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.
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.
A familiar pose. Riding the Revelstoke gondola. Photo by Jae from South Korea.
The number refers to how many days I want to spend on the mountain this season – on skis. I’d also like to take photos. Maybe self-portraits or maybe just of the scenery. I take photos everyday anyway so hopefully this won’t be a bother for me.
The season has gotten off to a slow start so far. The weather has been a bit unusual in the past month. First it was too warm and not enough snow. Then it became too cold when there was an arctic flow of cold air. This caused the temperature to dip to -25c at the peak of Whistler mountain on some days. It was also about -13c in the village on some days. The weather is starting to return to normal now. It’s snowing more frequently and the temperature is almost normal – which should be in the range of zero to -10c on the mountain.
My ski days for December will only be six – not much considering I’ve been in the mountains for the greater part of three weeks. The weather has been a factor – if it had not, my count would probably be 20 by now. I look forward to January and the rest of the season!
My daily photos from the album 100 days on flickr. Click the image to advance to the next image.
Film, Photography, Skiing, Video, Whistler | Garry December 1, 2009 | 
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