Well, it seems it finally arrived, but only as those who vacationed in Whistler for top dollar over the Christmas holidays had mostly left. Maybe one last day or two of great skiing for those who arrived in Whistler late into the holidays. Enjoy this weekend, friends! Such are the times we live in now.
It was a first in all of the years I have known Whistler, and I have known it for a long time. Over the holidays, the valley floor was actually green as it is on an early summer’s day, and the village walkways were soaked in rain puddles. How unfortunate, but when people live as heavy upon the Earth as we many do or have done, that is the outcome. Welcome to the future! Let’s hope our coming summer is not with the opposite and the potential for extreme weather-related outcomes.
For all those who did arrive in Whistler over the recent holidays, we apologize for the lack of cooperation provided by Gaia. There was a time back in the 1970’s when many of us would venture up to Whistler every weekend from opening day to closing day. We skied with many other locals from Vancouver, and far fewer from away. Blessed we were back then when a Seasons Youth Pass cost about $250, not $300 per day, and the valley was often covered with an average of at least two feet of snow from December through March.
You can’t imagine just how fortunate we all were to ski Whistler during that great ski decade! Powder skiing was abundant and the smiles were face-to-face across the valley. Good cheer was everywhere, and times were indeed magical! Some of my fondest life memories are in Whistler, and it indeed concerns me as it should everyone that we are losing what we have all loved for so long.
Hopefully it’s just El Niño, and not the new Whistler reality. For those who did visit and were not rewarded with winter wonderland in the valley on Christmas 2023, give us a try again next ski season, or if you can’t, spend some time viewing those great Warren Miller films of the past at home, during the years of Whistler’s skiing glory.
Happy New Year!
