Author Archive

Eric Beckstead grew up in Calgary, Alberta focused on skiing, skateboarding, surfing, photography, cinematography, art and lifestyle. After high school in Calgary, he studied cinematography in Vancouver, BC then moved to Whistler, BC where he currently resides. An injury sidelined him from any sports but helped him find the time to push his artistic passions. He currently shoots with professional athletes, models and artists of all levels.

The Photos

01  I have skied since I was 2 and most likely wouldn’t live in Whistler if this hadn’t been the case.  This is where I always want to be and despite a fractured tibia, multiple torn ligaments and tendons I had to get a turn in for this shot.
02  My personal studio and workshop in Alta.
03  Off The Wall Kids x Coldsmoke.
04  I came across this living fawn while filming in Merritt, at this young age they are still in the midst of learning how to walk and are taught to lay still and blend with their surroundings. While I snapped photos the mother was trying to bait us away from her young.
05  Surfing in Sombrio with the homies!  Thanks Sauterlee Surfboards for the custom design!
06  Gainer off the tree platform at loggers lake, definitely one of my favourite haunts in Whistler.  I am really against the municipality cutting down all the ropeswings that locals have spent so much time setting up just because people got hurt.  Everyone swings knowing a massive risk is involved, if someone is hurt on a cliff on the mountain are they going to remove that too?
07  Sample of my art.  Message me for custom orders or details.
08  Representing Whistler Alternative Lifestyle magazine Features/Webisodes- http://www.coldsmokeco.com/features/

The Questions

What neighbourhood do you live in?
Alta Vista.

What do you do and where?
I work for myself as a photographer, cinematographer and artist.

What are you working on?
I am currently putting my focus into a video magazine style project dropping as webisodes.  Along with Anna Lengstrand, we are featuring Whistlers Alternative Lifestyle and the people that make it up.  Each video mag will feature an artist, athlete and entrepreneur while portraying them in a unique light.  Our goal is to promote talented individuals and businesses while showing a side of Whistler a weekend warrior or seasonal traveler may never see.

Under the label, Off The Wall Kids, we want to give the people of Whistler a fresh voice.  Off The Wall Kids represent the youthful and young at heart. Anyone who aims to inspire, create and dream is OTWK.  Anyone pushing the limits, making changes in the right directions and never taking anything at face value is OTWK.  With Whistler Alternative Lifestyle video mags we will bring these Off The Wall Kids into the spotlight and share their stories.

Where can we find your work?
Off The Wall Kids trailer and future video mags can be found at http://www.coldsmokeco.com/otwk/

We chose to work with Coldsmoke since they represent everything we are about.  (If you’ve ever heard of Powder Mountain Heli/Cat Skiing you have already heard of them).  Coldsmoke Co. is a lifestyle company based out of Venice, CA with a really sick clothing line of military influenced fashion meets function approach that perfectly suits the environment we surround ourselves with in Whistler.
My personal work/blog- http://www.ericbeckstead.com

OTWK on vimeo: https- //vimeo.com/offthewallkids

Born and raised in Toronto Ontario, I made the move out west many years ago and became one of the statistics of those who came but never left… But it has become home, and I love living here.  Drawn to the mountains by earlier travels through the Himalayas, I knew when I came here for a visit that I needed to be around the energy that the mountains give off.  My prior love for all things outdoors made the transition pretty seamless – enough so that it is hard to think I have been here over 10 years now!

Living in Whistler has also allowed me to continually work on my photography, given the valley can provide an endless list of vistas and subjects to shoot! Though much of my shooting history has been surrounding sport, I have more recently been trying to hone my eye for fine art shots, as well as ridding my shyness in shooting portraits.  At the moment,  I am focusing on getting more involved as event photographer for larger promoters… Nothing like being up front an in the middle of the action during a high-energy concert!

Feel free to check out my work, and am always open to people contacting me about photo-related questions and/ or requests!

The Photos

01  Home sweet home!
02  Home view from home!
03  Play toys inside of home!
04  The hummingbirds that come to visit my home!
05  Where I have my morning coffee while at home!
06  Where I seem to spend half my time when at home…! :-p
07  My wolf and my canoe when getting away from home
08  Nothing to do with my home, just one of my favourite shots and one the more fun shoots from this past winter!

The Questions

What neighbourhood do you live in?
I live on Alta Lake Rd, near Rainbow Park. Best view in town!

What do you do and where?
I work as an Ice Maker and Refrigeration Operator at the Whistler Sliding Centre (bobsleigh track).

What are you working on?
Getting my website, facebook page, Flickr and SmugMug accounts more streamlined and comprehensive image-wise.  Also working on my digital workflow, utilizing wi-fi, Bluetooth, tablets and such to be able to shoot, edit and send files remotely, real-time on location.  Might be the new wave in event coverage and photojournalism!

Where can we find your work?
www.adamtaberphotography.ca
www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Taber-Photography/108763509157318?ref=hl
www.flickr.com/photos/adamtaber/

Even though I grew up in the lower mainland of BC, I had never skied or ridden Whistler before I moved here in 2001. So while falling in love with snowboarding at a small resort like Ski Hemlock, the idea of moving to the biggest and best mountains in the world seemed like a good idea. Not knowing it would be the most wonderful idea ever, I only planned on being here for at least a winter season. 12 years later and I’m still in love with this giant playground.

It has been an incredible journey. As to where I am now in my life, I have been shaped into who I am through my friends, family and all the activities that I enjoy.

Most of my wood cutting is inspired by my lovely girlfriend Chantelle Pellerin (Artist and outdoor enthusiast). Also I have had help and guidance from my good friend Tom Eddie. In the beginning there has been some trial and error, but it has become natural over a short time.

Although I do like some solitude I mostly enjoy sharing adventures with my lady and with our friends. Even though I usually keep my excitement inside, I’m always having a good time and am thrilled to share our experiences.

The Photos
01  Silas, man of the woods.  From the Greek name Silvanus, which means ‘forest’ or ‘woods’.
Leroy, king of the house. of the French origin Le Roi, meaning ‘king’.
02  ‘The Family’.  Chantelle, Lola, Leroy and myself make quite the good looking foursome.
03  Of course I prefer long pow laps with my friends, but I also enjoy landing on my feet in the terrain parks.
04  Biking with friends is very entertaining and most enjoyable.
05  Concentration is key.
06  I do my best to manipulate these instruments in order to create items that everyone can enjoy.
07  Some examples of frames, shelves and Chantiliers.
08  Like many other talented people in this town I enjoy taking photos.  I call this one ‘Chantilope from Heaven’.

Read more

There’s a reason we call Joel the people’s hero.  Joel is one of those people who you always love to see around town or on the hill.  He has a passion for life that is super contagious.  He’ll never fail to greet you with a smile and he’s always good for a laugh.  I’m lucky enough to spend a great deal of time with him exploring the coast range around Whistler on snowmobiles and split boards.  His passion for life really shines through in his timeless shred style and through his eye catching graffiti art.  When you watch one of his web edits or see him in the pages of Snowboard Canada you’ll know what I mean.

Words by Dave Henkel

Read more

Since the moment I picked up a snowboard for the first time, my obsession with the sport has pretty much defined my life.  It shaped where I chose to live, introduced me to some incredible people and most of all, led me to discover my love of all things camera-related.  Photography and cinematography is a language that comes naturally to me and I am grateful to no end for all the incredible places and opportunities it has led me.

My backstory is pretty par for the course – grew up in Montreal, moved out west in 2000 and the slowly put down roots in Whistler.  But the sum of those parts has somehow led me to an amazing place in life, surrounded by an amazing group of friends and getting to spend my days out in the backcountry doing what I love.  The past year especially has been an incredible journey, with my latest project being Editor of a snowboard/skate/surf/lifestyle web-base magazine called 33MAG.  This new endeavor has given me an incredible new platform to share my writing, photographs and video work with a whole new audience, as well as explore the exciting new media landscape that is just now emerging as the result of the incredible force of the internet and social-media.

Read more

I’m a clothing designer, a textile artist, and someone who loves to get away from it all.  Creativity is my passion and fabric my medium of choice.  I’m a sucker for quality over quantity, for hand-finishing details, and I will always have a soft spot for anything with silk, lace, or feathers.

I started my own clothing company Tongue & Tulip in 2011, and last year I toured my wares around local farmers markets and craft fairs.  I’ve shifted my focus a bit now, and am doing more custom dresses, wedding fascinators and burlesque-style head dresses.  All are lovingly hand made in my home-based Whistler studio.  For the last 5 years I’ve been apprenticing with an haute-couture dress maker in Vancouver, and I am grateful to study with such a gifted guru.

The Photos
01  My implements of construction.  Antique silk thread.
02  Cutting and sewing at the kitchen table.
03   Where the magic happens.  Creative chaos.
04   Something kept telling me to go big, or go home.  And thus was born the Red Diva headdress.
05   This fabric seduced me.
06   These are my favorite things to make – feather fascinators for every occasion.
07   An ink drawing I did of Wedge Mountain.  One of my favorite places.
08   My hand made wedding dress.  Pic taken at the Brew Creek Lodge.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Whistler Cay Heights, a stone’s throw away from the village.  This means I hardly ever set foot in a car – except when going to the city to hunt for fine fabrics.

What do you do and where?
During the day I work for the Whistler Arts Council, and by night I stitch my way through fanciful projects.  At the moment I am focusing more on custom dresses, wedding fascinators, and burlesque-style head dresses.

What are you working on?
I’m in the midst of making a lace wedding dress for an April wedding.  Think knee length, 1960’s, with a lace scallop detailing at the hem.  Simple, stunning & elegant.  I’m also working on a Victorian corset – very excited to finish this project!

Where can we find your work?
Agnes Jean in Squamish, and One Earth Collection in Pemberton.  Fire me an email if custom orders are your thing or check me out online:

http://www.tongueandtulip.ca/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TongueAndTulip?ref=search_shop_redirect

Olivier moved from Montreal to Whistler in 1992, after getting a degree in fine art.  Since then he has been pursuing the dual life of a professional snowboarder and an artist.  In recent years Olivier has been focusing on larger canvases, doing live painting events and also painting large-scale murals in Montreal with the Mu organization.

In his personal work, he is inspired by the dramatic West Coast scenery and active lifestyle he leads.  Olivier enjoys exploring different subject matters and painting techniques with every new piece. He has been part of numerous galleries and group shows including his first solo exhibit in 2009 at Le Centre in Vancouver and, in 2011, a major group show with the En Masse collective at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art.

Currently, he spends his time between Montreal and Whistler working as a snowboard coach, freelance artist/graphic designer, muralist and set painter on major circus, theatre and motion picture productions.

The Photos

01  My best friends. I love listening every day to music or audio books when I walk to the village.
02  The backyard with Kawana. My roommate’s dog. You can see the shortcut to the highway. The village is right there.
03  The little path I take every day to the village.
04  Another part of the morning commute.
05  The groms from WVSC. My little buddies I shred with on the weekends.
06  Painting live with my BFF Vanessa.
07  This one is at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. With the En Masse artist group I covered the wall of an exhibit hall with a temporary mural. I have been     doing many events with them.
08  I do lots of work in Photoshop and love it. I’m working on a sticker design right now.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Whistler Cay Heights at the moment. I will also be in Montreal for a good part of the year.

What do you do and where?I dabble in a lot of things.  During the winter I spend a lot of time coaching snowboarding for Whistler Valley Snowboard Club and Core Camp.  Throughout the year I paint for fun, I do graphic design and illustration contracts as well as live painting events.  I spend a lot of time in Montreal where I have been a painting mercenary; working in teams on large murals and on movie sets.

What are you working on?
Beside coaching, I am doing small projects right now. Show posters, stickers and working on a painting for a show during the WSSF.

Where can we find your work?
There are a few posters floating around and I did the cover for the pique a few weeks ago.  I just did a new logo for Maxx Fish and La Bocca.  One of the coolest things though is the Prior boards I have designed in recent years.  I see one almost every day.

My name is Jaime Pope and I have lived in Whistler for 7 years.  I have been making art in endless different forms for as long as I can remember, but in the last 4 years my creative process has transformed in some really exciting new ways.   I am the designer of Pretty Bird Jewellery Designs and have retailed that line at Bizarre Bazaar, The Whistler Summer Farmers Market, The Spa at The Four Seasons Hotel and at various private restaurant parties.  I no longer sell my collection publicly, but have been taking on commissioned projects for one of a kind wedding pieces and I couldn’t feel more honored to have my work be featured on such a special ‘canvas’.

The biggest influence and inspiration for me is fashion.   Like myself, it is constantly evolving and I treat it as the ultimate form of self expression- without having to say anything at all.  I am lucky enough to be able to have a job that fully supports this passion.  My position as sole Buyer and creative visionary for THE BEACH-WHISTLER allows me use clothing, footwear, accessories, and bikinis as my medium.  I have always loved vintage clothing and over the last year I have introduced an incredibly successful vintage section at THE BEACH.  This is a great way to get inventive with your outfits and find that perfect nostalgic piece to add character to whatever you choose to wear.  Essentially, we try to make a really fun, refreshing and fashionable place for men and women to come shop, so come in and see what we are all about!

The Photos

01    This is my ‘front yard’ in the summer time.
02    One of my favourite running paths.  Lost lake in the early morning.
03    My own wedding jewellery that I made.  I designed the dress too.
04    Me at the store with my favourite swimwear line Maaji.
05    A workplace perk-hazard . . . not being able to close your bikini drawer.
06    A vintage wedding dress that I re-worked and sold.
07    One of those profound life moments in Thailand.  That country is the   keeper of my soul.
08    I will NEVER tire of this commute – the Tantalus range in all its glory.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in the Benchlands, up Blackcomb mountain.  I’m one of those non-skiers that lives in a ski-in ski-out condo.  Don’t hate…

What do you do and where?
As the Buyer for THE BEACH, I work a bit in the store, a lot from home and I travel to Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Arizona.  All of my jewellery gets made at home, in a method that can only be described as organized chaos.

What are you working on?
I am in the middle of a wedding jewellery set for a friend getting married on the beach in Mexico.  Think body chains and boho chic.

Where can we find your work?
The store THE BEACH- WHISTLER.

Samera Gibson is a local artist, BC native living mostly in Squamish.  Pretty much stoked to just make art, Sam draws all her inspiration mostly from her travels and exploring nature in all its diversity.  Her career as an artist has explored dance, theater production, classical piano, welding, printmaking and puppetry.  Explorations into creativity have fuelled her expression as a painter.  Samera cultivates imagery which celebrates mystery and the complexity of human nature and not, with emotion, rich color, thick texture in acrylic and mixed media.

The Photos
01 Painting at night at my studio in White Rock Beach.
02 I was born and raised on the beach so I always love visiting home.
03 My chill spot.  Down by the River.
04 Recently travelling to Arizona.  A shot of the desert at Dusk.
05 Writing in my sketchbook.
06 View from my current studio.
07 In the studio with my sister Bonny, fellow painter.  We hope to craft a line of skateboard decks using our art and building them from scratch – photo credit JamJam

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in a few different neighborhoods.  Squamish mostly, White Rock Beach and abroad.

What do you do and where?
When I’m not out, I love creating, writing, reading, playing the piano and painting.  I like moving around, between places, I guess because I love being in the mountains and being beside the ocean as much as I love the desert and the southern climate.

What are you working on?
 I’m working on a few projects.  I’m currently painting a series of paintings called ‘ Thirty Something’.  There’s over 30 pieces – from a large tryptych to really small paintings.  I began to rip and cut up paintings, throw the paint onto the canvas but also be more gentle, more fluid, adding detail and softer colors.  I realized I wanted to upset any standardized human experience by abstracting memories and dreams, landscapes, wildlife and birds and deeply happy exploring.  It’s been really fun working with recycled materials like wood, glass, metal and chain to showcase these paintings.
The second project is a group of paintings on a larger scale to be completed by 2014.  I hope to travel with the show to exhibit in the Sea to Sky as well as the lower mainland.

Where can we find your work?
You can find my paintings at www.sameragibson.com and SameraGibsonArtFacebook or come visit the studio in person or paintings on display at Earthly Crystals and Gifts Inc. located at Britannia Beach before Squamish.

In 1998 I followed my dream and moved to Canada.  I had no idea that one day I would end up in Whistler.  I just wanted to live somewhere close to the mountains and near a hockey rink so I could finally see an NHL game.  I used to be crazy about hockey.

I landed in Vancouver as a live-in nanny, which at that time guaranteed me Canadian residency.  The moment I sorted my papers, I packed my bags and moved to Whistler.  Though it was tough at first, I knew this was the town for me.  It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do and actually I only really figured it out about 4 years ago.  I knew that photography and biking were my biggest passions, so it only made sense to start shooting biking and trying to make living out of it.

Now, I don’t limit myself to just biking.  I love to shoot a variety of subjects.  Above all, I love capturing real life, whether it’s professional athletes or a local family.  It makes my day when I see the smiles on my clients’ faces after seeing their photos.

 The Photos

01 Chocolate and blueberries. I am obsessed with both and have no control when eating them.
02  My favourite socks these days.
03  Steve: my every day inspiration.
04  Friends + summer + Crankworx = the best time of the year.  I love every minute of it.
05  Summer après after a day in the bike park.  Life can’t get any better than that. 06  Not a lot of people know that I first moved to Canada to follow my passion for hockey. T here’s nothing like a hockey game on a frozen lake.
07  Biking is my new addiction.  I’m counting the days until the snow melts and the bike park opens again.
08  I follow my dream every day.  I consider myself lucky to have a job I love so much.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Cheakamus Crossing in Function. I have been living in Function for 5 years and love the neighbourhood.

What do you do and where?
I am trying to make a living from my photography business. I find it challenging and motivating to be surrounded by a community of talented and well-known photographers.

What are you working on?
I am making a business plan for 2013, updating my website and submitting my last year’s work to various magazines. The rest of the winter will be busy; I’m preparing for the summer and planning a big biking trip with part of the SheGnarnigans team in the spring.

Where can we find your work?
For the most recent updates and to see what I am working on you can visit my blog or facebook page.

www.justajeskova.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justa-Jeskova-Photography/103950562997372?ref=hl

Other than that, most of my work is published in various bike magazines around the world.