Another ski season begins (2021-2022)... will COVID shut Whistler down early again?

Opening day on Blackcomb Mountain 2021

 

The 2021-2022 ski season has started here in Whistler. Lots of snow for the first few days giving hope it will be a good one.

However, Vail Resorts/Whistler-Blackcomb is refusing to listen to the wishes of most Whistler residents, who have made it loud and clear that they want Vail/W-B to require proof of vaccination to ride its gondolas (see petition, below). The B.C. Provincial Health Officer requires proof of vaccination to enter bars and restaurants (and much else), but she doesn't seem to comprehend that ski gondolas are tiny enclosed places with only inches between passengers (there are 6-10 people crammed into each gondola, often with windows frozen shut, for a 20-25-minute ride). So, without a vaccine mandate from the Government, Vail/W-B is balking.

Nearly 12,000 people have thus far signed a petition asking for this vaccine mandate. Thus far, W-B/Vail continues to demonstrate it doesn't care about Whistler residents and others' safety.

So who knows about this new ski season. It too may be shut down early (in March) as has been for the past two seasons (skiing normally goes to the end of May). Another shutdown will be devastating for local businesses (and us skiers/riders)!

On the weather front: Yet another "atmospheric river" is hitting us. Been raining here top to bottom -- all that snow has disappeared halfway up the mountain.

Sigh....

The skiing is good... despite Vail Resorts (owners of Whistler-Blackcomb ski area)

Whistler peak, February 12, 2020

Mid February and the skiing is good.

LOTS of snow fell in January (after almost none November & December).

Weekends (especially holiday weekends such as this weekend) are quite crowded -- welcome to Whistler -- and Vail Resorts (owners of Whistler-Blackcomb) are not making a lot of friends with "locals" (Whistler, Sea-to-Sky area, Vancouver)! A current change.org petition, with nearly 9000 signers (to date), shows how upset people are.

Vail tries to suggest this is all due to the poor start of the season snow-wise (it was terrible until the first days of January, with little snow, little open and huge Christmas crowds), but those who live here know that's not the reasons people are so unhappy with Vail Resorts. Checkout the comments in the petition to see the many reasons.

We live here, so we make the best of it (such as staying away from the hill on a holiday weekend!)....

And it's so much better than living in the city!

Ski season 2019-2020 begins

Opening day: November 28, 2019, Blackcomb Mt

Well, not such a great beginning.

We are both still hacking and coughing with terrible colds that just won't go away.

There's no natural snow for skiing; just man-made.

But always optimistic! (Look where that got us the last two seasons....)

Fingers crossed for more snow and good health this season!

Overlapping seasons: Skiing, sailing and hiking

April 26: Downwind sail back to home berth in Stanley Park

It is that crossover time of year. A time we can go for a sail, a hike, or go skiing.

Finally got out on Pelagia at the end of April for a few sunny days. First night (Wednesday April 24), we anchored in Port Graves in Howe Sound, one of only two boats. A beautiful quiet, calm night. Too warm to bother lighting the furnace. Next day, with gale force southerly inflow winds forecast for Howe Sound -- not a good forecast for Port Graves, as it is open to the south -- we headed over to the Vancouver Rowing Club's dock space in Snug Cove (Bowen Island). Again, just two boats on the club docks. "Snugly" tied up, we then went for a 2-hour hike (OK, a walk) around Killarney Lake. The forecasted inflow gales never materialized and we had another nice quiet eve on board. It was a nice visit, as we have not been to Snug Cove since 2016. (Surprisingly, the same folks from SV La Reina who helped us go up the mast in April 2016 were back again when we were there this April.)

At the far end of Killarney Lake (Bowen Island)

Our plans were to spend a third night out on Pelagia. However, the forecasts were full of 35-40 knot gale warnings for the Strait of Georgia, beginning late Friday night. With a dinner arrangement with friends back home in Whistler on Saturday night, so we decided it best to head back to Vancouver Friday. We had a nice, gentle downwind sail all the way to Stanley Park. We stayed Friday night on Pelagia at VRC in Stanley Park; at 12:20am, the winds started howling. They stayed howling all night and Saturday. Heading home Saturday morning, driving over the Lions Gate Bridge, we marvelled at the nasty seas out in Vancouver's English Bay. We were very glad we returned to Vancouver on Friday!

Back in Whistler, there is still lots of snow on the mountains, and skiing has actually been very good (indeed, one can still ski from the Peak all the way down to the Village... but only for a little while longer*). David has been having some good days on the hill (Michelle thinks it is too warm to ski.). A most fun run was down Seppo's ( empty of skiers, as the Garbanzo Chair is shut down for the season thus one has to hike up to reach Seppo's (only 10 mins)). Skiing off the Peak has been excellent.

*May 5th turned out to be the last day to ski all the way down to village. On May 6th W-B closed the lowest portion, digging it up to prepare for the bike park opening. Downloading on gondola from Olympic midstation now required.

May 3rd: Whistler

May 3: Looking down "Seppo's" -- still tons of snow. Lots of fun.

The Peak and Whistler Bowl (May 6th)

Temperatures down in the Whistler valley are now reaching into the 20s (degrees C), so perhaps it is getting too warm for skiing for even David. Bears are out of hibernation and we are seeing them regularly on the golf course.

It is an interesting time of the year here.

Back home... and skiing!

Plenty of snow on Blackcomb Mountain (March 12)

Arrived home to Whistler late last night, after 6 days relaxing (and eating!) in Thailand. From +34°C to -3°C and fresh snow. 

Beautiful day to ski, even with the jetlag.

And today marks Michelle's return to skiing, three months since breaking her wrist in December.

Michelle skiing on Springboard

Happy to be back on the mountain together

Another ski season begins (albeit slowly)

Michelle hates being photographed skiing...

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb opened today, albeit pretty limited (only 2.5 runs open). We spent a few hours on the hill just to get a feel, then escaped the crowds.

Skiing down Ego Bowl, Whistler Mtn

Meanwhile, down in the valley, not all the bears have gone to sleep....

Bear on Whistler Golf Course (November 21, 2018)

She's back in the saddle again (Michelle skiing)!

Top of Blackcomb's Glacier Chair (March 15, 2018)

Nearly 3.5 months of rehab after tearing the MCL and ACL of her right knee, Michelle finally made it back up the hill today. A beautiful sunny day with easy conditions for 8 runs. Feeling good and happy at the end.

A beautiful day in the neighbourhood...

View towards Black Tusk (from peak of Whistler Mtn)

Looking down from "Cream Cheese Ridge" (Whistler Mtn)

We live (and play) in a beautiful place!

Mid-(ski)season Progress Report

"Triumphant" return to Winter sports: Snowshoeing February 1

Two months of steady recovery for Michelle, diligently doing her daily exercises and seeing the physiotherapist 2x/week. Follow up visit with surgeon in mid-January concludes 2+° tear of her MCL and slight (1°) of her ACL, both healing well and, importantly, no surgery required! Yeah!

Early January: Michelle in her first "bionic woman" brace (later replaced with much less obtrusive brace)

Yesterday marked a milestone, with Michelle getting out for over an hour snowshoeing (on the Whistler Golf course; actually, a tough slog).  Next up will be x-country skiing.

Looking very good for a return to (downhill) skiing mid to late March!

X-Country skiing Feb 10th...

Late January 2018: on top of Spanky's Ladder

Meanwhile, the snow is piling up on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. David has some good days, but missing his skiing partner.

Out for the count (and the season): the ACL-MCL blues...

Looks peaceful, but... it's the N2O and ketamine

A small fall on a relatively easy run (Expresso)... the result appears to be torn MCL and ACL* of Michelle's right knee.

Extremely painful for Michelle, the Whistler-Blackcomb ski patrol were excellent. Nitrous Oxide helped but not enough for Michelle's pain; Dr. Chad arrived with ketamine which did the trick for the toboggan ride down to Blackcomb Base II.

Then a short ride by BC Ambulance Service to the Whistler Health Clinic, both excellent.  Fast, understanding and knowledgeable. Pain managed well.

A huge thank you to WB Ski Patrol (Jimmy, Dan and Dr. Chad), Blackcomb Safety Volunteers, the Whistler Paramedics, and the Whistler Health Clinic staff. We're lucky to be here.

First physiotherapy session today and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. Michelle is tough and a fast healer. We'll see how it goes, but pretty certain that's it for Michelle's ski season.

Not exactly "happy campers", but moving forward.  What else are you gonna do?


* possibly great news today (Dec7th): Orthopedic surgeon says physical exam indicates: (i) MCL is a partial (2°) tear and, even better, (ii) Michelle's ACL does not appear to be torn. Surgery likely not indicated -- we'll know better at follow-up in 5 weeks time (after MCL more healed).

Back home in Whistler... and back skiing

Heading down "Zig Zag" (Blackcomb Mountain, Nov 23, 2017)

A long trip home from Hua Hin (Thailand): 3.5 hours bus to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, 3 hours flight to Taipei, 10 hours flight to Vancouver, and finally 2.5-hour drive up to Whistler (plus all the waiting in between). But finally home.

Thought we'd be too jet-lagged to get up the mountain, but decided fresh air and sun (well, a little) should help.

Managed 5 runs, even all the way to the bottom (a good start to the season).

But quite the change from 30°C in Thailand!

We're still here... skiing

Michelle at Whistler Peak, Easter Sunday: heading down Whistler Bowl

Blog went silent for months as all we've done is basically ski... well, mostly.

It has been a great season snow-wise here at Whistler. Tons of snow since opening day in November. As photo above shows (from yesterday, Easter Sunday), there is still is lots of snow left (indeed, more than there was in January/February).

For David, it has been a somewhat frustrating ski season: torn calf on Day 2 of season (3.5 weeks recovery), 8 days off for bad cold (both of us), and in February another 2 weeks off for a back and shoulder injury from a "hard" fall. In between injuries, much more "cautious" skiing. Lots of aches and pain... (must be getting old 😒). So, not quite as "gung ho" of a season as we would have liked.

Not to say we haven't had some great days skiing! 🎿🎿

On top of Spanky's Ladder (March 20, 2017)

Looking up at Ruby Bowl (Spanky's at top)

Still, we are still skiing and had a great day on the slopes in the sun on Easter Sunday.

Whistler Mountain closes April 23rd; Blackcomb Mountain stays open until May 22nd. There will be no shortage of snow.

Meanwhile, we are making plans for sailing this Summer, as well as a biking-boat trip in Germany in May.

Back skiing!

3.5 weeks after tearing his right calf muscle, David is finally back on the mountain. Just in time as we received 31 cm of powder in the past 24 hours (not that he went near the pow... calf is not ready for that yet).

A little less of an "old man" today.

Instant old man...

 

Tons of snow for opening days at Whistler (November 23rd) and Blackcomb (November 24th) -- over 200 cm new snow in a week.

Unfortunately, a gentle forward tumble in the powder on Day 2 has put David out of action for at least 3-4 weeks: a Grade 2 right calf pull (or strain, tear, etc.). This injury feels very similar (and not worse) to his left-leg injury back in 2012 (running to catch the bus here in Whistler) -- it required 3.5 weeks to get  back on the mountain. This time, though, help from a physiotherapist has been sought (who informs him that it gets worse with age...).

So much for being in such great shape after our 12+ day trekking in Nepal!  🙁

Meanwhile, Michelle is skiing up a storm ⛷ in all the new snow.

Back home in Whistler, BC: Snow on the mountains!

We are now back home in Whistler.

While away in Nepal, a warming trend melted much of the snow on the mountains. However, it has been (and is currently) snowing, and we fully expect to be skiing next week!

We have updated our preceding blog post (with photos) concerning our Poon Hill/Annapurna Base Camp treks, and have posted all our Poon Hill/ABR trek photos on an album on our FLICKR account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sv-pelagia/albums/72157675133841272 

Changing seasons...

Brandywine Meadows (looking across to Black Tusk), August 30th, 2016

After returning from our Vancouver Island circumnavigation, our plan was to return to Whistler to get some "mountain" time. During August-September, we did numerous dayhikes, as well as one 2-night/3-day backpack. We soon found  out that our 2+months on Pelagia this Summer didn't help to keep us in hiking shape.

Black Tusk (from trail to Mt. Price), September 13, 2016

Looking south towards Whistler (from trail to Cougar Mt.), October 2, 2016

Ancient Cedars trail (October 2, 2016)

Enjoying our time in the mountains, we only managed one 3-night trip out on Pelagia, with one very wild sail (average 7+ knots) for 5 hours. During that short trip, we reconnected with David and Gillian on SV Carousel (our "buddy boat" for a few weeks this past Summer. Pelagia is now "bundled up" for the Winter.

As October came along, the season did a fast shift from Summer to Fall to perhaps "early" Winter. The aspens and other trees have turned golden and other colours. Bears (and other animals) are frantically filling-up with food for their Winter hibernation.

Bear in our parking lot (filling up on berries from tree), October 8, 2016

And to everyone's great excitement -- well, perhaps not the bears' -- snow has now blanketed the upper half of the mountains. Lots of snow (over 76 cm fallen as of Oct 18th)!

Snow on Blackcomb Mt., October 9, 2016

Whistler Peak, October 9, 2016

Looking down 7th Heaven, October 9, 2016

Emerald  chair on Whistler Mt, October 19, 2016

Skiing officially starts November 24th -- we're hoping for an earlier start!

Back home in Whistler -- Powder skiing!

Blackcomb Glacier: Michelle just had her best powder run of the season....

Back home in Whistler, after two weeks of sun and heat in Thailand. David's ribs mostly (though not completely) healed. Good enough to get back skiing.

While we were gone, the mountains received over a couple hundred centimetres of new snow.

Great powder skiing today.

Aren't you bored living up at Whistler?

View of the Black Tusk from Whistler Peak (December, 2015)

Nope!

It always surprises us, but it's a question we've been asked several times recently. Our answer is an emphatic "No!" With the snows of winter now well established here in Whistler, we have been (and are) more active than ever.

We typically go downhill skiing on Whistler and/or Blackcomb Mountains 3-4 times per week. Most times, we arrive back home in our condo (less than a 10 minute walk from the lifts, not including time for a stop at the liquor store...) at the end of the skiing day tired but happy.

Michelle heading down "Peak-to-Creek" (December, 2015)

At the Peak (January, 2016)

The other days of the week, we choose between

• long walks (usually on the plowed "Valley Trail" or the nearby golf course). We see lots of other people and their dogs (the dogs clearly love the snow), and often see wildlife 

Walk on the Whistler Golf Course (Dec 28, 2015)

View of Blackcomb Mt while walking on the Whistler Golf Course (Dec 28, 2015)

For some reason, bobcats seem more plentiful this Winter (today's sighting was the 3rd bobcat seen by Michelle) 

Bobcat seen during walk today on the Valley Trail (Jan 11, 2016)

 

Bobcat on Valley Trail (Jan 11, 2016)

• snowshoeing in the woods somewhere in the valley

1st snowshoe of the Winter (Green Lake Loop, December 2015)

Cheakamus River (Logger's Lake snowshoe, January 3, 2016)

Footbridge over Cheakamus River (Logger's Lake snowshoe, January 3, 2016)

Happy snowshoers...

Logger's Lake: our lunch goal on this snowshoe day (Jan 3, 2016)

Whiskey Jack (Canada Jay or Gray Jay) after our snacks at Logger's Lake

Whiskey Jack: Cute but persistent...

• X-country skiing (so far, on free tracks set nearby on the Valley Trail or on the golf course; in the next few weeks, we'll likely go to the extensive trail systems at Lost Lake Park or Whistler Olympic Park/Callaghan Valley -- both requiring trail passes).

New snow on the golf course (Dec, 2015)

1st XC ski of season (Whistler golf course, December 2015)

X-C skiing at Rainbow Park, Alta Lake and Blackcomb Mt. in background (Jan 10, 2016)

Of course, just sitting in our living room with a view to the ski hills and watching the snow come down, as we are doing right now, is also an enjoyable past time.

No, we are not bored living here at Whistler.