by bill biss
community
but we had a good team, so I was by no means the star. But, I did okay. As a life-long skier, I hated snowboarders. They stopped in the wrong places and just generally were irritating. Then, sixteen years ago, I put on a board and never looked back. What is one of the most rewarding aspects of holding this yearly event? It’s our fourteenth annual event in Mammoth [and
2016 is our fifth in Park City], and there are people who come up to me and say they have been every single year. That’s crazy! And awesome. Others tell me they’ve been all but one or two years. It really is an event and a culture that you can fall in love with. You make new friends and reconnect with friends from other cities. What is more rewarding for an event producer than to have people return 14 years in a row? What are some of the most remarkable aspects of Elevation in regards to the Mammoth location? I’ve skied all over the world and Mammoth is still
WITH TOM WHITMAN
Cue Duran Duran: “Guys on snow, two minutes later… girls on snow!”Tom Whitman, is the mastermind of the major LGBT event aptly titled Elevation. His journey to the slopes of both Park City, Utah and Mammoth Mountain in California has been nothing but a smooth ride. After a successful career managing several nightlife events and a solid career in entertainment media [MTV, Nickelodeon] Whitman chose to break the ice, so to speak and create an event on his own. This led directly to Elevation: Mam- moth Mountain. With a great reception each year, he added Elevation: Park City. Both of these ski destinations offer the camaraderie of friends, days enjoying the wintertime sports plus a bevy of nightly socializing. This is one LGBT wonderland that keeps them coming back for more. Here, Tom Whitman shares his enthusiasm and a few “Elevated” memories.
IT REALLY IS AN EVENT AND A
Please share a bit of Elevation’s history. I built it with a very specific vibe in mind – I wanted to create a culture during the week that was friendly, open and where everyone dropped their “big city attitude.” And I intended that for myself, as well. It wasn’t going to be like standing in an L.A. gay bar where you stood there, not talking to people you didn’t know. It has become my favorite event of the year to produce. Skiing has always been a part of your own life? My dad was in the Air Force and we
CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH.”
CULTURE THAT YOU
lived in Europe for six years. When I was five years old, my parents took me on a two week ski vacation, where they dropped me off in ski school… all day long! It’s one of my earliest memories. I cried a lot, but at the end of the two weeks, I could ski better. I
was a yellow helmeted terror. When I went to UCLA for undergrad, I raced on
the ski team. Mammoth was our home mountain. I was a decent racer, in slalom and giant slalom,
one of my favorite mountains. You can snowboard all day and never do the same run twice. The season lasts long into spring, so it is one of the best places [maybe the best] for spring skiing. It’s got a great SoCal laid-back vibe. Unlike Aspen, which can come across like the pretentious Rodeo Drive of ski mountains, Mammoth is sunny, friendly and gets crazy amounts of snow. What is the craziest thing that you’ve been through in putting Elevation together and one of the most enjoyable aspects? One of our events is actually on the mountain and
you have to take the gondola to get there. Producing a big gay dance party when you have to haul every speaker and light, up a gondola was…interesting. But, the craziest thing that happens at “The Party at 10,000 Feet” is on the gondola during the pitch- black ride up the mountain. Those gondolas start rocking... That’s all I’m going to say. But honestly, the most enjoyable part is getting to
meet friendly, sporty and hunky guys in a beautiful environment. There’s nothing like a good après ski party with hot guys in snowboard pants after a day on the hill.
Elevation: Utah takes place at Park City fromThursday, February 18 to Sunday, February 21. For more information, go
totomwhitmanpresents.com/event_utah.php.
Elevation: Mammoth takes placeWednesday, March 16 through Sunday, March 20 at Mammoth Mountain. For more information, go to
tomwhitmanpresents.com/event_mammoth.php.
FEBRUARY 2016 | RAGE monthly 19
ELEVATION
ON SNOW THAT IS…
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