Today really sucked.  The lift lines were horrendously long and seamed to take forever.  That coupled with the poor conditions of the snow and visibility made for an un-interesting day.  When I eventually made it up big red, I headed on over to Garbonzo and simply did a couple runs down again.  I then hit the Whistler gondola so as to avoid big red, and took lunch.

After lunch I headed on over to Ratfink and down to the Harmony chair.  Again, horrendous lift lines.  I headed on over into the Saddle and then onto the Peak chair.  I decided to take Kaiser and the tree runs down and avoid the Peak to Creak.  the top part of the run was really difficult as the snow was really variable and it was difficult to get any turns in with any confidence.  Further in however the snow conditions got better and it was much more entertaining making turns in the trees.  Eventually it all came to an end and I hit the ski-out.

Lets hope that tomorrow will be better.

Visibility: Overcast, with very occasional sunny patches
Snow: 2cm
Piste Condition: Hard pack with icy patches
Wind: Light
Temperature: -2 at the base to -9 at the top.
Crowding: Heavy
Lift Lines: VERY Heavy

Not an early start today, and I had even skipped breakfast!  I headed up Whistler and straight up the Peak lift.  I headed on around and gave Bagel Bowl a look.  It was chopped and awful.  Headed around Highway 89 and back to big red, disappointed.

I needed a little cheer up so I headed down Orange peel and on down to Garbonzo.  Speeding down cheered me up a little.  At the top of Garbonzo I headed under the lift and took Seppo's through the trees.  They were really nice and secluded with loads of powder in there, if a little tight (read, dangerous).

I decided to head on over to Harmony but ended up in Symphony.  Over here the sun was in full bloom and the piste was in great form, if a little bumpy.  I stayed here for a few runs and eventually got a call from Chris.  I headed straight over to Harmony and charged down at a good lick of pace.  At the bottom of Harmony I called Chris and we met at the top at the entrance to Burnt Stew trail.

Immediately we headed left onto Alligator ridge.  We had a look at a couple of the drops, but there was simply not enough snow and too many rocks.  So we simply looked for as many hits of deep powder as we could.  Back up harmony we came down the Saddle.  Well, we traversed hard left and looked for hits and powder.  We managed to catch the last Peak chair.  We headed off towards the Symphony but before we rounded the bend too much we dropped off into the back-country.  This was a new place to ride for me.  The camera came out and we took some scenery shots.  This would be an excellent place to ride if the sun hadn't got to the snow.

There was a little hike out to get us back onto Kaiser track, where we met piste patrol on clear up.  We had to take Highway 89 and nearly 20 minutes after the lift was supposed to close we were allowed on for another run.  We decided to hit the round house and let the grommits get down the mountain, and await ski patrol kicking us out.

On the way down he hit the 'circle', which is a hidden spot where you can relax and wait out before heading down.  We headed straight down into the trees here, and it was really gnarly and tight.  I must admit that I side slipped a lot of the way as it was really steep and tight with trees.  Once we were at Big Red we decided to hit the BMX track.  It was great and the final run into the village was fast and fun.

Visibility: Bluebird, with occasional cloud
Snow: 1cm
Piste Condition: Chopped powder
Wind: Light
Temperature: -8 at the base to -13 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Heavy

Today was a late start as I wasn't feeling to hot after last night's pool competition.  I headed on over to Blackcomb and took the Whistler gondola.  I cruzed around today, down Upper Dave Murry and the Garbonzo lift.  I only did a couple runs before Rich gave me a call to say that he was coming up Big Read and heading over to Blackcomb to meet Jess.  It was Jess's birthday today.

Over on Blackcomb we met up with Jess, Nick, Cordelia and a couple of their other friends.  We headed on up towards the glacier, but because of the weather the top T-bar was closed.  Instead we headed on over into Seventh Heaven.  There was just so much powder it was amazing, and a good hangover cure.  We did the run down through the trees near the chair lift again and again.  We didn't go very fast as there were lots of problems with things like lost skis, too small a board, general falling over etc.

At the last lift there was only myself, Jess, Rich and Cordelia left when we headed back over towards the glacier for the last run down.  We got the last Jersey cream chair over and took the Peak2Peak over to Whistler and into the Round house for a quick drink.  Piste patrol kicked us out very quickly and we had to ride out.  Myself and Rich just charged down.  Turning is for wimps, I think the philosophy was.  Job done and straight into the GLC for birthday drinks.

Visibility: Overcast, poor
Snow: 13cm
Piste Condition: Fresh deep snow
Wind: None, increasing to light later
Temperature: -6 at the base to -15 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Heavy

I headed on over to Blackcomb today for a bit of a different ride and to get some big powder riding in.  There was a fair bit of cloud today at more than a couple levels, so when I got up the top of Excalibur and saw that Crystal was clear I headed for that.

I headed on over to the right and found that the piste was well groomed and un-touched.  So I hit the thing a couple times.  It was a really nice flow.  I then decided to head on up to the glacier.  As I got to the top and looked down the "Blow Hole" and I really fancied giving it a go. So I did.  It was really cool but too much powder in the bottom of the hole so that you couldn't go all the way down.  I popped out the side, which was like a half-pipe and as there was virtually no visibility I have no idea how high I went, but it felt like a very long time before landing.  The run back to Excalibur was really nice too, no longer any ice patches (I'm sure they are still there, just not today) and it was fun keeping up the speed.

I decided that this was a really good run so headed back to the glacier.  This time I headed off to the far side of the glacier and made more fresh tracks.  It was so deep that it was really difficult to keep my board from torpedoing and having to keep all the weight on the back foot.  It was quite tiring.

Heading up Jersey Cream, I headed on over to Seventh Heaven.  It was really windy up the top, so I kept to the main trails.  Other than that it was really un-eventfull.

First gondola, last lift day.  As there was loads of fresh snow (25cm) today, I started early and it was defo a 'no friends' day.

Hopping onto one of the first gondolas at Whistler, I headed straight up and into Franz's Meadow.  The powder was knee deep, if a little heavy.  There was simply so much snow to be had, only trouble is that everyone else was after the snow.  Dave Murray was excellent and I made a few runs over to the Garbonzo lift, including some tree runs in "Unsanctioned" and "Bat 21".

I then headed on up the Peak chair and on around to Symphony.  The snow in Symphony was a little dryer and lighter than elsewhere and was real fun.  Only trouble was that the snow was so deep it was really hard to get to areas which hadn't already had someone else run it.  I floated around Symphony for a while, before heading back up Harmony and in to the Round House for a well deserved lunch.

After lunch I headed down some tree runs to Emerald and then headed back up the Peak chair and back over into Symphony.  I expected the place to be much more tracked out, but the disappointing thing was that the snow had started to get heavier.  A few more runs over there, and it was all to quickly the last Symphony lift.  So I headed up Harmony and rode the ridge over to the top of the T-Bars and down the side to the Peak Chair.  Again this was the last lift, so I decided to take the Peak to Creak run and the ski out.

I headed into the Bagel bowl, but it was already tracked out, but was still quite good.  After getting onto the Peak to Creak it got really mouguled and the snow had turned into summer sticky snow.  The ski out was also really sticky, but entertaining.

Long day, but good!

Visibility: Overcast, two cloud layers, poor
Snow: 25cm
Piste Condition: Fresh deep snow, but heavy and getting heavier
Wind: None, increasing to light later
Temperature: -1 at the base to -3 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Heavy

Wasn't in a very good mood today.  So plugged in the tunes, cranked up the volume and just rode!

Headed up Whistler and arrived at Big Red.  However the lines were horrendous so headed straight over to Garbonzo.  I managed to put in a few laps down Upper Dave Murry and on down back to Garbonzo. On about my third or fourth round I remembered what Rich said last night, in that despite the Harmony chair being closed, it is only a short hike after getting the Peak Chair in order to get over into Harmony.  So I headed on up Big Red, and found that the T-bars had just been opened.

Jumped on the T-bars and headed straight on over into Harmony piste.  There was no-one there!  I had the whole thing practically to myself.  I boomed it down the slope and charged down sidewinder towards Emerald.  Emerald chair was full loaded with people, so headed toward Garbonzo.  The Olympic run down to Garbonzo was icy and lumpy and not in a very good state.  Headed up Garbonzo, down Dave Murry and back to Big Red.

The loop seamed like a good one to me so I did it a few times.  Each time there was no-one on the Harmony slope and it made for some great riding.  Only on the last ride down was there even anyone on the slope.  One guy, going really slowly.  So passed him quickly.

After a few laps it was getting late, and I managed to catch one of the last Big Red chairs, and got down to Garbonzo as quick as I could for the last chair there too.  Once again I headed down Upper Dave Murry and on to Cross Roads for a rid down to Creek Side, and down to Rowlands to watch the Canucks game.

Visibility: Excellent - Blue Bird
Snow: none
Piste Condition: Hard pack, with icy patches and ground showing through
Wind: Light
Temperature: +4 at the base to -4 at the top.
Crowding: Heavy
Lift Lines: Heavy

The Harmony chair has been closed due to a chair "falling off".

Another slow start to the day, but it soon picked up.  I initially just cruised up and down towards Garbonzo, that was until Rich gave me a call.  I hurtled it down to the Whistler village and met Rich at the Whistler Gondola. On the way up once of the Mountain Safety guys let us know why the Harmony chair had been closed.  Apparently one of the chairs fell off!  It hasn't been a good year for the Whistler mountain, what with all the mechanical failures and the HUGE number of deaths that have occurred.

Once we got up to the to we decided to head on up the Peak chair and over into Symphony.  The runs were actually really quite nice and ran well.  After a couple runs in the Symphony we decided it was done and headed back on over towards Emerald.  Finding the lift line to be huge we carried on down to Garbonzo.  From then on we did the Upper Dave Murry run and swung around back to Garbonzo.

We eventually had had enough and decided to head out via the ski out.  It was really icy and fast, but still a lot of fun.

Visibility: Excellent - Blue Bird
Snow: none
Piste Condition: Hard pack, with icy patches and ground showing through
Wind: Light
Temperature: -1 at the base to -7 at the top.
Crowding: Moderate
Lift Lines: Moderate to heavy

The Harmony chair has been closed due to a chair "falling off".

The day started off slowly.  I didn't want to push the ankle too much.  I headed up Whistler and generally just rode around the mountain.

I was starting to actually get a little bored, then Chris gave me a call and we met up at the Round House.  Chris had his camera with him, so we decided to take advantage of the sun and take some 'action' photos of us slashing the snow.  Ended up being quite a fun afternoon.

We then stopped at the Chick Pea for a last drink and allow all the 'plebs' to get off the mountain before we headed down.  The run out was pretty good and we rounded off the day with watching the Canucks in the Cinnamon Bear.

Visibility: Excellent - Blue Bird
Snow: none
Piste Condition: Hard pack, with icy patches and ground showing through
Wind: Light
Temperature: -1 at the base to -6 at the top.
Crowding: Moderate
Lift Lines: Moderate to heavy

The Harmony chair has been closed due to a chair "falling off".

My first day back on the snow after doing in my ankle.  I started off later in the morning than usual as didn't want to over stress my ankle.  Went up Whistler and decided to take it quite easy.  Good job too, as I was initially struggling.  Things did improve however and the ankle started to feel better and the speed crept up.  I rode around mostly to runs that took me down to the Garbonzo lift.

I eventually decided to head on over to Harmony.  On the way down I tweaked my ankle again so rested on the slope for a while.  I decided to carry on for a while and see how it felt.  From then on however I was struggling on my toe side edge and couldn't keep the edge.  I then decided to head to the Round House for a hot chocolate and a biscuit.  After that I then headed on around for a few more runs.  Heading up the Peak chair the weather was closing in and the visibility was getting worse.  I then decided to head on down before things got worse and before my ankle gave out.

Not a great day, but just glad to get out and be on the snow.

Visibility: Good deteriorating to poor
Snow: none
Piste Condition: Hard pack, with icy patches and ground showing through
Wind: Light
Temperature: -1 at the base to -8 at the top.
Crowding: Moderate
Lift Lines: Moderate

Got a call last night from Chris and he and Rich were looking to go sledding today.  I jumped at the chance to do something different.  I met the guys shortly after 15:00 and we checked in to Outdoor Adventures.  We were driven to Cougar Mountain where we were kitted out.  We had our own group and an English guide and then set off.  The sleds that you get are really big and heavy and took me a while to get used to it and to feel comfortable.

We set off and I was first behind the guide.  We arrived at a small open area where we were allowed to rid our sleds on our own.  This is where I got a good feel for the sled.  Gunning the throttle and going as fast as was available and also getting some air over some humps.  All too soon we were off again.

We eventually got to this lake where we had to ride over it as fast as possible.  Excellent.  Another great chance to gun the throttle.  After that we were at a big open frozen lake.  Here we were told to simply always go around ant clockwise and to avoid the marked areas.

And they were off.  The next half hour was spent just gunning the throttle, hanging on for dear life whilst keeping my speed up going around the bend and generally trying to go as fast as possible.  It was a great time.  We then stopped for some hot chocolate and some soup.  A welcome break from all the efforts needed to keep the sled going.

After the break we started to head off.  The sun was starting to set and it was getting quite dark.  The lights on the sleds were good and looked really cool when we were all going around the tracks and bouncing around.

All too soon the day was over and we were back at the start.  A well worth it time.  I will definatley be doing that again, and hopefully again!

Start Time: 13/02/2009 14:08:25
End Time: 13/02/2009 18:25:40
Duration: 04:17:15
Total Distance (approx): 53.4km

Got up this morning to find that there was 11cm of fresh powder out there.  Myself and Edd headed on out to Whistler mountain.  We decided to hike up Pikas trail and over into the Harmony Bowl.  We hiked up to the avalanche marker and made fresh tracks into the gorgeous powder.  It was really great powder in there.  We headed on down towards the Harmony chair, but it wasn't open so headed straight to the Emerald chair and back to the hike.  We hit the fresh powder again, once again making fresh tracks.  Brilliant.

At the top of Emerald this time we decided to hit Ratfink and some tree runs.  We good but already tracked out. Around again, we headed further round and dropped into the trees above right of harmony.  Good, but still needs a lot more powder.  We decided to wait in the Harmony lift line and wait for it to open.  We lucked in and only had to wait for 2 minutes.

On the way up Harmony we decided to hit the Horseshoe 6.  As we got around to it there was two skiers scoping out the drop in.  Myself and Edd were really cheeky and did not wait.  We dropped straight in.  I hit a hard lump almost straight in and tweaked my bad ankle.  The run out however was great.  We headed over towards the Gun Barrels.  It was quite moguly here, and I tweaked my ankle even more here as I hit a big mogul before seeing it.

At the top of harmony we decided to head over into Symphony bowl.  I kept to the left and hit a rock head on and flipped.  Tweaking my ankle yet again.  Now my ankle was in real trouble.  As such we only made a couple runs down symphony before heading down the saddle and into the ski out.  Edd had work to go to and I just couldn't board any more.

Lets hope that my ankle is a bit better for tomorrow, as it is quite swollen at the moment.

Start Time: 09/02/2009 08:14:37
End Time: 09/02/2009 12:25:31
Duration: 04:10:54
Total Distance (approx): 53.8km

Visibility: Good
Snow: 11cm
Piste Condition: Powder with hard pack underneath
Wind: Moderate to heavy
Temperature: -4 at the base to -11 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Light

It just wasn't happening today.  I got up the mountain quite early, but it was really quite cold.  I couldn't get warm all day, despite it not being a very cold day.  I also forgot to start the GPS logger, and that really annoyed me too!

I headed up Blackcomb with the idea of hitting the Terrain garden and trying out the 180's again.  The piste condition was extremely solid, and didn't ease up at any time during the day either, that coupled with the very poor visibility made even seeing the lip of the jumps difficult.  I went around the Terrain garden at least 10 times during the day, and whilst enjoying the first jump, the second I just couldn't get right.  I was trying to get my line into the jump set-up and didn't do a very good job.

I had lunch at the Glacier Creek today before heading back up the Jersey Cream and back to the Terrain Garden.  It was very crowded and the conditions hadn't improved much.  So I only gave it another few trips around, and eventually called it a day at just after 14:30.

Snow is expected on Sunday night, so let's hope it's a lot and I get my 'mojo' back

Visibility: Poor
Snow: 0cm
Piste Condition: Choppy powder with loads of icy patches
Wind: Heavy
Temperature: -4 at the base to -9 at the top.
Crowding: Moderate
Lift Lines: Heavy

After some excellent advice from Will (the landlord and Level 3 instructor and park instructor) I headed straight to the Blackcomb Terrain garden and practiced my lines again and again, and built my knowledge of the jumps.  I went around the park four times just getting my lines right and pulling some straight airs with grabs, in order to get to know the park.  On the run out back to the Solar coaster chair there is a hit at the side which allowed me to pull a Half Cab (front-side 180) which I was really starting to dial down.

After these four runs Rich met me up and we hit the terrain garden together for a couple runs.  This time however I was starting to pull switch 180's on the first kicker, but still pulled the straight airs on the second.  All the time hitting the rails, boxes and benches on the way down, and continuing to hit the Half Cab before the chair.

After this we decided to hit the "Blue Park".  Oh my god!  Even the medium jumps are HUGE, especially the landing and run outs which are extremely steep.  You also had to hit each of the jumps almost straight lined!  I did however manage to hit the landing on each of the jumps but one.  Even that one I hit the transition but wasn't lines up correctly, but still managed to ride it out (eventually).  We then rode into the super pipe.  The first ride in the pipe wasn't so good, but not too bad.  I tried to remember the advice my regular riding buddy from the UK gave me (MDO), and tried to keep my front leg a bit straighter.

We headed around the blue park again.  I had a much better run this time.  Also this time I had quite a good pipe ride.  I was much higher up the transition and felt much better in the transitions.

After a spot of lunch we hit the Terrain garden again for a re-warm-up.  This time we decided to throw more spins in this time.  Rich landed his first 360 and I managed to land a really nice and floaty switch 180.  So we then repeated the run out, and again I was managing to spin on the hit and land my Half Cab.

We again went into the Blue Park.  This time Rich tried to pull a 360 on the first big jump.  He didn't quite manage it but it was a really, really good try! For myself, I hit everyone of the jumps on the way down, hitting the transition really well (on one I was leaning a bit too forward and nose pressed the landing for about 3m, before getting it down!) and just scorched through the park.

On the way up again we got a call from Chris, who had headed up Whistler Gondola.  So myself and Rich jumped into the Peak2Peak and headed over.  There was only time to charge down to Garbonzo, hitting loads of hits and jumps over rollers, before we had to ride down.  Myself and Rich decided to ride the "Ski Out" to Bayshores where the house is.  I have to say that it was very interesting sketchy and extremely narrow in places.  I will have to be much more aggressive in riding it next time, now that I know the exact route.

What an awesome days in the park!  More to follow tomorrow...

Start Time: 06/02/2009 10:08:00
End Time: 06/02/2009 16:29:25
Duration: 06:21:25
Total Distance (approx): 90.9km

Visibility: Poor in the morning, increasing to excellent in the afternoon
Snow: 1-3cm
Piste Condition: Choppy powder with some icy patches
Wind: Moderate to heavy
Temperature: -2 at the base to -7 at the top.
Crowding: Moderate
Lift Lines: Moderate

Today was a day for going fast.  Well, before the slopes got too chopped up!  I just simply charged around the mountain building my self confidence over the slopes at the higher average speeds.  Harmony was especially fast today.

I headed for lunch at about 11:30 and when I finished and left the roundhouse Rich gave me a call to say that he was on his way up.  I headed on up the Peak chair and over into the Bagel Bowl.  The bowl was extremely disappointing as it was fully crusty and hard packed.  I headed on past Big Red and onto Garbonzo, then down and over to Emerald.  Despite putting in three different lifts, I was still waiting at the 'light board' for Rich.

We simply then headed on around the mountain looking for some fun areas to ride, and ended up in Symphony for a couple runs.  It was just too choppy, so we headed on over to Harmony and hit the main run down a couple times as it was fast and fun.

We rode around for a while longer and planned to head down to Creekside to buy some sushi for dinner.  However, we were mucking around too much and riding switch and throwing in some 180's that we missed the last turn that would have allowed up to get to Creekside.  We tried hitting a couple tree runs to try and get over but it wasn't happening.  We did however see people getting the Garbonzo chair and chanced it, as it was after 15:40.  We were in luck, and this time headed straight down Dave Murry all of the way to the bottom...without stopping.  Good day.

Start Time: 05/02/2009 09:24:09
End Time: 05/02/2009 16:00:17
Duration: 06:36:08
Total Distance (approx): 99.3km

Visibility: Very good, with light cloud in the afternoon
Snow: 0cm
Piste Condition: Choppy powder with some icy patches
Wind: None to light
Temperature: +4 at the base to -4 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Light

Another amazing day on the slopes.  Early start again and headed out to the slopes with Edd.  We headed up the Creekside Gondola and straight over to Garbonzo via the BMX track.  Much nicer today on the BMX track.  We hit a couple runs, waiting for the Harmony and Symphony runs to open up.  When Harmony opened up we headed down the Harmony ridge for a little and then hikes up a small ridge and dropped the steeps into Hidden Chute.  It's quite a steep slope and had already been tracked so it was a little difficult to get a rhythm going.  At the bottom, both myself and Edd hit some really hard avalanche debris.  I banged my left ankle, and Edd flipped!

We headed straight on up Symphony chair and decided to hike the Flute.  We had a look at the whole ridge and ended up heading down the Flute Shoulder.  Turns out to have been an excellent idea.  The turns we made were so powder filled and our tracks were the only tracks in there.  The lines were so blinking sweet, powder filled and fast.  Once we got back to the Symphony chair and after a very quick discussion, we were again hiking the Flute Bowl.  Again we hit the Flute Shoulder.  No-one had hit it in the mean time, so it was still only our tracks, and because there is a lot of terrain to hit we laid down yet more fresh tracks.

By now it was quite late and Edd had to head off to go to work, so that left me at the bottom of Symphony.  I headed on up and rode down and over to Harmony chair and around to the Round House as I really needed a drink and some lunch.

After lunch I headed on over to Blackcomb over the Peak2Peak.  My intention was to hit some runs and I then ended up in the Terrain Garden.  Today I was getting some good straight airs, but with a lot of grabs.  Managed that quite a few times before the last lift.  Headed on straight down the mountain and closed out the day.

Start Time: 03/02/2009 08:21:40
End Time: 03/02/2009 15:52:04
Duration: 07:30:24
Total Distance (approx): 97.9km

Visibility: Very good, with light cloud in the afternoon
Snow: 0cm
Piste Condition: Choppy powder
Wind: None with light wind in the late day
Temperature: +3 at the base to +4 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Light

Today I finally took the plunge and bought some backcountry safety gear.  With all the off-piste riding, tree runs, hiking and general avalanche risks I thought it was time.  This is what I bought:

Ortovox D3 Avalanche Transceiver

Weight: 247g

The triple antenna system on this digital beacon allows precise, pin-point location of signals. Display uses three direction arrows, numerical distance LEDs and multiple burials indicator.

• Carrying system includes cover and elastic straps.
• Single button twists to change from transmit to receive.
• Earphone jack (earphones not included).
• Dimensions are 130 x 80 x 25mm.
• Nominal range is 40m.
• Normal battery life transmits for 300 hours, receives for 40 hours.
• Uses 2 AA batteries (included). Battery strength indicator.
• Meets European Standard EN 300 718.

G3 AviTech Shovel

Weight: 760g (Std)

This is a strongly-built shovel; the connector tube and blade have been heat-treated after welding to relieve residual stresses and produce a rugged shaft-to-blade interface.

• Blade is made from 6061 T6 aluminum.
• Silver anodized aluminum shaft.
• D-grip handle for easy grip; it features a unique ice axe loop attachment point.
• Handle and blade are red for easy location in the snow.
• Dry-stash compartment in handle.
• Multiple slots in the blade allow easy attachment to pack, rigging an emergency rescue sled with skis, or rigging as a deadman snow anchor.
• Available in two versions: ultralight short or longer telescoping handle.

Black Diamond Quick Draw 230cm Carbon Fiber Probe

Weight: 212g

Lightweight and easily packable, this ultra-rigid, large diameter carbon probe has speed bullets for rapid assembly. The velcro closure on the stuff sack pulls open quickly so you can deploy it in just seconds.

• Made of light, tough carbon fibre.
• Marked every 5cm under clearcoat.
• Ideal for professional use.
• Diameter is 1.3cm.
• Packed length is 44cm.
• Assembled length is 230cm.
• Includes stuff sack.

The day started early and proved to be a good idea.  I woke up to find that the forecast was wrong at saying 1-2cm, but instead was 14cm.  Great!  I headed on out with Edd and we headed on straight up Whistler and over to Franzs.  We tore up the powder and it was the best snow of the season for me so far!  At the bottom of the Franz chair, we dropped immediate left into the trees and had more deep powder, but in the trees.  It was quite a job in there as all of the turns and bumps meant you had to be really aggressive in order to get those turns in and not hit the trees or huge bumps.

After that I took Edd to the BMX track that Chris showed me the other day.  We were the first to hit the track and as such it was a bit difficult to keep your speed.  However we both loved it, and intend to go hit it again in the future.  I did intend to hit it as a late run in the day but that didn't happen.

We headed on up Garbonzo and then headed down upper Dave Murray.  It was quite good but a bit tracked already.  We then headed on over to the other BMX track that has a BIG drop at the end.  It was better than it was the other day and much easier to ride.  Near the bottom of it however, as I went into one of the burns, I clipped a rock and flipped.  No damage to me or the board, thankfully.

We headed back up Big Red and then headed over to the top of Emerald and hiked up the cat track until we met the avalanche signs (as Harmony wasn't open yet).  We then dropped some really sick powder lines down and past Harmony.  We rode past Emerald as the lines were huge.  So, back up Garbonzo.  We again headed on down Dave Murry but the lines were really tracked, but still some good powder to be had.

Once again we headed back up Big Red and then did the little hike up past Emerald again for more lines.  This time the avalanche signs were higher up the cat-track so it opened up some more terrain.  It didn't fail us, as we put down some really good lines in there again.  This time, we noticed that people were waiting at the Harmony chair and decided to give it a try.

We arrived at about 11:20, and unfortunately the lift just did not look to be opening up for Edd, so he had to head down as he had work to go to.  After the usual snowball fight, the chair eventually opened at 12:10...it was just SO worth it!  I immediately headed down Harmony Ridge and straight into the McCools Couloir and simply dropped straight into it, no messing...I must admit that the time I spent in the air I was a little surprised at just how long it was.  No idea of just how big the drop was, but bigger than my normal.  I put in a few turns, and I triggered a small slab avalanche.  Thankfully as I was one of the first on Harmony and there was no-one below me, there wasn't and problem.  So I maxed it down to Harmony again.

At the top of Harmony it turned out that the Symphony chair was open and so I headed down Burnt Stew trail (couldn't see a darned thing as it was quite wet and the snow was sticking and meting on the goggles...no matter how much you wiped, you were limited for visibility).  There were so many un-tracked ways to get down.  So I did it again, and again and again.

On the fourth time, I hit the line for the lift, but it had stopped/broken down.  For ages (and again the usual snowball fight) everyone waited, and waited.  However it just wasn't going to go.  So everyone who was there (about 300 people) had to take the hike out.  Not good.  I was knackered already, but to have to hike out really took it out of me.

Eventually got onto the Harmony chair and blindly made my way down the saddle, and straight down the mountain.  On getting close to the top of the Creekside gondola I contemplated taking the gondola down.  I just couldn't face myself if I did that so took the run down.  It was really knackering as the snow further down was really sticky and heavy.  Was glad to get down save and sound.

Start Time: 02/02/2009 09:04:37
End Time: 02/02/2009 15:33:16
Duration: 06:28:39
Total Distance (approx): 41.0km

Visibility: Overcast with low cloud patches, better light in the trees
Snow: 14cm
Piste Condition: Powder
Wind: Starting off moderate, easing to none
Temperature: +1 at the base to -4 at the top.
Crowding: Light
Lift Lines: Varied from light to heavy