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Last winter Luke Dillon lived the dream. As winner of the Whistler Sabbatical Project Luke and his ski buddy Tim Davis were flown to Whistler from London, England, and treated to the ultimate winter vacation for a month that included new gear, a huge chalet, heliskiing, cooking lessons, an Olympic bobsleigh ride and pretty much every other awesome thing in town. Then, while they were here, Mother Nature dumped over seven feet of fresh snow on them.

“We decided that Whistler is probably a lifestyle rather than just a place,” Luke said at the end of their perfect powder holiday. “So, you know, we might have to come back.”

“You can’t have more fun than this,” Tim added. “We might be ruined.”

Luke follows Olympic skicrosser Ashleigh McIvor into the goods.

Not ruined fellas, more like hooked. “Lucky” Luke and “Tag-along” Tim have confirmed they will be back in town sooner than later, the duo have booked Whistler vacations for March of 2013. To see how stoked the boys are The Insider caught up with Luke for a chat about their Whistler Sabbatical.

Whistler InsiderWhat’s happening in London? How often do you catch yourself daydreaming about Whistler?

Lucky Luke – It’s just starting to get cold here (we think 5ºC is cold) and all the Olympic excitement is now totally gone, everyone is back to being rude to each other!
I would say I think about Whistler at least once a day… I’ve mounted my skis on the ceiling of my flat so they remind me on a regular basis that really I need to get involved with some snow again.

LEFT: Extremely Canadian guide Pete Smart gets extreme with his proteges. RIGHT: Luke’s inspirational ski storage.

InsiderSo your trip is booked for next March?

Luke – Yup, coming back at exactly the same time as last year. The sun and snow were kind to us then so why not?

InsiderHow soon after you left last year did you know you would be coming back this winter?

Luke – Leaving last year was a struggle and both Tim and I managed a good six months before we got to the point where it was totally unacceptable not to have some Whistler dates in the diary. It was getting emotional. I got invited to go skiing in France and I think I’ve offended quite a few people with my lack of enthusiasm any skiing that is not Whistler!

InsiderHahaha. Poor France! What are you looking forward to the most about coming back here?

Luke – I’m massively looking forward to seeing all the people that I met last time…. I also seem to spend a fair bit of time daydreaming about hiking up Spanky’s Ladder (on Blackcomb). I’m also pretty excited to get some nostalgic GLC times going, and I’m about to send Extremely Canadian an e-mail to book another Steep and Deep clinic. It’s going to be really nice to come back somewhere welcoming and see some familiar faces.

InsiderLast question, what is one thing everyone should know before they come to Whistler for the first time?

Luke – Read the Whistler Insider blog and make sure you earn your après with a full day on the hill.

(Editor’s note: Luke and Tim skied every day there were in town last year for their Whistler Sabbatical, 31 consecutive days. And they après’d after everyone one. Champions!)

Tim finds his happy place on Whistler’s Shale Slope.

Check out this video highlighting Luke and Tim’s excellent adventures on their Whistler Sabbatical.

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.