The Canadian national identity has never been all that easy to nail down and a town like Whistler, with a population woven together with people from all over the globe, might not be where you’d expect to find the answers. But it is, because multiculturalism is an integral part of the fabric of Canada and Whistler’s random concentration of fun-loving Aussies, Brits, Chileans, Japanese and kids from Quebec only helps to make us all feel more Canadian. The more the merrier, so long as everyone is having a good time.

Canada eh?

But the truth is there is more to being Canadian than just the people of Canada, our national identity is also intrinsically tied to the Canadian landscape– and Whistler has some pretty incredible landscape. So to celebrate Canada Day The Insider is putting forth a list of reasons, places and events that make Whistler iconically Canadian.

Happy Canada Day, eh bud?

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

The Indigenous peoples have been living on these lands for thousands of years and when the first settlers arrived the First Nations acted as guides and passed key knowledge onto many of the early explorers and settlers. Whistler has one of the best First Nations museums in the world and a visit to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is a must-do for anyone trying to understand Canada.

Natives and Rivers

Rivers

Rivers were the highways upon which this country was first traveled. The Canadian landscape is riddled with high mountains, dense forests and thick muskeg. A path of water, regardless of how meandering or rush-roaring, often provided the easiest means of passage. Whistler has great rivers to both the north and south and to be out on the water, seeing the land from an entirely new perspective is a fantastic way to appreciate the Canadian wilderness. Whether it’s the exhilarating rush of a jetboat mission or whitewater rafting tour on the Green River or just a mellow canoe trip down the River of Golden Dreams, time on a river will make anyone feel more Canadian.

Beer

One of the most obvious tenets of Canadian culture (alongside hockey and manners) is Beer. Canadians love beer and with more public patios-per-capita than probably anywhere else in the country, Whistler is perhaps Canada’s best place to drink beer. Besides sun, views, and brews Whistler also has a Brewhouse Pub, a local brewery and a end-of-summer beer festival showcasing over 150 beers from 50 breweries. Welcome to Canada, drink up.

Whistler Beer, Whistler Snow

Snow

Canadians are people of the snow and even though Canada Day falls in the summer there is still plenty of snow to be found in the alpine. What’s more Canadian than summer skiing or throwing snowballs while on an alpine hike?

Bear Viewing Tours

You wanna talk about the real locals? The Whistler valley has been home to black bears since pretty much forever and what can be more Canadian than driving up a ski hill for a way-closer-than-you-think look at Whistler’s black bears with a guy who has been studying them for decades. Whistler bear viewing tours are one of those quintessential Canadian experiences you just don’t get in too many other places, and it’s one of the best ways to see bears in Whistler.

Canadian Kids and Bears

Hockey

The public skating rink at Whistler Olympic Plaza is closed (melted) for the season but there is still a beautiful sheet of ice at the Meadow Park Sports Centre and Whistler is home to some great hockey camps and tournaments all summer long.

Party!

With such a massive country (Canada is the second largest country in the world for land area) and a relatively small population, we Canadians don’t bump into people as often as other nations. So when we do we like to celebrate. Whistler Village is teeming with festivals and special events all summer long, including the annual July long weekend celebrations.

Whistler Canada Day Concerts

Other great Canadian-defining things to do in Whistler include eating poutine, fishing, drinking Caesars, hiking into the wild, and being overly polite.

Whistler Canadian Cuisine

Being Canadian is about much more than the list above. It’s about being proud of where you are and how you got there, its about learning to love the wilderness that makes up our great land and helping others enjoy it too. It’s about “please”, and “thank you”, and “see ya next time eh bud.”

Happy Canada Day.

Author

Feet Banks moved to Whistler at age 12 so his parents could live the dream and ski as much as possible. He ended up living it too. After leaving home Feet did a few good stints in warmer climates and 4 years of writing school before returning to the mountains to make ski movies, hammer out a journalism career and avoid the 9-5 lifestyle as long as possible. He’s been a hay farmer, a hole digger, a magazine editor and has a jump named after him on Blackcomb Mountain, Feet’s Air. It’s tiny.