Hi Gram!
I had such an amazing day today, I think I have to update my scale that I measure happiness against. Yesterday, the skies were gray, there was a wet fog sitting everywhere, and the temperature was just warm enough that the snow that was falling instantly turned to water as it settled on my goggles and clothes. By the time I got on the mountain, the snow on the runs was chopped up and hard to ride from everyone who had been riding on it all day. I did a few runs, then checked into my hotel, hoping for better weather overnight. I decided to get up as early as I could and get to the lifts before they opened so I could be one of the first people on the freshly groomed snow.
When I woke up this morning, the day started with good news and just kept being amazing. First of all, the snow had stopped and everything looked clear out my window. It was still dark outside, so I didn’t know if it would be cloudy or not, but at least it wasn’t foggy. I stopped at the grocery store yesterday to get some yogurt for breakfast instead of wasting time at a restaurant this morning. Let me tell you, it was some of the thickest, creamiest, most wonderful yogurt I’ve ever had. It wasn’t too sweet, the flavor was nuanced, and it went down with a smile. I followed that up with an apple fritter which was flaky and sweet. A little fuller than I had planned for, I geared up and headed for the lifts. They open at 8:30, and I arrived around 8:10 to make sure I was one of the first in line.
I wasn’t anywhere NEAR the front of the line though! Unknown to be (but apparently well known to everyone else), it snowed 8-10″ overnight, and the forecast didn’t call for a single cloud in the sky. We call that a “blue bird” day, and everyone was out to take advantage of the perfect combination of fresh powder and blue skies. Once they opened the lift, the line moved very quickly, and in no time I was at the top of the mountain.
That first run was heavenly! The center was groomed and flat, the edges had untouched powder, and the place is so darned big that it wasn’t crowded despite everyone and their brother chomping at the bit to ride. I got down to the half-way point and reloaded, figuring the line at the base of the gondola was still probably backed up as everyone was waking up to discover the great weather. I did another run, this time all the way down, and wondered how long that run is. I rode back up on the gondola, and did the same run, this time with an app on my phone recording my speed, distance, and some other statistics. That run was over 3 1/2 miles long, and it’s not even the longest run on the mountain. A little worn out, I stopped to let my feet breathe some, and warmed up with a hot cup of chai latte. I looked at the map, and plotted my next adventure. I rode up to the top of the gondola again, then transferred to the Peak-2-Peak gondola that would take me over to the Blackcomb mountain. It’s 11km long and at the highest point, we’re suspended almost 400m (that’s over 1000 ft!) above the ground. That view was breath-taking, and I think I annoyed the guy I was talking to as I kept interrupting to take another picture. We got to the other peak, and that’s where my day got even better!
I’d never ridden that peak before, and anytime I’m on a new mountain, I like to take a green run (the easiest) down to get a feel for what this resort considers “green” and scope out the mountain. I found a winding route that took me back and forth across the mountain with trees on either side of me, and a nice gentle slope. Every now and then, we’d come to a clearing and I could see more mountains and towns off in the distance, then it was back into the trees to wind down another level. I followed that all the way to the bottom, then got on a gondola to take me up and do it again. I was planning to ride down and traverse across the mountain so I’d end up where I had begun this morning. As bugs bunny used to say, I must’ve taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque, because I ended up at a completely different spot. There’s only two things you can do in that situation – take that lift up and try again, or go take the shuttle bus to get where you were trying to go. My snowboard is more fun than a bus, so I got on the lift and went back up to the top. I checked out the map and got an idea of which runs to take. The problem with trying to follow a specific run is two-fold. First, no run exists on its own; they all interweave and cross each other and form a braided tangle of paths. Second, the signs are designed to get everyone safely to the bottom, but the maps are just an artist’s interpretation of how the runs are laid out, and aren’t nearly as detailed as the actual mountain. The result is that you ride down a run until you see a sign, which may say “this way to the cat pajama lift” but unless you know that the “slingshot” run is halfway between that sign and the bottom of the cat pajama lift, you’d ride right past that sign. I decided that since I was trying to end up to the left of where I ended up last time, I would follow any signs that indicated a green or blue run that went to the left. Even if that sign led me to a spot where the only way down was a black run, I’d be able to get down. I prefer greens and blues, but I can ride down a black run just fine.
What an adventure that turned out to be! I started on the same green path that I’d ridden before, and was having a good ride when I came to a sign that didn’t identify anything that I’d seen on the map, but suggested I should go left. I ended up on a wide blue run with a few other people, and was enjoying the view and the terrain there. I came to a split where you can go left or right around some trees. No sign, so I figured we’re just going one way or the other around some trees and we’ll meet back up a little ways down the path. I arbitrarily chose left as everyone else chose right. Next thing I know, I’m alone riding through virtually untouched powder that was at least a foot deep! Nobody around me, and it felt like I was surfing on softened butter. My brain had two thoughts the entire time I was riding that powder – “this is so amazing, I can’t believe I found a run that hasn’t been beaten down yet!” and “careful, Careful, CAREFUL!! If you fall down, it’s going to be a pain in the backside to climb back on top of this snow and get going again!” Luckily, I stayed over my board and eventually met back up with the other run, and rode back onto (now disappointingly) groomed terrain. The next sign I came to indicated I should go right to get to the Whistler Village. I followed that to the right as it narrowed a bit and wound a little between trees. We call this a “cat walk” and it’s common to see these connecting two steeper runs with a relatively flat narrow path that winds a little. They’re a nice mild break that lets you catch your breath before you start bombing down the mountain again. The only problem with cat walks is that they’re usually kind of narrow, so if it’s crowded, it can be a little nerve wracking avoiding the slower people or someone who’s fallen down. Luckily, I was alone for the most part. It started getting a little steeper, so I picked up some speed, expecting to come out onto the main run. Well, I didn’t come out onto the main run just yet. It started undulating up and down across “rollers” which are just small hills that you ride up and down. You need enough speed as you go down one so you can get up the next one, and they’re a lot of fun on a normal run. They’re even more fun when you’re on a narrow catwalk with trees on either side of you, and the catwalk is meandering left and right as the rollers go up and down!
Eventually, that let out into a wide semi-groomed run that, again, I had all to myself. I kept looking for signs and hoping I was going the right way, and smiling from ear to ear. It led me to another small catwalk with a view of the next mountain as the trees cleared for a steep black diamond run. That eventually led to a crowded catwalk with more people and up ahead, I could see some machinery. Might I be getting close to the village? As I got down to the machinery, I saw parking lots all around it, but no sign of the village. I thought “oh no, did I just lead myself to somewhere I’m going to have to hike back to the village?” I stopped to look at the map, and it showed that the run continued past the parking lot. It looked like just trees and a dead end, but it wasn’t too far, so I decided to go check it out. Worst case scenario, I’d have to walk back up to the parking lot and try to figure out what to do next. Luckily, as I got down to the trees, there was a sharp turn and I could see the village down below! I built up some speed and cruised along, crossing a bridge, going past some millionaires’ houses, and joining up with another run before finally dumping us into the village.
I stopped and took off my board, thinking that I would take a little breather before heading up for one more run down a more familiar mountain. I sat and drank some water, but when I stood up my body was telling me that we were done for the day. My knees were aching, my back was sore, and I quickly realized just how exhausted I was! I slouched back to the hotel, realizing I was far enough to make it a painful walk but close enough that there wasn’t any shuttle bus that could swoop in and save me. I cleaned up and wanted to write down my adventures while they were still fresh in my head. Now, I think I’m going to get some dinner and hit the hay early. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to do a couple runs in the morning, then head down to Vancouver for a little bit before meeting up with some friends for dinner north of Seattle. Until next time!