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Articles by Jon Parris
Letter: Hugs over handshakes
When asked where I live, I often say Function Junction instead of Whistler. Function Junction has been my home for well over two decades. Community means so many things. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a community with such a friendly vibe, while I may not know everyone. I see you all the time and I love you because you’re always happy to smile and wave back. The Function vibe is a unique one.
Celebrating Pique
click to enlarge Anniversary Design by Jon Parris Celebrating Pique We celebrate 25 years of Pique in this special feature. Did you know that the first edition of Pique is dated the day before it was available, or that our offices are a haven for dogs, or that G.D. Maxwell is on column No. 1,237? We celebrate 25 years of Pique in this special feature.
Is social media ruining political discourse at the municipal level?
Local leaders weigh in on the increasingly toxic dialogue online By Joel Barde It should come as no great surprise that social media can get ugly fast—just look at Twitter on any given day. Sitting behind the anonymity of a computer screen, some people seem to feel more comfortable spouting angry sentiments or accusations than they ever would in person. For local municipal politicians, the attacks can get personal.
Waiting for the smoke to clear...
Outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, vendors are slowly gathering for a day of massive sales. It starts with one tent, where a man in a hoodie weighs and distributes weed from several jars laid out on a table. Cash changes hands, no questions asked. Soon, another booth is set up nearby, and by the early afternoon more than half a dozen vendors will be doling out the goods. Normally the vendors would be slinging in Robson Square, but they know to go where the grass is greenest.
Dream team
On any given Sunday, Merlin's Bar in the Upper Village plays host to a scene that's at once fabulously improbable and deeply heartwarming. With the help of parents and coaches, kids and teenagers bundle up and strap on snowboard boots. Like most kids, they can barely contain themselves, bursting at the seams as they ready to hit the slopes for their weekly shred. What's different is who they are. These are not the children of vacationing Europeans or moneyed Vancouverites.
Is it time to strop throwing salt at road clearing?
Every winter the roads leading into Whistler, including the highway from Duffey Lake to Horseshoe Bay, are peppered with salt — up to a staggering 10,000 tonnes of the crystal, depending on the season. The lion's share is spread on the all-important tourist track — the Sea to Sky Highway — but the resort municipality spreads its share too — roughly 700 tonnes annually.
Sea to sky spillover | Feature Story | Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA
Considered by many to be the most beautiful highway in the world, Highway 99 connects the main communities of Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton. Tourists visiting from Vancouver might see Whistler as the crowning jewel of the corridor's tourism. But neighbouring communities are deeply proud of their own assets, and quick to insist on their uniqueness and independence from the world-renowned ski resort. "We draw a lot of visitors into our area," says Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman.
Can human judgment handle avalanches? | Feature Story | Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA
All morning, I'd heard the roar of sloughs rocketing down cliffs as I skied up a mountain in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Now, standing at the summit with my six friends and our two guides, I gazed over treeless sheets of white plunging into the inky ocean. A virgin slope beckoned us. I felt uneasy — the snow was clearly unstable — but said nothing. I was there as a travel writer and photographer, so the group agreed that I would go first to set up my camera, accompanied by Dan, the lead guide.
The dirty side of Whistler | Feature Story | Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA
If there was any doubt that the biggest mountain bike festival was here again, the Crankworx swag in the village is enough to set anyone straight. Trucker hats. Sunglasses. Lanyards. T-shirts. Stickers. Food. All marked and branded merchandise. For Whistler kids, walking through the village during Crankworx is like having unfettered reign in a candy store, with no thoughts to the potential cavities. There's stuff for sale; there's lots of freebies, too. But at what cost?
Mindful | Feature Story | Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA
After slamming her head against the frame of her car and sustaining a concussion in March 2015, Natasha Perrault left the hospital with a piece of paper outlining danger signs to watch for that would require a return to the emergency department: seizures, worsening headache, and repeated vomiting among them. She also assumed it wouldn't be long before she'd be back to normal. "I was hoping it was only going to be two weeks, but it got worse and worse," Perrault says. "I was a mess.
The Irony of Everest | Feature Story | Pique Newsmagazine | Whistler, CANADA
In 1923, mountaineer George Mallory was asked by a New York Times reporter why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. His famous answer has echoed through the decades and continues to challenge mountaineers: "Because it's there. No man has reached its summit, its existence is a challenge." Mallory failed twice and his third attempt marked the end of his life, with no evidence that he ever summited the peak.
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