There are a lot of things you won’t find in a Whistler closet.
High heels, for instance, don’t tend to do well in snow, dirt, and puddles. You’d be hard-pressed to find a suit (business, that is) that was purchased in the last 10 years.
But there are few key items that you could probably find in just about every closet in town. These are the Whistler staples. Some are practical, others are aesthetic – either way, they’re important ingredients for perfecting the mountain lifestyle. Here are some of our favourite Whistler must-haves.
A Low Light Lens
Bluebird days in Whistler are awesome, but we’re notorious for our low light days on the mountain. Every Whistlerite knows that having the right goggle lens makes a huge difference: a low light lens will help you see in tricky conditions. And when you’re hucking it off a cornice or dodging trees, it’s good to be able to see.
A Good Toque
Toque, beanie, whatever you want to call it, every Whistler resident owns a toque – or, more realistically, dozens of them. Wear them underneath your helmet, waiting for the bus, at work when you haven’t had time to wash your hair… heck, wear them out for a formal dinner. Consider your toque an extension of your physical body.
GoreTex
We live in the coastal rainforest – it’s going to get wet.
Our heavier snow is great because it sticks to stuff, giving us great coverage, but it can also get you soaked. Waterproof fabrics like GoreTex are essential parts of the Whistler kit.
The Perfect Flannel
Once you’ve found the perfect flannel shirt, you’ll quickly realize that it is suitable for each and every occasion you’ll ever come across. Flannels are comfortable, but they still look sharp (hey, there are buttons and a collar!) You’re in the mountains – it’s okay to embrace the mountain man look.
Boots That Fit
Had to cut the day short because your ski boots were torturing your feet? Rookie mistake. Everyone in Whistler knows that it’s worth investing in a good pair of ski boots that have been properly fitted to your foot (hey – isn’t McCoo’s known for being the best at that?)
When you realize that you’ll spend more time in your ski boots than any other footwear, it’ll all make sense.
A Full Quiver
No one in Whistler just has skis. They have rock skis for early season conditions, pow skis for when Ullr is feeling extra generous, park skis for those bluebird spring day sessions, cross country skis for when they want to work on their cardio (that includes both classic skis and skate skis)…
As they say, variety is the spice of life. Living in Whistler, it’s impossible not to accumulate a set of skis for every potential condition.
A Frolf Disc
It’s not Frisbee, it’s not golf – it’s frolf. A favourite Whistler pastime involves heading into the woods to one of our awesome frolf courses and tossing the disc for a few hours with some buddies. Frolf is the perfect laid-back way to enjoy a sunny afternoon outdoors. You can guarantee that there’s a frolf disc tucked away somewhere in every front hall closet in Whistler.
