From April 13th to the 22nd, the world descended upon the small resort town of Whistler for the Annual Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival. The event is an action packed ten days of outdoor concerts, art exhibits, fashion shows, and of course parties. All mixed in with the world’s best skiers and snowboarders competing for cash and prizes.
This year Surfrider Vancouver was there to welcome the world and raise concern for local environmental issues. In partnership with O’Neill Canada, Surfrider Vancouver created the Surfs Up art exhibit. Nine unique artists from across the country were given blank surfboards and creative freedom to express their views of the state of our ocean environment. The boards were put on display in a unique educational installment, as part of the festival, and were later auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting the local Surfrider chapter.
“This was a great success and we were glad to be a part of it” said Max Desjardins, Director of Marketing for O’Neill Canada. “As a heritage surf brand driven by culture, we have a responsibility to take a leading role and help define the sustainability movement in Canada”
The event truly was a huge success, with over eighteen thousand people visiting this unique exhibit over the course of the festival. Keep your eyes out for media coverage of the event, as you should see the boards popping up in places such as MTV, CTV, Shaw cable, as well as countless magazine and newspapers. Also look for a spread coming out in the next issue of SBC surf magazine. The boards were so warmly received that they will now be making stops in Toronto and Montreal before the online auction closes. All Surf Canvases can be viewed online at www.surfridervancouver.org.
- Adrian Nelson, Chair of the Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Chapter Organizing Committee