The snow-capped mountain metropolis people never want to leave
If you think of a ski resort as a pretty mountain village with snow-capped peaks soaring above, some glamorous people promenading the pathways and tanned sporty types hurtling down the slopes, then Whistler has all that.
But is has so much more; it has gone way beyond being a resort, it's a metropolis with mountains attached; a location with a lifestyle, and despite its size and popularity, there is still some heart and soul.
"Some people come here for a gap year," says one local on a ski-lift, "and they end up staying for a gap life."
She's right, and they've given the place its character – total enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits and a total appreciation of the mountain environment and culture.
Summer here is almost as busy as winter, with mountain hikers and bikers exploring the terrain, people paddling on the rivers and lakes and some still skiing on the glaciers way up high.
The permanent population is 10,000, there are 30,000 visitor beds and on a big day – Vancouver is an easy drive away and Seattle not so far either – the Whistler area can be hosting 70,000 people.
So the mountain can get crowded – there's enough room on the slopes, but the lift queues can be lengthy.
That makes it all the more appealing to take a ski or snowboard lesson, or a clinic, which comes with lift priority: you get to cut to the front of the queue.
We are to ski for a day with Extremely Canadian, a Whistler-born tuition and guiding service that shows skiers and boarders how to handle this vast area's steeper terrain.
Our coach Wendy Brookbank, from nearby Pemberton, spent time on the ski competition circuit, was in the world's first televised extreme skiing event (1991, Juneau, Alaska) and now applies her considerable skills as a skier and talents as a teacher to people who want to improve their angles.
There's a lot of skiing and just the right amount of theory passed on: "You can't cloud people's minds with too much detail, especially in challenging terrain where they might be more nervous," Wendy says.
We position ourselves for the drop at the top of Whistler Bowl; there's the lip of a cornice to deal with first and while it won't make the movies, there's still the risk of a tricky tumble into the terrain below. The bowl opens up nicely, but if you miss the entry from the cornice, you'll be sliding down that slope for an uncomfortable while before you pull yourself up.
That allows some time for thinking about all the things that could go wrong ... Wendy keeps it simple: "Keep a defensive hand below you, hold that downhill pole straight out from your body, that'll help your stance but will also be there if you need it.
"Keep your chin up and your eyes and head still, not moving, and pointing down the hill in the direction of the turn."
The snow is hard-packed and she points out that "it'll go ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk". "Just absorb it," she says.
It does and we do – and after the tricky entrance, the turns on the steep terrain are a sweet return. Once you have your rhythm and confidence, it's like free-falling.
We cover a lot of ground. There are two huge mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb – both with glaciers at their higher reaches and long, entertaining runs moving down from the open slopes and into the forests.
It gives the mix of terrain North American resorts are so well known for – some steeps for the challenge, but plenty of the long, scenic cruising runs that most people prefer to ride.
To connect the two mountains, before it hosted the skiing events of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Whistler built the Peak to Peak gondola and for fans of the engineering brilliance of ski lifts, it takes some beating.
It travels 4.4 kilometres and at its longest stretch has a 3.03-kilometre span between towers. At its highest point it is 463 metres above the ground. Look away now if you get vertigo: it even has some cars with glass floors so you can get the full viewing experience.
We use it to cross from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb then ride its lifts up to Blackcomb Glacier. There we climb up a ridge on a stretch called Spanky's Ladder to ski gems of bowls known as Diamond and Sapphire.
I peer over the edge, neck out like a stork to find the friendliest way in. "Hey there Hugo," says Wendy, as a tall, athletic skier climbs the last few steps to the lip, clicks into his skis and replies with a "how's it going, Wendy", before leaping into Diamond Bowl and making it shine.
There goes Hugo Harrison. He is to big mountain skiing – judged descents on steep terrain with speed, style and creativity – what Roger Federer is to tennis.
They're the kind of people you keep bumping into around here, the Hugos and the Wendys – devoted skiers and snowboarders who either grew up on these slopes or arrived here along some fortuitous path and just never saw the reason to leave.
It's difficult to argue with their reasoning.
Written by Jim Darby. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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