Whistler Canadians are so polite; on the hill season after season, I notice this seemingly entrenched sincere and polite attitude towards others.
Daily when loading on the chairlift you often wave or pass a friendly thank you to the lifties in acknowledgement of their work. It’s a noisy job, repetitive and at times, from my perspective, a little dangerous, but in the end, despite busy days of misloads and unfilled chairs, we all survive. No requirement to be angry at the lifties when there is a stoppage, it achieves zero. Just chill and reflect, for example, how polite Canadian drivers are to pedestrians when crossing the road.
Ever notice when in the lift line there is a polite and logical etiquette of how the ski school entrance line and the general lift lines integrate? There is a subtle Canadian politeness to the way the ski school filters its students into the general lift line. It is a well-oiled gated marriage of skiers and ski-school students. You do not see this in Europe!
The polite Canadian lift lines alternate when lines merge, skiers form into the required numbers of four, six or eight, and singles either alternate from either side or filter from one side. Young ski school students who must load with an adult are always welcomed into the line.
Typically, three chairs of public go before the next ski class moves in. Classes of children (who do not need to be paired with an adult) will ideally load together to avoid congestion and separation at the top. How polite and logical is that?
It is always interesting to observe how you Canadians handle those awkward moments on the chairs when chatting with guests from over the border. I have never in hundreds of chair loads encountered a hostile reaction by a Canadian when discussing U.S./Canadian relations. I take my hat off to all Canadians, you do diplomacy and the little things that in my opinion make a polite but impressive impact instead of all that bluff and thunder that seems to be the way others conduct themselves at times. As an Australian I am impressed with your politeness and general friendly attitude. I thank you for allowing me to be a guest in your great country and on your hill.
Elbows up.
