It wasn’t clear and beautiful today. It was windy and we were in the clouds on the top of Whistler. It was snowing towards the end of the day which was a plus. I hear that lots of snow is coming on Friday; I’m praying to the snow gods that it’s true.

Whistler didn’t have the fashion I was expected. Blackcomb seriously kicked Whistler’s ass in terms of style. Although, I have to give props to the older gentleman I saw rocking a purple jumpsuit, that was hot. Skiing and snowboarding are the only sports where you will see men wearing the most ridiculous colours like purple and neon green. I love it. I didn’t see any Pucci or Prada on the slopes either.

So I didn’t take any style pictures so I thought I would break down my own ski style. It’s not all that fashion forward and leans on the more practical side.

My jacket by 686 is for snowboarding actually. I didn’t buy it with the intention of using it for skiing, it was just suppose to be a warm winter jacket. It was downfilled and I liked the cut. It works well for skiing as it blocks the wind and allows movement. I really would like to get a great gore tex shell and a nice fleece to be honest. The key to staying warm is layering after all. Those are purchases for much later.

My pants are a relic from when I last owned ski equipment, which was about ’92. I realized how out of touch I was with advances in ski equipment when I first came to Whistler. I rented the high performance skis which are about at eye level now. When I last had skis they were measuring them to the tip of you hands elevated. The skis now are much shorter, fatter and carve like a son of a bitch. It took a bit of adjustment. I realized how ancient my ski experiences were when I read this passage in the Ski & Snowboard Guide to Whistler Blackcomb describing the Chunkys Choice run.

Considered a classic when bump skiing was the rage! Dust off that “daffy” with which you used to impressed the chicks. Scott boots, Spalding skis and Schneider stretch pants required!

I actually owned a pair of stretch pants back in the day, you don’t see that stuff around now, that’s for sure. For the record I started skiing in grade 4 which is over 20 years ago.

I had friends talk to me about the shopping Whistler. It sucks, it’s mostly stuff you see back home, The Gap and Billabong. The only store that has me jazzed was The North Face store. I went in tonight and was a little disappointed. The women’s section is pretty small. I did see a 3/4 length silver down filled coat that I really like though. Speaking of The North Face, my gloves are from them. They have a little stash pocket that you can put hand warmers in. They also have special fabric on the thumbs for wiping goggles, which is a nice touch.

There is nothing you can do about a helmet, they look dorky, but it’s better than a head injury. I’m not a recreational, lazy daisy skier. I like to go fast and I go hard. It’s always a serious workout when I go skiing out here. That is a trait of all my outdoor pursuits I’m not there to take it easy, I’m there to work my butt off.

One of my favourite runs is the black diamond Dave Murray run on Whistler. It’s used alot for downhill races and training that it’s closed alot. It’s a great run, fast, steep grade, no moguls. You can get into a rhythm of short turns really easily. I prefer short turns to the wide and long ones.

I’m contemplating trying the Ziptrek tour so I can fly around at 80km/hr on a cable through the trees.