The first time I read Kathryn Young’s letter (“Are we at a crossroads?” Pique, Aug. 20) was on the iPad in the server station at work. I was too busy to give it much thought. The second time I read it I was at a buddy’s house before we set off on a ride. You know what I love about climbing on a mountain bike? I love to think about anything but the climb. Having your letter fresh in my mind, I began pedalling and writing this.
First of all, I have not heard a single person that lives and works in this town say that Whistler has collapsed. Maybe we roll in different circles. We are being ground into a fine powder but we haven’t come anywhere near collapse.
The second thing I thought about was our dishwashers. These guys work really hard. One of them is working 70-80 hours a week between two jobs. This isn’t a unique situation. Many people I work with are doing more doubles than Wimbledon. Wonder if they’re worried about you not getting lunch. They aren’t. They’re worried about showing up and paying bills.
I also wondered how the business owners felt about your letter. My bosses have been busting their asses to keep us working and putting food on our tables. The friend I was riding with hasn’t slept in a year due to stresses over staffing, then closing, then re-staffing his business. What about the bike shop owners who can’t get you brake pads or inner tubes due to supply chains being completely broken? The owners took everything the pandemic threw at them. Plexiglas, reduced business, closures, no staff, last-minute decisions by government, and much more.
You took the time to vent. Why didn’t you take an extra five minutes to offer solutions? Watch how easy it is. No lunch service? Baguette + cheese + wine + park = heavenly solution. Can’t get a reso? Solution: plan ahead and be flexible. Not getting the level of service you want? Here’s a mirror, maybe you are the problem, not the person helping you.
This town has been straight up grinding. Have a little respect and humility yourself. Thanks for hanging in there for 10 long years, now beat it.
Chris McKinney/Whistler
