Blackcomb - 2/23

We had a great drive up to Whistler yesterday.  4.5 hours from Lake Tapps to Whistler including a stop for sandwiches and another at the Duty Free.  No wait at the border and Sea to Sky was deserted, mostly dry with clear skies.  Very enjoyable.

Got up today to bluebird skies.  Everything was firm, some places more than others.  Like everything on Solar Coaster including Bark Sandwich.  But as usual for Whistler, the grooming was excellent and skied great.  As we explored, we found some good snow on Crystal Chair line.  It's nice having enough snow this year to be able to ski it from top to bottom.  Arthur's Choice had it's usual big bumps and drops, and was carvable, chalky snow.  Much better than Bark Sandwich.  Same for Sudan as well as the upper Climax entrance to Sudan.  Kinda fun dropping in there with nary a look while lots of gawkers at the top.  But the run of the day was most definitely Secret Chute.  Still some left over powder from last weeks dump.  The upper T-Bar has been closed most of this year because the glacier shifted so much over the past warm summer.  While we were there, maintenance guys were on top of each tower moving the guide wheels to re-align everything.  By afternoon, the T-bar started up making it easier for repeat trips to Secret Chute. Not one lift line today. Ski on with empty chairs. What???

A great first day with LD and I getting 39K.  Clear skies and a warming trend for the rest of the week.  There's nothing like lucking out on your timing!  And, coverage is great.