For as long as I can remember, we have talked about wanting to ski at Whistler/Blackcomb in Canada. We were very fortunate this year to be able spend a week at this beautiful ski resort to celebrate Christmas with our daughters.
Our condo was reserved via VRBO, and we were not disappointed. It was located in Whistler Village, and the free shuttle bus to the mountain base stopped directly across the street.
When you are ready to cross the street, you press the yellow button which activates a blinking yellow light to warn motorists to stop for pedestrians. We need these at all pedestrian crosswalks.
Scott and I drove up into Canada from Washington a day before the girls arrived. We couldn’t check into the condo until 4:00 p.m. so we went skiing. The weather was questionable with low hanging clouds. We went almost to the top to find out that there was zero visibility. It was spitting rain by then, and you couldn’t see the surface which made navigating the snow quite difficult.
We didn’t last very long before heading straight for Apres Ski time. Not a big deal when you have the entire ski season ahead of you. You can be picky and choose only the best conditions, right?
On Saturday morning, we headed out to ski again since the girls would not be arriving until mid-afternoon. The temperature was about the same today, but it was no longer raining and the sun was starting to come out. The conditions were better than the day before, but we quit early to be home when the girls arrived. We did make time for one photo today. I am standing on the “Gold” platform…the photographer cut out the bottom of the picture.
Later that day, the girls arrived and we celebrated Christmas with a few gifts, and then enjoyed a nice, home-cooked lasagna dinner together.
On Sunday morning, Scott took Molly over to the bunny hill for her first skiing lesson, while Dani and I took off for Whistler Summit. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and the conditions were variable. The better snow was on the top half of the mountain on groomed trails. Most of the ungroomed trails were hard and crusty, and honestly not much fun to ski on. Lift lines were long, but the jays were entertaining us. At least one got close to Dani.
After several hours, we quit and found our way to Apres Ski activities.
That evening, we walked through the village and stopped for dinner at Oso. It was nice to enjoy this rare time together.
Monday morning brought Day 2 Lesson for Molly. We all started out together. Molly is a fast learner, and we think she may actually even like skiing!! Below is proof.
In the next video clip, first you see Dani, then Molly followed by Scott, then Molly “quickly” passing Dani, and then Scott to the rescue. For the record, Molly didn’t fall, she chose to stop. Very impressive, Molly! You are a natural!
Dani and I left them to their studies and spent some time skiing up higher on Blackcomb Mountain. The camera never came out again until we met up with Scott and Molly later for Apres Ski. Notice a pattern here?
Unfortunately, Molly had to leave us Tuesday morning to get back to work. So, Scott, Dani and I decided to head up to Whistler Mountain today and take a guided Mountain Tour. Scott’s shoulder was bothering him from a fall on Day 2, so he quietly exited while Dani and I joined volunteer “David” and three other skiers for an Intermediate/Expert two-hour tour.
David preferred that we skied in one line, and he reminded us to please not pass one another. LOL. There were two skiers in our group who didn’t understand that repeated message. David stopped often to share a piece of history about the mountain. He pointed out the many skiable options, but he wasn’t able to take us on any Black Diamond trails, which was fine since they weren’t groomed and the conditions were not ideal. We did have to go up a T-Bar, which was FINALLY not an unnerving experience for me. My girl kept me calm. At the end of the tour, David quizzed us, and we each won a red whistle to wear on our ski jackets. Later that day, we were back at our condo enjoying another popular Apres Ski activity!
The following day was sunny and warm once again. They actually blow snow on the bottom half of the mountain, which was primarily slushy, spring conditions. The upper part of the mountain gets the “good” snow, but it had been four days without any precipitation. The snow was softening up in some spots, but any ungroomed trail had questionable conditions. We decided to take another guided Mountain Tour today on Blackcomb. Scott changed his mind about joining us, as he wanted to work on his technique rather than try to keep up with a group. So Dani took our picture before we parted ways.
Today’s tour guide was an Italian guy who wore the coolest goggle/glasses that are actually marketed to mountain bikers to keep wind/dirt/debris out of your eyes while biking. Our guide says he prefers them over ski goggles. I am not a fan of big, burly ski googles so I must get these!! (Ryderseyewear.com) Check it out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a group shot today, but our guide took these for us.
We took the Peak-to-Peak gondola from Whistler to Blackcomb. About every 15th cab has a glass bottom, but not on this ride. I had to take the pictures from the window. Here are a few shots from up above the valley.
Thursday, January 17, was our last day to ski. Conditions were still the same, and any local that we spoke to was raving about the ongoing sunshine. Apparently, it is not the norm this time of year. As an aside, the mountain got dumped on just after we left. Having skied seven days straight (a world record for me), I chose to end the day by taking the gondola from mid-station back down to the base lodge. This way I could avoid spring skiing conditions. I snapped a few pictures along my solo ride. I hope you can get a feel for the depth and size of this place.
That night Scott, Dani and I strolled through the lighted town for our last meal in Whistler Village. It truly is a magical place that we plan to come back to. If we are lucky, we can time it for after a big dumping of snow!
