First Tracks

Great start, 3 of us managed to get first tracks. It was a real beauty of a morning. Low cloud burning off at such a rate you could actually watch it making way for crystal ultramarine blue skies. Clearly not everyone fancied the early start so we relished the clean, seemingly untouched mountains as tomorrow could be different story as tomorrow was Good Friday.

With the sun fully up and on we were headed for another trip across to Blackcomb via the Peak to Peak gondola, but the normally 11 minute slick ride was more like 20 as for some reason it came to a halt half way across the valley. Assuming you like heights and don't mind swaying from three ropes it was great in two ways. One, having more time to take in the vast Fitzsimmons valley views and two, to rest up those burning quads.

We got a chair lift to Blackcomb's outstanding 7th Heaven, a south-facing alpine zone for sun-loving skiers which we managed to ski non-stop six times without even meeting another sole at the Heaven express chair lift! Quads now fully on-fire!

A few more lifts in 7th Heaven we prized our way out and across to the aptly named showcase t-bar lift. The t-bar completed with no dramas, we had made it to the highest ski-able point on the mountain, the Blackcomb Glacier. To reach the very top it was skis off and a short hike. The reward, unprecedented views across the mountain valleys and an 11km continuous run taking you right to the centre of Whistler village. The hike to the top was right into the sun so it was hot. We couldn't wait to stop the walking, get our skis back on and hurl ourselves down hill. Initially mogal-tastic which then ran into deep powder. The blood wagon was right behind us on the way down scooping up an unlucky female who obviously wasn't enjoying it as much as we were! A third of the way down this guy floats by on a parachute having just jumped from the peak. Snowboard strapped to the feet ready to board!

As he landed under many cheers he actually managed to board for awhile until the parachute pulled him off his board facedown into the snow, too busy looking, I then went a pearler off my skis! The burn that this 11km run gave us will be remembered for some time. We almost collapsed on reaching the village.

As we sat sipping a rewarding coffee looking up at these vast snowy peeks and couldn't help but smile. From long boarding in Waikiki to skiing in Whistler, all within the same month - this trip is the best! Coffees done it was back to the Whistler gondola for the final speedy ride up 3,800 vertical feet to the Roundhouse Lodge where we leisurely cruised to Creekside. Great day had by all.