Morning storm clouds

Ski season is upon us! Red sky in the morning....sailors take warning! This kind of sky may be ominous for sailors at sea, but it's a welcome sight for skiers because we want storms to bring fresh snow to the mountains. 


Morning light arrives, showing fresh snow on Wedge and Blackcomb.  Time to go skiing!

Vancouver Island, at last!

It was refreshing to wander shorelines,
along trails, and around town....
to linger over home-cooked meals,
to share some tales of our various adventures
to laugh
and to sometimes cry too.

We loved taking the time
to be in this familiar environment
to be among friends
to breath in sea air
and gaze over favourite island horizons.
 

 

 Thanks to all

We came home to Winter conditions,
the beginning of another ski season,
with numerous house guests
and lots of time outdoors.

 First snow fall on our railing and beyond.

Home for winter!

Whitney Winter news is about to begin....if you prefer to be removed from the recipient list (or added to it) please let us know!

During 4 months this summer we were sailing around Scotland. News updates on that were posted on our other blog "Darwin Sound". More news and photos from the summer will be added at some point so you may want to check back there later.

So, here we are back in Whistler where winter is fast approaching.

We came back a earlier than planned because we wanted to be present at the wedding of Anne & Max. It was a wonderful event and we felt honoured to be included. Here is their creative wedding cake.

And a photo of Anne & Max being married by Jenny Villard. The wedding was fun, and touching.


September is a lovely time to be in Whistler. One afternoon we hiked the Flank Trail, which was quite tame after some of the Monroe-bagging in Scotland. Here is a view from the trail. From our house the round trip was over two hours without another hiker in sight!

Canadian Thanksgiving week-end was filled with social gatherings, four consecutive evenings of fine dining and laughter.

We enjoyed a number of hikes among the Autumn leaves....




It hasn't been all about hiking & dining....

We also decided it was time to open up our view by cutting down a few big trees on our property. Al bravely started with the biggest tree, the one that was VERY close to our house...


The tree fell just where he planned it would fall, so he continued to cut down 6 more! This has opened up our view, and provided us with some useful firewood (if we can carry it all uphill before the snow falls).

Much of the time since our return has been spent on outside jobs which we are rushing to complete before the snow falls, and ski season begins. More on that in the next post....

Blizzards in mid-April

Almost every morning lately we have woken up to fresh snow around the house, even though it melts by noon, and winter conditions in the alpine.   Does this look like April to you?  Well, it really is!

Still Winter!

Fresh snow falling again this morning, April 4th!

Still winter....

It's is still wintery here in Whistler, even as we approach the end of March.   Fresh snow filled our driveway last week and snow storms in the alpine brought plenty of fresh powder to the ski slopes.

Of course, we were hosting some ski races and we always get plenty of fresh powder when races are on! 

But things are likely to change quickly.

The clouds are clearing, the sun is beginning to shine through, and the temperature at the valley level is up.  Spring skiing is just around the corner....

Family visit

We have a lot of house guests throughout the winter, mostly friends and sometimes family too. 

This past week-end nephew Bruce and his wife Judy came to ski.  It's been a few years, but that didn't stop us from immediately having an easy and wonderful time together.  We enjoyed lots of fun skiing all over Blackcomb and Whistler, from Crystal Ridge to Harmony Bowl and Symphony Bowl and the super long Peak to Creek.   Best news:  they now have Edge Cards and plan to return this season for more!

Family festivities

It's wonderful to live in a place family and friends want to visit!  Whether for a brief apres-ski drop-in, a dinner party, or an overnight stay, we love to welcome others to share our home.

Charlotte comes up from Vancouver quite often, usually with a pack of active (and hungry) friends in tow.  One day we got out together for some cross-country skiing on the valley trails.  We also got some other days skiing with her in the alpine.  Most visits include rather spontaneous and amazing dinner parties too.

One of my birthday highlights was a day in the alpine with Toria.  What a pleasure to see her alpine skiing again.  (she had knee surgery in September)

Gone skiing

Enjoying January conditions = plenty of fresh snow!

Also, planning sailing options....maybe across the North Atlantic? 

Festive Season

The Whitney home base in Whistler has been busy with friends and family, gatherings, festivities and - of course - lots of coming and going as we enjoy our snowy, winter-y surroundings.

The snowy alpine slopes beckon, as do the groomed cross-country ski trails in the valley.  Here is a view of Whistler from Rainbow Park, where the sunshine through the frosty air created a misty view over Alta Lake.

After a full day outdoors we enjoy a view from home of sunset over Wedge Mountain.