Finally, a day off with sunshine! While it seems half of the population of British Columbia is populated by Ontarians, I’m not so sure I could handle the constant rain out here. But today our Maker saw fit to give us glorious sunshine. And so I headed off bright and early to the Creekside ski area to catch the Women’s Combined Alpine Skiing event.
The Women's Combined Alpine Ski Event. We are still in the shadow here. I'm a long way from the front of the crowd.
I just had to experience an Olympic event. I had bought the ticket from a fellow who had tickets for the original date of February 14, which was cancelled and moved to February 18. The ticket cost me $85, but was still only for the standing area. Apparently people had arrived there almost 3 hours early, and the sight lines at the front of the fence were gone. I ended up standing about 20 people back from the front and could only just barely see the finish line, some 500 m away. While it was fun to experience the excitement of the crowd, the people at home watching on TV saw more than I did. I had hoped I would see the stopping area right in front of the stands where the athletes wave to the crowds right after crossing the finish line. But the crowd was it just too big, and I couldn’t see a thing.
An Olympic skier jumps over the crest of the hill 100 metres from the finish line.
One of the cool things about being here at the Olympics is the fans that come from around the world. The fans from Switzerland seem to be the most colourful. There was a group here that had three humongous cowbells that they kept banging on in the back of the crowd while waving flags. I actually had this group on my bus earlier on, and the sound is almost deafening. The American, Lindsey Vonn, won the first heat. There was a second event in the afternoon to decide the winner, but I decided not to attend. At least I could now say, “Been there, done that.”
Loyal fans from Switzerland with their huge cow bells.
So it was back on the Whistler transit bus to meet Fernando at the gondola transit exchange. I had a nice lunch on the patio of the Irish pub that is right next to the stairs leading away from the bus terminal. This has to be the best location for a bus terminal in the world. We first purchased the zip line tickets for the next day and then Fernando bought his lift ticket for non-skiers. We took the older, six passenger enclosed gondola up the Whistler Mountain. The doors opened at the first station but we stayed on board. This is from the station from which downhill bicycles charge down the mountain each summer. Even though they wear body armour, I can’t imagine riding a bicycle down a ski hill.
On top of the world at the Whistler Mountain side of the Peak 2 Peak gondola.
The ride up the hill took a little over 15 minutes. When we arrived at the top, we are in a whole new world of deep snow and subzero temperatures. The snow was in great shape with lots of skiers zipping around everywhere. Being on top of the mountain is a breathtaking experience. From up here I noticed that we were completely surrounded by white capped mountains in every direction. Down in the valley all you see is about half a dozen mountains. We walked over to the edge of the hill and watched the skiers fly down almost a dozen different runs. The RCMP was even up here on skies.
Peak 2 Peak car exiting the station on Blackcomb mountain.
Next it was time to board the brand-new, world-class Peak 2 Peak gondola. This is the world’s highest lift of its kind with the longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind. It covers a total distance of 4.4 km, including a three kilometre unsupported span. The highest point above the ground is 436 metres. There are a total of four towers with two on each mountain and they range from 35 to 65 m in height. There are 28 cabins and it can handle 4100 passengers per hour. Since its introduction, it has had a huge effect on skier traffic on the mountains, with most skiers passing between the mountains at least once a day. It is one of the must do activities here in Whistler.
400 metres above the valley, another car passes us going back to Whistler mountain. All the equipment looks brand new.
The cable system uses two stationary cables which bear the weight of the gondola, with a slightly lower cable between them that pulls the gondola along. The lift slows to a crawl for people to board and can hold 24 seated and four standing passengers. One cabin departs every 49 seconds and travels at 7.5 m/s and takes 11 minutes to reach the far side. We were making the trip from Whistler to Blackcomb Mount.
John A. and Fernando inside the gondola. There is lots of room inside.
The view while crossing is nothing short of spectacular. The trees below us were still covered in snow. Halfway over you cross a creek hundreds of meters below. The ride is extremely smooth, even when you pass the tower. Later on we noticed that the car is supported by four air bag shock absorbers on the top of the car. The windows on this car scratch free, so taking photos is not bad. You can see Whistler Village at the bottom of the valley far below. The biggest building in the village is the Fairmont Hotel, with frozen lakes in the background.
One of the many ski runs on Blackcomb.
As soon as we got off the gondola we met a couple of our supervisors, Mike and Jim. As tourists do, we took turns taking each others’ pictures with each other’s cameras. Mike is the very effective supervisor that works the gondola every afternoon. Then we wandered over to the edge but stopped when least noticed a sign that said “Cliff ahead.” But about one kilometre away was the upper peak of Blackcomb with an almost vertical face on. When I looked closer I could see ski marks all down the slope. It looked like about an 80° angle. Overall, it looked to me to be about an even number of snowboarders and skiers.
Skiers actually ski down the almost vertical crest of the Blackcomb mountain.
Each mountain has a restaurant at the top. As we walked around the one on Blackcomb, we came across to a lovely Inukshuk. Then it was back to the edge of the hill to stare at the amazing scenery in front of us. One of my prerequisites for a great vacation is to step out of the ordinary into a completely different environment. And here we were in a winter wonderland. I didn’t want to descend to the real world below. Almost everyone I speak to in Whistler has done this trek, and I can see why.
Welcome to Blackcomb. This sign is right outside the exit from Peak 2 Peak.
Just as I picked up a souvenir for my daughter, Rebekah, the stores at the top of the mountain closed. It was only 3:30, but I guess it was time to go. We had to wait about 15 minutes in a huge line to get aboard the 98 bus home. It gave me time to think about ways that such line-ups could be eliminated. I spoke to the chief operating officer for BC transit, Steve New, who happened to be on the platform. He gave me his card, and on the way home I sent him an e-mail about getting off-duty bus drivers to drive an extra bus back to Squamish. Then drivers just heading to work could return the bus to Whistler. Everyone would be happy, and we would put a dent in the line-ups. He wrote me back that he would be look into this.
What do supervisors do on their day off? Same as us. L to R: Mike and Jim.
When I got home, I quickly uploaded every photo on my card here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sirjohnamcdonald. This is where I quickly upload my photos at the end of a busy day when there isn’t time to post a blog. I had also been sending tweets to http://twitter.com/caw4304 during the day.
Everyone needs a shot standing in front of the Inukshuk. This was in front of the resturant on top of Blackcomb.
This little information booth was almost buried in the snow.
We caught the glass bottom gondola on the way back. Here is a shot through the floor window at a skier far below.
Hi John,
I am very happy to read about your experiences in BC, it is well written,it gives me a good look at everything that’s going on.
After seeing all your pictures it makes me want to go there one day.
Also want to thank to Fernando for his updates.
Thank you again, good job!!!
Great updates, keep them coming. Even if people are not emailing back to you so much, they are seeing your blogs either at work or at their homes. Looks as if you are all having a great time atleast on you days off. Remember what you said a once in a lifetime event, enjoy it to the max. Take care, all is well here as you probably already know.
Tony B.