Normally, riding up chairlifts is what it’s all about – but that’s in wintertime. In the summer, its better to ride down chairlifts because of the view. Above is a time lapse from Blackcomb Mountain – from the top of 7th Heaven to Blackcomb Base. Recorded July 15, 2009 when it was nice and dry. This summer might be a different story as the top portion of the mountain is still under a layer of snow – more than 2 metres in some places!
Anything but ordinary. A great sesaon: 192 days in length – opening two weeks early on November 14, 2009. Over five metres of snow fell in November and a total of 15 metres of snow fell over the season. There was also the winter Olympics, Paralympics and lots of great memories. I skied 176 days, missing days only due to poor weather (rain and high winds) and recovery from the Canadian hockey team gold medal game.
Recorded from November 14, 2009 to May 24, 2010 with a digital camera that took a photo every 30 minutes; the film is comprised of over 8000 images. It was taken from the taco-cam perched on a windowsill above the deck in the house that I live.
First tracks on the Hortsman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain
That’s how much snow fell in the month of November in the alpine on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. At one point in November, it snowed everyday for two weeks. The result of it all was 560 cm – 18+ feet of snow! As I described at the start of the season, this was going to be an epic winter. Hopefully this turns out to be true for the rest of the season!
There was full coverage of snow from the first day and rocks were almost all covered. It was mid-season conditions in November. We got a few days of rain in the village, but it mostly turned into snow in the alpine. There was a bit of a fright on the day before US Thanksgiving when it rained up to mid-mountain. Thankfully, the rain stopped there. The high alpine the following day was great – especially on Blackcomb Mountain (as seen above).
Hopefully the snow keeps coming – with some sunny days in between!
Here is a time lapse of the month as seen from the Batcave…
Terri stealing a bite of my cookie at Jericho Beach in Vancouver
Canadian Thanksgiving weekend marks the end of summer in most of Canada. The summer has been filled with hiking, XC biking, downhill biking (ouch!), golf, barbecues, trips to the beach and travel. Although, it was a fun summer – I’m definitely ready for winter!
Image below: one of many images from my flickr set, 100 days on the mountain in 2008/09. I’m not sure what I’ll do this season but I’ll think of something because one has to have goals.
After a lightning strike last Thursday, a fire started on the Crystal Ridge area of Blackcomb Mountain. It was mostly contained within the first day as I’m sure workers were pulled off the 100 or so other fires burning in the province. I imagine fires in Whistler are given some sort of priority over other fires given the high profile nature of the location.
For the many firemen in town for the World Police and Fire Games, I wonder if it was a treat or a horror show for them to watch the mountain burning.
As of yesterday, four days after the original fire another fire started on Ruby Bowl, an area with very steep terrain. Blackcomb mountain was closed to tourists and hikers for a few days after the original fire, but remains open after the new fire on Ruby Bowl yesterday. Whistler mountain and the Peak 2 Peak are open with the exception of the backcountry trails which the province has issued a voluntary ban on hiking due to the fire risk. It’s been an eventful week.
As I know all of you like watching stuff burn, here are my photos from the fire. Click on the larger image to advance to the next one. If you’re on a mobile device, click here to view the images.
The original goal was to hike/climb 7th Heaven on Blackcomb mountain – which we did. However, on the way up we started collecting garbage. We found the usual objects including water bottles, beer bottles, cans, goggles, clothing, skis, ski poles, two-way radios and the best of all, $125 (US) and a money clip. Maybe that was some good karma for picking up garbage and lost objects.
During the winter season, similar objects are found every day – especially cell phones and wallets. Whistler is a fairly good place to lose thing and have them returned. I recently left my credit card in a restaurant. I didn’t discover it missing until a few days later. When I did realise where I left it, I called and they did indeed have it. I retrieved it shortly after that without any hassle of getting it replaced.
I normally don’t carry cash with me – maybe for fear of losing it? However, banking is different that what it used to be. With ATMs and credit cards, cash is almost unnecessary in large cities and popular resorts. I can’t think of any place in Whistler that does not accept credit cards; and I think every merchant does because Visa is a worldwide sponsor of the Olympics. Even my lift pass is connected to my credit card so I don’t even need to carry a credit card with me when I’m on the mountain. Replacing a lift pass is easier than replacing a credit card or wallet. I’m not sure why people still carry cash.
The set from the day is below; click on the larger image to advance to the next one. If you’re on your iPhone or can’t see it, click here.
Kiersten's last run on the Couloir Extreme this season
As the weather in the spring changes, people are starting to leave for the season or pack their skis in favour of their bikes, golf clubs and shorts. It’s a bit of a sad time – but many will be back – I’m sure of that.
Since the conditions aren’t the best because of the high temperatures, sunshine during the day and low temperatures at night causes some hard packed (read: icy) conditions, I decided to venture on the mountain with my SLR – which I’ve only done one or two times before this.
As I was taking photos of places I’ve been before but without my SLR, I met Kiersten. She asked me if I was going to go down the Couloir Extreme. I wasn’t planning on doing it as it was closed because of icy conditions. She mentioned that it was her last day on the mountain. I though for the season – but she said possibly forever because she said she was moving back to Holland after five years in Vancouver.
My heart sank a little; but I know that this place can’t keep anyone away for very long. I told her that I bet she’ll be back.
The last days on the mountain for several people plus some recent images on flickr. Click on the larger image to advance to the next one.
It’s difficult to sum up the last five months in one word, but I can do it in three – eat, sleep, ski. That’s basically what I’ve been focused on for the past five months since I arrived in Whistler – that’s why I haven’t posted to this blog, my food blog nor flickr. I took today off to recuperate and give my body a break and thus I have the time to post.
Over the five months, I’ve achieved most of the goals I set for myself – as crazy as some of the were – like ski 100 days in a season; ski an entire month (February) and become a certified ski instructor. I’m a few days shy of 100, but will have achieved that in the next week or so. The season will go another three to six weeks, so there are many days left to ski.
Within my ski days, I’ve learned much more that I could have ever imagined. My skiing has been deconstructed and been put back together again – with the help of some great instructors. I ski better, more confidently and have more fun. I can’t wait to take more lessons next season!
Skiing for 28 days in a row in February was a physical challenge, but it was also fun. I could have gone 39 days in a row, but my bus from Vancouver had mechanical problems and didn’t arrive in Whistler until the end of the ski day. In all, I skied 38 days out of 39 before I went on a road trip with a friend. The photos in the link are incomplete because I haven’t had time to post them.
However, after spending five months here, I realize that there is much more to the mountain experience than skiing. There was the breathtaking view of the mountains, some of the best sunrises and sunsets I’ve witnessed and being able to see stars on a clear night. There was also the endless stream of friends, visitors and the people that I met who share the same passion for this place.
In some ways this winter, it was like being in school again. As the warmer weather approaches, so does the end of the ski season. Several people that I’ve met this season will be returning home or traveling to some other city by the end of the month. Some lasting friendships have been formed and I know some of them will return – that’s something to count on.
Day 51: the best day of the season so far was on February 25 (day 51)
I skied my 60th day of the season yesterday – more days than the last four seasons combined. Living in a ski town certainly helps. I’m well on my way to skiing 100 days this season. Even after taking a vacation from my vacation, and if the weather cooperates, I will reach my goal by the end of April – right around the Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival – more reasons to celebrate.
Fifty days slipped by rather easily as winter really began on February 22nd (day 48). It was a good month; however, the snowfall is much less than the last three seasons which would be considered epic seasons. The best day that I’ve had, probably over the last four seasons was on February 25 (day 51) where it snowed over 30 cm. This combined with my powder skis made for a very enjoyable day!
I also managed to somehow ski 28 days in February and 29 days in a row. The streak was broken when the bus from Vancouver was delayed. February was all about skiing, eating and sleeping – and not much else.
In the 60 days I also took five lessons which dramatically improved the way I ski. I took lessons before, but my days on the mountain were always limited to practise what I learned. I also think the quality of the instruction at Whistler Blackcomb made a difference. This was the first time I took lessons here and the style was much different than other resorts in North America. This combined with the positive attitude of the people that work here is probably why WB is consistently ranked as one of the best ski resort in the world.
Today, day 61, is also my birthday, I think I’ll celebrate by going skiing! :^)
My flickr set of my days on the mountain so far. Click on the larger image to advance to the next one.
On this day when the greeting card, florists and confectionery companies (and society in general) tell us we should be together and happy – many of us are probably alone. However, when my friends tell me they are lonely – I usually tell them to go outside – there are six billion people out there. However, the video (above) showed me that I’m wrong – we don’t need to go outside because we are never alone.
Even though I live more than 3000 km from where I did three months ago; I still phone, text, email, skype, facebook, blog, twitter, yelp, IM or [insert your technology of choice] with my friends from my former hometown more than daily. It’s like I never left.
When I’m skiing, (I do this almost daily) I meet and speak to someone new on an hourly basis. They are a captive audience for about 10 to 20 minutes when we ride the gondola, chairlift or t-bar. People in ski resorts are generally very happy and glad to be there (regardless of the weather) and most are glad to talk. Sometimes I’m their captive audience. Occasionally, we end up skiing a run or two and even end up at the pub for après.
Personal interaction is so much better than any technology could try to emulate. I’m not sure what these technologies are achieving; but it make me yearn to be alone.
Instead of going outside to avoid being loney – maybe we need to go outside to be together.
Banner Image, Environment, Hiking, Photography, Skiing, Video | Garry June 30, 2010 | 
Comments (2) 
