Tag Archives: skiing

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Travel Flashback: Skiing in Morocco (1996)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’m going way back for this one!  Until now, I haven’t shared any flashbacks that predate my acquisition of a digital camera in 2008.  However, I’ve decided to take the plunge and scan some old-fashioned prints to go along with this post.

I was invited to visit Morocco by friends who had recently taken up teaching positions in the resort town of Ifrane.  However, before we went to Ifrane, they took me on a unique road trip through El-Jadida, Safi and Marrakech.  Knowing that I loved to ski, they then took me to the Moroccan ski resort of Oukaïmeden.  It is Africa’s highest ski resort and is located about 80 km south of Marrakech in the Atlas Mountains.

Bracing myself against the fierce winds at the top of the Oukaimeden ski resort in Morocco's Atlas Mountains
Bracing myself against the fierce winds at the top of the Oukaimeden ski resort in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains

The drive from Marrakech to Oukaïmeden on December 30, 1996, was unforgettable.  We passed camels shortly after leaving the big city; we then wound our way up the valley and eventually to the resort’s base elevation of about 2600m.   Here, it was definitely winter.   We checked in excitedly to Chez Juju, our home for the next two nights.

While we went to the top of the ski area on the 30th for some photographs on the windswept summit, we only went skiing on the 31st.  It was like stepping back into the earliest days of alpine skiing.  Donkeys (see photo at the top of this post) transported skiers to and from the village.  Our rental skis probably qualified as antiques.  The lifts were all old, slow, decommissioned lifts from France that had little in the way of safety features.   There was no trail grooming and little trail signage; the fierce Atlas Mountain winds quickly dispersed any powder that managed to accumulate.

Pausing for a photo of my ski poles, as I approach the end of one of the Oukaimeden pistes
Pausing for a photo of my ski poles, as I approach the end of one of the Oukaimeden pistes

Despite this, the snow cover was adequate and skiing here brought with it a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  Some of the slopes were rather difficult and we felt like pioneers of a sort.  By now, we had become used to the fact that it can get cold in Africa (as I’m sure many people initially find it hard to believe that it can get hot in Canada) but it was still exhilarating to think that we were actually skiing on a continent rarely associated with winter sports.

An old village, directly across from the Oukaimeden ski area
An old village, directly across from the Oukaimeden ski area

While spending more than one day on these slopes might have been overkill, we were still quite exhausted by the end of the day.  We returned to Chez Juju for dinner and, eventually, some relatively muted New Year’s Eve celebrations.

While our room was exceptionally cold and I had to sleep with my ski jacket on, it was necessarily one of those experiences where you just had to laugh and accept the situation.   We were heading back to lower altitudes the next day, so there would be plenty of opportunities to warm up.

Village in the Ourika valley, on our return from Oukaimeden (January 1, 1997)
Village in the Ourika valley, on our return from Oukaimeden (January 1, 1997)

Here is a British article from 2008 that more or less reflects my experience in Oukaïmeden: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/3446834/Oukaimeden-In-Morocco-the-skis-the-limit.html.  It looks like not much had changed over the intervening 12 years!  If anybody has been skiing there in the past few years, I’d love to hear if the planned upgrading has taken place.

Coming soon – more adventures from my pre-digital travel archives!

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The Thrill of the Chase

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(KIngston, Ontario, Canada)

As I mentioned in a recent post, the dates have been chosen and I am now deep into the “venue selection process” for this winter’s ski trip. It’s not on the same scale as planning an entire year’s worth of travel, but this is the most complicated travel problem I’ve faced for quite some time.  Today’s lengthy post, illustrated with some pictures from March of 2010, is all about figuring out when and where to ski.

Fun on the rooftops in Grächen, Switzerland (March 2010)
Fun on the rooftops in Grächen, Switzerland (March 2010)

There are usually about 6 of us, coming from 4 or 5 different countries (depending on the year) and two continents. Thanks to e-mail, this is not an insurmountable barrier.  However, while it is great to be in regular contact with my “ski posse”, it can sometimes still feel like herding cats when it is time to make a decision.  Not only are we in different time zones, but we all in different professions (with their own “seasons”) and our countries all have different “high seasons” for holidays.  In Canada, for example, there can be a lot of competition in the workplace for “March Break” vacations.

Geography, economics, and our own preferences dictate that the ski venue will be in Europe. We also like to discover new resorts, so we rarely say “let’s just go back to the same place as last year”. This is where things get really complicated.  Europe is a small continent but there is a huge amount of skiing.

Not every ski resort is quaint (Cervinia, Italy)
Not every ski resort is quaint (Cervinia, Italy)

The first consideration is the time of year.  February is traditionally the month for ski holidays  in Europe, so prices are often double what they might be in January or March.  As January is also the coldest month and high-altitude skiing means even colder temperatures, this means that we will generally ski in March.

Skiing in March rules out a lot of the lower-altitude resorts, as we need to be sure that the resort will have sufficient snow.  This means that we are more or less confined to the Alps.   This is not a terrible fate but it does rule out some interesting off-the-beaten-path possibilities.

The Matterhorn (Zermatt, Switzerland)
Skiing by the Matterhorn (Zermatt, Switzerland)

The next consideration is national price levels.  While we always stay in inexpensive accommodation, a strong currency and high standards of living can sometimes push even the cheapest accommodation out of reach.  Right now, pretty much everything in Switzerland is out of the question because of the very strong Swiss Franc.  It’s not just the hotel cost: we also have to consider the cost of lift passes, ski rental, food, and transportation to/from the resort.

As we enjoy exploring different pistes and most European bookings need to be for a week, the resort needs to be of a certain size to hold our interest.    We don’t want to ski the same slopes six days in a row.  This rules out all but the largest stand-alone resorts.  Generally, we are looking for a ski “region”, where a single pass gets you access to a variety of different resorts (ideally linked by pistes rather than by bus or train).  We try to avoid purpose-built resorts:  it’s much more interesting to ski in and around real Alpine villages.

3700m above sea level: skiing across the Swiss/Italian border above Zermatt and Cervinia
3700m above sea level: skiing across the Swiss/Italian border above Zermatt and Cervinia

Once we think we’ve found a region or resort,  we also need to consider our access to the ski lifts.  An otherwise perfect village 6 miles from the nearest lift does not work.  Ideally, we want something in the “middle” of the region that allows us to access all of the resorts covered by the weekly ski pass.

We also need to find accommodation for 6 unrelated people.  Ideally, this would be in 6 single rooms, although this is not always possible.  Most hotels don’t have many single rooms, as the economics favour putting more than one person in a room.   Also, many seemingly ideal hotels are booked a year or more in advance, either by tour groups or by returning skiers who have enjoyed the resort in the past.

Some of the posse at Zermatt, with the Matterhorn looming large in the distance
Some of the posse at Zermatt, with the Matterhorn looming large in the distance

We also need to eat!  One of the great attractions of European skiing is the (usually) excellent on-mountain and in-resort dining.  However, this is not always the case.  Evening dinners can be problematic:  after 8 hours of skiing, we don’t want to wander all over town trying to find a reasonably-priced place with good (local) food that has tables available and appeals to all 6 of us.  Lately, we’ve found that a well-chosen hotel offering half-board (with each day’s breakfast and dinner included) is a good solution to this problem.  But good-value accommodation and good food don’t always go hand-in-hand.

With all of these considerations, the initial stages of the search can be overwhelming.  Nobody wants to let the others down with a lousy venue or a proposal that not everyone can afford.  This year, I did have a small crisis at one point and wondered whether we should just go back to a “safe” resort that we’ve visited before.

More fun at the Swiss-Italian border, high above Zermatt and Cervinia
More fun at the Swiss-Italian border, high above Zermatt and Cervinia

However, after much research and some frustrating late nights at the keyboard, the chase appears to be coming to a successful conclusion.   It looks like we’ve found our 2016 ski region and we are down to a couple of hotels in 2 different resorts within that region.

This year’s destination is the cross-border Via Lattea (“Milky Way”) ski region in northwestern Italy and southeastern France.  This region hosted the skiing events for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino (Turin).  Whichever hotel we choose, we will indeed have quality accommodation in a large ski region (that most of us have never visited before) with great food, interesting local culture and sights, good access to lifts, and very reasonable prices.   While it was a challenge at the time, it is great to know that the long hours of preparation will not be in vain!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Andermatt 2012

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

A couple of months ago, I wrote about skiing in the famous Swiss ski resort of St. Moritz.  We did it on the cheap by staying in a rather “rustic” pension in the nearby village of Celerina.  Seeking even more Alpine fun, a couple of us moved on to the remote village of Andermatt for some additional skiing.

Andermatt could not be more different from St. Moritz.  No champagne and caviar: everybody was here to ski.  A lot.  Andermatt is one of those smaller-scale resorts that attracts hard-core skiers because of the extensive off-piste opportunities.

Pausing halfway between Andermatt and Sedrun
Pausing halfway between Andermatt and Sedrun – clearly having a miserable time in the March sun

How hard-core were the skiers here? We’re usually among the first on the slopes, but here we never saw anybody else at breakfast. The breakfast room opened at 7:00 a.m. and everybody was out of there by 7:15 a.m. when we arrived.

Although the total number of lifts and pistes wasn’t on the same scale as Zermatt, for example, the vertical drop was still huge. It was also possible to ratchet over to the nearby resort of Sedrun, as it was included in the same lift pass.

You can ski right through real villages here! This is just above Sedrun.
You can ski right through real villages here! This is just above Sedrun.

Whether we were in Andermatt, Sedrun, or somewhere in between, we never had to line up for the lifts.  I didn’t see too many day trippers here:  it’s just a little too far from big cities, at least by central European standards.  With no crowds, it was relatively easy to ski every single marked piste in the combined ski areas…and then return to our favourites over and over again.

Figuring out the best route down - high above Andermatt on the Gemsstock
A mock-serious moment high above Andermatt, scoping  out the best route down from the top of the Gemsstock

We also saw a lot of unusual things.  One fellow (who, like a number of the skiers here, was a real individualist) brought his dog with him on the chairlift.  That was cute, although I wondered how he would ski while carrying the dog.  The answer:  his dog RAN down the pistes!  I’ve never seen anything like it.  It was a fairly large retriever and he just took off after his swift-skiing owner all the way down.   I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog that happy.  He had the goofiest grin on his face as he jumped into his owner’s arms at the bottom of the next lift. In a smaller resort like Andermatt, this kind of thing can happen.

The narrow main street of Andermatt: lots of snow even in mid-March!
The narrow main street of Andermatt: lots of snow even in mid-March!

The town itself was pretty sedate, especially after the slopes had closed for the day:  it was nothing like the pumping party scene you might find in the larger Austrian resorts.   I remember how loud the squeaking snow sounded as we walked back to our hotel at night.  You could see thousands of stars in the sky and really feel like you were “off the grid”.   This was also one of the few Swiss resorts where we could afford a hotel room with our own bathroom.

The bottom of the piste...and our hotel in Andermatt!
The bottom of the piste…and our hotel in Andermatt!

Staying here for an entire week here might be pushing it, unless you hired a guide to explore the back country.  However, as you can probably tell from the pictures, I had a blast being a scruffy powder hound here for a few days…an enjoyable contrast to the Belle Époque elegance of St. Moritz.

Posts from Base Camp

Who Reads This Blog?

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Have you ever wondered who else reads this blog?  While the blog software doesn’t tell me who specifically is reading the blog, it does tell me in which countries the blog’s readers are located.  So don’t worry – I don’t know who you are…unless you post something!

Incredibly, there have been visitors from 97 countries so far!  Many of these countries have very few views (it would not be reasonable to expect thousands of hits from Vatican City or Réunion) but the numbers are significant for the first 30 or 40 countries.  It should come as no surprise that, by far, the most readers are in Canada.

The Matterhorn, as seen from a small alpine village in the Gornergrat/Sunnegga area
The Matterhorn, as seen from the small alpine hamlet of Findeln in the Sunnegga area

It also probably isn’t surprising that the U.S.A. and the U.K. occupy the second and third positions.  Rounding out the all-time Top 20 are Brazil, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Switzerland, France, Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Sweden, Peru, Ireland, Poland and Australia.

The rankings definitely change over time.  Croatia really spiked during my visit there last spring but has been falling ever since.  For 2015, I’ve noticed increases in France, Australia, Thailand and Russia…but decreases in the U.K., Costa Rica and the Czech Republic.

My friends will do anything to take the perfect photo of the Matterhorn
My friends will try any angle to take the perfect photo of the Matterhorn

Most notable, however, is where there are *no* hits at all. Given its large population, it is interesting that not a single person from China has visited my site (other than people in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, which are tracked separately)…yet I have  numerous hits from nearby Vietnam, Taiwan, Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  Despite significant numbers across Northern Europe, I also haven’t connected with Latvia yet.

The other side of the Matterhorn (as seen from Italy)
The other side of the Matterhorn (as seen from Italy)

One does have to be careful with interpreting the data.  There is an apparently benign but also persistent automated “webcrawler” based in Brazil that is, I believe, exaggerating the numbers in that country.

I can also get information on which “searches” have led to visits to my site.  The most popular search that does not include my name has been “London Oxford Street”.  But multiple views have also resulted from “Megadisco Machu Picchu”, “schöne bilder von Paul Young 2014”, “van der ley cheese Groningen” and “place d’erlon Reims night”.

Arrival at the Valtournenche ski area above Breuil-Cervinia, Italy (just after crossing over from Zermatt, Switzerland)
Arrival at the Cime Bianche ski area above Valtournenche, Italy (just after crossing over from Zermatt, Switzerland)

There are also many searches that resulted in a solitary visit.  Some of my favourites include “abandoned wood bobsled”, “context of the movie Invictus South Africa in 1992-1995”, “gray research sound effects console”, “Inus Mor and rabbits sea lions”, “Budapest hockey and soccer teams jerseys”, and “casado con carne en salsa” (as well as plain old “casado con carne”).  If I ever start up another band, I am going to seriously consider calling it “Abandoned Wood Bobsled”.   I am really curious about the story behind that search but it will probably remain a mystery forever.

Another view of the Italian side of the Matterhorn (with lots of tiny skiers below)
Another view of the Italian side of the Matterhorn (with lots of tiny skiers below)

Today’s photos are from my 2011 visit to Zermatt.  I don’t think it would make a lot of sense to do a separate travel flashback for my second visit there…but I did want to share some of these pictures.  If you like them, take a look at my previous post for more words and pictures about skiing in the shadow of the Matterhorn.

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Skiing the Matterhorn 2010

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

The Matterhorn isn’t like all the other mountains.  I had heard that the Matterhorn was special but I didn’t truly appreciate it until I saw the Matterhorn on a cloudless day.  This is what the picture above shows – it was taken from above the village of Zermatt and shows just how distinctive the Matterhorn really is.

Straddling the border between Italy and Switzerland, the Matterhorn rises to an elevation of 4,478 meters (14,692 feet).  This is very, very high but it is all the more remarkable because none of the neighbouring peaks are anywhere close to that elevation.

This picture was taken just after we skied the closest piste to the Matterhorn. One feels very small when skiing there!

Wherever you go in the village of Zermatt, or wherever you ski in the Sunnegga-Gornergrat-Klein Matterhorn ski region, you constantly find yourself looking up at the Matterhorn.   Of all the mountains I’ve seen up close, only Grindelwald’s Eiger (with its sheer rock face of nearly 2 uninterrupted vertical kilometers!) comes remotely close to having such a magnetic effect.   I think we all took at least 100 photos of just this one mountain.

It's very cold and desolate as you near the top of the Klein Matterhorn ski area (and the Italian border)
It’s very cold and desolate as you near the top of the Klein Matterhorn ski area (and the Italian border)

Even without the Matterhorn, however, skiing in Zermatt is quite spectacular.  The pistes on the Swiss side are extensive and there is an impressive vertical drop of about 2,200 meters (about 7,218 feet).   From top to bottom, it can be a 20 km ride!   There isn’t much in the way of easy terrain here and it has a reputation of being a real skiers’ resort.   But even if you can manage the terrain, you still have to conquer the altitude:  the top of the Klein Matterhorn area is a (literally) breathtaking 3,883 meters (12,736 feet) above sea level.

At the top of Klein Matterhorn, just before altitude sickness kicked in!
At the top of Klein Matterhorn, just before altitude sickness kicked in!

I was OK with the altitude when I just skied down from the top of the Klein Matterhorn.  This is glacial skiing and you don’t have to work too hard.  However, on another occasion, we climbed up to the top of a viewing platform for an even higher view.  This extra exertion left me feeling listless for the rest of the day:  I suspect that I had a minor case of altitude sickness…something I’ve never before had while skiing.

The "Hennu Stall"...we stopped here for not quite apres-ski apres-ski on our way down to Zermatt
The “Hennu Stall”…we stopped here for “après-ski” shortly before finishing our descent to Zermatt

There is another reward for going to the top of Klein Matterhorn:  Italy!   Yes, the Italian resort of Cervinia is connected at this high alpine saddle and it is possible to ski on the Italian slopes if you bought the “all areas” ski pass in Zermatt.  The slopes on the Italian side are sunnier and easier…and the food is a nice change too!   The resort of Cervinia has some architectural missteps, to be fair, but it was really fun to end up in another country for a few hours.

Skiing above the clouds! View from the top of Klein Matterhorn
Skiing above the clouds! Looking towards Italy from the top of Klein Matterhorn

The only problem with crossing over to Italy is that you really need to time your return properly.  If you don’t make it back to the Klein Matterhorn by the time the upper Italian lifts close, you are stuck on the Italian side.  It is a very expensive (hundreds of dollars) taxi ride back to Zermatt, as there is no direct road connection between the two resorts.  Somebody said that it would take “a few hours” by road.

One of the creatures we encountered while skiing down to Zermatt
One of the creatures we encountered while skiing down to Zermatt

For an intense week of skiing in the Alps, I would certainly put Zermatt at the top of my list.  Grindelwald/Wengen/Schilthorn would be close but the presence of other tourist activities (such as the Jungfraujoch cog railway) dilutes the ski atmosphere just a little bit…so it might be a good choice if you have non-skiers in your travel group.   Like most Swiss resorts, Zermatt is not cheap but it is possible to find deals if you don’t insist on a private bathroom.  After all, you’re there for the skiing!  We liked skiing in Zermatt so much that we went back in 2011.

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 3

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

Skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier, as detailed in my previous post, was a special highlight of my ski week here. We enjoyed it so much that we went back to the glacier twice on our final day of skiing (see photo at top of this post, which looks back on what we just skied).  Another highlight was hiking into the backcountry to ski the off-piste “Flute Bowl” on Whistler Mountain.

I never venture into “true” backcountry without a knowledgeable guide.  However, at Whistler, there is a backcountry area within the resort boundaries. By skiing to the edge of the “Symphony Amphitheatre” and then carrying your skis up a steep mountain, you can then truly ski off-piste and unconfined by the on-piste crowds.

Partway up the mountain, I pause to consider what lies ahead. We more or less followed that guy to the two rocks.
Partway up the mountain, I pause to consider what lies ahead. We more or less followed that guy to the two rocks.

After traversing most of the access trail on skis, we took off our skis and walked straight up for about 20 minutes. It’s hard to say how long or far it was: all I know is that walking in ski boots up a snow-covered mountain is extremely tiring. Once we reached the agreed-upon lookout point, I had to sit down in the snow to cool off.

Chilling out between the "two rocks" seen in the previous photo...in the unearthly light of Whistler Mountain
Chilling out between the “two rocks” seen in the previous photo…in the unearthly light of the Coast Mountains

Groomed pistes sometimes feel like Autobahns…but hiking and skiing in the backcountry is a completely different sensation. Everything is silent. You feel much more responsible for yourself: you can’t just follow the 100 skiers in front of you. You have to use all of your senses and think several moves ahead.

In better snow conditions, off-piste skiing is mostly about the exhilaration of skiing through lush stashes of untouched powder. With poor snow conditions, it is more about being (relatively) alone in a vast wintry wilderness and finding one’s way back. It felt great to climb to a commanding look-out point…but it also felt great to get back to the marked trails.

Looking back at the mountain we climbed (and skied)
Looking back at the mountain we climbed (and skied)

My posts on skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb have contained a number of comments about the poor ski conditions.  Indeed, that is all the locals seemed to talk about:  I can’t tell you how many times a Whistlerite apologized this week for the state of the snow.  Even though I wish all of my ski holidays would involve conditions like the “blizzard day in Val Gardena” (click for a video), a ski holiday is essentially about being in the mountains.  Whether the snow is soft or hard, the mountains are still incredibly beautiful.

View from the top of the Symphony Lift, access point to the Flute Bowl. The portion we climbed is just about in the middle.
View from the top of the Symphony Lift, access point to the Flute Bowl. The portion we climbed is just slightly to the right of the middle.

Besides apologizing for the snow, the locals were all very interested in hearing about how Whistler-Blackcomb compares to skiing in Europe.  There is a feeling that Whistler-Blackcomb is world-class…and there also seems to be a need to have that feeling confirmed!

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can answer that question.  The conditions here were too unusual to make any meaningful comparisons with European skiing.  I also think the answer would be different for different types of skiers:  a skier with cultural interests would probably respond differently than somebody who cares solely about the skiing.  Perhaps this non-committal answer means that Whistler-Blackcomb is indeed comparable with European skiing?  In any case, I’d love to come back again when the mountains have better snow conditions.

View of the famed "Lower Dave Murray Downhill" piste leading to Whistler Creekside Village. Thanks to frequent snowmaking, the conditions on this piste were actually quite good for most of the week.
View of the famed “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” piste leading to Whistler Creekside Village, taken from the Creekside Gondola lift.  Thanks to frequent snowmaking, the conditions on this piste were actually quite good for most of the week.

This is the last “post from the road” for my trip to Whistler-Blackcomb.  I’ll be in Kingston for a while but will continue with more travel flashbacks and other travel-related posts.  I also have a quick but somewhat odd trip coming up at the end of April.  Stay tuned!

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 2

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

Whistler and Blackcomb used to be two different ski areas but came under the same ownership more than 30 years ago.  While they have been connected at Whistler Village for a while, they have recently been joined at mid-mountain by the innovative “Peak 2 Peak” gondola.

Our first impressions of Blackcomb were not too favourable.  As always, we were already in line for the gondola when it opened at 8:15 a.m.  Alas, virtually all of the pistes open first thing in the morning  were also in the shade.  This made it very cold and often very icy.  Much of the day was spent searching out that elusive softer snow.

A mountain lake, as seen from the "Symphony" area of Whistler Mountain
A mountain lake, as seen from the “Symphony” area of Whistler Mountain

There were two highlights on that first Blackcomb day, however.   The first highlight was once again finding a piste (“Zig Zag”) at the lower elevations that was being subjected to a lot of snowmaking.  Most people stayed away, so we had the piste and its soft snow almost to ourselves.   While it was a little more inconsistent, we also found the piste leading to the village’s Blackcomb gondola station to have softer snow and relatively few skiers.

Rugged rock overlooking the entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier
Rugged rock overlooking the entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier

The second highlight was skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier.  Although it is at the very highest part of the Blackcomb ski area, we still needed to take off our skis and hike uphill to the “other side of the mountain”.  It was well worth the effort, however, as we were able to pick our own route across a vast glacial slope.  It is rare to have such complete freedom to ski and still be within the boundaries of a ski area.

Looking across the Blackcomb Glacier before beginning our descent
Looking across the Blackcomb Glacier before beginning our descent

As the snow was relatively crusty and demanded our full attention, I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures “mid-glacier”.  However, I was able to take some pre- and post-glacier photos that hopefully hint at the majesty of this part of Blackcomb.   Not even a wretchedly icy “escape route” from the glacier back to the regular part of Blackcomb could tarnish the experience.

Looking back at the spectacular Blackcomb Glacier, after skiing down it. The flat trail at the bottom soon became a narrow, icy demon!
Looking back at the spectacular Blackcomb Glacier, after skiing down it. The flat trail at the bottom soon became a narrow, icy demon!  [Just for fun: spot the differences between this photo and the photo at the top of this post.]
Nonetheless, icy pistes continue to plague us.  While the mountains are spectacular, this has probably been the worst winter ever for snow conditions in Whistler.   It has been an intellectual challenge:  while we found the conditions in the “Seventh Heaven” area quite treacherous on our first morning at Blackcomb, this same area yielded relatively great conditions only two days later…but in the afternoon and only on certain pistes.  We are doing our best to meet the challenge:  the snow conditions are yet another reminder that nature is very powerful and its secrets are not easily discovered.

We also continue to enjoy the food here, much to my surprise…I had heard that food here was expensive and uninspiring.  It can definitely be on the expensive side if you’re not careful but we’ve done OK so far.

African Peanut Soup with Quinoa/Vegetable and Pemberton Beet salads, at the "Raven's Nest"
African Peanut Soup with Quinoa/Vegetable and Pemberton Beet salads, at the “Raven’s Nest”

We’ve had lunch mid-mountain at the no-frills “Raven’s Nest” vegan/vegetarian restaurant 3 times now and have been happy every time.  We also have eaten dinner twice at Pasta Lupino in the village:  it’s a small Italian restaurant featuring some of the best pasta sauces I’ve ever had.  Yes, it is possible to create a legendary pasta sauce (even a spicy arrabbiata sauce!) without garlic.  We hope to have one final meal at Pasta Lupino before our week here is over.

Coming up:  more on Whistler-Blackcomb… and comparing it to ski resorts in the Alps.

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 1

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(Whister, British Columbia, Canada)

How did I find myself spending a week skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb?  It’s a long and complicated story.  It’s even more difficult to explain how I have never been skiing west of Kingston, despite skiing for more than 30 years in eastern Canada, Europe and even (on one bizarre occasion) Africa!  Anyway, I’m here now and some would say that it’s about time.

Whistler-Blackcomb is frequently named as the top ski resort in North America.  It has hosted World Cup downhill races and also hosted the alpine skiing events during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  This last part was sufficient for me:  I have a special connection to the 2010 Olympics and skiing on the downhill course was another bucket list item that I hoped to achieve some day.  Even so, I didn’t do a lot of research on this trip:  I didn’t even have a chance to look into which pistes were used for the 2010 Olympic alpine skiing events.

More Olympic rings, this time at the Olympic Plaza in Whistler Village
More Olympic rings, this time at the Olympic Plaza in Whistler Village

We decided to spend the first day on Whistler Mountain.  Conventional wisdom here says that you immediately move to the highest elevations and only return to the village at the end of the day.  However, we found that the very high winds, resulting icy surfaces and cold temperatures made the high-altitude conditions rather less than ideal.  We moved lower, where there was some shelter from the wind, the temperatures were a little warmer, and the snow was staying on the pistes.

We found a black-diamond-rated piste called “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” that led to Whistler Creekside Village.   The entrance to the piste was almost completely blocked and there were all kinds of warnings about “difficult snow conditions” and the fact that snowmaking was also in progress.  We decided to try it anyway.

Some of the warning signs at the top of the "Lower Dave Murray Downhill" (Whistler Mountain), which turned out to be quite a special piste
Some of the warning signs and barriers  at the top of the “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” (Whistler Mountain), which turned out to be quite a special piste

It was a splendid decision.  The “difficult snow conditions” consisted of snowmaking (how can fresh snow be considered a difficulty?) and a nearly-abandoned piste with some significant snow accumulation.   It was -1’C and the sun was shining brightly on us.  We skied this piste over and over again, barely stopping and barely believing that nobody else was taking advantage of the great conditions.  After completing each run, we climbed into the next gondola without waiting and repeated the process all over again.

In such icy conditions, trail ratings are of little guidance.  While the Dave Murray Downhill was a little steep in one or two places, it certainly wasn’t as difficult as some of the mogulled-up and icy “intermediate-rated” pistes we have encountered thus far.

View of Whistler Mountain from the bottom of the "Seventh Heaven" area at Blackcomb
View of Whistler Mountain from the bottom of the “Seventh Heaven” area at Blackcomb

We eventually skied on the “Upper Dave Murray Downhill” (which wasn’t directly connected to “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” today because of poor conditions near the junction) as well and ticked that one off the list too.  We later found out that not only is the Dave Murray Downhill piste used for World Cup ski races, it also hosted the alpine skiing events at the 2010 Olympics.  It was great to discover that our favourite piste of the day turned out to be Olympian!

View of Whistler Village from about halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. Not much (natural) snow at the lower elevations!
View of Whistler Village from about halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. Not much (natural) snow at the lower elevations!

It was a great way to start the week of skiing and it more than made up for the fact that the lifts to the very peak of Whistler and to the “Symphony” area were closed due to the high winds.  There was also a great vegan restaurant right at the start of the Lower Dave Murray Downhill where I enjoyed a very good (and, by Whistler standards, very affordable) African Peanut Soup and a Quinoa-Vegetable Salad.  We’re definitely going to return there on our next day of skiing at Whistler Mountain.

Before returning to Whistler Mountain, however, we decided to spend our second day of skiing at Blackcomb Mountain.  Stay tuned for more details on that!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Arson in Quebec 2009

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Most trips are unconditionally enjoyable. However, our ski trip to Baie-St-Paul and Quebec City, Quebec in March of 2009 was beset by a few problems.

First, it was absolutely frigid, particularly for mid-March. This took some of the thrill out of high-speed alpine skiing.  Second, the “daily” ski bus that was supposed to take me from Baie-St-Paul to Le Massif stopped running on weekdays. Third, and worst of all, an arsonist torched our B&B in Baie-St-Paul.

Even on March 16, the snowbanks are as high as a telephone booth
Even on March 16, the snowbanks were still almost as high as a telephone booth

The cold was fierce but manageable, as Le Massif’s on-hill food and beverage offerings were better than those found at other Eastern Canadian ski areas. Although it was necessary to retreat inside every hour or so, I enjoyed lots of delicious hot chocolate. The second problem (caused partly by not reading the fine print on the bus schedule) turned out to be moot, because of the third problem.

It was Monday evening. After a charming cheese fondue at a Baie-St-Paul restaurant, we retired early in preparation for a busy Tuesday. We were awakened at 10:45 p.m. by a fire alarm. We are both used to fire drills but this was a little different. We heard a couple of odd noises and lots of anxious-sounding French outside our door. Taking a quick peek down the hall, we saw flames filling the back doorway.

Baie-St-Paul really is a charming place.
Baie-St-Paul really is a charming place.

If you have never been in a burning building before, I can tell you that it is very scary. You cannot reason with fire. You also can’t tell where it is coming from or where it is going. There is only one thing on your mind: not getting caught in the fire. Quickly grabbing one or two items of clothing and hastily putting on our coats and boots, we left behind the rest of our possessions in the room and ran out. We might have had another minute to escape, but who knows?

We were soon taken to a nearby motel that had considerably less charm but, in its favour, was not on fire. We spent a substantial portion of the next day at the local police station, being interviewed in connection with an arson investigation. Not that we were accused: they just wanted to know what we saw and heard. Afterwards, under close police supervision, we were able to retrieve the rest of our belongings from the charred B&B.  Everything was rather smoky but it was nice to finally brush our teeth, put on fresh clothes, etc.

Our B&B in Baie-St-Paul, just a few hours before the arsonist struck
Our B&B in Baie-St-Paul, just a few hours before the arsonist struck

We found out later that the fire had been set by a disgruntled and unstable former employee of the B&B. While we were certainly scared and inconvenienced by the fire, we remain thankful that nobody was hurt. The outcome could have been much, much worse.:  there were about 20 guests in the B&B that night.  The arsonist was eventually convicted of arson and was sent to prison.  While I can’t find the details of the actual prison sentence, I do know that the arsonist’s lawyer was suggesting a prison term of three years…while the prosecutor was seeking a sentence of seven years.

The B&B was rebuilt soon afterwards and we continue to receive e-mail from them to this day.  Alas, we have not yet returned to Baie-St-Paul. I think a few more years need to pass before we are ready for that.  Here is a newspaper story that was written right after the incident, while here is an early account of the criminal proceedings.

Skiing through the trees at Mont-Ste-Anne
Skiing through the trees at Mont-Ste-Anne

After leaving Baie-St-Paul on Wednesday, we spent the remainder of our holiday in Quebec City.  I was able to do some intense skiing at Mont-Ste-Anne; we both enjoyed the (slightly) warmer temperatures and the city’s wonderful dining opportunities.   Our Quebec City hotel was a concrete monstrosity from the 1960s but, in the circumstances, we were willing to settle for a little less character and a little less arson.

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: St. Moritz 2012

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

The exclusive Swiss village of St. Moritz is a very famous mountain resort.  In fact, some say that winter tourism was invented here in the 19th century.  Having that kind of history, as well as hosting the Winter Olympics on two occasions, you can imagine how much it costs to vacation in St. Moritz. When you also consider the strength of the Swiss Franc and the high cost of living in Switzerland…let’s just say St. Moritz will never top the list of budget-friendly ski resorts.

However, it *is* possible to ski here without bankrupting yourself.  My friends and I stayed in the nearby village of Celerina and relied on the very efficient (it is Switzerland, after all) shuttle bus system to get around.   The buses were included with our ski pass, even in the evenings.

At the summit of Piz Nair (Corviglia, St. Moritz, Switzerland)
At the summit of Piz Nair (Corviglia, St. Moritz, Switzerland)

We also stayed in a very “basic” B&B with shared washrooms and shower facilities. We avoided dining in St. Moritz itself, opting instead for local haunts in Celerina and other neighbouring villages such as Samedan. It was also a pleasant surprise to discover that on-mountain lunches in quaint alpine huts were relatively affordable.

We ate outside at this mountain restaurant on Corvatsch
We ate outside at this mountain restaurant near the top of Corvatsch

Was it worth it? Absolutely.  While St. Moritz is full of very wealthy visitors, not that many of them actually ski on the slopes of Corvatsch and Corviglia. There are relatively few lift lines on sunny days (it’s one of the sunniest ski resorts in the world) and no lift lines at all when the weather is less than brilliant. Similarly, hardly anybody bothers to venture out to the remote but thrilling glacier skiing at Diavolezza and Piz Lagalb. We couldn’t believe how often we were the only skiers in the cable cars that were built to accommodate 80 people.

The rest of my ski posse, enjoying an empty cable car at Piz Lagalb (near St. Moritz, Switzerland)
The rest of my ski posse, enjoying an empty cable car at Piz Lagalb (near St. Moritz, Switzerland)

The skiing itself is wonderful too. There may not be a mountain that dominates as much as the Matterhorn (Zermatt) or the Eiger (Grindelwald) but there are still massive peaks in every direction. The pistes aren’t crowded and everybody takes relatively long lunches.  At Diavolezza and Lagalb (see my “About Me” page for another photo from this area), the pistes were basically empty and we were making “first tracks” long after we arrived.

My ski posse at Corvatsch. Even on a beautiful day like this, the pistes are not crowded at all.
My ski posse at Corvatsch. Even on a beautiful day like this, the pistes are not crowded at all.

6 days of skiing was just enough time to experience all that St. Moritz has to offer.  We spent 2 days in each of the Diavolezza-Lagalb, Corviglia-Piz Nair and Corvatsch ski areas.   The layout of Corviglia-Piz Nair was a little awkward and  accordingly it was probably our least favourite of the three areas.  However, when you made it to the highest pistes, even Corviglia delivered its fair share of “wow” moments.

View from the top of the Corvatsch ski area: 3303 meters above sea level
View from the top of the Corvatsch ski area: 3303 meters (almost 11,000 feet) above sea level

The St. Moritz area is also notable for reasons unrelated to wealth and skiing.  It is one of the areas where  Rumantsch, Switzerland’s fourth language (after German, French and Italian), is spoken.  Rumantsch is spoken by maybe one percent of the Swiss population but is enjoying a renaissance after being discouraged for many years.  It derives from Latin and sounds somewhat like Italian spoken with harsh German consonants…just like Ladin in Val Gardena, Italy.

I'm enjoying the empty slopes at Piz Lagalb!
I’m enjoying the empty slopes at Piz Lagalb!

Actually, because St. Moritz caters so much to foreign tourists (many of whom have relatively little interest in skiing), I think staying in a nearby village is the best way to ski this beautiful terrain while still getting a feel for the local culture.  If you want to see how the truly wealthy guests experience the Swiss Alps, you can still crash one of the opulent hotels.   They usually open their doors to non-guests in the evenings and we took advantage of that at one of the posh Celerina hotels.  It was like stepping back in time to the 1920s, with waiters in tails, salon orchestras, nameplates for guests and the like.   We lingered over our drinks for a long time and enjoyed a “genteel” experience at a budget price.

I don't remember what I was celebrating here, but I'm sure it was very important (Diavolezza, near St. Moritz, Switzerland)
I don’t remember what I was celebrating here, but I’m sure it was very important (Diavolezza, near St. Moritz, Switzerland)

That’s really the key to budget travel:  with a bit of research, you can save bushels of money on food and accommodation but still experience  the essence of almost any place in the world.