Sad way to start off 2009. Likely by now everyone has heard about the 2 unfortunate deaths from separate avalanches on Whistler Blackcomb a couple days ago. Both were in areas that are currently out of bounds because of snow and safety conditions, but are normally open this time of year. I suppose people are skiing more and more areas as snow cover improves, not anticipating avalanches of that caliber on such familiar terrain. 

Well it's been a couple weeks now. But opening day at Mt. Baker was epic.

And just think they have almost 3 times as much snow now. I'm going back for sure.

Merry Christmas! This is about as white as it gets in Sea to Sky country, exactly what a skier wants for Christmas. North Vancouver just got spewed on, with 68cm in the last 24 hrs at Mt Seymour, Mt Baker enjoyed 34 inches (aka more than 68cm) since Wednesday morning, and heck, even Whistler finally has some new snow and up to 60cm in the forecast for the coming days.

If this isn't inspiration for Gaper Day it should at least make you appreciate fat skis.

I have grown up skiing Mt Seymour with some of my best friends. Hundreds of days we've spent exploring the mountain above Deep Cove in Vancouver. However, there have been none quite like today, Christmas Eve. With record breaking snowfall in Vancouver, we decided today was the day - ski Seymour top to bottom, all the way down and to our doorsteps a block off the water. And so we did, with barely a ding to show for it. Taking the road for half the way and then the Old Buck trail the bottom half, then free heeling through the streets and paths of Deep Cove we made it. Merry Christmas indeed.

They say history repeats itself. Lets' hope that holds true for the Deep Winter Experience coming up Jan 9-18... for 2 reasons! First, it dumps, big time. So far the winter ain't all that 'deep', but the forecast is lookin' sweeet. And if the snowgods behave like the last 2 years, the clouds will be spewing their guts out during the Deep Winter Experience. We say bring it on. And reason #2 to repeat history? Well of course, Doglotion's friend and contributing photographer Jordan Manley won last year, and if he pulls it off again, we're callin' beers on him! Here's the details from Whistler Blackcomb.

The locals are getting restless as they say. Deeeep powdery photos from last week's Baker trip made it pretty easy to gather the troops and do another pilgrimage from Whistler and Vancouver to Baker this past weekend, and it didn't disappoint.  Me, Steve, Andre, Chad, Jordan and even Cheddar made it across the border for a weekend of made-in-the-USA pow. Sorry, couldn't bring any snow back with us, border guards get freaky when you try to bring white powder across State lines.

There's a lot of confusion in the air after the Excalibur Gondola went for a dive on Tuesday afternoon. Here's an update from Whistler Blackcomb

Finally got some clips together from the 2 opening days on Whistler & Blackcomb. Lots of mucking about hiking in the alpine as you can see, but there was some pretty fun stuff to be found. 

They say life isn't fair, and they're oh so right. Not everyone was created equally, nor was every ski resort. Amidst the most dismal ski season start in memory, with rock grinding and dirt skiing going on everywhere, one Pacific Northwest resort must have made a deal with the devil - scoring the most epic opening day you could possibly ask for in return. Why aren't we surprised - it was Mt Baker, Washington.