I'd been waiting all month for my new Prior skis to be shipped from Whistler. Ironically I
needed them to show up at home to get the bindings mounted and then take them back to
Whistler. They finally showed up two days before our trip. Talk about cutting it close. I was
so excited for my new skis and the deep coastal powder that Alberta just doesn't get.
We'd heard stories about Whistler. The steep terrain... the massive snow... the big lines. All
was guaranteed to blow your mind. When we got into the backcountry every bit of it was true
Our first day touring was an awesome one, but we had difficulty finding fresh tracks and as
we seemed to have missed poaching the accessible terrain by a day.
One day two, we'd arranged for a guide, Guillaume, to show us what Whistler was
really about and to get us into the legendary Blackcomb backcountry.
After a gondola ride, a few lifts and a short skin to the top of the col we got our first glimpse of
the grandeur the area has to offer. My heart began to race with the possibilities, so many lines
and only two days left to ski. We took our first run with a few mellow turns to warm our legs up.
It was only a short skin to where we were headed. It looked fairly uneventful, what I was
expecting to be another sub 30 degree slope.
To my surprise it was a steep chute that ended at a glacial lake and an ice cave. The first
member of our group's eyes bugged out as he dropped in and in the blink of an eye was gone.
I knew it was going to be rad. At the end of the run, after all of the high fives, we looked back
and nicknamed the chute the G-Spot
We continued to move through the valley to destroy any untouched line, slowly working our
way to the north slopes of Anvil. After a short skin we were looking we were looking down a
long steep slope with great snow. And of course, it was untouched. I started down the slope,
my new skis seemed to make the snow explode on every turn making the snow spray and hit me
in the chest. I was completely lost in the moment, engulfed by the beauty of the area and the
awe of Whistler's backcountry. As with every run it was over way to fast and we were soon
on a big traverse back to the village.
We ended the day as all good touring days should end with a cold pint, good friends and
good memories.
