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The winter survival guide

It begins. Blackcomb Mountain opened last week, and will be opening daily starting Nov. 11.

It begins. Blackcomb Mountain opened last week, and will be opening daily starting Nov. 11.

After this the next five months will pass by in a blur of early mornings, late nights, chairlifts, banana bread, beer, nachos, damp gloves and stinky long underwear. You should awake from this trance sometime near the end of April, dehydrated, disorientated, broke and probably a few pounds overweight. I’ve been through it all six times already, and it’s awesome.

And every year I get a little better at it – a little more organized, a little bit better equipped, and a little more balanced in my approach to living.

When the snow flies I already have my first six runs of the day mapped out and timed with the precision of a jewel heist. I know the shortest route between two points is not always a straight line, I know the best powder is sometimes in the most obvious spots, I know where to go to avoid the crowds, where to go when the visibility is low, and where the chance of hitting rocks is minimal in the early season.

While no ski bum in his or her right mind would share all of their secrets (note to all you ski instructors and overly helpful locals – quit being so nice to the newbies!) I can give you a bit of hard-earned advice to help your winter go smoother.

The first thing you need to know is the weather. Things change fast up there, and despite 40 years of forecasting the predictions and the reality seldom coincide. Sometimes weather systems hit early, and sometimes they hit late or not at all.

The first place to start every morning and evening is at WhistlerBlackcomb.com ( www.whistlerblackcomb.com ) – click on the Weather & Cams tab to have all of the options at your fingertips. The snow report is all-important for the morning, but also check out the Valley Forecast to access the also all-important Alpine Forecast.

Before you head up you should also check the Live Temperatures, which will tell you how cold and windy it is at the peak. Not only does this help you dress for the weather, it can also give you clues where to go – winds over 50 km/h usually mean that the alpine is going to be slow to open, and you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

The Live Temperatures section also lets you know when there’s an inversion – sometimes the top of the mountain is a lot warmer than the base, even by as much as 10 degrees Celsius, which can help you choose wax, clothing and your strategy for the day. My girlfriend skis and snowboards, and generally chooses her weapon based on the type of snow we’re expecting – e.g. in heavy, wet snow she usually goes with her board, and snow gets wet and heavy during an inversion.

If I’m heading out of bounds – which is not something I recommend if you’re new to the area because you can get lost, hurt or killed – I like to read the Avalanche Advisory to know what’s going on up there. It also gives you an idea what kind of snow to expect in-bounds, and what’s under the new powder – 10 cm of snow on an icy crust can make for a painful day.

Other places to check weather forecasts are Accu Weather at www.accuweather.com , and the Meteorological Service of Canada at www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca . I’m no meteorologist, but the satellite pictures can give you the big picture view of the entire northern Pacific coast, and what’s happening in other places around the province if you’re thinking about planning a trip.

While your life will pretty much revolve around the weather, there are some other things you can do to keep your winter going smoothly. One of those things is to try and eat a balanced diet. You can work off two pounds jogging in April but 10 pounds is a little bit tougher.

For advice on nutrition (the meals between nachos and banana bread) and general sports fitness one of the best resources I’ve found is The Physician and Sportsmedicine Journal at www.physsportsmed.com/personal.htm – everything from rehab to nutrition to dealing with things like asthma, always written with athletes in mind.

There’s a reason why a lot of the top skiers and snowboarders do yoga – your core strength and flexibility will be sorely tested over the next few months.

If you’re too busy to get to any classes, you can find a lot of basic stuff online. Check out www.yogajournal.com , www.hathayogalesson.com , and www.yogabasics.com .

The last thing you’ll need to ensure a smooth winter is cash. I wouldn’t suggest PokerRoom.com, unless you’re a total shark. For most of us, getting through a season in style means living cheaply and saving as much money as possible. That’s not to say you shouldn’t spend any money – nobody comes to Whistler to sit on their hands and have no fun at all.

But it’s easy to get into financial trouble here. It’s always somebody’s birthday or going away party, Saturday rolls around once a week and payday every two weeks. Clothing rips, equipment breaks, and things sometimes get stolen. And if you get injured – and let’s face it, a lot of us will – you still have to pay your bills. "The bigger your bankroll, the bigger you can afford to go," is sorry advice, but it’s true.

Saving money is mostly common sense – you don’t need The Wealthy Barber or a thorough understanding of "The Latte Factor" to realize that financial problems are typically death by a thousand cuts.

There’s a lot of money-saving advice on the web, but one site I like is www.betterbudgeting.com . Check out their Frugal Living tips.

Or prepare to rack up mountains of debt, at least as high as the mountains you’ll be skiing and riding. See you out there!