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Friday, November 09, 2007

Whistler

September 2007

Why put Whistler on this blog? Many Vancouverites, although surrounded by water and mountains rarely experience either of them. At their doorsteps are some of the best ocean cruising grounds and some of the most beautiful and dramatic mountains in the world. For other Canadians and for Europeans Whistler may be a name they will hear more of as 2010 approaches. So here’s a few insights and sights from an autumn visit.

Whistler has changed dramatically since it was originally occupied by First Nations peoples. White trappers were some of the first Europeans to settle in the area; they were followed by prospectors and in the early 20th century by the beginnings of the service industry that in the last two decades of the century would overtake the valley.

When Roger began coming here in the 1970’s – driving his son Robert from White Rock each weekend for the Nancy Greene Ski League, almost none of the townsite development seen in this picture had begun. The area now known as “Creekside” had a gas station/store, a couple of small hotels off the main road, a few restaurants, open parking at the bottom of the small gondola and a relatively new chairlift. From the main road and for the average traveller – that was Whistler. You could ski down from Whistler either to Creekside from where you started up the mountain in the early morning, or down the “Olympic” run to the site of today’s Whistler Village. At that time it was a rather rough parking lot, reputedly a former town dump. From there you would catch a modified school bus back to Creekside and you car. Whistler had private homes, a few boarding houses for employees, a couple of restaurants. Blackcomb Mountain, as a ski twin to Whistler was a dream away off in the future. Few could have imagined how it would all be transformed – some would say for the worse.

There are still good hikes in the area and mountain bike trails have proliferated providing lots of choices ranging from those for novices to scary, mind-blowing descents. The development of ski lifts on both mountains has provided excellent year-round access to the various hiking and biking trails. So Whistler is no longer the haunt of only dedicated skiing fanatics – it can also accommodate those who want a short mountain top amble, those who want a wilderness experience, those who want to shop till they drop, dedicated party animals and in the winter those who want to ski till they drop.

So let’s start with a few shots around the top of Whistler Mountain. In Whistler Village you board the speedy gondola that whisks you to the top of the mountain, well almost. For the not so faint-hearted, a short walk down about 150 feet to the Peak Chair to the real top puts you on a 4 person chair to amazing views and a choice of several hiking trails down – or you can catch the chair down.

Many of the events of the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Whistler so the distinctive symbol of these games is prevalent, even at the highest point on the mountain. In this instance it provides an excellent backdrop for these two intrepid hikers, Marie-Claire and her sister-in-law Lyn Elmes.

A short hike at the peak affords a variety of really outstanding views. Black Tusk , some miles distant is one of the destinations of an excellent day-long or multi-day hike leading from the valley floor – no gondolas or ski lifts – and one of Roger’s favourites that Marie-Claire has also done.

The two intrepid hikers set off across the snow that has lasted through the summer and into September.

Long days of warm sunshine melt most of the snow and even at this altitude with very little soil among the rocks, wild alpine flowers bloom, adding a different and less harsh beauty.

The view down the Peak Chair is dramatic to say the least – eye-closing for many (what you can’t see can’t hurt you).

For others, this terrain provides a minor climbing challenge.

For the less daunting the trails at the top of the gondola are more tame and provide some interesting rambles. Good walking shoes are still required, no Christian Dior high heels please.

But even at this elevation there is a lot of beauty and some interesting ascents.

Apart from the construction of Olympic facilities at Whistler, the major undertaking currently underway is a gondola that will link Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, at a height above Singing Pass of 415 meters or 1,361 feet making it the world’s highest lift of its kind and at 3.024 km or 1.88 miles the longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind; and at a total length of 4.4 km or 2.73 miles the world’s longest continuous lift system. It will carry up to 4100 passengers per hour, in 28 cabins like this (including 1 glass bottomed one), with 28 passengers per cabin (24 seated).

Does Whistler really need this? We don’t think so. It is reminiscent of a cartoon in a Calgary newspaper. Picture a scene of a lovely small lake surrounded by healthy beautiful trees and other foliage, some fauna in the background. Two developers are standing by the lake with drawings in their hands. The cut line is “How can we improve this?”

To get back to earth, in part 2 we'll return to the valley floor and the town – the former garbage dump – now shop till you drop heaven.