Day 17 - Not so bad

It's the last weekend for the "holiday crowd" and we thought the mountain was going to be crazy. There was about a 15min que at the Creekside Gondola (there is never a que at the Creekside Gondola) but once we got up to the Alpine, the runs weren't that crowded. Kevin's favorite, the Franz's chair was open so we stuck to some easy green runs as a warm up. We eventually made our way down to Garbonzo and followed some greens from there. We decided to hit the village and take the gondola back up so Kevin could get a bit of a rest. Somehow we managed to ride quite a few runs (both green and blue) that we had never been on before. The weather wasn't cold, the wind wasn't blowing and the visibility was awesome. We had a great day and we had a lot of fun. Day 17 is in the books!

Day 16 - The Storm has arrived

The runs during lunch have been short and sweet as the "holiday crowd" has hit WhistlerBlackcomb and its been hit hard! You know what that means?? .... Long lift lines. Day 16 was taken right off the Excalibur Gondola. I was in no-way interested in standing in that lift line for a half hour.

Day 15 - short and sweet

Well the crowds are here and enjoying some great weather. Another clear day on the mountain but I had to keep the run short and sweet today. I really didn't feel like wasting much time standing in line so I did some shredding right off the Wizard chair on Blackcomb.

Kevin bought himself a new pair of comfy cozy boots and hit the powder on Whistler. He said the views and the size of the bowls up in the Harmony/Symphony area were amazing. I'm pretty jealous as I had to spend the day in the office. Oh well, at least I got a quick ride in. That counts for Day 15.

Back to the office.

Day 14 - The sun was shining!!!!!!!!!!

On Day 14, the clouds opened up and the sun shined all day. The holiday crowd must have been in heaven! Visitor projection for today was over 21,000.

I was able to sneak out at lunch and took the Canon Rebel XT with me today. I couldn't wait to get some snow pics with blue skies. Once on the top of Blackcomb, I knew I had to take the snowboarding easy as I opted to leave the camera bag back in the office and wrapped the camera around my neck. The last thing I wanted to do was fall on that thing. I'll stop with the writing and let the pics do the talking.

For more pics follow: www.flickr.com/photos/ronianash

Day 13 - Happy HO-HO-HO!!!!

Merry Christmas!!! Day 13 was a bit of a bust. It started off wonderfully as 11inches of snow fell overnight, but ended suddenly when I twisted my knee on the first Franz run. Kevin also had a hard day as he realized he was too sore and tired from the full day yesterday. After twisting my knee about half way down the Franz run, I greened my way down to the Creekside chair and took another ride up thinking I could troop on. Kevin made his way to the Creekside Starbucks for a java. Back at the Alpine, I headed for the Franz chair. The snow was perfect. I was able to find some fresh tracks under the Franz chair but the knee was nagging. I figured I better head in for the day and give it a good icing before it derails the 100 day quest. I think it's just a slight sprain and I should be able to make it up to Blackcomb on Wednesday for a lunchtime run.

Day 12 - and the winds blew ....

Day 12 is Christmas Eve. We wanted to take some runs on Harmony and in the Symphony but when we made our way over to that side of the mountain, we found both lifts closed due to high winds. Those winds just ripped right through you when you were on the chair too. It was cold. We decided to take cover and head towards Franz. By late morning it had started to snow and the runs were starting to get covered with some fresh pow. The mountain wasn't as crowded today as I expected. After watching the snow fall during our early lunch at Dusty's, we decided to make another run at it. By now the snow had been falling for a couple hours and most people seemed to have other holiday commitments as the runs were quite bare. Kevin's lesson last week has really improved his riding. He felt more comfortable on his turns and was getting down the runs more quickly than in the past. We stuck to greens and blues so he could still get some practice in. Overall, it was a much better day on the hill than it would have been visiting family back in STL. ; )~

Kevin taking a bit of a rest.

These guys are having fun of a different kind.

#11! - Heaven

As a single, when you upload on the Wizard Chair, you are often asked to accompany one of the kids from Ski School. Today I had the pleasure of escorting 5yr. old Rhys. He's from Austrailia and speaks with the cutest accent. I wanted to spend a little time on the mountain today before the Christmas rush so on Day 11, I ventured out to 7th Heaven on Blackcomb. I was a 7th Heaven virgin and happy to report that it was heaven up there. I can't explain how much snow is up there and how easy it is to find untouched powder. Coming from the east coast, I am still astounded by the snow here..... the amount of snow and how light and fluffy it is, etc. I took my time getting down on blues and blacks, trying to work myself back into snowboarding mode. I think I've been so unstable on my board lately because I am riding it like a wakeboard. At the end of my run, I felt a lot better.

Day 10 - Double Digits!!!

Finally, double digits!!! Hit the 10th day with another quick run at lunch. Took the Excalibur Gondola up to the Excelerator Chair and proceeded from there. I took the blue Zig Zag run down to Green Line where I was still trying to get my bindings tweaked so they felt comfortable. I think I finally got it. Back to the office within an hour .....

Day 9 - the calm before the storm

It's the Wednesday before Christmas and the mountain is getting ready for the mad holiday rush! Today the lifts were quite bare. Day 9 was a quick run up Blackcomb at noon. I am still very stiff and sore from the collision on Day 8. I took the Solar Coaster up and ran some blues back to the office. I don't feel completely comfortable on the new board yet and I realized I need to tweak my bindings a bit. A couple of adjustments tomorrow morning and I should be okay. We'll find out.

Day 8 - the Symphony Express

Monday I was able to ride with my good friend Rose and her husband Brad. Rose had just finished a tough semester at school and was excited to head up the new Symphony Express (a new multimillion quad that opens another 1000 acres on Whistler where it was once reserved for those willing to hike for their turns). Day 8 was a trek out to the amphitheatre. In order to get there, you need to take the gondola up to Roundhouse, make your way to the Harmony chair, then head to the left. My day started off horribly when a snowboard instructor plowed into me about a 100 yards off the gondola. I think I tumbled a good 3-5 times down the hill. Anyway, when we reached the top of Harmony, visibility was next to nothing and the winds were over 100kph. You couldn't stand on your board without being pushed by the wind. We slowly made our way over to the Symphony Amphitheatre and it was incredible..... big open bowls with glades. We loaded up the Symphony Express and when we reached the top, the lifty told us he was closing the lift due to high winds and we needed to make our way back to Harmony. Of course, the visibility on the top was next to nothing again. Even worse, the only way back to Harmony was down the "CLIFF AREA" black run. We were all a little apprehensive, but since some snowboarders who didn't look like double black diamond riders were able to make their way down, we decided to go for it. We cat-tracked our way back to the Harmony chair and decided to take a ride through Harmony. Although I seemed unphased right after the collision, by now I had grown an aching headache and felt a little dizzy. I decided to make my way to the Roundhouse while Brad and Rose took a few more runs through Harmony. I had some lunch and downloaded on the gondola. Hooked up with Kevin who was taking a full day lesson on Blackcomb and headed off to a nice comfy cozy hotel room at the Fairmont.

This isn't a bad exposure, this is the visibility!!! (or lack there of)

Rose

Day 7 - The Prior Debut

My apologies for forgetting my camera today. There are no pics available. Kevin and I spent Day 7 on Whistler. I finally took my new Prior snowboard off the wall and strapped it to my feet!!!! Great board. So much easier to move around compared to my 7 year old Burton board, and great in the pow. Anyway, the lift lines were pretty heavy early on until the new Symphony Express opened. We stayed around the Dave Murray runs and the Garbonzo chair. Weather was cloudy and snow fell after lunch. Winds were low and temps were high of minus 11 on the Alpine. Oh yea, it snowed over 50cm (2ft) since Friday. Yea, this place rocks!!!

Day 6 - Me and the Kiwi

Day 6 was a one and a half hour work break with my buddy Simon. Although it rained all day at BaseII, the snow was perfect in the Alpine. Most of the chairs on Blackcomb were closed due to high winds. We took the Wizard chair up to the Solar Coaster and discovered some good snow on Springboard. Found our way down to the Excelerator Chair, and took the Jersey Cream up to the top for a second run. It was windy, windy, windy, and face freezing!!! But once you got moving, it was easy to discover lots of powder and we quickly forgot all about the cold temps. Simon lead me over to Raptors Ride. If you look on a trail map, you'll see this is a black run through the trees. It was awesome. There was sooo much snow.

Once we got through the trees, we headed back towards the office. Another day, another ride on the mountain.....

Day 5 - the hardest ride so far

24 days into the season and I'm only on Day 5. The quest is starting off pretty slow. After spending a week in Mexico, my Kiwi friend Simon (who already has 13 ski days under his belt) said it best when he said, "You have more days on the beach since opening day than you do on the mountains!" How true. I was so psyched about the snow season before we left for Mexico. Today I wouldn't mind giving up the 100 day quest and going back to the beach! It's amazing how quickly the hot sun can change your perspectives. Since I can't live on a beach, being in Whistler is the next best thing. I have to admit though, I had a hard time dragging my butt up the Blackcomb Gondola today and getting a run in. It was cold, it was foggy, and the conditions weren't the best. Lots of ice below mid-mountain. I managed to get up the Excalibur chair and make my way back down to the office via some blue trails on Blackcomb. Weather forecast says 20cm of fresh powder overnight. I'm planning on spending an hour or two on the slopes tomorrow. Hopefully that will get me back into the swing of winter. If not, at least I'm snowboarding with a tan!! : )