Epic Powder

I thought since I'd found a nearby internet cafe that I'd be providing more regular updates, but I've been too worn out. Between seemingly nonstop snowboarding and requisite apres-ski dinners and drinks, I haven't had time to put my butt in front of a computer and write...

I've been spending a lot of time riding the slopes, which has been a tiring, rewarding, and ultimately mixed experience. Having three weather zones on the mountain, conditions have been so variable it's nuts. I went from sunshine to white-out in minutes at the peak of Whistler Mountain, at one point being so blind that I couldn't tell which direction I was going. Never before in my life have I gotten motion sickness from snowboarding. After 10 minutes of riding nearly blind, I was ready to vomit all over the place. On the other hand, all the fresh snow and cold temperatures meant one thing: POWDER. Unfortunately, due to the weird geography and climate zones of Whistler, the powder is often mixed with ice and exposed bits of rock. My formerly pristine board now looks like a cat's scratching post, with a few deep cuts that'll have me up to the eyeballs in P-tex base repair crap for a while.

It's all been worth it, though. Today, up at the top of Blackcomb Mountain, I was blessed with a near perfect run of brilliant, knee-deep powder, just firm enough to be cruisable, soft enough to be forgiving on the turns. It was like snowboarding on a cloud. Sheer heaven. Perhaps that's why the lift that accesses that area is called 7th Heaven. No, not like that lame-ass show on the WB. More like actual heaven, without all the harps and pious people. I will definitely go home happy.

It's now New Year's eve and I have no solid plans. Eventually, I'm sure I'll get to dinner and then hit up one of the many parties clustered around the Village, but in the meantime, I'll have to rest up, soak these old bones, and just chill. I'm on vacation after all.

See you next year...