TR: More whistler-blackcomb - the Santa Fe invasion

TR: More whistler-blackcomb - the Santa Fe invasion

DAY 1

When we heard that a group of fine skiers and fun people from Santa Fe, New Mexico we had met in our ski tour in the Durrand Glacier area (http://www.leelau.net/2005/sme/day1woolsey/woolsey.htm) were coming to Whistler we knew we had to show them a good time. When we visited them in Santa Fe on a biking trip, it had rained and poured. We didn't know that was pretty much the only precip that the Santa Fe area was going to get all winter. Needless to say, with Taos and the Santa Fe ski areas looking rather bare, they were pretty happy to hit Whistler in the snowiest January on record.


From the Whistler-Blackcomb web-site "As of 10am January 31, 2006, Whistler broke the record for the snowiest month the mountains have seen since weather data collection began 25 years ago. With 20 centimetres (8 inches) of snow in the past 24 hours, January's snowfall accumulation reached 469 centimetres (185 inches). The snowiest month previously was January 1992 at 459 centimetres (180.7 inches.)"

More here http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...comb270106.htm


http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...billruby06.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...rlleemax08.jpg

Day 2

The next day it snowed another 20cms. For the sake of variety this time we headed over to Whistler and hit Fresh Tracks. Here for more - - http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...tler280106.htm

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...lratfink02.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...headwall10.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...ronbagel12.jpg

Whistler was so good yesterday we hit it up again today with another 15 cms on the ground.

Day 3 - click here for more http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...tler290106.htm

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...thhidden01.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...llharvey10.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...serflute14.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...serflute15.jpg

Day 4 - More snow. After taking a couple of days off to get back to Vancouver and do a bit of work we were back. Two days of skiing for the New Mexicans - 40 cms of snow for them on the Monday and just 20 cms on the Tuesday. Another 20 cms falls this Wednesday and we're off to Fresh Tracks again.

Click here for more http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...tler010206.htm

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...bertsons07.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...bertsons12.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...bertsons03.jpg

Day 5 - While I took the time off to let my knee rest and to check in with the clinic (doctor says possible tear of the lateral meniscus) Blackcomb gets dumped on so the group heads there to go play in the alpine.

Click here for more http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...comb020206.htm

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...ldiamond03.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...sapphire07.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...sapphire10.jpg

Still sidelined by the knee I had to sit out while the group went off to tour the Musical Bumps. They're off to Flute and Oboe - an area that's routine for locals but fun and safe for visitors and more importantly decent skiing even in low visibility and following high winds.

Click here for more: http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...oboe030206.htm

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...groupoboe5.jpg


http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...billoboe07.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe//...rankoboe08.jpg

Schweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

:)

btw - how bad is ski santa fe now? :eek:

17 inches of base. man-made snow with only the lower mountain open.

from what i see out my window, i doubt those 17" very much.

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/w...serflute14.jpg



Give this guy triple gnar points for skiing the deep without the aid of goggles and a hat. Totally gnarly!!!

Great shots, Lee....I especially like the shots from Harmony Trees with Flute in the background. love that whole area, as well as Sun Bowl with all its myriad lines and possibilities..

brutah - it was a warm bootpack - what can i say?

Next week is sunny with no new snow projected for a while. I'm going to give my knee a break and then go on a glacier touring and chute skiing binge. Pow111 squirrel rbtree you guys in? athan and phil - im also thinking of heading to Cayoosh for some of this:

mmmm one week of stable snow .... oh the possibilities

http://www.bivouac.com/img/photo/6383_CayNGlac800.jpg

or to Chief Pascall for some of this:

http://www.leelau.net/2004/ChiefPasc...03skislope.jpg

leelua

we just spent the weekend at keiths hut. mt matier looks amazing but unfortunately the viz wasnt good enough for it. today was some great skiing we had an awesome 3000 ft descent of endlesss pow

shit pemberton has endless possibilities

leelau,

we have our reading week for ubc starting this friday. in the slight event that it looks like we will have a high pressure for the entire week athan and i will most likely stay here and do some hut trips. we should get togehter if that happens. will know closer to thursday

if not we are off to our buddy's place in creston to tour the whitewater area and hopefully the columbia glacier area

Last Day - http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...comb040206.htm

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...groupcbc06.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...pakalolo09.jpg

http://www.leelau.net/2006/santafe/b...rdiamond11.jpg

Great pics, Lee!!!

Sweetage...some hometown folks. Too bad I never met them, because I probably know them. Santa Fe is nothing but good people.