Each June, Whistler transforms from an adrenaline-filled sporting destination to an oasis of calm, as the Nourish Whistler Wellness Series converts the British Columbia resort town into a hub for mindful living, drawing visitors for everything from hormone health talks and Indigenous wellness experiences to forest bathing, mocktail socials and sound baths.

Held over the entire month, Nourish sits somewhere between a festival, retreat and conference. But the mountains are not just reverberating with the sound of singing bowls and oms. This year’s edition features over 100 events, including keynote speakers whose topics range from the Epigenetics of Mindfulness, by clinical genetic counsellor Jenna Scott, to Meet Your Microbiome: The Science Changing How We Understand Healthˆ, by UBC professor Dr. Deanna Gibson. There is a cornucopia of movement classes – No Muck, No Lotus, anyone? – including outdoor fitness sessions, such as Guided Walks through Whistler’s Snow Walls.

The timing is strategic. June falls between Whistler’s winter ski crowds and summer mountain-biking season, giving Tourism Whistler an opportunity to reposition the quieter month as a seasonal wellness reset.

The festival’s producer, Sue Eckersley, who moved to the resort town 25 years ago after arriving for what was meant to be a three-day trip, says the setting naturally lends itself to wellbeing. “All you have to do is look around and you’re surrounded by beauty and wellness and activity,” she said. The feeling resonates throughout the attendees, as fellow B.C.-based journalist Sara Harowitz put it, “I went in fairly skeptical and left feeling utterly at peace.”

Even the journey between events is designed to encourage mindfulness, with participants hiking trails, walking lakeside paths and riding gondolas into the mountains before arriving at venues.

At the forest-fringed Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), built on the shared traditional territory of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation, Indigenous wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild leads yoga sessions infused with Indigenous teachings, while cultural guide Halaw (Golden Eagle) Smith shares traditional plant knowledge and hosted tea ceremonies featuring medicinal herbs and bannock. 

Whistler’s alpine settings become part of the experience. New this year is The Lookout, half way up Blackcomb Mountain, which hosts alcohol-free cocktail socials and guided stargazing nights with the former president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in Vancouver Centre, Robert Conrad, while The Dome – a geodesic bubble perched high on Whistler Mountain – offers panoramic backdrops for Pilates and yoga workshops.

Even the journey between events is designed to encourage mindfulness, with participants hiking trails, walking lakeside paths and riding gondolas into the mountains before arriving at venues.

At the forest-fringed Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), built on the shared traditional territory of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation, Indigenous wellness advocate Shayla Stonechild leads yoga sessions infused with Indigenous teachings, while cultural guide Halaw (Golden Eagle) Smith shares traditional plant knowledge and hosts tea ceremonies featuring medicinal herbs and bannock. 

When I was there, Smith led a small group of us along a forest trail to explain how healing plants have been used by Indigenous people for millennia. Later, she led a tea offering in the SLCC longhouse, dropping heated lava rocks into glazed clay pots to boil the water. We ate cinnamon and sugar-dusted bannock and sipped tea made from healing plants as Smith shared her family’s story. “It’s all social,” Smith explained of the role tea making has in wellbeing. “It’s so our women can sit together, have some tea and also nourish her body.”

Nourish Whistler Wellness also leans heavily into sober socializing. At Summer Soulstice, hosted by Canada’s Drag Race-alum Giorgio Triberio (aka Gia Metric), guests gathered over alcohol-free cocktails while drag queens and aerialists performed.

“I think it’s wonderful to have events that celebrate health and the state of our bodies without having to consume alcohol,” said Gia.“I think it shows that when a lot of amazing people are in the room all at once, that we don’t need booze, we can just feed off of each other’s energy.”

But don’t worry, there is plenty to indulge in for the more hedonistic amongst us, with culinary events that range from wine maker’s dinners to cheese tastings and “grillin’ and chillin” led by award-winning chef Quang Dang. The highlight this year is the summer solstice Indigenous feast that includes local delicacies, such as venison loin with huckleberry relish, wild rice and dandelion salad and maple-marinated berries with apple bannock.   

And that may be the real magic of Nourish. In a resort town built on high-octane thrills, Whistler has discovered a different kind of elevation – one measured not in vertical feet, but in wellbeing. By the time the mountains shift back into summer adventure mode, visitors leave carrying something lighter than ski gear or hiking boots: a sense of reset.

PEAK CULTURE

Banff, Alta.

Perhaps the original adrenaline-fuelled ski town turned cultural mecca, thanks to the world-renowned Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the summer programming here is as spectacular as the scenery. Whatever your preferred medium for creativity, you will find it at the Banff Summer Arts Festival – a glance at the packed schedule reveals such curiosities as Opera Pub, Literary Cabaret, Classical Music In the Wild and dance of all varieties from Hawaiian to rave. 

Mont Tremblant, Que.

July sees the slopes transform into props for BMX stunt riders and backdrops to family friendly Blues, Country and Pop Festivals. The scene changes to individual acts in August as diverse as the fantastically fun cover band Dwayne Gretzky to Montreal indie-rockers The Dears, Tremblant has the mountains vibrating all summer long. 

Charlevoix, Que.

Set between the St. Lawrence and the Charlevoix mountains, the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, a riverside cultural hub in Saint-Irénée, hosts an international summer festival that runs alongside its elite music and dance academy. Think of it as a living cultural campus: it blends daily student performances with world-class classical, jazz and dance concerts, alongside a striking outdoor sculpture park that turns the landscape into part of the stage.