Friday 26 January 2018

Thursday 25th January 2018 - Day 7 In Whistler and My Last Day

Today is my final day in Whistler before heading back to Rainy Vancouver and flying back to Sydney on Monday evening.

What a disastrous holiday I have had this year.

Next year I will have to be more strict with friends relatives visitors my accommodation and postage. It is no fun when people waste your time things are lost and things don't work when you arrive.

It has been snowing really heavily in Whistler this year which means next year will be a bad snow year.

I spent my final day in Whistler packing ,sorting out what to donate to the food bank from all the stuff in my mising bag that I finally received and had no chance of using up before flying home,  ice skating , visiting the new Art Gallery and attending a tech workshop at Whistler Library.

I also found out about the Cultural Connection Pass which is only available to residents of Whistler and currently has a wait list of 10 months. The things you can find out about from the local library!

So ice skating was ok but cold therefore I only skated for about an hour. Free with your own skates but rentals available - note closure of rink times for resurfacing of ice and maintenance.

Rating 7/10 - Whistler Olympic Village Ice Skating Rink indoor/outdoor rink non standard Olympic sized rink. Skating was in a clockwise direction when I was there. Near Village North behind Marketplace.


The tech workshop at the library was very useful - learning about apps for personal and business usage and tips on what and what not to download on devices. The workshop was from 6 - 8 pm and I really enjoyed it . These tech workshops are free and sponsored by Whistler Library. I learnt about different apps some of which I had not heard of and which ones are available on apple android and windows devices and which ones are useful across platforms and equivalent apps for different platforms. I wanted to learn about useful local apps - the Epic Mix app (which is replacing the old but still running Whistler Blackcomb app) was an Epic Fail! unfortunately it is a little behind and looks as if it isn't  even a beta version yet! If in Whistler it is better to have an iphone as there is an app that gives you live information of eg which chairlift or runs are groom open closed etc and works better.

Rating 9/10 - tech workshops great for older adults. Great place to share information with other older adults both iPhone and non Iphone users. Babyboomers and Gen X's only . No Gen Y's present they apparently attend tech workshops in Pemberton catered more to their age groups.

The new Audian Art Gallery in Whistler is worth visiting. I was impressed with not only the collection of traditional and modern artworks in 2 and 3 dimensions but the art gallery's structure itself. A massive building with very large glass windows spanding the lengths of the gallery's corridor looking out onto trees blanketed in falling snow and a bank of deep snow below. The gallery has a store inside,  self cloaking lockers and coat hangers and washrooms. It also houses a reception hall and has a series of galleries as follows:

1. Crystal Gallery
2. Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Gallery
3. Barbeau- Owen Gallery
4. Teresa & Tom Gautreau Gallery
5. Photography & Vancouver
6. Art Of Our Time

Rating 8/10 - Entry fee is approximately CAN$18 plus taxes.Visit the store for some amazing local artists especially the jewellery.  Relax in the kids art area on the specially designed window seat overlooking falling snow and snow covered trees furnished Scanadavian style. Draw mountains or write memories here for others to see and read the books supplied. I had fun doing this and watch the video on 50 years of Whistler. Very Ironic that I drew a timeline of my visits to Whistler from 1994/95 - present on share your memories of Whistler and hung it up with everyone else's before watching the video. Whilst watching the video I was looking through my phone's archive of photos of Whistler. It is funny how Blackcomb was referred to in the video as The Darkside". I overheard someone say this on the slopes of Whistler Mountain when some of his group decided they wanted to ski on Blackcomb Mountain just the day before and also mentioned in my blog yet I had never actually heard it being refered to officially  as that until I watched the video.

Photos attached



The view from inside the art gallery's corridor 

The changing advertisement screen outside the entrance to the art gallery

Amazing native mixed media artworks inside the art gallery

Kid's activity corner inside the art gallery where kids (and adults) can read write and draw - share your mountain story here (I did) for other visitors to the art gallery to read



Local artist - the art gallery's collection


Scandinavian inspired window seat and Kid's creative corner - great to sit on and watch the snow falling on the trees outside

3 dimensional native art inside the art gallery

3 dimensional art outside the entrance to the art gallery 

Outside the Audian Art Gallery entrance









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