We've struck it lucky with the Whistler weather. It has snowed every day we have been here. We arrived on Sunday night after 24 hours of travel door to door and took Monday off to acclimatise and orientate. The flights were fine. We stopped off at Heathrow and watched football with Nina, and the onward flight to Vancouver even had Entourage episodes. Getting used to the time difference has meant that getting up early has been really easy so far. In fact, this morning we were in the first public gondola up Blackcomb mountain. It was a bit colder in the Alpine today and the weather does close in quick but we took the plunge and walked up the gauntlet to the top of Blackcomb glacier and snowboarded down on a single run over 10km. The first half was mostly powder and pretty fresh as it just keeps snowing. Next week we should have some sun but we are happy to put up with the flurries as the boarding is ace. We have been mostly on blue runs and gentle bowls as the blacks and many of the the bowls tend to be unprepared and very bumpy thanks to all those skiers overdoing it over the season - basically a load of moguls - no fun on boards. We have only had one walk out so far. I saw a 200m stretch of fresh snow and had to have it. Of course it turned out the reason it hadn't been ploughed was the great cliff at the end of it. Still we only had to make a little 60m walk.
And today we had our first quality route row. We lost each other due to tiredness coming down dome of the great groomed slopes in the middle of Blackcomb. Two hours, several failed calls and some very nice mountain staff later, we found each other back at the ranch. Speaking of which we struck gold with the Clock Tower. It is compact but way above wildest expectations and only 50m from the gondolas, bang in the heart of the village, and we got the quiet side. Hoorah.
We keep meeting little'uns as the teachers ask you to take them on the lifts. Most memorable so far would Gabriel from San Diego. He was so sweet until the dismount. He got caught up and I had to carry him of the chair lift. And I set him straight about Santa being from Finnish lapland!
Three songs about powder
#3 White lines (don't do it), Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five
#2 Life in the fast lane, The Eagles
#1 One way ticket to hell and back, The Darkness
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