Whistler Drought: Sled Skiing Trials-An Ongoing TR

**Atrain505** · 02-27-2009, 08:05 PM

Well it has been a tough year up here. Drought.
I've been juggling full time school and trying to make some kind of a skiing career the last 5 years. I graduated this last spring. This was my year to really make a go of it. Move to Whistler. Ski...full time!
I worked my ass off. Made a fair amount of money.
But I knew I had to buy a sled and a truck to push the few photos I got published last year into many photos this year.
So I got a loan. Not the best financial decision in these times, but I'll wonder my whole life if I don't make a full attempt.

Beater Chevy truck...2 grand. Insurance, registration another grand.
09 XP taxes and everything 13 grand. I was shaking signing those papers. I've never parted with that much money before.

And then the snow never came. Worst season ever in Whistler. But the sled has been a salvation. The first few days were torture. I thought what did I do. But now as I begin to learn the zones it has become a tool I will never be without. Oh the lines, the possibilities.

While the resort was rock hard and the sidecountry was tracked out, the sled accesses perfect knee deep blower for weeks on end after the last storm.

While I've sledded a lot with other crews taking professional photos, here's the maggot sled trials in this season of drought...all of us being very amatuer photographers.

And I say sled trials because most of us are rookie sledders, and all of us are pretty much rookie sled skiers.

Players
Atrain505 with a 09 XP
rugbydave with a 04 rev
robnow with a 06 M7
PNWSkier with a 05 M7 with an M8 motor
Is Jeff a maggot?...with a rev.

Location: Coast Mountains. Sproat, Rainbow, and Tricouni. The sick zones of brandywine and rutherford and the numerous others will wait until we all go together again.

Tunes: You Listen to whatever you want on your computer.

On to the Pics.

We have all been doing a lot of this. Atrain.

But as we learn, we do this. robnow and Atrain

Which allows us to do this. Atrain and why I bought a sled.

Zones. Everywhere.

robnow sends. One of his goals this year was to hit airs with speed, no hesitation, and blindly. He accomplishes.

robnow also likes to meadow skip in playful pow.

robnow loves bluebird doubles.

Interruption. Play safe folks. Atrain evaluating.

PNWSkier plays very safe.

PNWSkier sent this another 30 feet down into a tight tree lined chute. Meadow skipping day.

Jeff can sled. Really damn well.

He loves to burn shit. Damn sledneck.

rugbydave likes air.

He damn loves it.

rugbydave pointing the double.

rugbydave cartwheeling the double.

He calms himself with some skipping.

Atrain guineapigs a sketchy double.

rugbydave follows suit.

Atrain finding his inner peace with lhasas under the feet.

robnow sending a shelf. Atrain bombhole to the right.

rugbydave had miles of landing space and plowed into rob's bombhole. Amatuer.

A last robnow air.

To be cont...as the pics roll in and the season progresses.

Oh ya did I mention we sled to the top. I miss hiking big time.

**PulverSchwein** · 02-27-2009, 08:17 PM

very cool Atrain, the stoke should go up exponentially with all this new snow

**the vor** · 02-27-2009, 08:23 PM

Looks great so far. Hope these storms are a start of things changing for ya up there. You never know until you give it the full go and you had the cajones to make it happen, props.

**sl2975** · 02-27-2009, 08:54 PM

Beautiful shots, once again reminded of how fun sled skiing would be. Good balls on the loan/fantasy lifestyle decision.

**bostonjohn** · 02-27-2009, 09:12 PM

noice, good to see you guys getting after it

**Trackhead** · 02-27-2009, 10:15 PM

That's quite a hole

**basinbum** · 02-27-2009, 11:24 PM

fuck i wanna sled ski there sick terrain

**GoNads** · 02-27-2009, 11:33 PM

Good to see you guys are getting after it! Bummer you didn't make it down to the butte, irwin is like disney land for sledding. You can rip right up to 12,000ft peaks, AK style.

**Atrain505** · 02-27-2009, 11:37 PM

Nads...I have found plenty of zones with AK style spines and sickness. Sled right to the top. With Coast stability. They are just not in these pics.
That is why it is an ongoing TR.
Irwin does look sick though. Next year.

**GoNads** · 02-28-2009, 12:07 AM

Originally Posted by Atrain505

Nads...I have found plenty of zones with AK style spines and sickness. Sled right to the top. With Coast stability. They are just not in these pics.
That is why it is an ongoing TR.
Irwin does look sick though. Next year.

I know, the icecap is full of areas like that... I've spent quite a few days up there too, but it just doesn't have the same grandeur. Nothing was sliding in CB either, lucked out on that big time.

**RoanMtnMan** · 02-28-2009, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by Atrain505

Tough year? I feel for you guys. We are having a good year in CO and I have yet to dig a pit that deep.

**Keegan** · 02-28-2009, 01:03 AM

Nice TR... some sweet sled stoke!

**JimLad** · 02-28-2009, 07:55 AM

Nice. I'm going to be on my first sled adventure with a bud when I get back to town, looking forward to it

**Lone Star** · 02-28-2009, 08:32 AM

nice pics!!

**PNW Skier** · 02-28-2009, 11:13 AM

Nice work on the TR there Atrain! Glad to see some of my pics made the cut

**jahve** · 02-28-2009, 01:14 PM

Nice Tr.

I wish we had depth like that here in Co....

**khyber.pass** · 02-28-2009, 01:16 PM

Yep, not so much drought if you head in the right .. err left directions .. ;p

**Atrain505** · 03-01-2009, 06:23 PM

Ocean side of the highway usually gets about 40% more snow than the resort.

A resort pit at the same elevation would be half that.

That is why the sled has been a salvation.