Whistler Blackcomb celebrated an early opening today, to the delight of hundreds of local skiers and snowboarders. With five centimetres of new snow overnight and 29 centimetres in the last 24 hours locals and visitors alike were met with powder conditions.
Some eager teenager even camped outside the Whistler gondola building from 10:30 a.m. Thursday to make sure they were first in line.
"I'm going to do opening day like this every year, no matter what the conditions," said an exuberant Malcolm Watson, 16.
"We're at the front, everyone else is behind us and we get to ski first" he said.
They slept in tents and stayed warm with electric heaters powered by long extension cords. About an hour before the official opening, their parents came to collect all the equipment and brought them breakfast.
For more on this story read this week's Pique.
