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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:40 pm
by Jaybez
This was easily the best trip out west in a long time. The size and scale of this place is amazing. We were there for a week and still couldn't hit everything.



We landed in Vancouver on Monday the 28th and hit the sea to sky highway. It is a slightly shorter drive than the Denver to Vail route and the views are mind blowing. Think of it has a meeting of the ocean and huge vertical mountain cliffs.



About half way up the hill is started snowing. It made for a sketchy drive in the weak suv they gave us, but we were more than happy to have a powder day the next morning.



The conditions are hard to explain. The size basically gives you a chance to feel it all. It could be 30, cloudy in the valley. Which will give really flat light and some snowfall. But a short gondola ride to mid mountain will have you breaking through the clouds and into endless sunshine. The snow up top was powdery with a thin frozen crust over the top.



The top section of each mountain where I found the best runs, less crowds, and the snow that wasn't so tracked out.



Here are some views from the top:

















This is Raptor, one of the gladed black runs. And a board that is not sitting:





They have a nice grouping of these runs on blackcomb. Here is the base of one called yardsale:





The terrain could def get as serious as you wanted. Right before we dropped in, the ski patrol told us there was a fatality near this run.





This is from the peak to peak gondola, looking at the 7th heaven area of blackcomb.





Obligatory group shot





And a quickly thrown together video




Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:06 pm
by ROYMERCER
breathtaking scenery. I know you are still on cloud 9 !!

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:17 pm
by mommehK
Beeeyooootiful...and it looks like you were above cloud 9!

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:33 pm
by WVULINK
Simply Amazing. Great still shots and fantastic video. I loved the helmet view of you hitting the trees near the 2:00 mark.

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:48 am
by Jaybez
Who doesn't love a little POV camera action?



And yeah the views were fantastic. No question we will be going back up there.



Also, the food options in the village and even on the mountain were surprising. I have never seen a mid-mountain cafeteria have Pho on the menu.

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:43 am
by davidski
Thanks for the great report-- that place must be HUGE

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:50 am
by WVULINK
@Jaybez 286857 wrote:Who doesn't love a little POV camera action?



And yeah the views were fantastic. No question we will be going back up there.



Also, the food options in the village and even on the mountain were surprising. I have never seen a mid-mountain cafeteria have Pho on the menu.



..P.S. I had never heard that song "Radioactive" or Imagine Dragons before but now its one of my favorite songs and I'm discovering that Imagine Dragons is an awesome band. Already downloaded their album. Thanks for introducing me to them.

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:45 pm
by carvebeast
rad! nice work, definitely a place i want to check off the list sooner rather than later, looked like a great trip.





how ya likin the proto? that deck is a quiver killer if there ever was one, will handle everything you can give it and then some.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:11 am
by Jaybez
That is actually the Heritage. Is is supposed to be the step below the proto, but the reviews were actually better for the Heritage. (as much as a 5 can be better than a 4.8)



I got it for these trips out west. Something to ease the pain of powder riding. It is definately a quiver killer. I have a more traditional cambered board that I now I have no intentions of using ever again. It floats on powder, carves on ice, and is fast as hell (almost in a scary way when speeding down some of the bowls at whistler.)




Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:10 pm
by davidski
I don't know if it's chicken or egg, but Icelantic Skis and Never Summer both work out of the same factory; I think it's different ownership though