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Published: March 15th 2008
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True Beauty
Me, my board, and Whistler Mountain! Whistler!
With friends living and working in the Whistler village, it didn’t take much for us to jump at the opportunity at spending some time at the place known to be a skiing/snowboarding playground! The Whistler Blackcomb Mountains have been rated number one in Canada and with over 200 trails, 8100 acres of ski able terrain, and reaching heights of one vertical mile, it’s no wonder why.
We spent a total of 5 days in the village, 3 of which were spent exploring the trails (and making our own) on the Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. The first night we arrived the snowfall began, and by morning there was 20cm of fresh powder on the ground. We were up bright and early to participate in a program called Fresh Tracks, where you start with a great buffet breakfast up the Mountain and then get to be on the runs for a good hour before the gondolas open to everyone else. With a fresh snow fall we definitely recommend it!
Coming from Ontario where our biggest ‘hill’ has 37 runs, and a few centimeters of new snow on the trails is exciting, having a fresh 20cm of snow to start
our first day of boarding in Whistler was unbelievable! It was a brand new learning curve snowboarding in this powdery stuff, but we quickly got used to loving the feeling of floating over the snow. Falling was also quite the experience as it is like landing in a big fluffy pillow that also happens to explode as you do so! Getting back up wasn’t as much fun however as putting your hands down for leverage results in you sinking further backwards into the snow and in a worse position than you started!
Three days on the mountain is not nearly enough to be able to take in all it has to offer, but we gave it a good run! We spent a day and a half on each of Whistler and Blackcomb and now understand why it is a skiing/snowboarding playground. Once you get high enough on the mountain the trees disappear leaving only snow covered rock, and all you see when you look around is a sea of white dotted with moving specs. There are trails marked from the top, however I think that most people, especially if there is fresh snow, chose to make their own path.
However, you then expose yourself to not knowing what the terrain is like in front of you until you suddenly fall a few feet and realize that you just rode over a mini rock cliff!
The weather that you experience coming down the mountain is truly fantastic. It can take you from bright sunshine higher up, to riding through the cloud cover, and then suddenly have it snowing heavily down near the bottom. Or, there could be very little visibility at the top, but then the further you ride down the mountain the clearer it becomes. We took a run at the famous Peak to Creek trail, which drops close to a vertical mile over 5.5 kilometers. It took a good half hour and needless to say, there were many breaks taken and the signs advertising the distance to the pub at the bottom also helped! Whistler is also famous for its Après scene where you enjoy a drink in the village and toast to a good day spent on the mountain.
The two days that were not spent snowboarding we toured around the village, enjoyed the Superbowl Sunday festivities, went for a huge hike around a local
lake, and took in the absolute stunning beauty of the mountains, the trees, and the overall atmosphere of the area. It is no wonder why people never leave! We also did an adventure tour called ZipTrek. We were harnessed in and driven up Blackcomb Mountain where we spent the next three hours zip lining through the rainforest - yes, it is a costal rainforest - over Fitzsimmons Creek and from Blackcomb Mountain to Whistler Mountain and back! It was a great experience soaring through the trees and taking in the scenery. We were told lots of interesting information about the area, the vegetation, and what Whistler is doing to creating a sustainable environment along the way. Our last zip line brought us right back into Whistler village and to spice things up a bit we did it upside down! It was a final adrenaline rush and an opportunity to see things with a whole new perspective!
We loved every minute we spent in Whistler and are very thankful that we were able to visit friends and take advantage of such a great opportunity!
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