Village Squire, 1976-11, Page 22TRAVEL
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Big White, near Kelowna in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, is capped with a big snowy dome
that affords gradual terrain and particularly favoured by the far -west recreational skier. --Canadian
Government tourist photo.
BY DIANE ALDER
I'm a skier and I'm thankful that 1 live
here. Within a two-hour drive from my
North Vancouver home, I have five ski
resorts from which to choose, and more are
planned in the next few years.
For a day or two of good skiing, I drive
the 75 miles from Vancouver to Whistler
Mountain, where 1 can really let loose and
ski as many vertical feet in a day as my legs
will stand. With 4,280 -feet of skiable
vertical. serviced by a gondola, five
chairlifts and two T -bars, 1 can find any
20, Village Squire/November 1976
type of terrain to suit any type of mood.
For a real thrill, there is always the
helicopter skiing on untracked glaciers
surrounding Whistler Mountain. The
Garibaldi Ski School instructors, under the
direction of well-known Jim McConkey,
take groups out to Tremor, Trory, Wedge,
Shutter, Armchair and other peaks for a
day of unbelievable skiing memories,
anytime from October to August. Ski weeks
here run for five full days and are priced at
$39.
Whistler, the megamountain has lots of
everything: powder snow, groomed and
packed runs, uphill transportation, terrain
for beginners, intermediate and experts.
Early Bird ski lessons begin at the end of
September and run every weekend until
early November for those who want to get a
jump on the already long season.
Daily operation begins on the American
Thanksgiving weekend in late November,
and lasts until the huge May 24th weekend
Spring Carnival and Freestyle Contest. In
summer there is helicopter skiing as well
as the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp. so