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
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