About.com's expert guide to Lesbian Life.
Whistler Blackcomb Central Reservations is your one-stop for booking WinterPride lift-ticket and accommodation packages, and there are some terrific deals. In fact, Whistler Blackcomb Central Reservations always has a ton of great packages and deals throughout the season, everything from lift tickets and dining to accommodations.
This year's official WinterPride host hotel is the swank Westin Resort & Spa Whistler, which also hosts the Mr. Gay World competition finale on Feb. 7. Other participant hotels include Whistler Residence Inn by Marriott, Sundial Boutique Hotel, Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa.
