Follow the Girls (F.T.G) is written by Whistler local Sarah Hopwood. Although she loves skiing here, she’s unfortunately been unlucky on the injury front. Despite the set backs, actually it’s because of them, she spreads her love of skiing in other ways. She’s been running a women’s freestyle day on the mountain; 500 members strong the girls are absolutely KILLING it in the park, and she can’t wait to tear it up with them and share the stories with you!

#localWSSF

I’m lucky enough to have been in Whistler a little while now, and I never stop being stoked on how rad the local community is here. I started a women’s freestyle day on the mountain (we shred once a fortnight), and I’ve been blown away by the participation and talent from the girls! It’s this sort of vibe that makes me love this town so much.

Winter is non-stop; so many skiing and snowboarding, events and parties. The World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is an end of season celebration for all this, with the pros competing for the world title and the bars putting on the biggest nights of the year. For 2015 I wanted to offer unique perspectives from the locals, and also represent female participation in the festival this year! For the first time women will compete in the Gibbons Big Air, which reflects how seriously the media and snowsports industry are taking women now (finally).

We are going to be ripping around the mountain every day during the festivities, hitting up cool events and keeping updated on the athletes during the competitions. So come get involved and FOLLOW US!

WSSF: Day 1

Friday 10th we will be at the Main Stage to watch Ski Tour kick things off and get the vibe going in our most attractive retro gear.

Then there is a charity fundraiser at the FireRock Lounge in honor of the Sarah Burke Foundation. Sarah Burke was hugely influential for skiing and female representation in extreme sports before she passed away in 2012. She reached out and inspired so many people, and her Foundation continues to impact so many lives through scholarships and support for athletes and the underprivileged. It is obviously a really worthwhile cause and we will all be showing our support for Sarah.

Friday night will wrap up in Garfinkel’s for the State of the Art After Party with the girls crew…stay tuned!

To keep in the loop with all WSSF events, music, bands, mountain action, competition updates, even the weather…keep your eyes on the blog, #localWSSF, Instgram @ski_sarah and Snapchat ski_sarah.

I caught up with (local) ski legend Sean Pettit for his advice on making the most of WSSF:

Eat, Ski, Party, Sleep(but not much), Repeat.

Simple, but some wise words to live by this week!