Whistler: the dark side of ‘Disneyland in the mountains’
Introduction
Welcome to the pearly gates of Whistler, where dreams come true.
For the record- as you approach Whistler- at no point does it claim to be utopia. But you’d be forgiven for thinking that way considering the feeling in and around Whistler. It is that you have come across paradise.
In Whistler, any state other than happiness is oxymoronic.
Yep -that’s tongue in cheek- but what does it mean to talk about Whistler? Is there more to it than a universally loved playground? I believe there is.
Firstly, when discussing Whistler, I’d be a fool not to mention the area’s natural beauty. It’s breath-taking. During my time in Whistler, my favourite spot for a drink was Table Nineteen, a golf course’s club house where the view is nothing short of spectacular. On the sign for the restaurant, Table Nineteen claims the best patio in Whistler, I agree.
The patio looks out onto Green Lake, a lake with crystal blue/green water and home to Harbour Air- go for a beer in the sun and you’ll see seaplanes take off and land throughout the day. Tourists smiling ear to ear. It’s a nice part of the world.
Furthermore, the lake is sandwiched between Rainbow Mountain and Wedge Mountain, look over your shoulder and you’ll see Whistler and Blackcomb. If you can’t appreciate the view here, you can’t enjoy landscapes anywhere. Get to Table Nineteen by late afternoon and by the time you’ve ordered your third beer you’ll be treated to sunset, exclaimed by Green Lake acting as a mirror. You’ll see an array of deep purples and blues. It’s stunning.
In the summer, I saw the Northern Lights there.
The thing is, Table Nineteen isn’t actually in the centre of Whistler, it’s several bus stops outside.
What does that mean? Well Whistler’s dreamy tranquillity is a slight façade. The nature competes against humans in Whistler.
Before I go any further, I want to say I met a handful of cool people in Whistler and for me to say what you’re about to read is a symptom of everyone in the town is wrong, but I will say it is the majority.
So why call Whistler Disneyland? The reason being is I believe that almost everything about the town is the same apart from the branding. The centre of the village feels like a toy town built for nothing other than milking tourists for every penny they have, lacking any kind of character.
Sounds like I’ve got a grudge against Whistler?
Well yeah, I do. I’ll address it now so you can have a taste of what happens in Whistler.
My experience in Whistler
I moved to Whistler in the start of August 2022 and got a job in a giftshop called ‘Cool as a Moose’. The job was a waste of time but enabled my lifestyle in Whistler and as a keen snowboarder, getting in at the back end of summer set me up for a full winter season. The job also provided accommodation- I shared a room but quickly became friends with my roommate so it was going well
The more time I spent in the shop in summer the more tourists I would see come through the door and at some points the shop was understaffed. Working in the store we would have to take everything out of boxes, work the till and tidy up after the customers.
It doesn’t sound like a lot of work, but it was. Regularly I would put around $4,500 through the till a shift; that’s before totting up how much my colleges were putting through. It could get busy.
I don’t want this to sound like I’m complaining because I’m not. The job was easy.
However, as time passed, there was two or three instances where one of our store managers- I’m not entirely sure who they were as I never saw them, would get outraged by a mystery shopper coming into the store and none of the staff greeting them.
I can understand the concern; but we were busy. To say hi to every tourist walking into the store was- in my opinion- impossible. Anyway, I didn’t think much of it until I got fired for it.
My mistake.
Apparently, a mystery shopper came in on a shift I was working on and because no staff said hi to them, I got fired. That’s as much detail as I was given.
Losing my job wasn’t really the major issue- the problem was that my accommodation was tied to my job. I was given five days to clear out and that was that.
Why didn’t I appeal? Well, that’s because there was a three-month probationary period and I happened to be 10 weeks into mine. I could be indiscriminately fired. Do I think my manager could’ve fought my corner a bit harder? Yes, I do. But sometimes you’ve got to know when it’s your time to leave.
I’ll go into this in more detail later but during an accommodation crisis in Whistler I couldn’t find anywhere to live and had to leave the town- giving up on my plans for a winter season.
Since leaving, a former college has also said the same thing happened to him.
That’s the crux of my beef with Whistler. I believe that my experience was systematic of a bigger problem the town faces- one where money and selfishness win at all costs.
Hedge funds and Housing: the surface of Whistler’s problems
Before I go on, I’m aware Snowsports are expensive. But they should be accessible, especially for locals from Vancouver. Not in Whistler, it’s an elitist resort.
In 2016, Vail Resorts bought Whistler Holdings for $1.39 billion CAD. What does this mean? I’ll try and dissect it.
Vail Resorts own 40 mountain resorts across four countries and is run by a series of hedge funds. Vanguard and Blackrock to name just two. Vail’s share price is growth after growth and essentially that’s the whole point. Vail run solely to make shareholders money. Forget about anything else. Cash rules and in Whistler, it shows. Forget about inclusivity and forget about selflessness Whistler is run to turn snowfall into dollars.
Ok, isn’t every ski resort run for cash? Yeah absolutely.
But at what point does it become absurdity?
For a single day on the slopes in Whistler it’ll set you back $220 CAD (£130). Fancy spending a week there with your mates? You better have deep pockets- it’ll cost you $1498 CAD (£925.28). For a child (ages 7-12) it’ll cost you $110 CAD (£67.94) for a day and $749 CAD (£462.64) for a week.
I’m not even going to do the maths for a family of four. Again, that’s just for the lift passes. Try and find budget accommodation in Whistler- let me know if you have any luck.
Let’s compare that to the 3 Valleys in France which claims to be the largest ski area in the world. You can pay €72 (£63.62) for a day pass or €360 (£318.10) for 6 days. I’m not saying skiing in France is cheap by any means. Yet there’s clearly a differential in pricing- a 104% increase to ski in Whistler for a day.
Apart from pricing out Canadian locals, Whistler’s extortionate prices has attracted some of the biggest swinging financial dicks in North America. This has led to a land grab leaving many properties sitting empty for the majority of the year. Whatever your opinion on second homes is, workers and locals are getting squeezed creating a housing crisis.
On Facebook, the ‘Whistler Housing Crisis 2023- EMPLOYEES ONLY’ group has 22,000 members. Private ownership and the move towards high profit Airbnbs are playing their part but also Vail can’t house their own employees.
I met dozens of people in Whistler looking for accommodation in Whistler. This wasn’t just punters heading up from Vancouver in search for work, many people had come to Whistler internationally, as far as Australia. They had been given jobs- signed letters of employment- with the promise of accommodation. However, upon arrival in Whistler they were told there was nowhere for them to stay. For those who had been lucky enough to get accommodation, I heard conditions were poor but never went to Vail’s housing myself.
Could you find affordable housing in Whistler? Well, that’s up to you to decide. I met someone who was paying $1,500 (£926.47) a month for a room under some stairs. Harry Potter style. Good value? I’ll leave that up to you.
Unfortunately, Whistler’s problems continue.
Cocaine and sexism in the service industry
Accommodation and lift passes aside, the service industry is the next biggest factor in a ski resort and I consider this to be another major issue in Whistler. Firstly, there is a monopoly on nightclubs in the town. ‘Gibbons Whistler’ runs every night club in the town, providing the same poor standard of entertainment and being the centre of Whistler’s nightlife’s cocaine problem. Go into the clubs and patrons will be playing with their noses. I’m not one to judge individual’s decisions but cocaine produces a toxic environment.
Aside from just the partying, in July 2022 two men were shot dead in the centre of town in a gang related murder. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out what that was about.
Cocaine isn’t just the only problem with the service industry in Whistler. In a tipping culture, it’s clear establishments will promote sexism in order to bleed you for their tipping jar. In Gibbons venues you will only ever be served exclusively by women with men behind the bar, it’s table service of course. Furthermore, I had a friend- a bloke- who inquired about a server job in a trendy bar called Amsterdam and he was told no, we only hire women.
Nobody will complain though. The staff are happy, they are living the dream season in Whistler and making a handy tip. Owners are happy with customers coming in to spend money. It’s clear in another bar called ‘El Furniture Warehouse’ also. If the sun’s out, the waitresses make Hooters look like they need to step up their game. Again, the staff make good tips so why would staff criticise. I could go on.
However, the flow of dollar bills overshadows the bigger problem- the clear objectification of women.
I can’t say Whistler is isolated in objectifying women, where there’s young women and the opportunity for cheap labour it can happen anywhere. However, the problem is exclaimed and exists in the resort.
What to make of this
Whistler isn’t going to change anytime soon. Vail’s stock keeps climbing and people keep going on skiing holidays.
Look- Whistler is still a great place- the natural beauty remains. If you’ve got the cash and go for a shred there you’ll have a great time. Just keep an eye out for the dark side of Disneyland in the mountains.
Bibliography:
Whistler sold to Vail:
Vail Resorts Inc (NYSE):
https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=MTN&subView=institutional
Whistler day pass prices:
https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/plan-your-trip/lift-access/tickets.aspx
3 Valleys Pricing:
https://www.les3vallees.com/en/skipass/adult-week-solo-pass
Gibbons’ bars in Whistler:
Two men shot in Whistler 2022: