DEEP POWDER ADVENTURE

POWDER HEAVEN FOR RIDING FOUND ON DAY 7

By PETER THOMAS BUSCH

I had the best sleep the night before a day of snowboarding so far this season.

The reason for the deep sleep may have been that the forecast was rock solid reliable with overnight snow falling on Whistler Blackcomb the previous seven days currently standing at 63 plus inches. Even if the overnight snow stopped, the new snow that had already fallen would make for an excellent carving day.

I had only a few minutes for a few spoons of cooked oatmeal for breakfast. I also grabbed a couple of energy sports bars on my way out the door, after finding them on sale by the box the previous week.

I would eventually eat one energy bar before my first run of the day on Whistler at 9 am, after strapping in my boots, and the second bar while waiting for the bus to take me back to Vancouver at the end of the day.

The main concern for the day was the howling wind that made the Whistler Gondola sway a bit at certain points uploading where the terrain opened-up to the south. Wind meant cold, which everyone in the Gondola agreed to with a bit of a nervous chuckle during early morning uploading chatter.

The discussions about weather conditions was light talk after someone raised an existential crisis caused by people dying in tree wells on powder days, and suffering through less serious bone fractures from face planting.

But the powder was there with snow falling overnight and still falling, with about 12 inches on the runs.

With great glee, I found Ptarmigan open, whereas usually the steep, long winding run is gated and reserved for the ski teams and various competitions occurring on Whistler, seemingly so much that the run is almost always off limits to the general public.

When Ptarmigan is open to the public, it is usually only after an event when it is all carved up with ruts and icy patches.

When you upload on the Whistler Gondola you miss out on the black diamond, Upper Ptarmigan, and only get to the blue run, Lower Ptarmigan, by way of the Upper Whiskey Jack and then Old Crow.

The Old Crow is an ominous stretch with the imaginary old crows heckling all the skiers and riders heading in the direction of Ptarmigan.

On the way down, after Ptarmigan, pull left to the Garbanzo Express, instead of heading straight to the Whistler Gondola Mid-Station, and you’ll find yourself correctly positioned at the top to get to Upper Ptarmigan after uploading again.

I had readjusted my snowboard bindings for riding in the deep powder, where you create a glide on top of the powder by leaning back on the back leg, and direct less with the front foot. This adjustment took that first run on (blue) Ptarmigan to get used to, especially with the snowboard naturally disappearing in the 12 inches of powder blanketing the entire run.

On the second run, beginning on the Upper Ptarmigan, I increased my speed and leaned back a bit further to improve the gliding effect to the point of getting into a really good rhythm in-sync with the mountain.

I had the run almost to myself until my third ride, when I became part of a rush of about 20 powder hounds to the bottom.

The line-up at the Garbanzo lift was still minimal, and so I rode Ptarmigan again and again, even when the line-up increased.

The morning was so much fun, I just kept riding Ptarmigan over and over again until about 11:30 am when the fog started rolling in. With the weather taking out most of the enjoyment on the lower parts of Ptarmigan, I ventured south to explore the possibility of the Dave Murray Downhill being doable. But as I approached the Big Red Express, I remembered one reason why the World Cup Downhill races were delayed or cancelled with the fog being so thick as to seriously running the risk of colliding with other skiers.

I headed back up and took lunch about 30 minutes earlier than usual. This early start to lunch came with the added benefit of being able to find a place at a table to sit down.

I had been getting a good workout on Ptarmigan. And so, I was a bit damp on the inside, and then the falling snow made the outside all wet as well. I was hungry, but I was also looking forward to drying out a bit.

I even took a few minutes to dry my gloves on the glove dryers next to the washroom on the south-westside of Roundhouse Lodge. I agreed with the machines signage that stated something like: ‘dry is warmer,’ as I noticed a hook-up for an old analogue telephone line. ‘Those three glove drying machines had been there since the Seventies at least,’ I surmised, and began to visualize a room filled with people wearing Seventies-style snow jump suits, and fluffy fur-like toques (without helmets).

The fog had cleared a bit around Roundhouse by the time I made my way back outside. So, I checked the Epic App for the line-up time for the Creekside Gondola, and finding it only a few minutes long, I started to head to the Dave Murray Downhill again. But the fog was still hanging around pretty thick at the corner by the Big Red Express.

So, I uploaded again, and headed back to Ptarmigan. The sun had come out here just over the run. And so, I decided to stay on Ptarmigan for riding out the afternoon until about 2:40 pm when I had just about enough, and began an early ski out to Whistler Village.

What a satisfying day, well worth the price of the season pass, divided by 10 to 15 days, anyway. I have 7 days logged in to the season, and I hope to double that by the end of the season by going one more time this week with the Bluebird days ahead, and then by trying to get in a minimum of one day a week until the end of April.

By May, every extra day becomes a bonus, and the road cycling season will be well underway.