Whistler Weekend

Due to parade in Spokane in 2017 and Rennsport in Monterey in 2018, Canada West and Pacific Northwest Regions took a three-year hiatus before bringing back the 27th edition of Whistler Weekend on August 23 – 25, 2019. Marilyn and I attended the last Whistler Weekend in 2016 and because it was such a great event, we registered early and encouraged others to join us.

With no conflicting West Coast events in 2019, this year was especially significant as it honoured Doug and Judy Colby, who started Whistler Weekend back in 1981. Sadly, Doug passed away in August 2018, so this year’s event was a tribute to the legacy he created.

The event started off on Friday evening with registration, which included a wonderful goodie bag courtesy of Porsche Vancouver, Griots, and Porshe Bellingham. Then, we joined the crowd for the meet and greet barbeque, where we met up with the other VIR attendees and members from other regions.

This year, we had five other couples from VIR attend the event: David and Candice Keller (Qualicum); Bryce and Dianne Holtz (Qualicum); Phil Chiu and Susan Blackmore (Victoria); Al and Jaquie Sherwood (Victoria); and, Derek and Tiffany Haarsma (Victoria). By all accounts, everyone had a good time.

Saturday was a concours and Show ‘n Shine day with the cars displayed in Blackcomb Village. With an amazing array of cars, picking the winners was a really tough job for the judges! For those who wanted to do something different, you could participate in the walking rally. Participants were given clue sheets for various spots around Blackcomb Village, where you had to answer a question. It was more challenging than Marilyn and I expected and with spending extra time admiring the cars before starting the rally, we had to pick up the pace to meet the deadline for submission. Later that afternoon, Marilyn and I hosted the VIR participants in our hotel suite with refreshments and appetizers.

Saturday evening’s banquet was held at the Whistler Conference Centre with all the concours and Show ‘n Shine winners on display. The meal was excellent, the slideshow of past events and the tribute to Doug Colby was very entertaining, and lots of fantastic draw prizes were awarded. David and Candice Keller were one of the big winners, as they came home with a certificate for a set of Pirelli tyres, compliments of Wiesach in Vancouver! Marilyn and I managed to pull off a tie for the third-place finish in the walking rally.

Sunday was the autocross event or driving tour and we opted for the driving tour to Lilloet with a stop at Fort Berens Winery for lunch with other VIR participants. Unfortunately, an accident involving a semi just outside of Pemberton caused some delays for the first two groups heading out to Lilloet, so the third group wisely decided to head out to Squamish instead. There was another banquet that evening with awards for the autocross event, but it wasn’t as well attended as the night before since some shortened the weekend by heading home early, while others chose to take advantage of the many fine Whistler restaurants for dinner instead.

The weather was thankfully not as hot as previous August events, but it was still sunny and dry for the most part. From the feedback I’ve received, everyone had a good time. Hopefully, there will be more Whistler Weekends in the future and if there is, I know we will certainly go back again. If you haven’t been to one before, I highly recommend you try and fit it in to your Porsche schedule.