Danny Papadatos of Saskatoon crowned Mr. Gay Canada 2013 in Whistler, BC

Mr Gay Canada 2013 Dana Papadatos; Mayor of Whistler Nancy Wilhelm-Morden; Rylie Moore.

Earlier this month, GayWhistler's WinterPRIDE hosted the fifth annual Mr. Gay Canada 2013 competition. Held February 5-8, a total of eight candidates competed during the three-day challenge. The panel of judges crowned Danny Papadatos of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as Mr. Gay Canada 2013. He will go on to compete in the Mr. Gay World competition in August during the WorldOutgames III in Antwerp, Belgium. 

Danny Papadatos is a provincial training manager for Boston Pizza, and has been active with the Saskatoon Diversity Network in planning its annual Pride celebration for the past few years. The judges determined that Papadatos' passion for "making a safer, more inclusive space for all people, along with his clear and articulate thoughts and his strong leadership skills" made him a natural choice. First runner-up was Rylie Moore of Victoria, BC.

In a prepared statement, Papadatos said: "The experience of Mr. Gay Canada has been incredible, and I am very excited to be given this platform. There is so much work to be done in rural centres and to provide a safe forum for LGBT youth. I am very excited to be representing Canada in Antwerp this summer."

The panel of celebrity judges included Nancy Wilhelm-Morden, Mayor of Whistler; Chad Michael's, RuPaul's All-Star; Charlie David, Actor-Producer; Jerime Black, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly Global LGBT Ambassador; Catherine Power-Chartrand, Whistler the Magazine; Jacqui McMullen, Times Square Suites; Thomas Eglis, Mr. Gay Canada 2012; Hattie Myers, Aava Whistler Hotel. The competition included guest appearances by Chad Michaels, Destineak, Symone Says, Iona Whipp and Mandy Kamp.

WinterPRIDE, Whistler's gay and lesbian ski week, kicks off 1/30

WinterPRIDE, Whistler's gay and lesbian ski week, opened today (Sunday, Jan. 30) and runs through Feb. 6, 2011. Now in its 19th year, WinterPRIDE is one of the largest and most renowned gay ski weeks in the world.

With eight days of skiing and snowboarding aplenty, the apres snow menu is filled with dance parties, culinary events and heaps of entertainment. This year's headliners include New York's Last Comic Standing finalist Michele Balan and Drag Superstar Tyra Sanchez of RuPaul's Drag Race. DJs include Eddie Baez, Ted Eiel, Adam Dreaddy, Nick Bertossi and JC Simon.

Sunday's festival opening includes an evening welcome party at the Whistler Conference Centre. After that, it's Buffalo Bill's for the welcome dance. On Tuesday, Feb. 1, it's back to Buffalo Bill's for the cowboy and cowgirl party (dress accordingly!). And if you're looking to get a little bent, the Southern Comfort gender bender party at Garf's is Wednesday, Feb. 2, with special guest drag appearances (including Kendra Doll).

Throughout the week, WinterPRIDE will offer plenty of activities such as tubing, fondue and snowCAT tours, dog sledding, snowshoeing, ziplining and snowmobiling.

WinterPRIDE is produced by GayWhistler, which also operates GayWhistler.com, a year-round resource for gay and lesbian travelers to Whistler.

Photo courtesy Tourism Whistler