According to grade ten biology class both fresh water and sunlight are what make life on earth possible. That's all fine and dandy but up in Whistler things don't always follow the book-we like our water frozen and our skies obscured with storm clouds. Snow is life in our quiet mountain town and these days life is good.
Good and deep. Whistler has been getting hammered with snowfall since Christmas day and with more storms stacking up out over the Pacific locals like Extremely Canadian founder Peter Smart are ringing in the new year with untracked turns, pillowy tree lines, deep cornice drops, steep chutes, soft groomers and other snowy good times.
Mr. Smart has been guiding skiers and boarders in the mountains for over sixteen years and, as his name implies, the guy is a wealth of snowy knowledge and true mountain wisdom. In between runs of perfect winter bliss we caught up to Peter in the lift line and got him bragging about some of his favourite spots on Whistler Blackcomb.
Best Powder
"On Blackcomb I think I would have to say Xiggy's Meadow for powder," Peter says. "It's not that steep but a lot of people never make it that far over so you can often find nice snow. Also Secret Bowl is not always a secret but the wind can blow a lot of powder in there and if you stick near the rocks you can get nice turns."
On Whistler Peter has a soft spot for a run called Christmas Trees. "If you can find it, you'll be rewarded," he says.
Best Groomers/Cruisers
"Franz's Run on Whistler is amazing when it's groomed," Peter reveals. "But you have to get there early. On Blackcomb I really like Zig Zag," he says, "because of the name and how it actually does zig and zag. It isn't your typical straight ski run."
Peter also gave a shout out to my personal favourite, Schoolmarm. "Schoolmarm is a fantastic lower mountain cruiser," he says. "In the spring it's protected by shadows so it stays fast longer into the afternoon."
Best Moguls
"Grand Finale, on Whistler" is Peter's top pick, although he wouldn't divulge just how many days a year he can be found grinding bump runs. This is, after all, a guy whose work day mainly consists of skiing powder and ripping the steeps.
Best Viewpoint
"The top of Climax or Couloir Extreme," Peter says. "It's about 300 degrees of uninterrupted views and you're looking downhill almost all the way around. It's the closest most people will get to standing on a spire and there is a cat track to get you there."
And these are only the spots with proper names that Peter doesn't mind sharing. To access his super-secret, "show-don'ttell" powder stashes you'll probably want to book a day with Peter or one of his Extremely Canadian coaches. Check out Peter's video from the Whistler Sabbatical Project online to get a taste of what's out there. wouldyoudoit.whistler.com
Or go find it yourself. Whistler Blackcomb has 100% of its 8171 skiable acres open to the public and exploring is always rewarding. Just make sure you never leave the ski area boundary without proper safety equipment and the knowledge to use it.
The good news is that an hour of downhill skiing burns an average of 360 calories (more in deep powder) so you can get cracking on those New Year's resolutions too. Skiing is healthy and snow is life. Get some.
