 Poster: A snowHead
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Soooo, have been looking at all the fiddly bits of the holiday up until now and with the 2 month countdown clock is ticking for my honeymoon and checking out the piste map with a highlighter and I'm hoping to pick some brains as to any hot tips on the runs that we just can't miss when we go to Whistler.
Would put myself somewhere on the spectrum of these two ability levels, prob around a 4.8 according to whistler guides. I'm kind of going on CAN blue run being equivalent to red/black euro styley??
level 4: "Able to ski parallel turns with pole plant. Can ski most blue runs, more advanced blues remain a challenge. Would like to explore more varied terrain."
Level 5: "Able to ski strong parallel turns with a pole plant on all blue runs and easy black runs. Learning short turns, off piste, moguls, powder and more difficult terrain"
Where's going to be good for us to check out in terms of runs/trails/who day exploration? Staying at the Crystal Lodge so have easy lift access. Ta! x
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dave Murray in a tuck
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Crystal Ridge area on Blackcomb - great long blue runs and lovely waffles at the Hut.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Spankys ladder, whistler it's all awesome though
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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franga, got my eye on the waffle hut already! hehe 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Peak to creek is a must and the bowls on whistler are good for the tree runs at the bottom if the weather closes in and raptors run for some bumps and a laugh.
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| ribblevalleyblue wrote: |
| Spankys ladder, whistler it's all awesome though |
ignore this advice unless you like papping your pants
the main glacier run at Blackcomb might be a nice adventure though
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Harmony and Symphony bowls on Whistler both provide great opportunities to do some off-piste/tree skiing with gentle gradients.
If you want a bit more of an adventure then it's a short hike from Symphony into Flute Bowl. Not as tricky as the runs over Spanky's but you still get the feeling of it being a bit of an adventure. Make sure you're out of Flute/Symphony bowl by 2.30pm though as that's when the Symphony chair closes. Otherwise you've got a 20 min hike back up the road to Harmony.
Seventh Heaven on Blackcomb (esp if you cut left at the top and traverse can also offer some great glade/tree skiing.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Jeff's Ode to Joy and anything around the Crystal Hut 
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Really hard to say - Roundhouse to Creekside via the Dave is a classic blast though best save it for first tracks or absolutely end of day to make the most of it traffic free. As you'll guess the most fun is to be had by getting off the groomers and into the bowls/trees but you might not have the confidence for that.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I tend to find that the run markings for Canada are easier than Europe, so Canadian black is a European red. That said, the easiest blacks have to be in Italy.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| FiFi_Trixibell wrote: |
| I'm kind of going on CAN blue run being equivalent to red/black euro styley?? |
Whistler blues tend to be in the range of a normal French blue to a stiffer French red. A key difference, though, is that after heavy snowfall they tend to leave the runs ungroomed for a day or two - so they can feel more like a very stiff black.
(Single) Black diamonds are rarely groomed - with just one or two exceptions - and are good, stiff black territory.
Double black diamonds are (almost) never groomed and invariably have either a steep entrance or a significant risk of "consequences" associated with falling.
I'd really encourage you to sign up for something like Ski Esprit (all day group lessons with a fairly relaxed vibe) or the Dave Murray "Race" camp. "Race" goes in inverted commas as they ski the whole mountain and in 4 or 5 camps I've only "raced" once 
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FiFi_Trixibell, a few more things...
The mountain offers "Fresh Tracks" most mornings. You get an early lift up before the mountain is open to the Roundhouse restaurant; have breakfast and then get first dibs on the mountain as soon as it's opened. Well worth doing at least once for the sheer joy of hooning top to bottom with no one in front of you. (Don't take too long over breakfast though!).
The Blackcomb side has a number of "gladed" runs that are "tree skiing" runs with (very) thinned out trees. Most of the runs are black diamond, but are only really blues - with the trees adding to the grading. Do try them as it's completely unlike anything in Europe. (I often wonder why Morzine doesn't do something similar.)
There are ski "hosts" on both sides of the mountain (usually incredibly fit retirees) who do "guided tours" for free. The only downside is that they are horribly, horribly friendly and cheerful - so don't do it with a hangover because you'll end up feeling violent 
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You know it makes sense.
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^^^ I know a couple of people who have done the Dave Murray thing and have nothing but good things to say about it
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| ribblevalleyblue wrote: |
| Spankys ladder, whistler it's all awesome though |
Not recommended for an intermediate. If you are so inclined, take the T-bar up to Blackcomb glacier, and drop in there if conditions are good. You could end up in a world of hurt if you take the short bootpack up Spanky's and deicde to follow some bro brah local off a 50 foot cliff. It's a very long run out to get back to the lifts.
The Crystal Chair is a great place to ski and find gladed tree runs, which are classified as expert, even though the terrain is not steep.
I have had many a good powder turns off that chair, as people focus on the Glacier Express chair to get their fresh tracks.
Runs off of Solar Coaster are nice wide blue runs, although it is a popular area for intermediates.
I do think taking the Peak Chair on Whistler is a must do. You can head off the chair to the right, and take the Peak to Creek run which will give you a mile of vert. Will take a good 30 minutes plus to do.
You can also take off to the left off of Peak Chair, and drop into Harmony Bowl. There are several blue runs off of Harmony Ridge that open up into the bowl.
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Poster: A snowHead
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High speed groomers on Blackcomb such as Rock n'Roll and Zig Zag are a hoot. For latter, go from top of Solar Coaster and head towards Crystal Chair and into Zig Zag. Long run, worthy of laps. You'll find plenty of those, and lots of scary stuff too 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I wouldn't both with Flute - it's not worth the hike unless you want to chuck yourself down something probably at the higher end of your levels. The most important thing to do is check the grooming report - for example Peak to Creek is a great, long run if it has been recently groomed - if not then then it can be painful and exhausting for many intermediate skiers.
Blackcomb Glacier is nice, but when it gets busy the track out can be a little 'exciting' with lots of traffic virtually tripping over itself. I'll repeat the advice to avoid Spankys unless you're feeling brave, it's a good day vis wise, and you're with people who know the area.
There are some fun runs just down to the Harmony Chair, and between Harmony and Garbanzo on Whistler, and get down the Saddle at least once when you want a little speed and the vis is good.
Other than that, some great advice already in the thread. As well as the mountain hosts, don't forget the Tea Club are in town.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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+1 for rock n' roll , great fun , and dont miss lunch at dusty,s
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| carbon_copy wrote: |
| +1 for rock n' roll , great fun , and dont miss lunch at dusty,s |
Problem with lunch at Dusty's is it's hard to resist making it an afternoon and evening "lunch" too
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| carbon_copy wrote: |
| +1 for rock n' roll , great fun , and dont miss lunch at dusty,s |
Pulled pork sarni is a must on every trip to Whistler. +2 for rock n roll
Don't miss out on Tokum and Crabapple as great ways of getting off Whistler mountain.
Whistler does not groom everything each night so any run could be easy one day and a mogul field the next. Check online or the boards (lifts & top of mountain) to see which have been groomed. If it has been groomed, for you level I guess you can do most of the blacks but watch out for the diamonds. If not I guess you will get down but find it hard work.
Also note that on every lift there is always a green "bail-out" option, so no worries about going anywhere. 2nd for 7th Heaven.
Don't go anywhere near spanky's ladder  at your grade
Lessons are good and a good way of seeing the mountain, as they are very laid back on teaching. They look like they have stopped Ski Esprit and now have a Max4. SCGB also have a "leader" out there most years but I have not looked.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Another thumbs up for lunch at Dustys!
There's some easier glades in Symphony Amphitheatre which were really good fun. A lot of the runs down to Garbanzo, Emerald or Big Red are fun too, tree-lined with the opportunity to cut through.
Can't wait to go back there!
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| franga wrote: |
| Crystal Ridge area on Blackcomb - great long blue runs and lovely waffles at the Hut. |
Absolutely. 'Ridge Runner' was consistently run of the day throughout my time as a liftie on the Crystal Chair. She's a shonky old 3 man fixed grip but that usually means the area is a bit quieter than the rest of the mountain. There is a cat track that comes round to the top of Crystal Chair from the glacier. Follow the traverse lines above this and you'll get to a little hike called 'the chimney'. Much less scary than Spankies and you get some lovely cruisy powder turns if you are starting out on that sort of thing.
Enjoy!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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FiFi_Trixibell, the off piste places mentioned in this thread are all inbounds so will have been blasted and are patrolled, so not like proper backcountry. one of the fun things about whistler is the inbounds powder - great for taking your first steps in that direction
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| FiFi_Trixibell wrote: |
In terms of ski esprit/dave murray/lessons etc - definitely considering something. I usually have some form of tuition though mostly a couple hours 1:1 rather than a whole block of lessons. However as my OH and I will be on honeymoon I will prob stick to my usual format and just do something on 2nd day once I've got ski legs back. quite like the look of the "max4" lessons I think someone has said they're called; seems to cater up to a higher ability level than your stereotypical ski school and not 8 of you snaking it everywhere either (not that I'm saying I'm any good but at the stage where I'm desperate to push on a bit!) |
If you do go for 1:1 then ask for Andrew Sainsbury had him a couple of times and he was very good, Level4 yet in his 20's ex racer with a blown[ish] knee
There is a 3d ski through on www.wsr.com you may like to look at
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Fri 30-11-12 23:13; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think you will love Whistler. Sun bowl is my personal favourite, Spankey's is a bit ambitious I would say. Remember that the double blacks at whistler are not quite like a black in europe - they are not often pisted and are rather steep and narrow (the name couloir extreme kind of sums them up). The single blacks are great though.
The tree runs are great - skiers right of ego bowl has fantastic tree skiing if you want to try it (but maybe with an instructor first time). Everglades is fab for easy tree skiing too.
There's a halfpipe on whistler that's quite laid back - the one on blackcomb is by the black park and rather more 'professional'. The black park on blackcomb requires a sepatate lift pasas and a helmet is compulsory (and probably a little too exciting for you) but have a look at the blue and green parks - you can get a geat photo of an easy box or picnic table, some nice gentle kickers and rollers. Remember park etiquette though!).
Do fresh tracks, do dave murry and also Jersey wall (steep but great).
Sluiceway was always very hard icey moguls so possibly worth missing.
try to get to merlin's for the nachos and the crystal bar for happy hour wings.
you will love it, I so wish I could go back.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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oh and if it is your own kit take a lock!
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