To say the previous record of 24:22 – set by New Zealand champion mountain runner Jonathan Wyatt - was “beaten” is an understatement. Shaving 32 seconds off a world-class, 6-year record is better described with superlatives such as “annihilated” or “destroyed”.

Says Salas of his astounding performance: “I was just trying for another fast time today. The last quarter was very fast for me; I didn’t really know how fast I could go. It’s kind of nice that the record for the Grind is back inVancouver.”

Salas is now the current titleholder for both the “official” and “recreational” Grouse Grind times. Official times are set during the annual BMO Grouse Grind Mountain Run, where the start and finish lines are set a ways back from the trail entrance and trail head. Undertaking the Grouse Grind outside of the race sets the recreational time, in the same way the daily traffic of hikers would. Electronic devices known as “Grind Timers” record times.

Sebastian has been quietly attempting to beat Jonathan Wyatt’s recreational time by training on the Grind this season, building up to today’s mind-boggling climb.

The Grouse Grind is a 2.9km hike up the side of Grouse Mountain. It is a grueling workout that has earned the nickname “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster” and has become a cultural phenomenon in Vancouver. Having a good “Grind Time” is cause for bragging rights for locals.

Whistler Water is pleased to announce that we have partnered with the upcoming LIVE at Squamish music festival. Its taking place on the Labour Day Long Weekend at the Squamish Logger Sports Ground.

Live at Squamish is a new multi-day music and arts festival engulfed in the true spirit of British Columbia and built in the spirit of the greatest European festivals. There will be multiple stages of the best and latest electronic, indie, blues, and rock music. Happy times in a big field with great music!

Whistler Water will be at the festival all weekend enjoying the good vibes, keeping people hydrated, and keeping the grounds clean and tidy with our recycling team.

Here’s the lineup….

SATURDAY

DEVO
MATTHEW GOOD
DIRTY VEGAS (LIVE)
HOLLERADO
Z-TRIP
WE ARE THE CITY
MICHAEL BERNARD FITZGERALD
JON & ROY
THE DUDES
THE TENNESEE THREE
NIGEL MIHELL
Live visual mix by Tony Pantages
…and more to be announced

SUNDAY

THE DECEMBERISTS
BAD RELIGION
DIRTY HEADS
TOM MIDDLETON
TOKYO POLICE CLUB
RICH HOPE
MOTHER MOTHER
KEVIN SHIU
JOHN MORGAN
CIVIL TWILIGHT
YOU SAY PARTY
Live visual mix by Tony Pantages
…and more to be announced

Here’s a brief rundown of where we have been and some pics to go along with them.

Lilith Fair at Ambleside Beach

Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Seek the Peak Relay

Misting station at the top of Grouse Grind

Whistler Children’s Festival

One of numerous charity golf tournaments we supported

]]> http://yourwhistlerwater.com/2010/07/july-2010-events/feed/ 0 http://yourwhistlerwater.com/2010/07/vancouver-canucks-rookie-team-tackles-grouse-grind/ http://yourwhistlerwater.com/2010/07/vancouver-canucks-rookie-team-tackles-grouse-grind/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:49:38 +0000 Whistler Water http://yourwhistlerwater.com/?p=400 NEWS RELEASE

Attn: News Editor/Assignment

Vancouver Canucks Rookie Team Tackles Grouse Grind in July Heatwave

July 9th, 2010. Whistler Water, BC- Is an impressive Grind time an indication of great things to come from a new group of eager Canucks? We’ll know definitively next season but in the meantime Vancouver hockey fans can rest assured that aspiring MVPs are getting the best imaginable workout. 36 Vancouver Canucks rookies ascended Mother Nature’s Stairmaster today as part of their summer training regimen. With the mercury surpassing the 30-degree mark inland today, future NHL superstars were grateful to be greeted at the top of the Grind by iced Whistler Water and a Whistler Water misting station to cool down.

The young players were on hand as part of the Summer Development Camp organized by the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are no strangers to the infamous Grouse Grind; over the years our city’s most prominent players have challenged the trail to help develop the strength and stamina to crush the competition. Last year’s Summer Development Camp participants set a rookie record time for the trail. Newbie Rick Rypien made it up the trail in an awesome 32 minutes last July. The annual event breaks players into teams who must complete the trail together. Winning team times are based on the slowest hiker.

Whistler Water is British Columbia’s truly local water. Sourced from a glacier-fed aquifer in the Coastal Mountains, this pristine and healthy beverage does not travel far to reach you. So the next time your reach for a bottle of premium water, make sure it’s Whistler Glacial Spring Water- local water for discerning local palates. And remember: recycle your bottle. It will have a long life as apparel, fabric, as another container, or many other alternatives. BC leads North America in the recycling of PET containers at 78%.

Whistler Water is proud to be the Official Water of Grouse Mountain.

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 Corporate Challenge seeks to raise a mountain of money for BC Children’s Hospital

Whistler Water doubles Grind For Kids corporate donations in July 

BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, June 30, 2010 – Local businesses can now double the impact of their donation to Grind For Kids. Canada’s Whistler Water is making a generous offer to match all funds raised by corporations during the month of July 2010 up to $40,000. Locally owned and operated, Whistler Water recently launched Grind For Kids, a brand-new fundraising initiative using one of Vancouver’s most iconic natural features – The Grouse Grind – to raise money and awareness for the incredible work of BC Children’s Hospital.

The Corporate Challenge aspect of the Grind for Kids campaign speaks directly to local businesses looking to get involved in this one of a kind initiative. Participating businesses will see their contributions immediately doubled by Whistler Water’s fund-matching campaign, to benefit one of the most unique charitable ideas of the summer.

Funds raised through Grind For Kids will help meet urgent needs at BC Children’s Hospital each year, including clinical care, research into prevention, treatments and cures for childhood diseases, community child-health programs, and equipment purchases.   

“We are offering local companies a fantastic opportunity to make every dollar count twice,” said Whistler Water’s Marketing Director Chris Dagenais. “We are determined to raise a mountain of money for BC Children’s Hospital, and we can achieve this by calling on corporate donors as well as individuals already involved to support Grind For Kids.”

BC Children’s Hospital is the province’s only full-service acute care hospital and it serves approximately one million children living in BC and the Yukon. All children who are seriously ill or injured are referred to Children’s Hospital and are treated at the hospital facility in Vancouver or, with consultation from Children’s specialists, in their home community. Last year, more than 78,000 children were treated at Children’s Hospital.

“Grind For Kids isn’t simply for people who climb the famous trail,” said Dr. Shubhayan Sanatani, the pediatric cardiac electrophysiologist at Children’s Heart Centre. “Corporate donations – especially when matched – help so many children each year, and represent a lot of goodwill that is alive in our community.”

The Grouse Grind is one of the most hiked trails in the world and is affectionately known as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”. Grind for Kids is presented by Whistler Water, and will run from June 15th, 2010 through September, 2010 (culminating with the Grouse Grind Mountain Run).

People can sign-up for Grind For Kids online at www.grindforkids.com and ask friends, family and co-workers to pledge a donation for every Grind they complete. Once registered, each participant gets a personal webpage that they can use to send pledge requests, record grinds completed and share information and goals. Participants collect pledges for every time they tackle the trail.

A large but achievable fundraising goal of $1 million has been set, and next month, all corporate donations towards Grind For Kids will help double these efforts. 

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BC Children’s Hospital

Whistler Water’s Grind For Kids charity launches to help BC Children’s Hospital

 
Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, June 15, 2010 – Puddles. Bicycles. Homemade fishing rods and tea parties for Teddy. These are the things that should occupy kids. Not debilitating illness, undiagnosed disease, and extended stays in the pediatric unit. To help improve child health in our community, a new annual initiative called Grind For Kids has been launched and is intended to create greater awareness and ‘raise a mountain of money’ for the BC Children’s Hospital.

The concept is simple. Sign up. Collect pledges. Do the Grouse Grind. Raise a mountain of money for BC Children’s Hospital! People can sign-up for Grind For Kids online at www.grindforkids.com and ask friends, family and co-workers to pledge a donation for every Grind they complete. Announcing the Grind For Kids initiative at a press conference today were: Grouse Mountain President Stuart McLaughlin, BC Health Services Minister Hon. Kevin Falcon, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Shubhayan Sanatani, and Vancouver Whitecaps CEO Paul Barber.

“Grind for Kids is a brand-new fundraising initiative that uses one of Vancouver’s most iconic natural features – The Grouse Grind – to raise money and awareness for the incredible work of BC Children’s Hospital, a world-class care facility for children that touches almost every young life at one time or another throughout the province,” said Grouse Mountain President Stuart McLaughlin. “Whistler Water, Grouse Mountain and BC Children’s Hospital Foundation are aligned in the belief that together we can ensure that kids are given the chance to be kids.”

The program will appeal to fitness-minded locals and visitors, many of whom already include the Grouse Grind as part of their fitness routine.

“As an avid hiker and Grouse grinder, the Grind for Kids is a great fundraiser to help our youngest patients at BC Children’s Hospital,” said Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon. “Keeping active and healthy is a great way to prevent chronic disease, and help continue to keep British Columbians the healthiest in Canada.”

Funds raised through Grind For Kids will help meet urgent needs at BC Children’s Hospital, including clinical care, research into prevention, treatments and cures for childhood diseases, community child-health programs, and equipment purchases. BC Children’s Hospital is the province’s only full-service acute care hospital and it serves approximately one million children living in BC and the Yukon. All children who are seriously ill or injured are referred to Children’s Hospital and are treated at the hospital facility in Vancouver or, with consultation from Children’s specialists, in their home community. Last year, more than 78,000 children were treated at Children’s Hospital.

“BC Children’s Hospital relies on the support of tens of thousands of British Columbians a year and,  as a cardiologist, I see firsthand the difference donations make,” said Dr. Shubhayan Sanatani, the pediatric cardiac electrophysiologist at Children’s Heart Centre. “This pairing of exercise with fundraising is a winning combination for BC’s children and Grind for Kids participants. We’re grateful for the support.”

Many local sports and businesses leaders were among the Grouse Grind enthusiasts at the launch to show of support for the new program.

“Grind for Kids is an exciting initiative that will encourage sports teams and fans alike to help children in our province by climbing the trail for physical fitness,” said Vancouver Whitecaps CEO Paul Barber. The Grouse Grind is widely recognized in the local sports community as a demanding  and rewarding workout for professional athletes and amateurs of different ages.”

The Grouse Grind attracts over a hundred thousand outdoor enthusiasts each summer to climb the trail affectionately known as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”. Grind for Kids is presented by Whistler Water, and will run from June 15th, 2010 through September 15th, 2010 (culminating with the Grouse Grind Mountain Run).

Once registered, each participant gets a personal webpage that they can use to send pledge requests, record grinds completed and share information and goals. Participants collect pledges for every time they tackle the trail. A large but achievable fundraising goal of $1 million has been set.

Below is a list of the upcoming June events that you can find Whistler Water at. Stay tuned for post-event recaps and photos.

See you there!

Upcoming June events:

Concerts in the Park at Malkin Bowl

– Xavier Rudd – June 4

– Metric – June 12 and 13

June 5: LEO Awards

June 3-6: Thunderbird Show Park BC Open

Bard on the Beach season launch

June 12: Pacific Cinematique Open House