Jan 28, 2018 Whistler-Blackcomb

Ok, it's the 30th so this isn't timely, but the snow hasn't stopped falling so it's still relevant.

Mind boggling.  In every way.  Terrain.  Snow.  Amenities.  People.  You name it.  Mostly good, almost all good.  The only bad is the combination of snow storms, which we all want so we can ski powder, and high alpine.....which can make for awful, terrible visibility.  Oh, and storms bring wind, which can limit some lift ops.  Fortunately this isn't as bad an issue to Whistler as it is at Squaw!

So, I did ski a few runs inbounds on Friday.  Did the breakfast thing at Roundhouse.  Well, skied a couple runs at the 8:00 bell before I went in and had breakfast.  Great untracked powder on gentle runs down to Emerald.  The alpine opened and I hit the T bars to Head Wall.  More untracked powder, nice pitch, but the visibility was not good.  Down to Peak chair and into the ping pong ball as they say!  Burnt Stew by brail eventually got me to a pleasant enough run down to Symphony, the snow still great.  Up Symphony I go and it's blind at the top again.  Just past the sign/map near the top of the lift I can see the lollipops of the boundary line and a few small trees (yay, depth perception!) so I follow the boundary.  Lots of untracked powder.  LOTS!  Lack of depth perception equals head over heels on a rollover, all in good fun. So, to this point, other than the couple of breakfast runs, I haven't actually skied much because I haven't been able to see much.  Finding myself at the cat track to go up and around Flute Peak I'm not excited to drop into unfamiliar terrain in Flute Bowl in a white-out.  So I hook up with a local as we don skins and head for Oboe and the hope for better visibility.  You can see my backcountry report for that.

But this is supposed to be about Sunday, not Friday, so my apologies for the detour!

Well, lather...rinse...repeat, as they say!  This time I eat my Fresh Tracks breakfast before the bell and then lap Big Red several times.  So many choices, none of them bad, most in untracked powder.  Inside for a Baileys Latte and the bathroom, and to plan out the next few hours once the Alpine opens.  Need to get to Blackcomb, but how could I not lap a bowl off the Peak on a powder day?  So up the Peak chair I go into.....you guessed it.....the ping pong ball again!  Near zero vis up top, but out to West I head in my stubborn determination.  Another brail crawl until I finally get a little lower, and over to Cockalorum and into West Bowl.  Visibility not great, but better.  Powder is deep and light.  Girl who dropped in behind me was LITERALLY choking on powder.  Highway 86 back to Big Red, then up to the Peak 2 Peak to head to Blackcomb.  Oh, that worry about the freezing level moving up on Sunday?  Never materialized.  Refills all morning, and when I left in the afternoon it was still snowing in the village, areas in front of buildings cordoned off because of roof avalanches!

So, this is where I make my first mistake.  Head into Rendesvous and it's close to lunch time, Lodge is PACKED.  I see a sign for Christine's on Blackcomb.  Hmmmm....what's this?  Long story short, very civilized lunch!  If you like bloody Marys and you haven't had their Caesar, go have one!  So, out I go from a lunch that probably took too long, but my legs are toast after 2 and a half days and the Hibiki after the Caesar hit the spot, well.  Down the Jersey Cream Wall, in more stellar snow, to catch Glacier Express and brave the poor visibility in the Gemstones.  Here's where the problem comes in.  They just close Glacier as I get there due to winds up top.  Sad, but oh well.  Tired legs and bad vis, it's probably for the best.  Make my way down to Solar Coaster and back up.  Probably should have taken 7th Ave to Patroller's Trees and Where's Joe, but I'm too tired to explore.  Instead I decide to drop into Cafe Chute, stick the landing off a small cliff, only to have my tired legs fail me in yet MORE untracked powder a few turns later.  Not sure if anyone on Jersey Cream laughed at me, but they probably did.  Getting close to 3 and I'm ready to call uncle.  Gondola download?  No way, I may have the redeye to NY to catch but I'm going to enjoy my last run!  On the way down I'm feeling In The Spirit in yet more great snow through the trees.

In my three days of being at Whistler I got a little more than one full day to scratch the surface in-bounds.  So much incredible terrain I can see why one instructor I talked to said it took his first five years just to learn the mountain.  Staff everywhere was great and friendly.  Lift lines for me weren't bad, but the singles line goes quick.  While some lifts were almost always ski on when I was there, others had lines.

Whistler is a special place, and the snow this past weekend was simply off the hook!  The snow that never changed to rain Sunday made the first hour of the drive back to Vancouver a pain in the a$$, but a small price to pay and I made my flight.  I'll definitely be back!

Not a picture kind of day with the snow and bad visibility, but the aforementioned Caesar......

Congrats on getting a great ski at what I think is the best ski area in North America...some have pretty light snow, some have great steeps, some have great food...But Blackcomb/Whistler has pretty much all of it...heading up in a couple of weeks and I am very happy. Thanks for the visit and the great report.

Not a picture kind of day with the snow and bad visibility, but the aforementioned Caesar......

Fantastic. You got a great weekend. Sounds like you really got around and skied mostly nice stuff. I'm sure I've gone head over heals on that same rollover. Thanks for Report.