1/6/20 Whistler/Blackcomb Alpine open/soft snow

Big Mountain open top to bottom with soft snow all day...Hot tub calls...

This morning was uncrowded, calm, and fog free. Franz's Meadow Gave me 3 good runs of boottop fluff. Rocks are still lurking, and you need to stay away from boulders still. Normally I'd be doing Ratfink some, but I'm still worried about coverage on steeper runs...The green light popped up for 7th Heaven, so I jumped on Peak to Peak and left for Blackcomb. That nasty, windy, sun swept slope looked like a real rock farm! Skiing thru the normal blizzard on top, I ducked the ropes that mentioned rocks lurking under the surface...I skied light...finally getting under the real signs that said "Closed, Avalanche Danger. Nobody had yet been there (bottom of Lakeside Bowl) so I was stoked for deep powder, but got buried Avalanche debris☹️ Nevertheless, I stayed hard left and had fresh light tracks along the boundary. There is a little low angle bum run out
Of there and it was in fine early season, soft shape. My next run took me thru the blizzard and into the Everglades. That was so good (and the line was getting longer) that I turned right on Last Resort and found my way to an old favorite "Where's Joe". It's a fairly low angle glade, and was a great powder bump run (with exciting obstacles). I thought I was lost in the Blackcomb middle mountain, but came right out on the mid station Gondola. I met up with a local instructor I know, and we skied some soft, small bumps till lunch. Of course I had to fall once, so he'd be able to give me instruction. Surprise - he told me I fell forward because i was sitting back...More on him later...Lunch was wonderful Ramen with Pork Belly, in a very large bowl! Expensive, but delicious and with the currency discount, a fair enough price. This unnecessary delay on a powder day, cost us powder as they had the nerve to open Glacier while we were eating!

Glacier was a flat light and freezing fog nightmare on top. It also still had an enormous amount of rocks and trees everywhere. My instructor friend wasn't up for climbing into a "closed" Spankeys Ladder (Un-Patrolled) as he has common sense...I'm sure it could have been good, but it had to be thin in lots of steep spots. Anyway - didn't want to get Paul hurt. I was shocked to see the odd signage. It said "closed" but didn't say Avalanche Danger. The unusual part was un-patrolled. Normally when Spankeys is closed - You risk losing your pass by going up! My thought was that they didn't see a lot of avy danger, but they knew of the rocks and hole potential. With Big snow coming soon, I think they wanted the skier compaction they would get...last chance, as it hadn't been open. Whatever, I hope nobody got hurt.

Heavenly Bowl was very rocky but skied soft and nice. Next run also skied great in the bumps under the chair. I saw some Chainsaw Ridge action, some guys on Cougar Chutes, and one guy in Pakalolo. I'm sure the soft snow skied great on those steeper slopes, but I'm still feeling early season, and all the rock and avy danger was better for the young today.

Overall a very fine day. Nothing top ten like I had hoped...But Thursday still looms big. If the forecast comes true, and we get a bunch of snow tonight and tomorrow, and just a little on Wednesday, it should be epic. You should probably be getting the car ready to drive up, if you care for such things like Big Mountain Powder on a sunny day in Canada!