Dancing Peak to Peak

It is just after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning and although I rose at 8:30 it was nothing compared to 5 a.m. yesterday. I couldn’t believe how lonely the streets felt at 7 a.m. when I left for the office.

Yesterday we made our staff trip to Whistler.

Although I came to BC in 1972 I had only made the attempt once before in a Volkswagen bug, I can’t even remember the year. I do remember I made it to Squamish and Shannon Falls before the car began to overheat and stall, causing me to abort the trip.

But yesterday I was vaulted out of my comfort zone here in town in a rented newer model Dodge minivan driven by my friend and co-worker Danny and in two groups in two vans our party made the trek to Whistler.

Although this year was one of the hottest on records and there had been no snow on the nearby mountaintops all summer, we were greeted by newly dusted white caps on the surrounding peaks.

There was no snow in the village but the Sales Manager of the new Coast Blackcomb Suites Brandi took us on a tour I won’t soon forget. After a brief tour of the hotel we hiked down the ski slope at the rear of the property into the village.

From there we took a gondola up the mountain side to a second lift where we could access the Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride the largest unsupported gondola ride in the world. At its highest point we were 4 ½ km above the valley floor and the cars were big enough to hold 20 people.

The ride goes from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain which are two side by side peaks separated by a deep valley. The view from up there is stunning in its magnificence and if a person had any doubts that we live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, this ride would cure them at a stroke.

The air up there is so pure that all the senses seem to open at once, making the colors more vibrant and the eyes more clear and the breathing easier. It was cold up there though, and I was glad I heeded the advice to dress warmly wearing my winter coat and a wool toque. A couple of staff members had not listened and suffered and shivered accordingly.

After a brief stop at The Rendezvous, a mountaintop restaurant and pit stop we took the trip back down which seemed to take forever, to the much milder climate of the village and then a shuttle bus back to the hotel where Brandi our tour manager had arranged and now personally prepared for us a hamburger barbeque. She cooked and served which after her tour duty with us was above and beyond the call. She was also an avid raconteur and regaled us with stories of her 5 years in Whistler and beyond.

On the homeward journey I felt I had been awake and traveling for 2 days although we were back in Vancouver by 5 p.m.

I had expected the usual hotel tour which although informative are rarely spectacular. Anyone who takes this tour is sure to tell all their friends and to return to visit this amazing place.