For all the amazing experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to take in since moving to Whistler, I’ll always harbour a simple regret about this amazing place—that I didn’t get here about four-and-a-half years earlier.
Arriving as I did in the late spring of 2014, I was a little over four years removed from Whistler’s crowning achievement: the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
At the time of my arrival, Whistler hadn’t fully come down from the high, and the electricity of the Games still resounded through the resort.
For me, it was a bit like going to school on Monday after missing the big party Friday night—everyone still raving about the rager of the century; me with my FOMO, no epic stories to share and no frame of reference to compare.
Even fifteen years later, the glow has yet to fully fade. Just ask any of the many longtime locals fortunate enough to be here for the Olympics—while you’ll no doubt hear stories of inconvenience (inviting the whole world all at once does come with its logistical drawbacks), the overwhelming sentiment you’ll hear is pride.
After all, Whistler was built to play the host—think premier sporting events like Ironman, or annual, locally produced offerings like Cornucopia, the Whistler Film Festival, Crankworx and the World Ski and Snowboard Festival (to name just a few)—when the world is watching, Whistlerites always bring their best.
That sense of community hospitality will once again be on full display for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, taking place in both host communities Feb. 8 to 16.
“I hope Whistlerites are as fired up as I am for welcoming the world to Whistler,” Mayor Jack Crompton told Pique last week.
Well, Whistler? Are you fired up?
Founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Invictus—in Latin, “unconquered”—is an international, multi-sport competition for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women.
All told, more than 550 competitors from 25 nations will compete in the Games.
The 2025 edition will mark the seventh Invictus Games in its history, and the first time it includes winter sports. Whistlerites will be able to take in the action at Whistler Olympic Park, the Whistler Sliding Centre and on Whistler Mountain—thanks in part to that other world-class sporting event.
“We are so thrilled to be using world-class amenities that were used for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games,” said Chelsey Walker, director of Whistler operations for the Invictus Games. “We’re going to have a magical experience, with some competitors experiencing winter sports for the very first time, and others who are highly experienced.”
While the Royal connection (and the paparazzi circus that brings) is a major focal point of media coverage, the Games are of course about the competitors themselves.
Pique had an opportunity to speak with four of them at the Invictus Games Participating Nations Training Camp in February 2024 (you can read more in our March 10, 2024 cover feature: “Unconquered”).
While all four came from different backgrounds, arriving at Invictus on wildly different paths, they all had similar things to say about the impact of the Games.
Giorgio Giuseppe Porpiglia was a marshall in the Italian navy for 20 years, before an accident left him without the use of his legs.
“He was an athlete before the accident, and when he knew the opportunity came to participate in the Invictus Games, he was glad to do this and he is glad now to be here,” Porpiglia told Pique through a translator.
“It’s a dream that has come true. Sports has helped him to reach other things that he has not thought to reach before. Not for the victory, but for himself.”
As the translator spoke the last line, Porpiglia patted his chest proudly.
Invictus competitors are as proud and resilient a contingent as you’ll ever meet, and to watch them compete on our home mountains and venues will be an honour.
If you haven’t yet gotten involved, be sure to take in some of the events themselves or the entertainment and festivities planned for Whistler Village.
This week presents a rare opportunity for Whistlerites—the chance to once again host the world, and to show everyone exactly why we’re so proud to live here.
