Whistler

I'm back from skiing up in Whistler, Canada. It was a great getaway. My hilights:

You know how when you bite into ice cream, your teeth hurt from the cold? That's how it felt when you smiled while outside.... it was that cold.

Day One: Looking for a challenge, I ski to the Whistler Peak. You know the slope is steep when you can stand straight up, stick your hand out to the side touch the mountain. There wasn't that much snow, so I had to seek for the soft spots. I'm sure you can imagine what will happen if you ski accross a patch of ice or rock on a vertical slope. The fall would've been at least 500 ft.

Day Two: Looking for a challenge, I followed the sign that pointed towards a Black Diamond run. I saw some tracks heading over a ridge, that must be the way, right? WRONG! I get over there, and it's custered with trees, on a sharp downhill slope, and no where to go but down. The funny thing is, I looked around, and two folks had followed me. I asked them "Where are you going?" Dude said he was following me. Mistake #1. His girlfriend was following him. So we all had to scoot our way down slope between the trees. The steepness wasn't a problem, but it was hard to maneuver my 120 cm skis through 2 ft wide openings.

Day Three: Looking for a challenge, I skied the Blackcomb Glacier. Ever experience veritgo? You know how you can't see anything when you're in a bright room then turn all the lights off? Since I was in the clouds, no trees, can't see any people, EVERYTHING's white! You get to a point where you just can't tell what it is you're seeing, everything's white. Which way is down? That's when spitting comes in handy. :-) Fortunately, there are markers which guide you in the direction of the trail.

I saw an ice cave! Naturally made, it was an awesome sight. I wish I had a camera (weekend objective). I went inside, all blue. Didn't stay too long, there's a risk of it collapsing

I love Whistler! I bought a 500 piece puzzle of the mountain. I completed it in two days.

Question: How is there a glacier when the mountain isn't adjacent to the ocean?
Answer: The snow makes a stream as it melts, but most of the water never makes it off the mountain, it freezes. More melting. More freezing. Result is a year round glacier. The ice caves were formed at the base of the glacier as water runs through the mountain or under the snow/ice, then freezes when it exits the mountain.