Day 35 | W.E.S.P.

Another year for WESP:  Whistler Elementary School Program.  It's a great program funded by the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and it gives local kids,  especially those who might not be able to afford the sport, the opportunity to give skiing and snowboarding a try.  As instructors, we don't realize how expensive the sports are between equipment, clothing and lift tickets.

The program runs out of Creekside but this season Creekside is basically shut down for beginner level skiing and riding due to the Olympic games.  The Creek, as it's called, is the base where the downhill skiing events will take place in February.  As a result, the lower level kids, who would normally use the Creekside Magic Carpet, had to be bussed to the Village so they could upload to the CLC and use that beginner area.  It doesn't really make sense to me as to why the program isn't just running out of the Village to begin with but who am I to question the higher ups?  What it meant for me was a fast easy day with my level ones.

There was chaos at the CLC with all pods (Village, Blackcomb, and Creekside) all running out of the same area instead of spreading out over the two mountains.   I'm thinking we had close to 50 snowboarders on the Magic Carpet area today and over 150 kids in the Childrens' Learning Center for lunch.  I'm not complaining because I would rather have it be busy with a ton of kids instead of being quiet with only about 5 kids in Snowboard School.  I feel bad for the rookies who aren't quite use to the whole routine and they have been getting stuck with up to seven to nine kids in a class.  Ok, well maybe I don't feel THAT bad.  ha ha