Whistler, BC: To be honest, I wasn?t really expecting much out of the skiing this Wednesday. Sure, I was at Whistler to ski with my dad?always a good time?but there was only an inch of new snow upon arrival at the gondola for first tracks breakfast. We were treated, however, to alpenglow across the valley as the first bluebird day in a week broke over the Coast Mountains. And a buffet at the roundhouse lodge was a nice way to get things started above the village.

When the call went through the lodge that the lifts were spinning it was time to get out for a few warm up laps and to my surprise the familiar sounds of avo control floated down from Whistler bowl. Apparently the peak had been closed for a day and there was fresh snow up top. A quick run to the Peak Chair set us on top of around 6 inches of windblown fresh?fast, soft snow, perfect for high speed turns in the open alpine bowls.

After a couple laps under the chair there were plenty of lines left to be plundered and the typical Whistler show was going off?people hucking the highly visible cliffs looker?s right of the Peak Chair and collecting their yard sales to the heckling of the lineup. As the crowd dispersed into the Harmony and Symphony Bowls they left plenty of fresh lines still available if you were willing to hike a little.

Blue skies and untracked snow is about as good as it gets. Not bad for a Wednesday with only an inch of fresh.

Photo: Bruce Rowles