A Night for Whistler Locals: Monday Local’s League
**Update for Fall 2018: Season 6 & The Launch of 81score.com
When spending the season, or the decade living in Whistler, it’s all about getting to know the community. If you’ve landed for the coming winter season, it’s not uncommon to find yourself still here three years later.
Whistler is one of the most diverse places to call home, with people migrating here from all corners of the world. You’ve come here to enjoy the mountain, to have a good time, and to meet new and exciting people like yourself.
While everyone loves to hit the Village on Friday nights, it can be a little hard to get to know new people outside of the Whistler’s nightlife environment. Your weekend can get fuzzy, and the faces blur together by the time Monday hits.
Who was that girl who offered to teach you how to slackline? Whose house party did you end up at on Saturday, Phil? Or was it Paul?
It’s nice to have a place to go to get to know all the friendly faces around Whistler, where you can actually hold a conversation, put a name to a face, and remember it the next morning. Knowing the people in your community on a first name basis is what can make the community great. Without getting preachy, participation in the local community is a great way to grow roots, even if they are only for a season.
At Forged Axe Throwing, we do this every Monday. Monday is not only locals day, but its also Forged Axe Throwing Locals League. Our league nights are a place filled with friendly locals. It’s a place where everybody knows your name.
Just like Cheers, only with axes and fewer Woody Harrelsons.
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What is Forged Axe Throwing Local’s League?
Since we opened Forged Axe Throwing, we’ve always had a Whistler local’s league. The league is a weekly competition between strangers, who soon become friends, that runs for a total of six weeks before crowning the season champion.
It’s only $99 for the entire season, which if you are counting, equates to less than $20 a night. Plus, you get many perks including drop in sessions and free-for-all practice rounds on Sundays.
Over the course of six weeks, the competitors who range from seasoned vets to new comers, compete for the championship. Launched new this fall, we now have a secondary competition built of teams.
Each week you’ll compete in teams, and individually, against your new found friends for the nightly prize, ranging from gift certificates to local businesses to snow gear and more. The grand prize is the real objective, last season we gave away a GoPro 6 with all the fixins’.
Celebrating a victorious bullseye never felt so good! Thanks for Whistler Brewing and Coast Mountain for keeping our spirits up, even if we missed the target.
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But What if You’ve Never Thrown an Axe Before?
We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured you don’t actually need any axe throwing experience to try it out. We build in a bit of education into the league format, including two free practice sessions to take advantage of during the six weeks. These practice sessions, under the guidance of our talented staff, should help you get your perfect your clutch.
Every Sunday, between 11 and 3 PM we also offer free practice for all league members (it’s on a first come first served basis). Practice does make perfect in the axe throwing world, which is why we’ve opened our doors to encourage league members to hone their craft.
Over the many rounds of locals league, we’ve had total newbies rise through the ranks to take on the champion. All it takes is one axe to make or break a game, and it’s not unheard of for a novice axe thrower to win the night.
Our staff can also help you refine your game during one of your practice sessions. It’s their job to teach axe throwing day in and day out. They have many helpful tips up their sleeve to help you up your game for the next league night.
Why We Love Locals Axe Throwing League
We’ve held a number of seasons of Whistler locals league now, and we’ve come to some conclusions about why we love it so much:
- Community and Lifelong Friendship: League members often compete for more than one season. We actually have league members who have been with us since the very beginning. Without sounding too cheesy, league members become family members. You’ll see them around the Village, out at Maxx Fish, or bump into them at the grocery store. For newbies to Whistler, it’s the quickest way to finding your crew in this mountain town.
The championship belt is what its all about.
- Bragging Rights: Imagine what your mates back home are going to say when you tell them you’ve just become league champion of axe throwing in Whistler? Plus, champions hold the belt until the next season’s final. Take it to work, take it home to your family, pose on top of the Gondola wearing it. How you brag about your win is up to you.
- Entertainment Value: Even if ax throwing proves not to be your calling, the social scene on league night is at the very least entertaining. Friendly heckling is frequent, the laughs are many, and the beers delicious. What else are you going to do on Monday’s anyway?
- Personalized Axe: Many of our league members like to get creative, and put a personal spin on their special hatchet. All our high-quality axes (available for $29.99) meet the NATL regulation, and look great with a splash of creativity. The best part about having your own axe on hand? It’s off limits to everyone but you, we proudly display it (safe and sound) in our display shelf. Your axe is for you!
- Prize Packs: Each season the prizes continue to get better. We hand out gift certificates for restaurants (Purebread mmmmm), snowboards, GoPros, a Whistler Bungee experience…There is always a chance to take home the nightly prize even if you are out of the running for the league champion.
- Employment Opportunity: Okay, we admit this one is a bit of an odd benefit for axe throwing, but it’s worked out for us in the long run. Many of our employees today joined our team because they loved the community they experienced in locals league so much. So who knows, maybe you too will quit your big-time corporate gig in Whistler to join us at Forged Axe Throwing?
- Whistler Housing: Another strange one, we admit, but the more connections you have in Whistler the more opportunities for Whistler Housing present themselves. It’s a tough, tough world out there for finding affordable places to live in Whistler. Many a roommate has been found simply through the connections made on locals night.
What’s the Competition Like?
Already, by week 3 the season’s stats are piling up.
The big news for Season 6, is the launch of our new software 81 Score. An all-in-one, online score keeper for league. Go ahead, check out the current standings for Season 6 League. With 32 competitors, the competition is fierce this season, and its ALL on display for the world to see. Let the friendly heckling begin!
Each week we calibrate all competitors into our fancy axe throwing league software, which then randomly selects matches. You’ll step up to the plate, against your chosen competition, and play a series of three games to take the match. You’ll play anywhere from three to five matches per night, depending on the season.
If you love stats, axe throwing is full of them. Keep track of how many bullseyes, perfect games, clutches, and points you accumulate over the night and the season. Monitor the progress of your team, against the competition, and see how your scores shift the game.
As the league progresses, eventually the top eight competitors move on to the Finals. This is the biggest night of league, and always an entertaining time as you compete against the best of the best. Yes, the top prize pack is awesome but it’s the bragging rights which really count. Champions get their name engraved on the belt, to remain there until the end of time, and our heroes hold the belt until next season.
Mondays Are for Locals at Forged Axe Throwing
Where the Party is at in Whistler on Monday
Maybe you’ve missed the start of the axe throwing season (don’t worry, wait for the next to launch in six weeks!), or maybe you want to check it out before signing up. We recently started Locals Monday’s to help you get your feet wet into the world of axe throwing.
All day, every Monday, we offer $20 drop in axe throwing to locals (that’s a 40 percent discount). Bring us proof of local-ness and you are in! It’s as simple as that. It’s on a first come first served basis, so call in advance to make sure we’ve got the space.
We also often have beers and other wobbly pops on ice for Locals Monday. After you’ve had a few turns at the bullseye, take a seat and watch the competition unfold with a cold brew in hand.
Still Have Questions?
Do you still have questions about how Whistler Local’s league works? Are you nervous to sign up? Most of our staff are often competitors themselves, or have been in the past, and would love to love to chat with you about any questions you might have. Give us a call or stop by, we’ll tell you all about it.