words :: Feet Banks
First off, a quick history lesson. Let the record show that Whistler’s World Ski & Snowboard Festival evolved directly from an industry-changing and culture-forming snowboard event called the Westbeach Classic, and everyone owes the snowboarders a tip of the hat for teaching us all what an end-of-season mountain town party can and should look like.
Having said that, the WSSF has taken the ball and ran hard since then. The first official World Ski & Snowboard fest took place in 1996. It included and expanded on the Westbeach Classic and featured 22 events over 10 days. Starting around Y2K (aka: the year 2000s) WSSF put more focus on incorporating arts, film, photography and community into the sport and media offerings and quickly grew into the gold standard for givin’er, changing the way resorts did things around the globe.
But evolution can be a tricky thing to nail, especially in an constantly growing (read: more expensive) community like Whistler and an industry marketing model that no longer saw the value of putting a banner on a big air jump. So as the decades stacked up (and COVID killed fun for a few years) the springtime WSSF vibes took a bit of hit, and it wasn’t always easy to re-ignite that OG glory we all used to take for granted.
Good news: WSSF 2025 is looking lean, mean, and ready to kick some ass and reclaim its title. The arts/culture events are back in the Whistler Conference Centre, there’s four days of free music in the Skiers Plaza (with 3-day rail comp there as well) and yes indeed there’s gonna be a slush cup and you know the nightclubs will be pumping all week. It’s springtime in the mountains and here are the five WSSF events we’re most psyched on:
1: Pro Photographer Showdown
Started over a quarter century ago by some key local shred/bike photographers and their pals, this event set the industry standard for photos showcases decades ago and never disappoints. (And to think they legit used to have to do it with two slide projectors and a boombox.) This year’s format sees four top pro photographers and invited from near and far (Switzerland, BC, Cali, Washington State) joining a wildcard entry from France to show their best and favourite images of their entire career thus far. As if that wasn’t good enough, the night is hosted by internet comedy sensation and newly minted feature film director Katie Burrell. See you there. Get tickets
(Fun fact: Local phenom Blake Jorgenson won this comp twice, so now they make him a judge.)
Check out this show from 2017 winner Ben Thouard. (Usually the shows never go up online so this is a treat.)
2. Saudan Couloir Race Extreme
The steepest ski and snowboard race going! This one has been iconic since the 1980s and even though famed French extreme ski pioneer Sylvain Saudan removed his name from Blackcomb’s most famous run (and thus this event), local Wildman/filmmaker/author Peter Chrzanowski but his nose to the grindstone and brokered a 2017 deal between Sylvain and Vail to have the name re-instated. Now presented by our friends at Helly Hansen, this race sees top pros (and old legends) shredding a steep, rutted, mogul-pocked gates course before opening it up in Jersey Cream bowl for a (long) sprint to the finish. All in, it’s 2500 feet of thigh burning hell. No tickets needed except lift tickets, just head up Blackcomb and find a fun place to watch.
(Fun Fact: This race actually predates the WSSF. It started in 1987.)
3. Coffee + Creatives
A new event for 2025, Coffee + Creatives plays on the PechaKucha/TEDx/Mountain Multiplicty creative speaking event vibe but on a smaller scale. With two moderated discussions slated in the first half of the fest, attendees can come listen to Blake Jorgenson talk about the Psychology of Success, or Voleurz co-founder/filmmaker Darren Rayner recalling his favourite lessons learned on the journey from sports films to brand marketing guru. These events is free to attend but it wouldn’t hurt to register for a ticket.
4. Free Concerts
Free is key (especially in this day and age) and with 4 days of free outdoor live shows set for the last half of the festival the WSSF Music line-up is tight. We’re most pumped for the full-band Fort Knox Five show on Friday April 11th. Led by original member Steve Raskin, this FK5 line up re-unites the same dream-team Sea to Sky musicians that tore the roof of Whistler Olympic Plaza last summer. These cats bring the funk (and The Gaff is the opening DJ!!).
Don’t sleep on the other shows either though, Thursday see Canadian singer-songwriter Ruby Waters take a break from her US tour to come home and rock the mountains (with recent WSSF battle of the band winners The Last Reminisced Heroes opening). Saturday night sees a blast from the past as Swollen Members and Moka Only return to the stage they’ve rocked so many times it kinda used to be a running joke in town. (Really though, it was because they were the only Canadian Hip Hoppers west of Toronto so we didn’t really have any other options.) It’s gonna be great to see what new tricks the crew have up their sleeves after some time away. (And local heroes A Whole Lotta Led open).
Sunday sees world beat veterans Wasabi Collective open for rollickin’ folk rockers Shred Kelly. It’s win-win really.
(Fun Fact: Everyone talks about the time Justin Timberlake surprise-joined the Black Eyed Peas on stage at the WSSF (2004) but who remembers the local bartender that was MC that year and used the Timberlake moment to call his girlfriend on stage and propose to her!!! Game, Set, Match.)
5. Slush Cup
No event harnesses the potential of spring in the mountains like a good slush cup on a warm sunny day. Mid-April in Whistler can be pretty much any weather you imagine (They usually get at least one sunny pow day during WSSF) but if a warm day happens to hit the Corona Slush Cup, it’s the event of the week.
This year the Cup is slated for Sunday April 13 so pack your towel/bikini/Borat suit/whatever and don’t forget to stretch!
(Not so fun fact: Whistler Mountain has way better natural options for late spring/Gaper Day slush cups, but Whistler closes to skiing/shredding on April 21this year, with Blackcomb staying open until May Long Weekend. If there’s a will there’s a way though, Blackcomb’s forest slush hole usually opens up pretty good.)
That’s it for our picks. But there’s big value in getting out there and finding your own faves. Choose your own adventure here, just remember to keep hydrated!
-ML
