• • My relationship with Whistler has always been an affair of love and hate. Since my first Camp of Champions session, I’ve been drawn to both the towering vertical and expansive scale of the scale of the Coast Mountains that have made Canada’s mega resort both an international superstar and an epicenter of Canadian shred culture. But overwhelming village development and glitzy SUV crowds have never really been my scene, which is why I always arrive hopeful but leave hungry for a fresher taste of the local terrain.

  • Whistler frontcountry and Whistler backcountry are two different worlds, but one thing they share is a reputation for world-class trees. Even though most shreds get their first taste of green inside the Whistler/Blackcomb hectarage, the entire Coast Range is known for timber. Due to the luck of elevation, the ski areas were mostly spared the saw before the chairlifts arrived, resulting in old-growth sub-maritime forests that drop from peak to creek through three ecological zones and contrast the second-growth framing village and valley development.

  • The climb from the col was efficient and the first run down was all glory, but the bonus came after we decided to push back our return time and let a few responsibilities slide. We skinned back up for a 2,400-vertical-foot exit from the Dome to the sled. At the entrance I found myself staring blindly down a steep tree chute that Chris confirmed would go and, as I looked left, he simply motioned for me to drop in. Riding with the ebb and flow of mutual trust, my mind was freed of conscious effort. On a 68 Prior, I slide-checked the line and cut off only surface sluff, wich we followed in alternation tandem, framing one run in time with the tall straight trees watching in silence from either side of the path.

  
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