The 2010 Whistler Accessibility Blog (The WFTD Society)

A "Pique Newsmagazine" Feature Story

Aug 18, 2010 1:05pm

9 Lives Adventure

By Dee Raffo

"I would rather die than be paralyzed." This is what Karen Darke thought the night before falling off a cliff at age 21 and becoming paraplegic with no feeling from the chest down. If we are honest, this is the attitude most of us would have, but read on. This story highlights the determination, ambition and downright refusal to live life at anything less than full throttle.

I met Karim Ladki at the end of June at Whistler's Trade Show, where local businesses and organizations were exhibiting their summer adventure products. His t-shirt was the first thing that caught my eye, a distinctive cat emblem with the name "9 Lives Adventures" across the front. Immediately I was intrigued. As he shook my hand he started to explain the logo and his reason for coming to the adventure mecca that is Whistler.

9 Lives Adventures is the brainchild of Ladki and best friend Matt Thola, rooted in an adventure of Ladki's own.

Like most people the travel bug had become an itch they just had to scratch and these boys had their sights set on Africa. The only consideration they had was that Matt is in a wheelchair. Back in May 2006 he was involved in a car accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury that left him unable to walk. Even though they shared the same sense of adventure and ambition, the thought of pushing a wheelchair through villages and on dirt roads depressed them both.

"I will never forget the day I told my friend Matt Thola I was going to Africa. He was genuinely happy for me, but you could tell he was eager to propose that he come. Instead, he replied 'I wish I could go'."

When Karim returned his head was spinning. Although it would have been a tougher journey he believed that the idea of Matt joining him would have been totally realistic. With an enthusiastic partner the cogs started to turn on an idea that would hopefully pave the way for more disabled travellers searching for the same excitement and adrenaline rush that these two were after.

"We are here to open up the world to every able person who has a strong mentality and has a will to fight for more in life. Together we will explore a path of adventure, excitement, and stimulation best fit for different individuals and different disabilities."

Read more »

Whistler for the Disabled, WFTD Society donates another $ 1000.00 dollars to two great Non-Profit Organizations.  This was made possible through our partnership with “Tourism Whistler and Coast Mountain Reservations” the official booking agency for them and for WFTD Society.

Pictured above is Hugh Tollett, Whistler for the Disabled Director and Phil Chew from the BC Disabled Ski Team who puts on a Bike Race every year to help raise funds for Disabled Athletes in Whistler and BC.  We donated $ 500 dollars to help support those disabled athletes.

Phil was a Torch Bearers during the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics and is a successful Winter Paralympian himself.

We also donated another $ 500 to BC Rehab a great organization that helps out both individuals and other Non Profit Groups who support People with Disabilities.

Cornucopia is Whistler's premier wine and food extravaganza. The annual event is a unique opportunity to mingle, mix and learn from acclaimed chefs, sommeliers, vintners and restaurateurs’ visiting Whistler or Whistler locals. Featuring a sumptuous variety of hands-on seminars, fascinating winemaker dinners, gala tasting events and sizzling after-parties, Cornucopia offers something for both the experienced gourmet and those seeking to better appreciate the epicurean delights of wine and food.

Come out to party and have some fun while enjoying some of the best food and wine you’ll ever have. 

All Venues are “Fully Accessible” to People with Disabilities so check them out at Whistler Cornucopia.  

Looking for some Accessible Accommodations while in Whistler for Cornucopia or call us up at 1-888-933-9383 for more information.   Be sure to check out our Accessible Accommodations listings for Whistler and book with us as all our Profits go back into supporting People with Disabilities in BC and Canada.  

We are in partnership with Tourism Whistler and their Reservations Company "Coast Mountain" so you know you’re getting the best deal out there.

Thanks for your support.

Hugh

Returning in 2010 after rave reviews from the 1st annual event, the Blank Slate Theatre Festival will mount 2 shows for 4 nights at the beautiful Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre from September 1st-4th, 2010.   Festival attendees will have the option of attending the Canadian premiere of an edgy and existential comedy entitled "Almost an Evening" from legendary writer Ethan Coen or a quirky one woman show about an enthusiastic children's performer who gets knock up by accident in "The Big Oops".  Save the date and don't miss out on this year's shows!  All shows are fully accessible to the Mobility Restricted.

Be sure to call us up for your "Accessible Accommodations" section on the Right Hand Side "Links" Menu Options for this Whistler Festival.   We work in partnership with Tourism Whistler so you know your getting the best out there and at a good rate.  All of our profits go back into Supporting People with Disabilities throughout BC and Canada.   Call our reservation team at 1-888-933-9383.
 
Almost an Evening  by Ethan Coen
Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre – Theatre – $20
Doors at 7pm – Show at 8pm
1 Act Play – No intermission

Synopsis - In "Almost an Evening" three short plays unsuccessfully tackle important questions.  In Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time.  In Four Benches, a voyage to self-discovery takes a British intelligence agent to steam baths in New York and Texas, and to park benches in the U.S. and U.K.   In Debate, cosmic questions are taken up.   Not much is learned.
 
With their macabre humour and dark sense of irony, the Coen Brothers' films offer a distinctively skewed view of Americana, appropriating genres from screwball to noir to convey a bizarre world in which heinous things happen. A similarly twisted perspective-and a reference frame ranging from Beckett to Mamet-is applied in Ethan Coen's first solo work for the theatre, Almost an Evening, three short plays that swap planet U.S.A. for a more abstract universe in which philosophical, existential and metaphysical questions bounce around.
  Read more »

The Whistler Museum Launches “Olympic Journey Exhibit”.

Is fully Accessible to the Mobility Restricted with an Access Ramp in the front and Accessible Washroom, and is Guide Dog Friendly. After being fully renovated, they launched their new exhibit "Whistler's Olympic Journey" where you can get your picture taken with an Olympic Torch!

The Museum is located behind the Whistler Public Library, for more information and parking locations please visit them at whistlermuseum.org

The Whistler Sliding Centre is now open for daily tours from 10 am to 5 pm please refer to their website for more information.

http://whistlerslidingcentre.com/

Also, note that the Sliding Centre is not very accessible to the Mobility Restricted…!

Snowboarding, alpine, cross-country skiing will be part of Games

By Alison Taylor, Pique Newsmagazine

It is not yet clear how Whistler could be involved in the Deaflympics that are coming to Vancouver in 2015 but the event is something town partners are interested in.

"Hosting such an event would be consistent with Whistler's sport tourism and all partners, including Tourism Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb, are interested in learning more, but with the 2010 Winter Games having just past there are only preliminary discussions at this time," said the municipality's senior communication officer Jessica Delaney.

Once known as the International Silent Games, the games date back to 1924 where the first summer games were held in Paris for deaf athletes.

The most recent name, the Deaflympics, was formally adopted in 2001.

Sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, the Deaflympics is the world's second oldest multiple sports games after the Olympics. There are 19 summer sports disciplines, from mountain biking to table tennis. Last year, in Chinese Taipei, the summer games brought together more than 4,000 deaf athletes and officials from 77 nations.

Like the Olympics and Paralympics, the winter games at the Deaflympics are on a much smaller scale with five sports disciplines: alpine skiing, cross country, curling, ice hockey and snowboarding.

Vancouver's Deaflympics will be the 18^th winter games, which are held every four years.

Salt Lake City hosted the last games, in 2007. Six-hundred athletes and officials participated. Next year the Deaflympics will be help in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia.