Community: It’s in Whitewater’s Winter Carnival
If ever there was a “community” that lived by the very definition of the word, it’s the one you’ll find at Whitewater. Defined as “a feeling of fellowship with others”, our mountain resort and its skiers embody the term by welcoming everyone to partake in powdery bliss.
It’s a place where no judgements are passed. A place where we can rub shoulders with both our neighbours and visitors alike, treating everyone as though they have equal stake under Ymir’s watchful eye.
And at least once each winter month, we gather together precisely to celebrate that community-ness.
Whitewater’s Winter Carnival was on deck this past weekend. An annual celebration, it pulls together the eclectic Kootenay Lake cultures that combine to make the region so spirited and unique.
There’s the Francophone Association of West Kootenays delighting children and adults alike with their traditional maple candy and music, and Yvonne of Grasshopper Lane Artworks painting details of mythical creatures onto faces, transforming people into works of art. There are the live local bands that keep the tempo of the weekend hopping, and roasting marshmallows while watching larger-than-life sculptures being carved into mounds of our infamous Powder Highway snow.
From-scratch food pours out from Whitewater’s kitchen, created by the skilled chefs who are renowned in the industry for their culinary craft. And this year, the menu went way south of the border, with crab and jalapeno accompanying cheesy grits, bbq ribs, and succotash.
Though unintentionally so, the menu played right into this theme of community. This writer hails from Florida, so the American southern-style food helped her feel at home in her new community—a happy consequence of the kitchen’s creative minds.
From on-hill to in-lodge events, the weekend sees Nelson and its visitors mill all over the mountain, sharing smiles and plates of Whitewater’s best food. And as the Winter Carnival’s torchlight parade winds its way down and fireworks signal the end of the weekend celebration, a magical feel settles over the hill. It’s almost as though Christmas lingers on through the renewed kinship we feel for those around us.
It’s the magic of our community, and it’s alive at Whitewater. 