That being said, this update deals with Whistler, BC, which is definitely not having a dry winter at all. We've always wanted to go there and now that Vail Resorts bought them out last year our Epic Local Pass is good for Whistler and Blackcomb. So... we went!
The trip to get there was quite a trek from Denver. The direct flights were fairly pricey so we had to hop through LAX and then to Vancouver. From Vancouver it was about a 2.5 hour bus ride to the resort. Unfortunately for us it was pretty foggy/dreary on the ride up so we didn't get to see a lot of the coast/city. However on our way back it was a lot better and there were some very pretty views.
Once we got to Whistler it was pretty similar to most mountain resorts minus one major difference, it was raining. I don't think I've ever been to a ski resort during winter and have it rain on me. After a little Google-age, we found out the base of Whistler is only 2,198 feet and the top if it is around 7,500. This is a big change from what we're used to in Colorado where the top of Breckenridge is around 13,000. Luckily for us the rain stopped for the most part and the rest of the week and we just had a little slushy snow from time to time..
Our first day on the mountain was on the Whistler side. Due to wind and foggy conditions, the top few chairs such as Harmony and Peak Express were closed so we stuck to the middle section. Luckily for us it had been snowing quite a bit and if you got off the main trail at all you'd be rewarded with ~1 foot of fresh powder. There were a lot of tree areas to pop in and out of as well as some pretty good views of the lake beside Creekside at the bottom of the mountain, as you can see from the picture below. Overall day one was definitely a success. My biggest issue with was that there were quite a few catwalk/flat areas where snowboarders could easily get stuck if they didn't have a lot of speed.
Our next day on the mountain was focused on the Blackcomb side. This side of the mountain seemed a little more chill than Whistler but overall the terrain was similar. Unlike the first day where it was foggy/windy at the top of the mountain, this day the clouds were in the middle, so we primarily stuck to Glacier and 7th Heaven Express with a few runs on Jersey Cream and Excelerator mixed in.
Glacier was one of my favorite lifts the entire trip. At the top there were some cliff/rock areas that you could weave in and out of and towards the bottom you could go through a lot of trees. Yet again, we were lucky that the majority of the runs we hit had around 4 - 8 inches of snow on it. The only downfall of this area is when it's cloud/foggy, the terrain was very hard to see and their cliff signs were far from good. Once you get off the main trail, you have to be careful of where you are at and what's in front of you.
For day three, we started out on the Whistler side doing the top section we didn't get to previous and then ping ponged around the mountain depending on lift lines and visibility. This was probably the worse day for visibility overall as it was hard to find a spot where it wasn't a least a little foggy. We spend the majority of the morning on Harmony Express which was a lot of fun minus not being able to see at the top. It started out winding around on a fairly narrow trail which I wasn't a fan of but about 2 minutes down it opened up and gave you a lot of flexibility of where to go which was fun.
If I had to pick one lift you have to hit on the Whistler side it's definitely Peak Express. There are some amazing views at the top (if you are lucky enough to see them) and some very large cliffs/boulders. I didn't do a whole lot of runs up there due to the top of the trail being windblown and frozen over which was not fun with steep terrain. If you take the Upper Peak to Creek run all the way down to Creekside though, it's worth the trip to the top. This is a very large run that gives you a little bit of everything. The only downfall of the run is you go through a lot of different snow types. At the top it was windy and frozen, top middle was amazing powder, middle was icey, and then the bottom was slushy. This was pretty normal for my Whistler experience so I'd recommend finding the good stuff and staying in that section of the mountain.
After a few runs over there I took the peak to peak gondola to finish the day on Blackcomb. This Gondola is pretty amazing and has the record for longest unsupported span of 1.88 miles and highest lift of 1,427 ft. It takes ~11 minutes to get across and it's definitely worth the time.
All-in-all, we had an amazing time and I'm definitely glad we went. Due to the visibility and rain/ice/slush issues toward the bottom of the mountain, I'm not sure if I'd ever go back as there are a lot of other mountains I want to visit. But I think everyone should at least make it once. The top of the mountain with the cliffs, glades, and trees are amazing if the conditions are right. I like the concept that some of these runs felt more like you were not on a resort due to the terrain you got to play in.
If you want to see anymore pictures, they can be found here.
A quick rundown on the foot situation for anyone that is curious:
- Sushi Village - The sushi was really good but the other dishes weren't that good. Pretty solid strawberry Sake margarita.
- Longhorn Saloon & Grill - We only got drinks here but it's a very fun atmosphere right beside the lifts.
- Black's Pub - Irish bar with karaoke and other festivities.
- Tapley's Neighbourhood Pub - This was one of the few places we found to have cheaper drinks and dartboards.
- Earls Kitchen and Bar - Earls is slightly fancier American-ish style food. I had an amazing Cajun steak and the atmosphere is really nice. This was my favorite meal all week.
- Keg Steakhouse & Bar - The food here is fairly pricey but they have a lot of tvs and it was good to hang out there and watch some games.
- Brew House - This is probably one of the cooler hang out spots as far as the building/atmosphere goes. We just had a few drinks but I'd highly recommend going here and then swinging by Whistler Olympic Plaza.
- Mongolie Grill - My second favorite place to eat was here but it's also pretty dangerous as you get charged per pound and it's fairly pricey. It's a fun experience though getting to pick all of your food and see them cook it for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment