Fresh tracks on Blackcomb

**tom** · 10-12-2003, 01:04 PM

Many years ago I was lucky enough to Live in wistler for 8 months...I have visited the place but once since and didn't ski...but on friday I did....Whistler Blackcomb is buisy getting ready for the winter ahead so I had to pick a route avoiding most of the ski area....they wouldn't have thrown me off the mountain but they wouldn't be happy if I go marching sdtraigh trough their snow making... I hiked from Base 2 up the Easy out Green run to Glacier road, not far up this road you enter the enviromental reconstruction area....no more traffic - peace and quiet!...it is quite a slog up the road to the edge of the Gariboldi (sp?) national park...but my minidisk player kept me entertained as I hiked in the drizzle.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic14077.jpg

At the end of the man made track is a small medow, this also happened to be the snowline. Sneakers swap for boots and off up the hill again...In europe I would have expected some sort of trail, but here in BC no one hikes these places is summer...or at least hardly anyone, so no trail...lots of rocks ..big rocks and slippery riverbed..

The snow took a long while to get get deep enough to justify trying to ski up instead of walk...at least it was snowing heavily and filling in quickly...

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic14078.jpg

Not far shy of the glacier itself I finaly put my skis on, progress from here on up was much easier and quicker....the glacier had about a foot or so of quite wet snow on hard grey ice...very lumpy ice in places....the snow got deeper towards the top, about 2 foot deep at the windlip....the blowhole didn't have any snow in the base of it...just rocks....the worrying thing to see is the glacier has moved enough to create a large 2m wide bershrund (crevase) behind the windlip...hope this one fills in or it will create some real safety problems!

The clouds were ever present on my way up so visablity wasn't too good.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic14076.jpg

As I was preparing to ski the clouds broke for a few min and I was able to ski easily , making my first powderturns of the season, the clouds retured very quickly denying me a chance to potograph my tracks!

In the end I didn't manage to ski any lower than where I hasd started but at least the hike down was only half the time On the way up.

**Lumpy** · 10-12-2003, 01:09 PM

Very Cool Tom! Generating the stoke as allways...a first class mag....er uh...TGR'r report (whatever we are anymore).

Thanks for the pics and report...is the van still alive?!

**Cornholio** · 10-12-2003, 01:10 PM

Excellent! I love how the pictures change as you gained some altitude. Nice work!

**funkendrenchman** · 10-12-2003, 01:10 PM

You're my hero!

**splat** · 10-12-2003, 01:20 PM

Aren't you at Hood today? Or was the beer thingy too good?
Nice slog.

Z · 10-12-2003, 02:10 PM

some---->gotten.........great report

kb1dqh · 10-12-2003, 03:10 PM

Tom,

Sounds awesome man! Some early october pow. Too bad T-Line never opened.

**The AD** · 10-12-2003, 03:19 PM

Tom rulz!! Tres magnifique photos.

**Benny Profane** · 10-12-2003, 04:00 PM

Kool.

The last picture reminded me of what the top of Whistler looked liked the whole first day I was there.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 10-12-2003, 06:26 PM

Originally posted by tom

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic14077.jpg

Is this right at the flat before the track out from the glacier? Where you end up coming from the Spanky's, etc.?

**iskibc** · 10-12-2003, 06:30 PM

Way to get after it again Tom! Keep up the reports.

**tom** · 10-12-2003, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by Dexter Rutecki
Is this right at the flat before the track out from the glacier? Where you end up coming from the Spanky's, etc.?

This is where you end the flat and start down glacier road, the signposts are behind me at this point.

**Schmear** · 10-12-2003, 08:32 PM

Very nice, Tom! Had first tracks down the Blackcomb Glacier on opening day last season. Of course I took the lift to the top, but not to be totally outdone, the meager snow conditions were similar to what you described 'cept it was sketchy bulletproof raincrust all the way to the run out. Then we had to hike the bottom half of the catrack when it turned to dirt (and then up the dirt road to the base of Solar Coaster). Still was worth it.

I just hope W/B has a much better November and December than last season. It couldn't get much worse.