This time it was going to happen! Our annual ski trip to Whistler-Blackcomb had been canceled the last two years because of Covid-19. I was in Whitefish, Montana, when the Canadian border closed in 2000. I canceled my one-way ticket to Vancouver, BC, (where my ski buddy John Paulson was going to pick me up), and received a refund. Fast forward to this year when I was again in Montana visiting my son. Instead of flying (as air prices had climbed overnight), I took Amtrak from Whitefish to Edmonds, Washington, where friend Jean Gilmore picked me up. We went to her house where John (who drove in from Oregon later that day) and I would spend the next two evenings.

The following day, we went to downtown Seattle to get a 24-hour rapid Covid-19 test, required by the Canadians to cross the border. On April 1, they lifted that requirement, allowing crossings by just showing that one had been vaccinated for Covid-19. When we crossed the border the following day at the Peace Arch, it was like a scene out of the Twilight Zone as only three lanes were open and we drove right up to the customs window. There were only two other vehicles in lanes beside us. In the past, all customs lanes were open and there were a slew of cars, with waiting times upwards of half an hour. The kind customs agent asked for our passports and rapid Covid-19 test results, and in a flash we were in Canuck land!

AMTRAK WHITEFISH TO EDMONDS and PUTIN’S WAR

My journey had started a few days earlier as I boarded Amtrak at 9:15pm and arrived in Edmonds 12 hours later. I was delivered to the train station by a van driver from Whitefish’s Grouse Mountain Lodge. On the bus with me was Patti, manager of the lodge’s restaurant. A Polish native, she told me that she had just gotten off the phone with her mom in Poland who informed her daughter that they had just taken in a family escaping Ukraine after an unprovoked Putin Russian invasion of their sovereign country. Two days later I documented a Ukrainian rally in downtown Seattle. The peace of the world teeters precariously as I write these words, thanks to Russia’s monster dictator.

I love riding trains. Before this trip I had always ridden in the upper level, but this time I selected the lower level. I chose a seat in the very back of the car and had it nearly all to myself until about 20 miles before Edmonds. It was quiet and I was able to sleep nearly the entire route. A big plus about this location is the paucity of foot traffic going to the restroom and additionally, more foot space. With my carry-on luggage, I built a portable bed that worked just dandy.

The first light of dawn awoke me as we descended the Cascade Range. I pulled open the window blinds and delighted in the transcendent light that enveloped the craggy mountain peaks with mist rising from the small river that paralleled the tracks. Using my phone, I took a number of photographs of the splendorous forested landscape. Eventually, we arrived at Puget Sound, traveling south to Edmonds with the inland ocean solemn and calm beside us.

Edmonds is known as a bedroom community of Seattle. It is home to travel writer Rick Steves and headquarters for his robust business endeavors. It continues to be where he places his hat and walks his dogs between world adventures.

Edmonds is a charming village worth exploring with plenty of locals and many tourist amenities that leads to the sea where one can boat, kayak, stroll beaches, fish and take a ferry to Puget Sound islands. I personally love ferrying to Kingston and back.

I walked from Jean’s house to the beach and boardwalk promenade. A stop at Anthony’s (noted for seafood) is a tradition for a cold tap beer and crab cocktail, while viewing the beautiful San Juan Mountains across the Sound. Cascadia Art Museum (www.cascadiaartmuseum.org) is a worthy visit, showcasing indigenous northwest arts from 1860-1970. The Phoenix Theater (www.tptedmonds.org) looks entertaining as a live comedy venue. I’m making notes for next year’s visit.

WHISTLER with GRANVILLE ISLAND STOP

After crossing into Canada, our first stop was Granville Island, a uniquely located artisans village, right on the water across from downtown Vancouver. It is the only place where I can find my favorite poppy-seed pastries. Because of Covid-19 and the ensuing social distancing, the village’s main commercial building created more space distancing, causing several vendors to have located elsewhere, including two of my favorites that possessed my pastry elixir. Drats! However, through persistence, I located a vendor that had them, so I purchased half a baker’s dozen and swore to myself that I would ski off the extra calories. Granville Island is a cornucopia of fresh food, drink, entertainment, artisan products and colorful merriment. When we left the market, John and I had full bags of produce, fresh fish, pastries, specialty condiments, along with our on-the-road lunch. We were smiling campers en route to Whistler.

SKIING WHISTLER-BLACKCOMB: MASK MANDATE LIFTED

Our first item of business upon our Whistler arrival was to unpack our luggage at Cascade West for our two-week stay. Once done, we took a stroll through Olympic Village. It was noticeably quieter with fewer crowds than years past, but fully expected with Covid-19 protocols and restrictions still in place. On the fifth day of our stay, British Columbia lifted mask mandates for indoor places. It was personally very liberating to see the masks go. However, at least half of the tourists continued to wear them. With Americans not yet flooding into Canada to ski and ride, most of the tourists were from Asian, South American and European countries. Australia and New Zealand were well represented, too. Riding the Peak to Peak gondola, I experienced five languages being spoken as we crossed. Whistler-Blackcomb is, indeed, a universal snowsport destination.

John and I took advantage of the sunny weather and skied robustly the first few days.
The first day was epic with see-forever views. We took the Whistler gondola to Roundhouse Lodge and then skied over to the Peak Express Chair which took us to the top of Whistler Mountain. We accessed a variety of runs from there, including the black Saddle Run where our turns on the crystalline snow created fascinating rooster tails. We made our way to Creekside’s Dustys for lunch where we had to show our Covid-19 vaccination cards to get in. The Peak to Creek Run to Dustys is nearly seven miles long and it is considered the longest consistent ski run in North America. At Dustys, I had a stout beer and a superb pulled pork sandwich accompanied by ginger-carrot soup.

After a few days, the weather turned from sunny to snowy and cloudy for pretty much the remainder of the journey. I had a rare experience of losing my Olympic-Tough camera and finding it several days later under a foot of snow. It was a needle-in-the-haystack kinda deal as I had skied both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains the day of its loss. I had a dream, though, one night about losing it off piste where I had taken an ‘off-piste piss,’ where it slipped out of my pocket. John and I went to the location of my dream and we dug around with our poles to no avail. We both left. However, I decided to go back again after taking the Blackcomb Gondola up to the Rendezvous Lodge. I went to the same spot and dug about five feet away and viola, success! The waterproof camera started right up after its several day snow sojourn.

At this moment of writing, I just read this official notice: “Blackcomb Mountain is open for skiing and riding every day from 10:00am – 4:00pm. Whistler Mountain and The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola are now closed for the winter season, reopening for Summer Sightseeing on May 21. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park will open May 13.”

With vaccination cards in hand, it is easy to cross the border into Canada. Also, when we crossed the border back into the States, no vaccination card was required.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING WHISTLER

An easy, fun walk from our Lodge accesses Lost Lake PassivHaus (https://www.crosscountryconnection.ca/lost-lake/passivhaus/ and www.crosscountryconnection.ca) where there is a plethora of cross-country and snowshoe trails. Several times I went out and cross country skied around Lost Lake. They are open 8am to 8pm and there are four kilometers of night skiing after 3pm. Make sure you try one of their superb coffees and pastries at the Connection Cafe inside the PassivHaus. There is a fresh, hearty soup available everyday, too.

NINA LAKE LODGE

Thanks to our dear Whistler friend Camilla Joubert, John and I experienced a new find: Nina Lake Lodge (www.nitalakelodge.com), located a few miles out of town along the picturesque alpine Nina Lake. She and her friend Michael (the lodge owner) invited us to dinner one evening at the Lodge’s Winter Den. We took the lodge’s shuttle from Whistler’s Olympic Village, across the street from our lodging. Arriving early, we went outside to the patio and relaxed in comfortable sofas around a warming fire with spellbinding views of the frozen lake and abruptly rising mountains. I ordered a negroni cocktail and John a local beer. We had a great visit with a Toronto attorney who joined us at the fire. We watched several lodge guests as they left the nearby heated pool and walked over to an opening with a ladder on the frozen lake. They quickly submerged themselves in the numbing lake water and made their way back to the pool. New certified members of the Nina Lake Polar Bear Club is what I surmised!

Hooking up with Camille and Michael a half an hour later, we had a delightful evening of great food, wine and conversation. A few days later, I hiked from our lodge to the Nina Lake Lodge on hiking paths leading from the Village. It was an invigorating workout with great scenery along the way. It was Saint Patrick’s Day. At Nina Lodge’s Cure Lounge and Patio, I consumed two tap Guinness and made my jolly way to the shuttle, passing out some green beads to patrons along the way.

Nina is a world-class luxury lodge and spa with easy access to ski/ride nearby Whistler at Creekside. The lodge can be enjoyed during any season. Michael told us that summers are the best. I made a mental note of that. It was great to be back in Canada again and in the hospitality embrace of its wonderful people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry Turner is a productive, respected regional, national and international photographer/writer. His work has appeared in countless magazines and books, including Browntrout and Avalanche Publishers' calendars and books, American Heritage, National Geographic Traveler, Travel and Leisure, Sunset and many others. He is the co-author of the book Mount Shasta Reflections, and his photographs have appeared on covers of many books and magazines.  He is an active skier, gardener, fly fisherman,  and adventurer. His greatest love is spending time with his son Steen, Chef de Cuisine of the Cafe Kandahar in Whitefish, Montana