The name might have changed but the ever-expanding Whistler Pride and Ski Festival is bigger and better than ever. Formerly Gay Whistler’s WinterPride, this year the 23rd annual week-long event will take on a new name as it celebrates pride both on and off the ski hill, according to longtime festival producer Dean Nelson.

The name change was due to a rise in the number of ‘winter pride’ events across the world and, in order to prevent confusion, the organizers decided to create a new name. But don’t worry; everything that made people fall in love with the festival is still the same, if not better.

"The Whistler Pride and Ski Festival is more than just a gay ski week; it’s an eight-day festival that combines sports, culinary, wellness and spectacular social and cultural events," Nelson says. "It’s a lot of fun and I think we have made something [where] there really is something for everyone, especially the last couple of years. We’re continuing to grow the event and it has been really successful."

Whistler Pride and Ski Festival runs from January 24th until the 31st at the award-winning Whistler Blackcomb, which boasts over 8,000 acres of terrain, with the biggest and longest vertical mile in North America.

Every year about 75 per cent of the festival’s 3,000 annual attendees return for another year of celebration, which is a testament to just how much the festival has to offer, Nelson says.

"Travel writers and guests from around the world regularly refer to this event as the friendliest on the planet. We have a lot of people that travel here from all over the world and make it their big winter vacation. People come and stay for five or six days and get a taste of everything the festival has to offer."

This year Nelson expects more women and lesbians to attend the festival with headliner comedian Margaret Cho making a special appearance.

"Margaret Cho is amazing. We’re really excited to have her here and she’s excited to be coming out here. I think you’ll see a lot more women this year and we have a lot more programming for them," he says, adding that a film component has been added to the roster too.

This year there is no shortage of fun events including a Cowboy Party, Night of Comedy with Margaret Cho, Splash Pool Party, women events, and mega dance events like Furrocious, WhiteOUT and the closing party Snowball. Other events include snowmobile tours, zipline tours, snowshoe tours, inner tube sliding, spa treatments, culinary adventures and, of course, some incredible skiing and snowboarding.

With the festival just around the corner, there are still great deals but Nelson says people need to take advantage of them soon.