Greetings from the Canadian Far West
February 11, 2006
Today I had the best ski day I've had in about 20 years. It resulted from forty-four days of snow, (and some rain at the base). Whistler/Blackcomb had its snowiest January on record (16 feet of snow) and Feb promised to become a carbon copy. Today, however, the sun came up and it was awesome. I will soon write an article accompanied with pictures. For now, we did the Blackcomb Glacier three times today, twice to Whistler's base... 5,133 vertical feet. The terrain was everyone's dream. Powder, heavy powder, groom, tree, moguls, whatever... there was snow and variety for everyone. Sun shining, spotless skies, and snow almost down to near Vancouver. Still have five more days (been here 7 days already) and tomorrow will be like today. Back to Snowshoe in two weeks for a two-week stay.
Lou,
Man, it's a tough life huh? I'm jealous.
Make a few turns for me
-Warren-
Now thats a report i like to hear. Im leaving Sun for 8 days in Fernie BC and i hope its like that the whole time.We are heading down to Big Mtn, MT for 1 maybe 2 days if its good and over to kicking horse for 1-2 days as well as Fernie plus some backcountry in the Fernie area.
Ah... Whistler. Oh man, 16 feet of snow in a month. Can you imagine Canaan Valley with 16 feet of snow in a month? You could ski MPC no problem!
Can't wait for the photos Lou. Whistler has some of the most spectacular skiing scenery on the continent (maybe even better than Lake Louise) so they'll be great!
OK, so you have an excuse for not showing up last night at HH. Doing the Shoe' today. Will see you when you're there in a few weeks too. Jerry's close encounter with a 'boarder boy may have an adverse effect on his upcoming Dolomite trip. What I remember about Cortina was the bus-ride from hell!
The snow conditions continue to be excellent and the sun will shine in BC until Saturday, when more snow is coming. These spotless skies are also unheard of in BC's winter weather. Today we skied Whistler; glacier bowl after glacier bowl. I hired a private instructor for two half days and it was the best thing ever for my confidence in this terrain. Today we did double-blacks including a chute appropriately dubbed SYP, or you know what in your pants...
Anyway, glad to hear that winter is back in both East and West. Let it stay until May!!!!!
Hey Rich, how is Jerry doing? That collision could have killed him. Our group here in Whistler also had one with a serious accident. He hit a covered rock in the out of bounds area (legal here) and went flying in the air in circles like a frisbee... Broke a clavicle and several ribs.
See you all at the Shoe pretty soon!
Snowiest January on record for northwest ski areas in general (Baker, Steven's Pass, Snoqualmie, Crystal, Grouse). Makes me happy I'm going to school in the Seattle area next fall. Whistler's only 4.5 hours away!
Sure is a big turnaround from last years snow drought! Canaanman I used to live in the seattle Washington area (told everybody i was a WASHINGTON fan...Wash Redskins!!) Friggin Gorgeous place....if you can ever get a chance for it to stop raining or snowing to see the place.(Mt Ranier..Unbelievable!) They have a high suicide rate because of all the gloomy weather. The best way to beat the blues is to head for the MTN'S!! Hey Roger,Canaan had 7 feet of snow(a locals report) in 1 week back in March/93..Dude was telling me about 18 foot drifts covering Route 32/72 area(3 miles south of Canaan..in MY valley!)(Home of MPC)...Had to plug my Homeyland...but Whistler is Def on my list!
You'll love Seattle CM. For my two cents, it's the only urban city in America I'd be happy to live in. You've got some great skiing in the Cascades within 2 hours of school: Crystal, Alpental, and Stevens Pass. Then there's Mount Baker, another one of the true legends of skiing about three hours north. Whistler is more like 5 hours, but it makes for a great long weekend getaway.
There's ALWAYS something to do in Seattle. If you get bored of skiing in February you can go hiking in the foothills. If the warm weather has you down you can go skiing on July 4th. If you've got the cahunas, you can play any sport you want, any month you want up there (golfing or sailing in January can be a bit brutal, but it can be done, especially on a sunny day).
The only warning is to watch out for the weather. They've had some real wild swings lately, alternating between drought winters and bodacious ones. And the drought winters have been absolutely brutal. Hopefully that trend will start to moderate so that below normal winters will be less below normal over the next several years. Oh and be prepared for an occasional pineapple express to bring snow levels up to 7000 feet. It has it's Mid-Atlantic moments up there.
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The only warning is to watch out for the weather. They've had some real wild swings lately, alternating between drought winters and bodacious ones. And the drought winters have been absolutely brutal.
There was an excellent article in September about "Northwest Mudboarding" inside of a Transworld Snowboarding.
My taste for cities is quite varied but agree with Roger that Seattle is a VERY livable city. I stayed at a Homewood Suites near my friends. We went all over and spent time in Vashon Island too. With the "back to city" movement all over, the real estate prices in Seattle have gone through the stratosphere, but are still more reasonable than anywhere in California or for that matter, DC. The one thing that is evident is quality of life, very high.
I'm likely to return in the summer, not only for family but also for outdoor activities. We're tentatively looking at a sea kayak trip between coast-based bed-and-breakfasts.
Back to Whistler. It is midnight here. Full moon that illuminates Blackcomb mountain like daylight. Absolutely breathtaking. Not one single cloud today and the locals are ecstatic because this seldom happens in the winter. We did Blackcomb Mountain today again. Flute Bowl, Seventh Heaven territory, and back to the Glacier Bowl. Snow is harder but it is still incredible.
