WHISTLER DAY 3-January 8, 2010 : Glaciers & Cougar Milk

We started off taking the Whistler Gondola from the bottom. It is one of the longest lifts I have ever been on, from its start in the village to the Roundhouse Lodge and the Peak-to-Peak Gondola, a ride time of almost 20 minutes and 4,500 feet in vertical lift.

Unlike the first day of skiing, today’s weather was cloudy and warm. Clouds commonly form in the village and shoot up the mountain face, virtually erasing any visibility. In those conditions, you have to trust your feet and hope they land on snow.

Whistler was pretty skied off by the time we took a few runs on some Blues underneath the Big Red Chair, so we decided to take the infamous Peak-to-Peak Gondola over to Blackcomb.

There aren’t very many words that can justify the experience of the P2P. You just have to see it yourself. It’s a cable car style Gondi that rides down into the valley between the two mountains, but stays almost 500 feet above the valley floor, allowing for a terrifying, yet awesome view. It’s a panoramic experience, with alpine lore all around. Snow covered Douglas Firs and Balsams line the floor, with the mammoth Coastal Mountains to either side and in the distance. Whistler Village exists only as a tiny speck far down the valley.

At the other end of the Peak-to-Peak is Blackcomb Mountain. It is about the same size as Whistler, but has more open terrain. It does not, however, allow lift service to its peak. The trail map says it’s out of bounds. Sounds like more of a formality. Skiers do it anyway.

On the eastern end of Blackcomb is the Glacier. It sits between two giant rock faces, with year-round snow lining the top of the crawling ice. The terrain is unlike any other that I’ve skied; just a constant steep pitch from the headwall all the way to the glacier valley, where the lift takes you back to the top.

Near the Glacier, the Jersey Cream chair takes you to just underneath the Jersey Bowl. It mostly services intermediate skiing, but a few steep pitches with natural mounds can be found there and offer some more challenging terrain. Dad, meanwhile, stuck to the Cougar Milk trail. He seemed more amused by the trail’s name than the actual trail. Probably the only time in his life he’ll ever get cougar milk.

Soggy day of skiing all around. The snow is heavy, and hard to push with your skis. Rain in the forecast means more of the same for tomorrow. But for now, Avatar is showing at 8:00 in the local theater. I’ve heard good things about the film.