Whistler

Canada

September 2006
2 days

Whistler.
1st and 2nd September 2006.

Sorry you are getting these updates two weeks after the event, but getting time to use the NET is not always easy.... :o)

Jon Wrote:

After the ferry back to the mainland we had another 2 hours of driving before we came to Whistler. On the way we had some very windy mountain roads and you can feel the pressure building up in your ears like on a plane until they eventually pop! We didn’t stop to see much as it was near to getting dark and we wanted to our find our next hostel! I was glad when we checked in to find they’d made a mistake and I was in a room with 3 girls, Sarah being one of them, unfortunately :o) kidding!

Up at a good hour the next morning which was gorgeous and sunny once again. Our aim today was to tackle the daunting Whistler mountain standing over 7000ft high which Whistler village in its shadow.

We drove in to Whistler village, on of Canada’s top ski resorts and no word of a lie its just like Euro Disney which it being so perfect, clean and new! It’s like a dream town and everything looks so good you feel as though you could eat it… even the buildings. Here we caught a speedy glimpse of our first chipmunk…. They are smaller than a squirrel but with stripes and you need to be really quick or lucky to get a photo of one cos they got ants in their pants and never stand still. NEVER!

We paid $60 to ride the Gondola (Cable Car) up the elevation and whilst waiting in the cue we watched and admired the mountain bikers getting ready, fully armoured, to tackle the downhill tracks. These guys were riding very very expensive full suspension bikes and looked like gladiators donning all those pads and chest plates. We found out later that every summer loads of guys get nasty injuries such as broken limbs or backs which ruin their winters as they cant ski/snowboard. Some prefer to save their body for the colder season so refuse to ride bikes on the mountain.

We boarded the Gondola with two others and sat in silence during the 30 minute rise to the first peak simply stunned by the views. By now we were at 6,000 feet and thankfully due to the clear skies and sunshine we were fine in T-shirts. Sarah was brave so we took the next ride in an open two seater chair lift to the top… You cannot drop anything on this chair lift or its lost forever!

At the top the conditions were perfect with barely a breeze so before a trek we had tea and lunch on a large outside viewing balcony. At eye level 360degrees around you could see some of the other famous snow capped mountains in the Rockies, and looking down you can just make out the tiny lakes and village.

We spent 3 hours at the peak taking lots of photos from various vantage points. We spoke to a Canadian lady who looked like she had been born wearing hiking boots and she knew everything about the area….. Her and her two young boys had all skied the most fearsome double black diamond ski runs which to us looked like suicide. (Note: There was no snow whilst we were here but you could see the trails marked out)

Whistler and Vancouver with be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics and from our photos you will see the mascot made of rocks on the mountain top and loads of people build their own versions of this from small stones/rocks all over the place. We can only imagine how beautiful this place must look caked in snow and buzzing with skiers and snow boarders. Can’t be a bad place to live!

We left the mountain and drove the 15 minutes to our new lodgings and great family home/guest house. I was very jealous of the owners as it looked like the perfect location in a quiet colder sack with huge gardens, two veranda and a hot tub. We stayed here for two nights (some luxury) and got to know the owner well.

Ann was the mum of the house and was very friendly and welcoming. We had full use of the house, a luxurious bathroom and a hot tub outside. The first night as soon as it got dark we crept outside and got in the tub which was so so hot so getting in was a gradual process. We sat quietly gazing up at the stars which were very clear due to the lack of street lighting and I could clearly see the plough shining brightly. In the moonlight the mountain are just very dark scary outlines on the horizon and you sort of expect to see the silhouette of a wolf up on top howling up to the moon…. But all we hear were crickets.

The next day I text Jason and it turns out Eng-er-land are playing Angola and all the boys are down the Coach and Horses ready to watch the game…. A tiny feeling of wanting to be there hits home but its soon forgotten when you look out at the scenery of Whistler.

We chat to other travelers at breakfast and meet an interesting middle aged couple from America…. She was a lawyer and he surveyed houses so they must have been doing ok… in the town they come from everybody carries guns like the wild west… Its totally legal and even his boys, in their twenties, carry guns or rifles…. It sounds bad but it actually means there’s not much violence as everyone is packing a piece! You know that if you start a fight, someone is going to get shot! So you don’t unless you’re from outta town and then you get the shock of your life. Hilarious!

Ann told us about a lake so we walked 30 mins along a narrow pathway and could hear splashing and laughing. We came through the trees to see the most prefect clear water lake, surrounded by mountains and grass and a tiny beach. Guys were playing volleyball on this sunny Saturday afternoon, others were sunbathing or diving in to the lake from the numerous floating diving platforms (see photos) This little secluded area was great so we relaxed and read books only dipping our feet in the water because although it looked enticing, it was bloody freezing!

After people watching during our time in Whistler it became apparent that 99% of the people here were very very fit and either rode bikes, jogged, roller bladed or mountain biked. I don’t think obesity is in the Whistler dictionary! Back at the house our views were confirmed when we spoke to Ann… That day she had jogged to the lake with the dog, obviously off the lead as he’s perfect too…. She went for a swim and later that afternoon she chucked her canoe on to the truck and drove elsewhere to go canoeing… all that and still time to get back and bake loads of bread and cakes for the house, which where very tasty. You ever seen the movie Stepford Wives, where they are all perfect and turned out to be robots….. get what I’m saying!

Anyway on our last morning saying goodbye after breakfast we were talking to Ann about the lady we met on the mountain and how she and her sons could ski the hardest trails. She didn’t look surprised and told us she could do the same…. Sarah was gob smacked “So you can ski too….?” To which Ann replied in a slightly cheesy accent…… “ Why of course…..I’m a Whistler mum, I can do everything and have been skiing since I was five!”

At that point I was so tempted to spin her around, and check under her hairline for where the USB port was hidden for her to download new updates! We left Whistler feeling a little lazy and lardy….. and I thought of the mountain bike I’d bought two years ago and used less that 10 times….

Serioulsy: Whistler is a beautiful place and we marked it 5 out of 5. The hire car has killed our $132 per day budget and already we are over by $1,100. Doh!

We drove out of Whistler only stopping at a nice river to eat snacks and skim stones on the river…. We found a large stone with what looked like and X marks the spot on it… so I lifted it but found nothing…. So I left a quarter under it so the next person who sees it will maybe turn it over and be surprised to find that X does mark the spot… ha haaaaa

Over and Out!