Friday, March 4, 2016

Better To Be Lucky, Blackcomb Edition

I am spending a couple of days skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb.  I was determined to come back after spending only a couple of hours skiing here two years ago.  Today was a pretty unique day in my skiing experience.  How so?
 
  • I don't remember experiencing so many distinct environments in one mountain: pretty warm at the base area which then had rain later, pretty comfortable winter conditions partway up which then became spring skiing conditions when the rain moved up the mountain some, good snow and mildly frisky (windy) conditions half way up, intense winds and limited visibility 3/4s of the way up but great snow and some fun skiing, and then, well, that's it, as the top of the mountain was closed due to 80km plus gusts winds.  Damn.  I really wanted to ski on a glacier.  Still, an excellent day despite getting wetter than I was two weeks ago at Jay.
  • I never aw wild animals ski before-->
  • Heaps of Aussies everywhere.  Most of the clerks at the hotels, the waiters at the restaurants, the people staffing the ski area were Australians, AND I was on more than one chair lift with visiting Aussies.
  • I, um, promoted my book in the hotel's outdoor hottub (not a time machine as far as I could tell).  Holy book tour excess!!  Well, I could not help it when the folks in the hot tub were talking about Canada's time in Afghanistan.  Well, I have some stuff to say about that so one thing led to another which led to "hey, it's cheap on Amazon."
  • And who were these people in the hot tub?  Folks from a Philadelphia ski club, so very much from near where I grew up.  
  • I added Whistler to my college of Winter Olympic villages visited (ok, up to two since I have been to Lake Placid)




 I have one more day, and I bought the "fresh tracks" package--get the first lift up, it includes breakfast and then I get first shot at the slopes with 650 other folks.  More snow in the forecast, more wind which is supposed to decline in the afternoon.  Which means I need to save some energy to ski the bowls/ridges in the afternoon if/when they get opened. 

And yes, I know I am lucky despite looking, um, miffed?

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