Our adventure continues in Beautiful British Columbia, sampling a little bit of everything Whistler Mountain has to offer. After arriving at Paradise Valley (our home for the next 12 days), leader of the day Gus helped the group prepare for two exciting days skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier. The next morning we were set up with equipment, met our guides (Scott and Marius) at the base of the mountain and began the journey up to the glacier. On the way it became very apparent that several members of our group had done this before. Anna was a pro at loading and unloading the chair lift while carrying her gear and Danny had the “snowboard dude look” down.
Two chairlifts, one bus, and another chairlift later we had arrived at the top. We took a warmup lap to get our legs back and began shredding the summer snow. Brian was able to make it to the top of the T-Bar lift on his first try and Adam looked so smooth making his “S turns.” Before long, the lifts were closing and it was time to call it a day.
Our appetites whetted, everyone was even more excited for the second day of skiing and riding. Because we knew how to get around and navigate the T-Bars, we had more time to enjoy the beautiful weather and glacial snow. The day ended with a mini jump competition, with Ryan pulling ahead as the victor. Everyone had a great time, especially Gunther, snowboarding for the first time in such unique circumstances.
Though we were sad to end our days of skiing, the group was eagerly awaiting the next day’s activity: Mountain Biking. Carson led the pack through Whistler’s famous trails taking us by several lakes and through the Olympic Cross Country course. After finishing a 20 mile loop we stopped by a trick park where Max showed off some of his moves.
Next up on our schedule was a day of hiking and ziplining. After a morning spent replenishing our grocery supplies and cleaning dirty laundry we were all happy to get back outside. Stopping by one of Whistler’s beautiful parks, Oliver was the first among us to swim in Alpha Lake. Most enjoyed a quick dip before the evenings main event. Taking a tour through a rainforest on a zipline is an experience most won’t forget for a long time! Ilan was like a dancer in his harness, flipping and twisting while flying through the air. There are a lot of ways to sum up our evening ZipTrek, but I think Will said it best: “That was awesome!”
Until next time, everyone says I Miss You!
