What's coming up at Whistler Blackcomb.
Day 15/30: As I’m trying to decide which adventure to write about, I’m getting far too distracted by the thought of fresh snow in the alpine. Could yesterday really have been the first day of spring?! Not on the mountains, not in the trees and not in my mind.
The other day I uploaded with two good buddies; Stu and Derek. Stu had his Vholdr cam so we were on a tree mission! It’s no secret the coverage hasn’t been good enough to venture too deeply into the woods this season. That was until last weekend when a huge storm hit Whistler Blackcomb dumping 158cms in total. So that was our cue to head out and rip some pow!
Stu’s been around these parts for ages, so I was expecting him to teach us a thing or two, but it just so happens we showed him some sweet spots he had never hit before. We started in Crystal by dropping off our bags at the snow fort, from there we headed to a super fun & short section of trees referred to as “the picnic table.” It’s literally a picnic table sitting on top of a knoll in the trees. It has an awesome view of the valley but that’s not why you go there. Below the table is a sweet pillow line, but watch your speed as it ends in tight trees and comes out onto a cat track.
Next we ducked into some tight trees to skier’s right of Rider’s Revenge; this took so much out of us! There was a big cliff in there that we had to maneuver around and that wasn’t too much fun. My advice, stick to marked gladed runs if you don’t know the area. These trails are actually protected bear habitat in the summer, so keep an eye out for the signage explaining the bear program. I would suggest checking out a glade like Arthur’s Choice or Outer Limits in the Crystal zone to get some good turns in spaced-out trees.
After lunch we zipped over to 7th Heaven to session the trees there. It was waist deep and untouched in places! I had such a great day laughing and shouting the whole time with good friends. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than a powdery tree run on Blackcomb!
Just four weeks until the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival rolls in to take over Whistler for 10 days and 10 nights of adenaline packed sports, arts, and music events.
The Zune Concert Series line up is set and ready to rock the valley of Whistler with live music from Thornley, The Stills, Ozomatli, The Arkells, 54 40, DJ ZTrip, and Metric to name just a few. For more info on the Zune Concert Series visit: wssf.com
This year marks the return of the Orage Masters, World Skiing Invitational's Big Air and Superpipe, and the addition of the Park'n'Fly Skate Jam and Monster's Grenade Games.
Also returning this year and bigger than ever are the infamous arts events including the Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown, 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown, Schick Fashion Exposed, State of the Art, Whistler Chef Challenge, and the new ThreePointOh Multimedia Challenge.
The festival doesn't stop there. When the sun sets the party is just getting started! The Kokanee Freeride Club Series, along with an onslaught of legendary parties, offers party-goers endless opportunities to rub elbows with the who's who of the industry. This year the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival really lives up to its modo: Party in April. Sleep in May.
TWSSF is also offering one lucky person the ultimate VIP status for this year's festival with the Face of the Festival Contest. To find out how to apply visit: wssf.com/faceofthefestival
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Tags:whistler, blackcomb, TWSSF, TELUS, Ski, and, Snowboard, Festival, music, concerts, contest, competition
Published by whistlerblackcomb: 3:54 PM
Updated On: 3/19/2009 at 3:55 PM
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Follow the Park Ranger updates on Twitter. Get regular updates on new features, changes and events happening on all Whistler Blackcomb Nintendo Terrain Parks. Stay connected to the Parks team as they shape up your favorite jibs, jumps and the superpipe. Follow the Park Rangers at http://twitter.com/whistlerparks
Pushing for Perfection
Hey Jibbers and Jumpers,
The past couple of weeks in The Parks have been really exciting times for everyone. We've seen lots of sun and snow. Our Parks are now pretty much built to capacity, giving our teams the opportunity to really pimp out our features. We've been switching rails and jumps in and out to keep things fresh. Both mountains are changing daily. The Showcase Showdown this year was a huge success. Big shout out to Brad Broughton from the shop, and his team of volunteers for their help with design and building. The Atomic Supercross is this weekend; results to come.
On Blackcomb
- The Snowcross track has a new line this year that everyone should check it out. The course is open daily.
- The Highest Level, and Choker lines are riding perfectly every day, the lines are dialed right in nicely. The Highest Level is rounded out at the bottom by a massive re-entry platform with an Up-Rail to Wallride. The Choker line finishes with an awesome Quarter Pipe that is Zaugged daily.
On Whistler
- The Bobcat line (right side of the park) has been filled out with an A-frame rail combo, a couple more jumps, and tweaks to the other jibs.
- The Chipmunk line is fully built out as well, with a couple new jumps, and changes to the jib lines Park Events
- The next King of the Rail comp is going to be March 21st. This is event is the last KOR of the season, and may even be moved to the base of Whistler (next to the GLC) this time. So make sure you register
- The following day (March 22nd), will be the Park Rider Series Slopestyle, on Whistler Mountain. The course will be on Whistler's Bobcat line (right side of park). All levels of riders and skiers are welcome so come on up, and ride in this fun event
See you all up here!
- James Sayers
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Day 2/30: Big Timber mission & more! I must admit, there have been a few hurdles this season, but I am having SO much fun! I’ve started the 30 day snowboard challenge for myself and this was Day Two. It is about more than just physically and mentally pushing myself - it’s about looking at this playground in a new and different way, finding new places and doing things I haven’t done before. I headed out early on Monday morning with my aggressive skier friend Derek - he wanted to show me a cabin in Big Timber on Whistler Mountain. It was SO cold! -21C to be exact, so I was all layered up, ready for a long day! After coffees and chats on the Whistler Village Gondola we headed up Peak Chair and down the Peak to Creek. We cut through some perfectly spaced trees off Upper Peak to Creek and guess what?! Fresh lines! I was floating through huge old growth trees and at that moment I felt like I was somewhere completely new! After a short hike we came to the cabin in the woods. It was built in honor of a fellow rider who lost his life doing what he loved. We took a moment to enjoy - it’s so awesome finding little spots like that. We cruised back down through the trees to the long cat track to Creekside. Again I was floating along with only a couple of tracks in front of me! The sun was shining and the views of Sprout and Rainbow mountains were amazing. I passed by Kadenwood and continued onto Lower Peak to Creek, which was a bit icy. It took at least 2 hours in total, the snow was dry and fluffy and there was not another person in sight. After lunch we uploaded the Creekside Gondola, to Big Red Express and across PEAK 2 PEAK to end the day with a few laps in the Crystal zone. Getting fresh groomers after lunch is practically unheard of and I loved every minute of it. Nothing beats a 4pm ride out to the valley! Keep on shredding! -Alex Snowboarder   
Favorites. We all have them; whether its ride buddies, afternoon snacks or secret spots. I frequently get asked on chairlift rides, “Where’s your favorite spot? What’s your favorite mountain?” I could answer that question very quickly and easily but I won’t get into that now. What I will say is that 7th Heaven doesn’t usually fall under the “favorite” category for me, but for some reason I was drawn there every day of my weekend. Perhaps it was the sunny skies, fresh lines or good group of friends, but regardless it was awesome. It started, as it always does, early Sunday morning with a coffee and a few calls to friends. A bunch of us met at the base of the Excalibur Gondola and headed up Blackcomb. Most of the mountain was pretty busy as it snowed 17cms the night before and the alpine hadn’t opened yet, so we cruised around the Jersey Cream area to get a feel for the snow - soft and cold but it was warming up fast! As soon as the light board switched 7th Heaven to green (open!) we shot over to 7th Ave and cut down through the trees to Expressway. Nothing beats cutting fresh lines and hearing your friends holler as they do the same! It was clearly a tree run day so at the top of 7th we headed far skier’s right for the trees under the water reservoir. It was as if no one knew they existed! The only tracks I encountered were those of my friends in front of me. I must admit, after many years riding these mountains, it was the first time I have ever paid those trees any attention and now I get why so many people are in love with 7th Heaven! I then spent the next couple of days exploring that whole zone, revisiting the trees and doing a few zippy laps on Cloud 9. I most definitely had a good time and as that classic Whistler bumper sticker says, “Go to Heaven, Ski like Hell!” I did exactly that! (Minus the skiing part…) Keep on shredding!
-Alex Snowboarder
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Whistler Blackcomb's annual Showcase Showdown went off last Saturday as onlookers crowded into Skiers' Plaza and onto patios to watch the action at the base of Whistler Mountain. After a hard fought battle, Caley Vanular claimed first place in the women's category. Second place went to Molly Milligan and third went to Janelle Prtichard. Meanwhile, Andrew Burns took first in the men's category, while Rusty Ockeneden claimed second place and Mike Osachuk took third.
The six riders, who won a total of $5,000 cash and prizes from event sponsors, including Nixon headphones and Sandbox helmets, will also be featured in Sandbox's next snowboard film "Shine On."
In its twelfth year, the Showcase Showdown has enjoyed another successful transformation and has proven once again why Whistler Blackcomb's Nintendo Terrain Parks are ranked No. 1 in North America.
This year's course was inspired by the mini-parks in locals' backyards all over Whistler. The slopestyle course design, which included rails and industrial-style jib features with happy faces, was a collaboration of Showcase Team Manager Brad Broughton; Kevin Sansalone of Sandbox Films; Steve Petrie master park-builder and designer and builder of the 2010 Olympic Halfpipe; and Whistler Blackcomb's Park Rangers.
For a complete results list visit www.showcaseshowdown.ca. Showcase Snowboards is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. For all the latest gear and apparel, shop online at www.showcasesnowboards.com.
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