TRAVEL
Sunday, November 18, 2012 - North Shore News - A33
Whistler Presents Winter Kick-off Nov. 22-25: To celebrate the original opening weekend, Nov. 22-25, Whistler Presents: Winter Kick Off with events and entertainment both on and off the slopes. Blackcomb Mountain opens Nov. 22. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola opens for winter sightseeing on the same day. Musical acts and street performers will add to the village vibe from 8 a.m. until noon all weekend. Winter kick-off fireworks will take place in Skier’s Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. with David Myles and Ali Milner taking to the stage at Millennium Place Saturday evening.
YOUR NORTH SHORE GUIDE to THE WORLD OUTSIDE
photo Tourism Whistler/Eric Berger
WITH Environment Canada forecasting up to 40 centimetres of snow in the alpine over the weekend, Whistler Mountain decided to open early on Saturday, Nov. 17 — five days ahead of the scheduled Nov. 22 date. For current conditions visit whistler.com/weather.
WHISTLER FOR PARENTS
Neville Judd Contributing Writer
Kids optional
WE all love our kids, but let’s face it, they cramp our style sometimes. Especially in a place like Whistler, where the potential for adult indulgence abounds. As another ski and snowboard season dawns upon us, I ask you this: Have parents not earned a little indulgence? From the poolside hammocks at the Scandinave Spa in Whistler, yes we have. From the tranquil cross-country ski trails of Callaghan Valley, certainly. From the excitement found atop a throbbing 4-stroke Bombardier snowmobile, hell yeah! The best part of a trip can be in the planning, but for parents, sometimes it’s easier to leave it to experts. Enjoy Whistler offers personalized service to ensure travellers strapped for time can still enjoy a memorable visit, with or without children. During a flying 72-hour visit to Whistler late last season, I drove fast, fired rifles, relaxed in a spa and skied till I dropped. I think I may have even had a better time than my kids. Some of it was hard work though. Take the Biathlon Experience, for example, a two-hour immersion into the oldest winter sport of them all. At the Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley, adults can try the sport, a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship. Aside from one regrettable hunting trip in Ireland 20 years ago (the rabbit got away), I’ve never done either. That was soon obvious to my instructor Antoine, who coached me through the finer points of skate skiing. In contrast to classic cross-country skis, skate skis are thinner, trickier, and faster. “Tougher to learn, but easier to master,” said Antoine, who should know. He started 30 years ago, when he was 22 months old. After some advice on balancing and edging, I began shifting my weight from side to side, achieving a clumsy version of V-skating — no poles, just pushing off with one ski and repeating with the other. We moved on to the classic diagonal stride, coordinating a forward poling arm with the opposite driving leg. Antoine made it look like ballet, all grace and elegance. I looked like Bambi with haemorrhoids. I was exhausted by the time we reached the Biathlon Range, where I at least got to lie down. It was the part I’d been waiting for: Firing a 22-calibre rifle. Antoine demonstrated, telling me to focus on my breathing, and pointing out that
photo Neville Judd
GEARED up and ready to rumble on the Callaghan Cruiser, a familyfriendly snowmobile ride offered by Canadian Snowmobile Adventures. with snow and gusty winds, a racing heartbeat won’t improve my chances of hitting a grapefruit-size target, 50 metres away. Nor would the cooked breakfast and three cups of coffee I’d had earlier, but I persevered through an initial round of near misses. After more advice from Antoine, and adjusting for the winds, I hit five out of five. (Ask Antoine!) Would the Whistler Olympic Park really go to such lengths to make me feel good? “The size of grapefruits, you say?” my wife whispered to me later that evening See Snowmobiles page 34