whistler insider

Did our parents and Grandparents feel this rushed? I remember my childhood feeling slow, so I wonder if the adults were less hurried than we are now. I try to schedule in some downtime each day, but admittedly it’s hard. Harder still when we’re traveling. I like to ensure when we visit a new place we “get the most out of every minute”. This detailed itinerary building worked great when it was just Ben and me but now we have two babies, it ends in tears. Usually mine! I now pad the trip’s events with scheduled moments of calm. These are for the children, but I benefit from them too. I find the activities almost meditative and feel similar results- clarity of mind, more present and calmer. And isn’t this why we travel?

In this section of the blog, I call “Kids Corner” I will describe these types of activities. They will be easy things you can do in your rental suite with few materials easily collected in nature or local stores nearby. Here’s the first of many…

Activity: Natures Puzzle

Materials

• Flora (5 or so)
• Construction Paper (bought at Whoola Toys).
• Pen

Instructions

During your explorations, collect different types of flora. This “hunting” can be helpful to keep kids moving and engaged on a hike. Promote that they pick things that have already fallen naturally, so as not to disturb nature’s delicate balance. Place these on a piece of construction paper and trace them using a pen. Remove the flora and ask your littles to complete the “puzzle” but putting the pieces in the correct spots.

Till next post,

Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Ben and I have so much to be grateful for; our family, good health, this beautiful place we call home and the people who we’ve met here, our chosen family, who supports us in all we do. just to name a few.

This long weekend we took full advantage of all Whistler has to offer. We, like most, hit up the Turkey Sale and got Heath his first ski set-up. 70cm Rossi’s- doesn’t get any cuter! Big homecooked meals with family and friends, ice skating at Meadow Park and we went up the gondola for the last Peak-to-Peak ride of this season.

The highlight of our weekend, however, was hands down our trip north to Pemberton to visit North Arm Farms. The view of Mount Currie never disappoints. Right now North Arm Farms is offering a tractor ride to their pumpkin patch, marshmallow roasting, freshly popped popcorn, hay bales for the kids to jump on and more. It was a blast. We highly recommend you check it out.

Sarah

North Arm Farm Pumpkin Patch, October 2019.

Baby Oscar wishing the skis were for him!

Hi! I’m Sarah, the owner, and operator of Outpost Whistler. This here is our blog. I know you’re familiar with the forum so I’ll keep the explanation brief. I want our guests to not only come to Whistler but to experience it on a deeper level. The way only locals truly can. I mean, that’s why you’re here and not at some cookie-cutter hotel right? Here on this blog, I will be writing my favorite things about Whistler and I’ll be calling on my friends to help too. Through getting to know the locals here, it was plain to see that Whistler attracts individuals who are driven, pushing life past what even they believed possible. But don’t take my word for it. Come back often to read their stories for yourself.  

Here’s mine, in the first of the segment I call “Interview with a Local”–

Interviewer (I): K this is weird, cause I’m interviewing myself. I’m sitting on our new built-in banquette seat at our dining room table. It’s pretty comfortable. I’m drinking a cup of Golden Mylk and feeling a bit silly. Okay here goes, “Sarah, tell me your backstory…”

Sarah (ST): After graduating from university, and traveling the globe I started to plant roots in Vancouver where I fell madly in love with a man who was raised in Whistler. I was the Operations Lead for the Women’s design team at Lululemon and he was an entrepreneur with a small restaurant chain. Our story is so stereotypical it’s embarrassing to write; we moved in together, got a dog, got engaged, then married and had babies. The steps may be typical, but trust me when I say, how we did them like everything we do was anything but! 

I: How did you land here, in Whistler? 

ST: After baby number one, our beautiful boy Heath I knew I couldn’t go back to the corporate world, wanting something which would allow more flexibility. This is why we moved to Whistler. Vacation rentals wasn’t something I’d done before, but I knew this business is operations heavy and how right I was. It is so complex and dynamic. I am in heaven! 

I: Aside from the obvious, what keeps you here? 

ST: I can’t imagine a better place to raise my family. We’ve recently welcomed our second baby boy, Oscar and spend our free time exposing them to all their beautiful surroundings have to offer. Heath will be in “ski school” this season, aka daycare on ski’s and will no doubt tally more days on the mountain than I do… he will be 2.5 yrs old! Case and point. 

I: What is your “ideal” Whistler day?

ST: My ideal day in Whistler, given that it’s October and I have a 2yr old and 6 months old is as follows:

BREAKFAST- Americano and cinnamon bun at Ed’s Bred in Creekside. Also grabbing their sourdough pizza dough for dinner later.  

Activity- Hike Ancient Cedars Trail on Cougar Mountian.

LUNCH- Mallard Lounge in the Fairmont with our friends and their children. 

Activity- Take in the views from the Peak to Peak gondola, spotting and counting the bears with my eldest son, Heath. 

DINNER- Head home to make our own Ed’s bred Pizza and extra-large salad using whatever came in our Ice Cap Organics box that week  (delivered by the farmers themselves to our door weekly). 

Activity- After putting our kids to bed, sitting together in our window seat, eating some dark chocolate and watching the stars.

I: What’s your favorite “locals” tip?

ST: I’ll be sharing them weekly on this blog but I’ll start with the drive up. My biggest advice for your journey is to take it slow from the get-go and enjoy the amazing drive on the Sea to Sky highway. Stop often. There are amazing beaches; Furry Creek and Britannia, views; Hike the Chief, stop at the Tantalus Mountain range (I can’t get enough of them), Waterfalls; don’t miss the Alexander Falls up the Callaghan and Brandywine both are very easily accessible for all abilities and ages. 

I: What do you do (professionally) and how can people support you?

ST: I own and operate Outpost Whistler, this Vacation Rental company. Come often, book directly here on our website and tell your friends. 

If you have blog post requests please let me know via email at sarah@outpostwhistler.com

Till our next post, have fun exploring!

Sarah