Juno award-winners Sam Roberts rocked out an awe-struck crowd in the middle of a snowstorm at the outdoor concert series opener Friday 13 April.

LG Electronics’ presented their risqué runway launch of the new Flip phone with a decadent outdoor fashion show.

Snowboarders Craig Beaulieu and Molly Milligan, and skiers Mike Riddle and Virginie Faivre won the McDonald’s Stompede Championships, after three days of competitions.

A frenzy of film-making saw 76 creative teams take part in the 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown. Eight to ten of the best submissions will be screened Tuesday night at the sold-out Gala.

Gravity-defying action at the Old Spice Big Air saw snowboarder Matt Belzile and skier TJ Schiller crowned, and moving forward to compete in Saturday 21 April’s Playstation Big Air, alongside Craig Beaulieu, Brad Martin, Charles Gagnier, JF Houle and a field of 24 invited skiers and snowboarders.

Reggae legends Steven Marley, Jr Gong and K’naan playing at the outdoor main stage to an amped crowd of more than 7000 people, including many first-time visitors to Whistler, following the Marleys sold-out concert in Vancouver.

Somali-born spoken word master and recent winner of the BBC Radio 3 World Music best newcomer award returned to the stage that evening as featured guest at Words and Stories, to reprise a chair left empty when freeskier Glen Plake was denied access at the border.


All the action was part of the 12th annual TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival, which swung into gear on Friday 13 and will wrap up Sunday 22 April with the seasonal closure of Whistler Mountain.

Still to come: the Yahoo 72 Hour Film-maker Showdown Gala Screening, Pro Photographer Showdown, Schick Xtreme 3 Fashion Exposed, the DJ Experience, Coca Cola Rail Session, free concerts with Buck 65, Tokyo Police Club, Finger Eleven and Toots and the Maytals, Dog Fest, the World Backcountry Freeride Jam, the Superpipe competition and the Playstation Big Air grand finale.