Whistler Community Comes Together For A Fallen Friend

Losing friends is a part of life I don't think anyone can or will ever get used to. When we lose someone close to us to sickness or other natural causes it's terrible, but to lose a friend to an accident makes the loss all that much harder to deal with. It was one such accident that took the life of Erin Solowey-Wanamaker four years ago while riding on Whistler Mountain. Since then, an annual "Solowey Day" tradition has firmly taken hold and is now one of the most celebrated events of the year amongst a large group of long-time locals. 

"The goal of ESW Day is to celebrate the life of an amazing human being, and to raise money for whistler Search and Rescue", says organizer Christian Bertrand.

The day started off with a large group of friends meeting in the morning and shredding some laps as a group in honor of Erin. In the late afternoon everyone gathers on top of the hill, just out of bounds, for some pops and laughs in memory of Erin before a casual (as if that's possible) chinese downhill race to Dusty's at the bottom of the hill. Following a solid apres-ski session, everyone comes back to Dusty's at night for a S&R fundraiser and to party it up. This year saw an amazing band Marble Canyon play as well as Chili Thom DJing a wicked set that kept everyone on the dancefloor all night – surprisingly this guy included. The vibe at the party was nothing short of extraordinary, with everyone in the best of moods and feeling blessed to spend a night with such an amazing group of people. Smiles were shared across the room as Erin was remembered both in stories and simply in people's faces.
 

"It is so rad to see so many great people come together. People travel from all over the world to celebrate his life. It shoes how tight the snowboard community really is, and how much everyone loved Erin so much."

With long-time friends and even Erin's parents in attendance it was a really special day and night and something I feel honoured to have been able to take part in. Even if I did not know Erin personally, so many of my friends considered him part of their crew, and for that I am happy to celebrate a life cut much too short by an unfortunate accident that could happen to any one of us on pretty much any day we ride.
 

"I think its part of my healing process. Erin was my best friend, ESW day is a day that everyone can come together, be together, shred together, party together, I think Erin would be stoked, thats why it is so important for me."

And that's exactly what was so amazing about ESW Day … seeing a diverse group of people come together to celebrate a common cause – or life in this instance. Although of course there were lots of wet eyes as memories of a good friend were shared, there were many more smiles throughout the day as everyone in attendence realized just how special not only life is, but being part of a community of like-minded people who can simultaneously mourn a fallen soldier and be so pumped about life.