The Travelling Stevens Crew are off!

Ever since arriving in Vancouver and talking to people about where we had been skiing, all the Vancouverians have said you must get up to Whistler! The ski season is a little longer at Whistler ( until April 20) so we did some checking on what deals were available. We hadn't planned on doing any more skiing but thought it would be pretty cool to take a look so we can recognise a few things in 2010 when the Winter Olympics are here and checkout how it compares to Big White.

We had kept a look out on the weather for the week and decided that Thursday was going to be our best option. Greyhound buses also had a Spring ski package that included return travel, ski rental and list passes which saved us hiring a car again. It meant a big day , bus pick up at 6.30am and return to Vancouver on the last bus at 6.30pm, but we were all very excited to get in another unexpected day of skiing.

The drive upto Whistler was a picture in itself, flanked on one side by mountains and the other a very picturesque Horseshoe Bay. The only down side is just about the entire length of "mountain" road is presently messed up with continuous road improvements for the Olympics. Already the crews are working 24/7 , blasting and preparing for the increased traffic in 18 months time! Should be a good road after 2010!

Whistler was a huge surprise to us. We expected just another ski resort but it literally has its own "town" a few KMs away and then the village which is enormous. We jumped off the bus and headed straight for the Visitor Centre to save as much time as possible. There were numerous places and businesses to hire skis so we grabbed some advice and took off at a cracking pace. We were so glad to have got the early bus as we were fitted and organised by about 10.30am , amazing how long it can take to get 5 people fitted with skies. A quick caffeine fix and a bite to eat and we joined the queue for the gondola up the mountain!

The 20 minute gondola ride takes you about 3/4 up the mountain and then there are other chairlift options from there. Thankfully we shared the gondola with a local couple who were a wealth of information about which way to do things. The day was clear and bright and we were all anxious to get out and enjoy these fantastic conditions. The mountain had received 2 cm of fresh snow over night so the powder snow at the top was very special. We could see the beginning of the construction of the first ever gondola that will join 2 mountains. Presently the concrete structures have been built for a gondola that will run between Blackcomb Mountain ski resort and Whistler with only 4 pilons . At a cost of 52 million it will operate all year round and will be open December this year.

The runs were really long and some great challenging options for all of us. Once again the kids amazed us with their flair and ease and I think Mackenzie topped it on the enjoyment list and went on and on and on. She made me smile at the end of the day ( after about a full 4 + hours of skiing) she flopped on the snow with tears in her eyes, totally exhausted and said " I don't want to do it anymore". She was about 200m from the bottom!!

We loved the opportunity to ski up here but were pleased to be able to come away and still be really happy with our choice of Big White for our week long holiday. Whistler was more crowded and commercialised, lots of shops and hotel style accommodation, eventhough everyone said it was a quiet day. The true ski in and out facilities were a huge draw card at Big White and a much more laid back and friendly feel to the whole resort. It will be exciting for us to see how everything looks come 2010.

The bus trip back was a very quiet one with all 3 kids sleeping the whole way to Vancouver and climbing into bed without a word.