Snow Days - Whistler, B.C. - January 27, 2006

Limo van picked us up at 9, our United flight was at 11. Picked up the rental car in Vancouver, piled in the gear and headed for the mountains. Made a couple of wrong turns and dealt with some traffic. Made it to the mountain in about three and a half hours. Checked in at Sunpath at Stoney Creek. Very nice condo with three bedrooms, a fireplace and a hot tub. Mixed up some cocktails, made dinner reservations. Walked over to Whistler Village (3 minute walk), stopped in at La Boca. Had delicious espresso martinis while waiting for dinner. Walked to Val d'Isere and had wonderful seafood in our own little room.

Up early, had breakfast at Ingred's. Put on all of our gear and waited for the shuttle. Stood in a couple of very long lift lines for the gondola and our first chair on Blackcomb. Great skiing, lots of snow and sun. Stopped after half day. Took the shuttle back to the condo and hopped in the hot tub. Changed and headed to the village for a martini before walking to Sachi Sushi for a phenomenal meal. Once again we had our own little room! Stopped for chocolates in the Village on the way home.  

Had breakfast at Ingred's again then made Ziptrek reservations. Jason headed to the mountain, Rick had a massage, Randy had a facial and Adrianne hung out at the condo. We met Jason for lunch at a La Boca. He was a bit late after boarding to the wrong side of the mountain. Went back to the condo and watched it start to snow really hard. We made some cocktails and a reservation for dinner. Walking to dinner Adrianne wisely got us into a cab; it was farther than it looked. Had dinner at Monk's. Very tasty. Our waitress was fun, even suggesting a punk club for Randy and Jason later that night (though we never made it out ).

Snowed all night, powder was everywhere. Went to a crepe restaurant for breakfast, then walked over to the Whistler gondola. No lines at all! At the top we found two to three feet of powder, woo hoo! Spent the morning having a blast in the snow. Conditions were great, weather was beautiful. Dropped our gear and had lunch at Black's Grill. Went to the Ziptrek desk and checked in for our tour. Met Jill Marie and (very cute) Jay, our enthusiastic guides for the afternoon, along with as our fellow zippers, Evelyn and Willie from Vancouver. Took a van to the valley between Whistler and Blackcomb. Walked across suspended walkways and platforms. Had a blast sailing back and forth over the river. Back at the condo Jason mixed up the last of the cocktail fixings and we headed back to Sachi Sushi for dinner. It was so good that we had to go again!

Breakfast at Crepe Montagne, very tasty. Checked out of the condo and drove down the mountain in the rain. Made a quick stop at Shannon Falls. We stopped at Trolls restaurant at the BC Ferry terminal by the water. Drove into Vancouver and around a bit, then to the airport. Hung out at the airport for a while; for some reason it was really cold inside! It was pouring rain as we boarded the plane. Two hour flight back to San Francisco and a van ride home. What a fun trip!

Many thanks to Jason and Adrianne for joining us on the trip! We had a great time with them on and off the slopes!