21 April, 2006 (Friday)
Hostels vs Hotels: "The best thing about living out of hotels is that you never have to make your own bed..."
Hitting the slopes
Our first full day in Whistler. Our packed out room slept in for the morning before taking turns through the one shower. We weren't ready to leave Room 263 until midday. My first task however was not breakfast, instead I needed to have my ski bindings adjusted after loaning them to Jae in the final weeks of the season. Jae has larger feet than me, so it should have been a simple job for the closest sports store. Right? So I was assured.
A fried breakfast later with the gang, and Em and I found our way onto the Whistler Gondola, to check out the much-famed Whistler slopes and see what we could see.
The Gondola ride took a good 20 minutes to take us up the mountain. Whistler is under the
throes of Spring, and the Village area is completely snow free. The main village is all dark cobbles and paths, and, while it is cool, it isn't particularly cold. As we progressed up the mountain however the snow looked progressively less slush and more powder. By the time we'd reached the mid-point visibility had started to decrease and the temperature had dropped. (Picture: Gondola view of the village)
We disembarked at the main ridge. Outside it looked crowded, with ski racks as far as the eye could see. The wind was blowing and fresh snow falling. Welcome to the real Whistler! Em and I jumped into our skis and slid our way downslope to the Peak chair. On the way my right ski felt a little strange, tending to turn in of itself such that my skis were snowplowing. At first I assumed that it was just because I hadn't been on my skis for over a week and that the snow was slicker than back at Big White.
The Peak presents some of Whistler's more advanced terrain. Visibility wasn't terrific as we hopped off the lift, but it wasn't Big White grade white-out either. The main slope looked a little on the steep side - a decent vertical, but not too crazy. We headed down.
The snow though felt good under skis. It was on the crisp side, flaking nicely as we bounced down, with more pellets falling. On the advice of some Whistler regulars we hung close to the left side of the peak and soon found ourselves jouncing along a wedge with 'Warning: Cliff' signs on either side. The blowing snow and cloud obscured anything more than a few feet away.
My right ski popped out going over a small bump, but I jammed it back on and got on my way. The 'Cliff' signs were getting closer, but I decided to push on anyway.
Turning around to wave at Emily, I pushed off and suddenly found myself with only air beneath my skis. I landed well in soft powder, but once again the right ski decided to pop out. Sitting there in knee deep powder I saw Em's head pop over the vertical face that I'd come off - "Benny, are you okay down there?". I gave her a big thumbs up, engrossed in trying to remove the two inch layer of fresh snow from the inside of my Oakley's. (Picture: View back down to the Village)
The rest of the way down from Whistler Bowl wasn't quite so much fun. My right ski must have come out at least another 20 times. It was frustrating in the extreme. I'd hit some flats, gather speed, and the ski would come off. Then I'd hit a bump and the ski would come off. At one point I resorted to swearing and kicking a big furrow into the snow. I reached a narrow steep chute and just gave up. The skis were unclipped and I rode the way down on my backside, skis in my arms.
It took 45 minutes to snowplow my way to the base of the Big Red chairlift. A further 20 minutes of nose blowing and screwdriver finangling to undo the binding, work out that my sports store binding fix had loosened one of the levers which gave my bindings an extra 3cm, thus boots had not been fitting snugly. By chance Emily came down the same way and we were reunited.
The rest of the afternoon passed more pleasantly. At quarter-to-3 the sun came out and stayed for the afternoon.
We rode the Harmony Chair and bounced down one of the double black diamond horse shoes off the Harmony ridge. The groomers were fun, and while the terrain is more open than Big White, it was quite skiiable. Before too long it was 4pm and last lifts. We jumped on the Gondola and made our way to the main village. (Picture: Harmony horseshoes - we dropped the far right one)
Vs Big White
I've been spoilt at Big White - used to ski-in, ski-out accommodation and all-day, non-stop skiing. The Whistler experience is a little different.
For one, the village is like a little township, with people expected to lug ski boots and equipment across from their accommodation, never mind that it's a good kilometer away from the gondola.
For another, large Gondolas service the village, taking skiers high up into the Alpine. This means that you can expect a 15-20 minute ride before you see real skiiable snow. This also means that if you want to stop for a decent bite to eat or a drink break with your mates, then you're probably expecting to lose an hour of ski time. At Big White you can pretty much get through a day of skiing without losing your skis for more than 10 minutes. Very different.
That said, I'm not sure how much of a valid comparison it really it. Big White is a family oriented resort, not a tourist town like Whistler. It doesn't have the infrastructure or the entertainment or the nightlife experience that Whistler boasts. Big White is a smaller mountain, with less skiiable terrain.
That said, nobody really uses Whistler's lower slopes which are all but slush come Spring. Snow-wise I'd have to say that the Okanagan powder lives up to it's reputation - it beats the wetter Whistler slush fair and square. Different mountains. Different appeal. What kind of scene are you after? (Picture: Up top at Whistler - endless ski racks)
Tourist Trap
Whistler is a tourist town, there's no denying it. The village is full of kids in brand name gear strutting their stuff. The girls called them 'the beautiful people' when we first arrived, but I think they're more branded than beautiful. Brand new gear, and from what I can tell only a few know how to use it. There is no snow on the cobbles.
There are souvenir shops on every corner and more franchise eateries than you can poke a stick at.
Prices are pure resort. Hotels abound. The cobbles are clean and for the festival there were freebie and competition stalls everywhere - GM Card, Contiki tours, Levi Jeans, Alive 5, Yop and Telus. The place doesn't have an overly friendly vibe, but it's definitely alive.
The nightlife has a reputation for good partying, and the night venues maximise on this, hitting punters up for cover charge. From what I could tell there isn't such a thing as 'cheap drinks'. I shudder to think what the place looks like in peak season. (Picture: Blackcomb runs)
Hitting the slopes
Our first full day in Whistler. Our packed out room slept in for the morning before taking turns through the one shower. We weren't ready to leave Room 263 until midday. My first task however was not breakfast, instead I needed to have my ski bindings adjusted after loaning them to Jae in the final weeks of the season. Jae has larger feet than me, so it should have been a simple job for the closest sports store. Right? So I was assured.
A fried breakfast later with the gang, and Em and I found our way onto the Whistler Gondola, to check out the much-famed Whistler slopes and see what we could see.
The Gondola ride took a good 20 minutes to take us up the mountain. Whistler is under the
throes of Spring, and the Village area is completely snow free. The main village is all dark cobbles and paths, and, while it is cool, it isn't particularly cold. As we progressed up the mountain however the snow looked progressively less slush and more powder. By the time we'd reached the mid-point visibility had started to decrease and the temperature had dropped. (Picture: Gondola view of the village)We disembarked at the main ridge. Outside it looked crowded, with ski racks as far as the eye could see. The wind was blowing and fresh snow falling. Welcome to the real Whistler! Em and I jumped into our skis and slid our way downslope to the Peak chair. On the way my right ski felt a little strange, tending to turn in of itself such that my skis were snowplowing. At first I assumed that it was just because I hadn't been on my skis for over a week and that the snow was slicker than back at Big White.
The Peak presents some of Whistler's more advanced terrain. Visibility wasn't terrific as we hopped off the lift, but it wasn't Big White grade white-out either. The main slope looked a little on the steep side - a decent vertical, but not too crazy. We headed down.
The snow though felt good under skis. It was on the crisp side, flaking nicely as we bounced down, with more pellets falling. On the advice of some Whistler regulars we hung close to the left side of the peak and soon found ourselves jouncing along a wedge with 'Warning: Cliff' signs on either side. The blowing snow and cloud obscured anything more than a few feet away.
My right ski popped out going over a small bump, but I jammed it back on and got on my way. The 'Cliff' signs were getting closer, but I decided to push on anyway.
Turning around to wave at Emily, I pushed off and suddenly found myself with only air beneath my skis. I landed well in soft powder, but once again the right ski decided to pop out. Sitting there in knee deep powder I saw Em's head pop over the vertical face that I'd come off - "Benny, are you okay down there?". I gave her a big thumbs up, engrossed in trying to remove the two inch layer of fresh snow from the inside of my Oakley's. (Picture: View back down to the Village)The rest of the way down from Whistler Bowl wasn't quite so much fun. My right ski must have come out at least another 20 times. It was frustrating in the extreme. I'd hit some flats, gather speed, and the ski would come off. Then I'd hit a bump and the ski would come off. At one point I resorted to swearing and kicking a big furrow into the snow. I reached a narrow steep chute and just gave up. The skis were unclipped and I rode the way down on my backside, skis in my arms.
It took 45 minutes to snowplow my way to the base of the Big Red chairlift. A further 20 minutes of nose blowing and screwdriver finangling to undo the binding, work out that my sports store binding fix had loosened one of the levers which gave my bindings an extra 3cm, thus boots had not been fitting snugly. By chance Emily came down the same way and we were reunited.
The rest of the afternoon passed more pleasantly. At quarter-to-3 the sun came out and stayed for the afternoon.
We rode the Harmony Chair and bounced down one of the double black diamond horse shoes off the Harmony ridge. The groomers were fun, and while the terrain is more open than Big White, it was quite skiiable. Before too long it was 4pm and last lifts. We jumped on the Gondola and made our way to the main village. (Picture: Harmony horseshoes - we dropped the far right one)Vs Big White
I've been spoilt at Big White - used to ski-in, ski-out accommodation and all-day, non-stop skiing. The Whistler experience is a little different.
For one, the village is like a little township, with people expected to lug ski boots and equipment across from their accommodation, never mind that it's a good kilometer away from the gondola.
For another, large Gondolas service the village, taking skiers high up into the Alpine. This means that you can expect a 15-20 minute ride before you see real skiiable snow. This also means that if you want to stop for a decent bite to eat or a drink break with your mates, then you're probably expecting to lose an hour of ski time. At Big White you can pretty much get through a day of skiing without losing your skis for more than 10 minutes. Very different.
That said, I'm not sure how much of a valid comparison it really it. Big White is a family oriented resort, not a tourist town like Whistler. It doesn't have the infrastructure or the entertainment or the nightlife experience that Whistler boasts. Big White is a smaller mountain, with less skiiable terrain.
That said, nobody really uses Whistler's lower slopes which are all but slush come Spring. Snow-wise I'd have to say that the Okanagan powder lives up to it's reputation - it beats the wetter Whistler slush fair and square. Different mountains. Different appeal. What kind of scene are you after? (Picture: Up top at Whistler - endless ski racks)Tourist Trap
Whistler is a tourist town, there's no denying it. The village is full of kids in brand name gear strutting their stuff. The girls called them 'the beautiful people' when we first arrived, but I think they're more branded than beautiful. Brand new gear, and from what I can tell only a few know how to use it. There is no snow on the cobbles.
There are souvenir shops on every corner and more franchise eateries than you can poke a stick at.
Prices are pure resort. Hotels abound. The cobbles are clean and for the festival there were freebie and competition stalls everywhere - GM Card, Contiki tours, Levi Jeans, Alive 5, Yop and Telus. The place doesn't have an overly friendly vibe, but it's definitely alive.The nightlife has a reputation for good partying, and the night venues maximise on this, hitting punters up for cover charge. From what I could tell there isn't such a thing as 'cheap drinks'. I shudder to think what the place looks like in peak season. (Picture: Blackcomb runs)
posted by the wastrel @ 1:45 AM
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