Word on the street is, the people of Pemberton HATE it when you call their town anything other than Pemberton.
Pemby? How dare you.
Spud Valley? Wtf is actually wrong with you?
Tonitown? OK now you’re just making stuff up.
As an editor, my days are filled with compromise, and so I often go out of my way to remove references to Spud Valley in our pages and on our website, lest I find a particularly solid spud launched through my window one day.
But you will never convince me to purge the use of Pemby from our pages completely (though I will say I am more mindful of overusing that now, too). If you’ve ever done newspaper layout, you’ll appreciate the need for space-saving flexibility in things like headlines and photo captions. Also, the need to mix it up once in a while!
Pemberton. Pemberton. Pemberton. Type it too many times and the word loses all meaning.
Whatever you want to call it, it was another eventful year in that lovely little town north of Whistler that is most definitely not Whistler—and Pemberton residents clearly have much to be thankful for.
Salt-of-the-Earth neighbours, incredible artists, and some of the best small-town businesses you’ll find anywhere in B.C.—Spud Va… er, Pemberton… really does have it all.
As with every year, this year’s Best of Pemberton highlights the best of the town’s best, as voted by Pique readers in our annual online poll—but it’s far from comprehensive.
To really get the full flavour of [insert irritating nickname here] you’ll have to make the visit yourself.
And you should! Just leave the experimental nomenclature at home.
It’s Pemberton. And don’t you forget it.
-Braden Dupuis
Quintessential Whistler
Favourite Neighbourhood
1. Pemberton Meadows
2. The Glen
3. Downtown core
Most Desirable Amenity Missing From Pemberton
1. Swimming pool
2. More restaurants
3. Ice rink
No. 1 Reason We’re Not Like Whistler
1. Community
2. Fewer people
3. Small-town vibe
News Story of the Year
1. Wild horses cause chaos
2. Lil’wat Nation temporarily closes Joffre
3. Pemberton hit by devastating flooding
Favourite Volunteer
1. Arlene McClean
2. Karen Tomlinson
3. Garth Phare/Graham Turner
Favourite Pembertonian
1. Bob Menzel
2. Raelene Hodgson
3. Bruce Miller
Media, Arts and Culture
Favourite Artist/Artisan
1. Vanessa Stark
2. Levi Nelson
3. Karen Love
Favourite Band/Musician
1. Dakota Pearl
2. Austin Ross
3. Grateful Greg Reamsbottom (of the Hairfarmers)
Favourite Photographer
1. Toshi Kawano
2. Chris Ankeny
3. Amie LeBlanc
Favourite Writer
1. Lisa Richardson
2. Anna Helmer
3. Nicola Jones
Favourite Cultural Event/Initiative
1. Slow Food Cycle
2. Barn Dance
3. Farmers’ Market
Food and Drink
Favourite Overall Restaurant
1. The Hwy. Café
2. The Pony
3. Fish & Rice
Best Service
1. The Hwy Café
2. The Pony
3. Sunstone Bar & Grill/Fish & Rice
Best Value
1. The Hwy Café
2. Fish & Rice
3. Backcountry Pizza
Best Breakfast
1. Blackbird Bakery
2. North Arm Farm
3. Mount Currie Coffee Co.
Best Coffee
1. Mount Currie Coffee Co.
2. Blackbird Bakery
3. The Hwy Café
Best Plant-Based Menu
1. The Hwy Café
2. Stay Wild Natural Health
3. North Arm Farm
Best Dessert
1. Blackbird Bakery
2. The Pony
3. The Hwy Café
Best Beer Selection
1. The Beer Farmers
2. The Pony
3. The Pemberton Brewing Co.
Best Patio
1. Fescue’s at Big Sky
2. The Beer Farmers
3. Sunstone Bar & Grill
Best Takeout
1. The Hwy Café
2. Backcountry Pizza
3. Fish & Rice
Best Burger
1. Mile One Eating House
2. The Pony
3. The Hwy Café
Sports and Recreation
Favourite Golf Course
1. Big Sky Golf Course
2. Sunstone Golf Club
Favourite Bike Trail
1. Fat Tug
2. No Err/Cream Puff/Lumpy’s Epic
3. Happy Trail
Favourite Hiking Trail
1. Lumpy’s Epic
2. Waterfall Trail
3. Joffre Lakes
Favourite Lake
1. Gates Lake
2. Anderson Lake
3. Birkenhead Lake
Favourite Winter Adventure Activity
1. Backcountry skiing and snowboarding
2. Cross-country skiing
3. Snowshoeing
Favourite Summer Adventure Activity
1. Mountain Biking
2. Backcountry hiking
3. Horseback riding
Favourite Tourism Operator
1. The Beer Farmers
2. Blackcomb Helicopters
3. Laughing Crow Organics
Favourite Athlete
1. Ethan Hess, paralympic sit-skier
2. Logan Pehota - Freeskier
3. Lucas Cruz, MTB/Rebecca Beaton, MTB
Best Local Environmental Initiative
1. Integration with Lil’wat/N’Quatqua for opportunities to learn from traditional knowledge
2. Salmon restoration
3. Bear-attractant management
Business Services
Favourite New Business
1. The Bread Warehouse
2. Elevate Bike Shop
3. Saneh Thai
Favourite Farm
1. North Arm Farm
2. Laughing Crow Organics
3. Rootdown Organic Farm
Favourite Wellness/Fitness Service
1. Village Yoga
2. Leaning Cedar Therapy
3. Ivy Esthetics
Favourite Hotel or B&B
1. Joffre Creek Cabins
2. Pemberton Valley Lodge
3. Ancient Cedars Lodge
Favourite Electrician
1. Fenner Electric
2. BlueBird Electric
3. AMB Electric
Favourite Plumber
1. Grizz the Plumber
2. Straightline Plumbing and Heating
3. 220 Plumbing
Favourite Realtor
1. Danielle Menzel
2. Katelyn Spink
3. Lisa Hilton
Favourite Building or Construction Company
1. BC Passive Haus
2. Fitzgerald Building Company
3. New Leaf Contracting
Best Wedding Venue
1. Riverlands Red Barn
2. North Arm Farm
3. Big Sky Golf Club/Ancient Cedars Lodge
Favourite Gas Station
1. AC Gas
2. Lil’wat Gas Station
3. Petro Can
