How odd to return to Whistler, once submerged below several metres of snow, to see it all lush and green. 
Our motive behind returning for a night was to see the place in such a state, but nothing could have really prepared us for the shock of seeing our former home without all its wintery paraphernalia. Whistler is now all about bikes, it turns out... 
...with the only skiing to be done really just token rubbish for the cheapskate very late season crowd, and the odd park rider who simply can't live through the summer without riding rails and hitting kickers.
But of course these gripes of mine ignore the single greatest thing about Whistler after the big thaw. Bears. They're all over the show, all big and furry and dangerous. There had been a few sighting by the time we left to head south, but I hadn't managed to spot one. I'm glad to say that, within about 3 minutes of getting on the gondola to do some sight-seeing up above the village, I saw bears. Not just one but several, of different sizes and increasing levels of cuteness. And I have proof.
I think the look on my face on this last picture tells you everything you need to know. Excited was not the word.
My girlfriend, ever supportive of my blogging and other stuff related to my wanting to become a professional journalist, had only a slight criticism on my travel updates below. She was somewhat surprised that she wasn’t present in that many of the pictures. “Did you actually go away with real people, Jim, or were you on your own?” she asked, not without sarcasm. “No dear”, I replied, “you were there with me too”. So here she is, looking beautiful.
And just to prove that we aren’t one and the same person, here we are together, enjoying the sunshine and the fact that we could wear flip-flops at more than 1500m above sea level.
I may have criticised the fact that the place is now all non-ski-friendly, and it’ll be a long while until I next blast through the trees or plunge through waist-deep powder on either Whistler or Blackcomb mountain, I shouldn’t grumble overly – the place is still just as beautiful as it ever has been. Just a bit differently, that’s all.
Our motive behind returning for a night was to see the place in such a state, but nothing could have really prepared us for the shock of seeing our former home without all its wintery paraphernalia. Whistler is now all about bikes, it turns out... ...with the only skiing to be done really just token rubbish for the cheapskate very late season crowd, and the odd park rider who simply can't live through the summer without riding rails and hitting kickers.But of course these gripes of mine ignore the single greatest thing about Whistler after the big thaw. Bears. They're all over the show, all big and furry and dangerous. There had been a few sighting by the time we left to head south, but I hadn't managed to spot one. I'm glad to say that, within about 3 minutes of getting on the gondola to do some sight-seeing up above the village, I saw bears. Not just one but several, of different sizes and increasing levels of cuteness. And I have proof.I think the look on my face on this last picture tells you everything you need to know. Excited was not the word.My girlfriend, ever supportive of my blogging and other stuff related to my wanting to become a professional journalist, had only a slight criticism on my travel updates below. She was somewhat surprised that she wasn’t present in that many of the pictures. “Did you actually go away with real people, Jim, or were you on your own?” she asked, not without sarcasm. “No dear”, I replied, “you were there with me too”. So here she is, looking beautiful.And just to prove that we aren’t one and the same person, here we are together, enjoying the sunshine and the fact that we could wear flip-flops at more than 1500m above sea level.I may have criticised the fact that the place is now all non-ski-friendly, and it’ll be a long while until I next blast through the trees or plunge through waist-deep powder on either Whistler or Blackcomb mountain, I shouldn’t grumble overly – the place is still just as beautiful as it ever has been. Just a bit differently, that’s all.
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