WSSF: Day 1 Highlights

Day 1: Set up begins for the 10 day festival

World Ski and Snowboard Festival Day 1

The World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, British Columbia, is officially under way.

Yesterday marked the launch of the 10-day festival, which features not only some major ski and snowboard competitions, but also free live music, action sports photography and film competitions, and non-stop parties.

As they say, party in April, sleep in May.

The first Friday of the festival eased us into the good times yet to come. Booths began to pop up along the Village Stroll (collecting free stuff is practically a WSSF tradition), scaffolding for stages started to rise, and the massive snowy jump sat nice and pretty at the base of Whistler Mountain, ready for the Big Air competitions just around the corner.

As the day went on, the sun made a much-appreciated appearance, inciting those who’d spent the afternoon sliding down the slushy mountain to stick around in the Village to check out the action.

Arguably, the Festival didn’t really start until the sun went down. DJ Cut Chemist put on a free show on the main stage, and the Skullcandy State of the Art show opened its doors to the public. For the uninitiated, State of the Art is an art exhibit that takes over the foyer of the Whistler Conference Center, where many events are held throughout the festival. Your average art gallery, this is not: 50 or so super rad artists display a sample of their pieces. Think graffiti battles—need I say more?

State of the Art

So what’s in the forecast? Well, a warm and sunny weekend, for one, but also the snowboarding component of the WSSF, the Shred Show. Today (Saturday) marks the Big Air competition, plus a live show from hip-hop group De La Soul. Good times ahead.

WSSF: Why You Should Be Here