Kathleen, Me, and Tyler at Mt. Baker

To get to Mt. Baker we woke up early at 5am and headed east to Abbotsford through the Sumas Boarder Crossing in to the Untied States.  After a quick intermission at the boarder and exaggerating the truth to the boarder guard about having fruit in our car we headed off the windy back roads to Mt. Baker.  I have never skied Mt. Baker and was surprised that the roads to get there were so narrow through farm land and forests.

View of Mount Shuksan – one of the two mountains in Mt. Baker’s ski fields

I must say, Mt. Baker is so beautiful!  The terrain is very picturesque and with their alpine base at over 200cm (111 inches) that day there was lot’s of snow.  Initially, I was under the impression that Mt. Baker was as big as Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains but I found the terrain there to be a similar size to Grouse Mountain.

Mt. Baker

One thing I noticed immediately was the boring names they use for their chairlifts…ie. C-5, C-8, C-7.  Speaking of Mt. Baker’s chairlifts, I was NOT happy!  They feel very unsafe!  They do not have a restraining bar and you have to be ready for them to ’scoop’ you up or get hit by them when you get on.  They are older quad chairs but I was shocked that they didn’t have a restraining device to keep you in your chair.  It was especially scary when the chair stopped and swung in mid-air…

Tyler with the Mt. Baker trail map contemplating our next move after lunch

However, despite being a smaller mountain the terrain was awesome!  Very fun and lot’s of snow.  Our favorite run of the day was a black diamond called Canyon which we went down three times despite the sketchy chairlift C-6 to get up to it =)  We also enjoyed the other terrain the mountain had to offer and it did have lot’s of wide runs and extensive blue terrain.  We discovered the snow was less tracked out on the right side (Mt. Baker side) of the mountain and much less busy.

View down our favorite run of the day Canyon

Overall, it was a very long but great day to Mt. Baker.  I would love to go again sometime soon.  I just have to work up enough courage to get back on their chairlifts.

In addition, one of the local TV stations, City TV, was holding a contest that is now closed called ‘Duck Out’ to take a picture of a rubber duck in an unusual location. The TV station randomly selects 5 winners over 5 weeks so Tyler and I thought we would enter. The prize is pretty nice: $4500 value of a trip for two to Acapulco Fairmont Hotel!
We thought we would bring our devil duck up to the slopes on Cypress Mountain to enjoy all of the fresh snow! Here are the two pics Tyler and I submitted:

Robyn:

Devil Duck getting ready to hit the slopes on Cypress Mountain

Tyler:

Devil Duck ready to board down Cypress

Also, here is another Devil Duck picture that we didn’t submit that Tyler took that I enjoy.

Anyways, we and the devil duck had a great evening on Cypress Mountain……can’t wait until we get some fresh snow soon.

Last night being a Tuesday means that Robyn and I get to use our Night Ski pass up at Cypress and we were both looking forward to the evening. With receiving 25cm of snow the previous day it should have been great conditions right?

The nice thing I find about night skiing is that the slopes are not as busy as the weekend is. There are no crazy lineups at the chairlifts and the snow can be somewhat decent. Well the snow depends really on the weather and in Vancouver we haven’t had the greatest snow so far this Winter.

When we arrived at the parking lot they were practicing for the Freestyle Aerial event, Canada Post Freestyle Grand Prix that Cypress is hosting. The event’s venue is actually where the 2010 Winter Olympic Aerial and Mogul event is being held. It was cool seeing a couple of the people launch off the snow ramps, but we thought we’d check it out after our time on the snow.

I would also like to mention that I was mistaken in my last post about thinking it was part of the WordCup event which is being held at Cypress too. The LG Snowboard WorldCup is being held this month as well. My favorite part of the mountain is closed as they set up the border cross course. The Skiing portion is for the FIS (International Ski Federation) and they are doing Aerials and Moguls.

We took to Panorama as our first run of the day. The sun had not quite set yet so I was hoping we’d be able to get some photos of Vancouver from the ridge.

Metro Vancouver from Cypress

It seems that we were in luck and managed to get a couple shots of Vancouver and the surrounding area with Robyn’s camera.

The Lions

The view is amazing from Cypress as not only does it show you the the city, but if you face the other way you can see the Sunshine Coast, Horseshoe Bay and even the Lions.

After the initial run on Panorama as a warm up we found the snow to be very icy. Luckily there were not many people on Panorama as it is the only run open on the Black Mountain side during night ski as the north runs are closed due to the WorldCup Cross course being set up.

Setting up for the LG WorldCup Snowboarder Cross Event

The runs for the PGS (Parallel Giant Slalom) and Boarder Cross are PGS as well as the Upper portion of Fork. Going up the Eagle Express Chair you can see the course marked out with blue paint as well as all the rollers they have created. It looks pretty sweet actually and fun too.

We headed back over to the Lions Express chair and tried out Collins. I had a bit of a spill at the beginning on a patch of ice and hurt my tail bone but the rest of the run was better than expected. We hit Collins a couple more times as we thought that the other runs were far too icy.

Black Mountain at Dusk

The view of the mountains and surrounding area as the sunset was pretty impressive. Seeing the FIS Grand Prix event lit up as the sun set was pretty cool too. We headed into the lodge after a few runs, ate our food and went back to the car to pack our gear.

After we got our gear in the car and on the rack we decide to head over to the aerials and check them out. We ’snuck’ in pretending we were part of the event and no one seemed to really care we were there. Yes I do wish I had brought my dSLR but I had fun using Robyn’s point and shoot camera to try and take photos.

FIS Grand Prix Aerials

I did manage to get one decent shot of an aerial. The others, the action was too fast for the camera to capture properly. We stayed there watching jump after jump. It was pretty cool seeing freestyle aerials in person. Jump after jump we both thought the landings were quite hard. We think about 95% of the aerials ended up falling when they hit the snow, which sounded hard and really icy.

We saw one person fall bad and ended up injuring his leg. He was moved into the tent behind us and looked at by the first aid attendents. I guess he twisted his knee as he had a huge ice pack wrapped around it when we left.

You can check out the rest of our Cypress photos from this night as well as others over at my Flickr Cypress Set.

Again we did enjoy our time up at Cypress even if the snow was icy and a bit nerve racking. We also really enjoyed watching the freestyle aerials. Robyn is glad she got to see part of the event as her work schedule will be interfering with some of the other events she would like to see such as the WorldCup Snowboard Halfpipe. If only I could get media accreditation for the event to take photos of such an event.

Tyler and I attended Wordcamp Whistler on Jan. 24th which was a great day and we got the opportunity to hear more about what was going on in the world of Wordpress and new technology. Personally, being new to blogging I didn’t know many people but Tyler introduced me to a few people as well we both met some new people.  We asked around at Wordcamp but it appeared we were the only people that had plans on going up the mountains the next day.

Raul showing us his love and dedication to Wordpress!

Tyler and I were both exhausted on Sunday morning from Wordcamp the previous day and a full work week so we had decided to enjoy the luxuries of The Chateau Whistler by sleeping in and using the pool facilities.  It was a beautiful sunny day but a chilly -17 Celsius.  We decided to do a half day pass but trust me, financially it’s not worth it!  It’s only $10 cheaper and does not start until 12:30pm  so we just went ahead and paid full price to go up Blackcomb at 11:30am.

Whistler/Blackcomb unfortunately has not had a very good snow season.  There has not been any new snow for a couple of weeks and with the base at 142cm the runs were ice rinks!  We were slipping and sliding all over the place.  We decided not to head over to 7th Heaven as it is so windy on that side of the mountain the ice could potentially be worse.  Crystal chair was the least icy spot on the mountain but it was so cold we could only do a couple of runs and then have to go inside to warm up.

Looking down Blackcomb Mountain near Rendevous

Neither of us had a major fall but we saw lot’s of other people falling frequently.  Tyler and I had a fun day but were glad were only on Blackcomb for a half day as the ice was tiring and dangerous.  It’s been a poor snow season for Whistler/Blackcomb which is too bad, I just received an email today saying they received 23cm of new snow in the past 24hrs which gives me some hope for the season to improve.  As of right now if they don’ t get more new snow I’m going to save my money and keep skiing locally.

Tyler contemplating his next move on the icy terrain!

Our view from the Executive Inn

We had planed to go up skiing/riding for 2 days but since our first day was so cold we decided to save some money and just do that one.  I was so cold on top of Whistler with the alpine temperature being -23 Celsius.

I’m so cold on the chairlift I can’t even look at the camera!

Well, we had a good time and it was beautiful and sunny but it was very icy with limited terrain open.  Tyler had some troubles with his board being able to bite into the snow.  Most people were only able to do 2 or 3 runs before having to go inside to warm up.  I bought toe warmers which I needed and even with them my toes were freezing!  However, the mountain views were amazing and clear.

Looking back at Blackcomb Mountain 7th Heaven

Recently, we have been spending time a bit closer to home on Cypress Mountain but now that Whistler has had new snow and the alpine base is currently at 120cm we are looking forward to going again soon!

Being New Year’s Eve Robyn and I thought we could hit up Cypress Mountain for a bit of night ski/snowboarding. We do have Bronze Adult Night Passes which allow us to go up from 4PM to Close one night a week. The weekday we picked was Wednesday and we were both really excited to do some night skiing. This would be the first time snowboarding at night and luckily Cypress Mountain received about 13cm of fresh snow early in the morning.

Cypress’ New Lodge & Night

After meeting up with our friend Lili we took off to the Collins (green) run to warm up. The thing that was a bit different for myself was I repositioned my bindings a bit further apart. This should help me get in a lower stance on my board, boy did it help! I also lengthened my straps a bit to make it easier to strap my boots in. I have been having troubles doing that.

The snow was fresh, and the crowds were minimal, in fact not many people were on the mountain at all. I guess being New Year’s Eve people would rather be at home partying than be on the mountain. Not I, I loved the fresh snow, the quiet surroundings of riding down the runs.

Looking towards Black Mountain

We took to Horizon (blue) and unfortunately Robyn skied over a rock and bailed. She was alright though and we continued down the run. It was quite moguly and icy in some spots though I did find I had an easier time going down this time than the previous day. There were some more exposed areas on the run due to boarders plowing the snow. Trust me, I really try not to plow the beautiful snow anymore! I too now find it frustrating going over sheets of ice and/or exposed rocks!

We went up to the other side of Cypress (Black Mountain) and went down Panoramic (green). Yes we did do these runs last time on Cypress (Sunday) but I needed to get used to the new wider stance of mine. It was great and I really enjoyed it. After that run we met up with some more friends of ours (Tony and Ali) and took to our next run Fork (blue). So far Fork (upper & lower) are my favorite runs on Cypress.  They are wide enough for me to practice my turns, but also kept it a bit more challenging due to the steepness as well as offering occasional narrow bits to practice tighter turns.

Cypress’ New Bar & Grill

After a couple runs down Fork we took to the Crazy Raven Bar and Grill, part of the new Cypress lodge addition. They offer great food and friendly staff. Not to mention the great view of the snow outside.

Great food at Crazy Raven

While we feasted on nachos, various other foods and drinks it started to snow outside. A light dusting of 2-3cms allowed the runs to be even more fun. We suited up and took back up the Eagle Express Quad Chair to get in a couple more runs down Fork before the mountain closed at 10pm.

Ever since I took my level 3 lesson, snowboarding for me has gotten much more easier and more enjoyable. Being able to link c-turns has allowed me to really enjoy snowboarding at a whole new level. Robyn and our friends did not really have to wait up for me anymore. At times I even passed them by and kept going.

Robyn recommends I take the level 4 lesson which is an introduction to Black runs as well as carving, terrain adaptation and moguls.  Though according to my previous instructor it was an introduction to Blue runs, but I am already doing blues.

For being my first night ski/board experience I have quite enjoyed it. I have to realize though the night wasn’t as icy as Robyn has experienced in previous seasons but it was really enjoyable and I think I was spoiled, weather and snow condition wise. I am looking forward to more night skiing/riding as the winter season progresses.

With my birthday being on the Saturday and being busy I thought it would be best for Robyn and I to head up to Cypress Mountain on the 28th (being the Sunday) for some Ski and Snowboarding excitement. Both of us are glad we did. For those who do not know, Cypress Mountain is one of the 3 local mountains in Metro Vancouver area. It’s great for us because it’s only 20 minutes away from our home.

The weather was great, the sky was relatively clear with the occasional cloud at the higher elevations. The sun also made a couple of appearances too which just added to the awesome views. They also have a base of 142cm at the lodge which means some pretty good snow up on the runs.

Easy Rider Chair and Runway (bunny hill)

With being the first day at Cypress this 08/09 season we thought it would be best to jump into a refresher lesson. After all I did not have the greatest experience on Whistler the week before (Robyn will be talking about our Whistler weekend). Though before our lessons started we took the chair up to the green run Collins to see if the Whistler day could be just chalked up as a bad day for me. It was a good first run for me and my board on Cypress. Actually my Burton Baron snowboard hasn’t had the pleasure of riding down the runs at Cypress yet.

Lessons

I went into a level 3 lesson which would allow me to better understand the fundamentals of connecting my c-turns as well as looking at the basic ollie. My group instructor Craig did a great job with our group of 5 and allowed us to grasp a better understanding on turning for heel edge and toe edge. Let’s just say after my group lesson, Robyn was pretty convinced they gave me crack. I was a completely different rider after my lesson. Connecting my c-turns, going faster and being able to take much steeper runs. Robyn was impressed as was I.

Robyn took a level 5 (skiing) lesson and it turned out to be a private lesson. She said within  her 2 hour lesson she learned more in that lesson than in the 10 or so years she’s been skiing. She was totally thrilled (and challenged) during her lesson and loved it. In fact she will be requesting that particular instructor for private and semi-private lessons from now on.

The Runs We Did

Horizon Run – Horseshoe Bay in background

Robyn and I hit Collins (green) twice (once before our lesson and once after) then as she was impressed we took to the run called Horizon (blue) which was steeper and the snow was a bit chunky at places. Horizon was really cool because it offered a spectacular view of Horsehoe Bay and it was pretty fun going down at a new speed for me. Yes that is me with the black gear and white helmet riding down.

Once we got to the bottom of Horizon we headed over to the Eagle Express Quad Chair to try out the run Panorama (green). Normally Panorama offers an impressive view of Vancouver but the clouds slowly crept in blocking our view of our beautiful city. We took Panorama back down to the Eagle Express chair and meet up with our friend Lili (who works at Cypress). We took the chair back up to Panorama and detoured onto Crazy Raven (blue) which was pretty cool. It was crazy steep and freshly groomed. I practiced my c-turns as best I could on the steep terrain and really enjoyed it.

We took the Raven Ridge Quad Chair back up the mountain which leads into Rideout (green) and then into Panoramic (green) and then back down to the new Cypress Creek Lodge. Where we thanked Lili and headed back to the car.

After about 7 runs, and two great 2 hour lessons we both agree that day has been our best ski/ride day together.  We are excited to be going back to Cypress on New Years Eve for some more wicked snow action. That will be my first attempt at night time skiing and I am sure I’ll really enjoy it.

It was great just to be up on the ski hills and get the first runs of the season!   Tyler and I were both excited to wear our new Smith helmets (Intrigue and Variant models) and try them out. However, it was CROWDED!!!.   I think a lot of other people were also dying to hit the slopes and with only 6 actual runs open it was a bit nuts!  The terrain on the website said it was ‘limited’…but this was VERY limited.  The Green, Red, and Franz chairs were open but only a small selection of green and blue runs.  The mountain would have been quiet if it were regular season and people were spread out but we were chatting with a mountain safety person and she said there were 4000 people just on Whistler Mountain alone!!!

Now…you may be asking, why didn’t you just head out of bounds?  Well, Tyler and I were not wanting to break our legs on the first day of the season!  The alpine base was so low while we were going up the chair lifts we watched various skiers and boarders get trapped in small creeks, left over summer season mouthiness biking structures, and LOTS of rocks.  Also, with the limited conditions we figured it was not worth it.

All in all it was a great day, just to be outside and get our gear on and ride.  I can’t wait for more snow which equals more terain!