Try Whistling This
We returned from our weekend at Whistler yesterday, and it was an amazing time. We arrived on friday night, checking into the Shoestring Lodge just north of the main village. The Shoestring is a good location for the budget traveller, and even has strippers in the adjoining Boot Pub on tuesdays, wednesdays and fridays. I wasn't willing to pay the $5 entry fee, but Katie informed me that the girl on stage was a terrible dancer.
On saturday morning, we got the free shuttle bus into the main village area, got our gear organised and rode the lift up Whistler mountain. The sheer beauty and staggering scale of the place became apparent as the valley dropped away beneath us, laying out the buildings, roads and slopes like a finely-crafted miniature model. There are over 200 runs on Whistler and Blackcomb, with 33 lifts and over 7000 acres of skiable terrain. It was rather a lot to take in, particularly on such a gorgeous sunny day.
We started our morning on the beginner slopes, with help from Helen and Will, a rather lovely English couple whom we knew. We all managed to improve, although there were a few minor mishaps, like Katie missing a turn and ending up wrapped around a tree. Will did exceedingly well in restraining his laughter until Katie herself started giggling. We paused for a quick bite to eat, and then proceeded further up the mountain for some more challenging runs. It was about this time that I finally reached a stage with my snowboarding that made all the soreness and embarassment I'd endured so far worthwhile. The snow hissed and crackled gleefully under my board, and the the slope unfolded steadily and with a purpose. My mind, body and senses were fully engaged, and I had control. I could even avoid trees!
My day was not completely full of buoyant self-congratulation though, as I managed to lose my edge on a icy lower slope, flip over and land hard on my lower back. I felt like I'd been hit by a missile, but I didn't get much time to reflect or pontificate, as a fraction of a second later the back of my head smacked the ground and everything seemed a great deal more confusing. I didn't lose consciousness, but I did feel rather sick, and rather glad that Will was there to help me up and direct me the rest of the way down. The rest of the weekend was made up of us relaxing, eating and pottering around the village. My back was very sore, but my range of motion didn't seem inhibited, so hopefully it was just a big fat bruise. Eggs Pacifico (Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon instead of ham) and blueberry pancakes always help the healing process, anyway.