As Whistlerites settle into life and rhythm post-Turkey (sale), count down the days to November 22, and begin praying for Winter’s fury, we find ourselves bouncing around from event to event feeding the anticipation of the winter to come. Film premieres, neurotically waxing and re-waxing snowboards, and checking pockets for cash accidently forgotten in last year’s ski jacket, it’s the get-stoked season of practicing the lost art of patience.

Thankfully, for the last seven years the Whistler Arts Council has organized and hosted the very popular Out of Bounds Photo Exhibit to ensure thinning patience and extra stoke as we all get ready for winter. This year’s show runs during the entire month of October and was punctuated with Thursday night’s launch party, complete with wine, good looking people, and fantastic art (just like I predicted).

With DJ Foxy Moron keeping the vibe moving, a packed house that included some of the finest Whistlerites I know, free drinks if you were in the know, and a bunch of prizes from event sponsors (wish I’d won the Canadian Snowmobile tour!), it was a super fun night showcasing the best of Whistler’s emerging backcountry photographers.

As an advocate for the arts in Whistler, WAC has done a fantastic job in providing a venue and platform for emerging artists and photographers to develop and showcase their work while being critiqued by industry-judges and peers.

In a recent article over at The Pique WAC visual arts programmer Andrea Mueller explained, “We’re hoping it encourages people to keep taking photographs. Being (evaluated) by a professional jury like that definitely gives more credibility to the work you’re doing. For an emerging artist, I think that alone is a bit of a boost that you should be continuing on your path.”

Out of Bounds Launch Party. All Photos by Joern Rohde

With the launch party in the books and the professional panel of judges already decided who this year’s winner is, I still haven’t cast my vote for the People’s Choice award. There was a lot of buzz around the room centered on a few standout photographs but, in the end, I decided not to vote until next time I’m in the gallery.

Why wait, you ask? Because I can.

Voting for the People’s Choice award is open and available all the way to October 31 which means I still have time to decide and you still have time to get down and cruise through the exhibit. At this point my selection is coming down to a wicked ski shot, a well-presented snowboard photo, an amazing mountain-scape, and a canvas unlike any of the others. If you, like me, haven’t yet voted – get down to Millennium Place to vote and enjoy the exhibit and I guarantee you’re stoke-meter will thank-you.

Big high five to the Whistler Arts Council for throwing a fun event and props to the sponsors who really helped make a go of it: Backcountry Snowcats, Canadian Adventures, Prior, Helly Hansen, Whistler Foto Source, Escape Route, Mountain Life Magazine, & Arc’teryx.

For upcoming Out of Bounds events (including the newly conceived Whistler Debates Series), cruise over to the Whistler Arts Council website and give your schedule a boost of pre-winter stoke.

-Jer