Whistler Blackcomb

Undoubtedly the best known ski resort in North America is Whistler Blackcomb. The two previously separate, but neighbouring ski areas, of Whistler and Blackcomb were integrated into one enormous operation in 1997 after Intrawest merged with Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation.

Together, Whistler and Blackcomb mountains form the largest ski area in North America at 8,171 acres (33 km2), 54% larger than Vail, the next largest, which has 5,289 acres (21 km2). By comparison Big White has 2,765 acres (11km2) of skiable terrain - so it is fair to say Whistler Blackcomb is quite the destination ski resort.

In addition to their shear size, both mountains have some of the largest lift-serviced vertical skiing in North America (until Revelstoke stole their thunder this year Whistler Blackcomb boasted the largest lift-serviced vertical skiing in Canada). With Vancouver to hold the winter Olympics in 2010 and Whistler to host a large number of the alpine vents I had to go and check it out. So on Thursday morning I loaded the trusty Ford Windstar and headed west.

I must digress from the enormity of Whistler for a moment to talk about the road from here to there. To get to Whistler the shortest route is to drive down the hill to Kelowna, take Highway 97C to Merritt where you take Highway 5 (affectionately known as the Coquihalla Highway) to Hope which turns into Highway 1 and takes you through to Vancouver. Then over the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge and up the Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99) to Whistler. Seems easy enough - I mean, how hard could it be?

Now the village at Big White sits at 1,700m above sea level and there is currently about two metres of compact snow on the ground. The route described above includes two mountain passes one on Highway 97C on the way to Merritt which touches 1,728m above sea level and the second on the Coquihalla Highway on the way to Hope which is a mere 1,244m above sea level. Both of these passes are West of Big White so put simply, all the weather which brings snow to us here passes of these points first, if we get snow the highway gets it too.

Google maps prepared my journey for Thursday morning at 567km or about 6 hours and 46 minutes of driving time. What google maps didn't account for was the 18cm of snow we received on Wednesday night. Through the course of the season I have watched these roads cause numerous guests to arrive very late here at Big White often as much as a day after they were due as the roads are simply impassable despite the efforts of a dedicated road maintenance team of heavy ploughs and sanding trucks.

Conveniently, the roads are also serviced by a number of web cams which allow you to determine the state of the road from the comfort of home before embarking on the journey. On Thursday morning the DriveBC website advised that both mountain passes were experiencing severe winter conditions and that the highway was not a road at all but more a mix of compact snow and ice.

The web cams painted and even worse picture. On one camera I could not even determine the distinction between the highway and anything else in the frame - it was simply a blanket of white. A little nervous I decided to consult a number of old hands around here as to whether in their experience they would attempt the drive in today's conditions. Of the 5 people surveyed (some of whom boasted over 30 years of driving in BC) none of them would have chosen to drive it on Thursday morning unless it was absolutely necessary and even then only in a strong 4wd vehicle with chains. And definitely not in a $750 front wheel drive mini van. Everyone advised me to take an alternative route to the south and along the lower highways through Penticton to Hope.

So after riding the 18cm of fresh on Thursday morning for an hour or so (come on you didn't expect me to let that go untouched...) I started the trusty van, took a deep breath and headed down the hill. The road to Kelowna was easy enough and I was soon at the turn off to Highway 97C. Here I could choose to go against the wise words of those more experienced and chance the high road or turn south and take the lower roads through Penticton to Hope.

At every point until this intersection I had resolved to adding the extra two and half hours to my journey to take the safer road through Penticton but then in a moment of madness I turned right and immediately started ascending. Is it better to enter the gates of heaven in a burning car wreck backwards or be wheeled in on a hospital trolley as an 85 year old man with a tube up your nose?

Not more than a few kilometres up the hill and around the first significant bend the snow started. The two and at times three lane highway was reduced to two simple tyre marks somewhere near the middle of the lanes that a few lonely cars and trucks before me had cut. Within 10km I had passed a very sturdy and modern looking 4wd slammed sideways into the concrete barrier, its left rear wheel buckled beneath it...to say I was concentrating hard and just a little nervous was an understatement.

To add a degree of difficulty I was alone, mobile phone reception in the area is poor, I only had half a tank of fuel, there was still 84km to Merritt and my windscreen wiper blades were frozen solid and completely useless. My only companions were a few locals and large semi-trailer trucks which overtook me regularly leaving me in a wash of slushy brown snow and completely blind for up to 20 seconds as the frozen rubber tried to do its job - it was horribly frightening.

But the old girl just kept chugging...literally at a crawl I watched the kilometres slide by. The van never missed a beat and when a small white sign on the side of the road indicated the Pennask Summit at 1,728m I beeped the horn like a man possessed, cranked the stereo and celebrated the beginning of the decline. As I descended every kilometre congratulated me with ever increasing road quality till just outside Merritt my tyres again touched solid road. I had passed the impassable in a car no one would have chosen as suitable.

In Merritt I gave the van a good drink, bought a dodgy petrol station roast beef and salad roll and headed for the Coquihalla knowing that at only 1,244m at the summit I was a good chance. The second half was slightly easier and when I reached Hope I telephoned Amy in Whistler to let her know that I was on my way and barring any unforeseen drama I would be there for dinner.

Elated I made it to Vancouver just after 4pm and the last run along Highway 99, despite its heavy roadwork in preparation for Vancouver 2010, was a breeze. I arrived at Whistler village just after 6pm having taken the best part of 9 hours to complete a 6 hour and 46 minute drive.

That night we had dinner with some friends near the base of Blackcomb and took a bus into Whistler Village for a few after dinner drinks. The snow was on my side last week - we had four powder days in a row here at Big White and after we settled in for the night at Whistler it dumped 12cm at the mid-station and a little more on the peak. Friday morning brought blue skies and a powder day at one of the premier ski resorts in the world. Amy has been to Whistler 7 times and with 2 seasons under her belt she knew just the spots to hit with such good conditions. We rode the entire day on Friday and enjoyed the apres ski scene afterwards - double gin and tonics for $5.25.

It's hard to sum up Whistler. It's a fully fledged community complete with everything a decent sized town has including a museum and state of the art library amongst designer shops art galleries and endless bars and restaurants. Even more amusing is the eclectic mix of people. Walking around the village after a day on the slopes are Whistler locals, ski bums, backpackers, working holidayers, children, families and the rich and famous all dressed in everything from office wear, ski gear, jeans and jackets to designer dresses with heels and clutched in their hands are everything from skis and boards to fistfuls of bags from the endless shops. Some people are there for the skiing and riding, others for a pampered five star holiday and some just to say they are at Whistler.

On Saturday Tim, of North Vancouver fame, joined us for the day on the hill. We rode all day Saturday till the apres ski scene then cooked a nice meal at home before resting for the drive back on Sunday.

Apart from the amazing snow we received and the endless people watching in the village the terrain at Whistler is world class and the recently opened Peak 2 Peak Gondola lets you travel between the two ski hills in 11 minutes. This amazing engineering achievement lets you travel the 4.4km between the two mid points of the ski hills in a comfortable 28 person gondola swinging at its highest point 436m above the ground. Making it even more amazing the construction only has four lift towers meaning the span between with second and third towers is over 3km!!!

I do wish I had some photos from Whistler...I did take my camera with me but neglected to take a memory stick - sorry!! Luckily I am going back there on April 21 for another week of skiing so I will take some pictures for you all then including the Peak 2 Peak Gondola.

The drive back was uneventful but beautiful as the weather had cleared and the mountain passes were amazing.

For now though its Spring skiing here at Big White. Riding around in a t-shirt all day on sloppy snow.