Birding Vancouver, British Columbia

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
MARCH 3-10, 2007

On Saturday, March 3, we drove from the Vancouver Airport to Tsawassen and took the ferry to Victoria, Vancouver Island. It is a 1.5 hour ferry ride each way and during the sail we stood on the deck and watched birds with our binoculars. At first we didn’t see much but a Horned Grebe, Brandt’s Cormorants, and lots of Glaucous-winged Gulls and Mew Gulls. When we got close to the Gulf Islands we came across several Rhinoceros Auklets, one Common Loon in breeding plumage, a few Pigeon Guillemots and a huge flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls. Susan spotted a Long-tailed Duck and later on we saw four more. There were many Red-breasted Mergansers flying by and in the water. Once we got to Victoria we headed down to the Bulb Fields where they grow daffodils to look for Sky Larks. I played a tape from the side of the road and soon a flock responded by singing. They were way out in a field though on private property so we were unable to get any closer or videotape them. We also checked the Victoria Airport but a light drizzle began falling and so we decided to take the ferry back to the mainland.

Sunday, March 4, we checked the Whistler Valley and found a Ruffed Grouse sitting in a tree just feet from us. We walked the trails a bit but there were few other birds about other than a Steller’s Jay and some Song Sparrows so we decided to visit the Reifel Bird Sanctuary instead. It was very crowded. We saw several Common Mergansers on the entrance road and once inside the sanctuary two Hooded Mergansers as well as the usual assortment of ducks including the very accommodating Wood Ducks, Northern Pintails, Buffleheads, and American Wigeons. There were lots of Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees and we saw seven immature Bald Eagles bathing in the Fraser River. As we were leaving we came across a field of hundreds of Snow Geese very close to the road and just a bit further on about 12 Trumpeter Swans. Outside of the sanctuary we saw two adult Bald Eagles next to each other in a tree. Then it was time to head up to Whistler. It rained the whole way.

Monday, March 5, we woke up to rain outside our condo at the Pan Pacific Mountainside, which is just a few meters from the Blackcomb Gondola. We took the Whistler Gondola up Whistler Mountain and as we ascended the rain soon turned to snow. On the first two days I skied. Conditions were very nice as it continued to snow all day long. At lunch time we skied all the way down and had lunch in the condo. Near the bottom it was slushy but still a nice long run from the top of the mountain all the way to the bottom. In the afternoon we skied the black runs off Peak Chair and Harmony. There were few people and no waiting in the lift lines. (All week we noticed that few people skied after 1:00 PM; basically they only skied from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM) Our two favorite runs were Kaleidoscope off Harmony and Whistler Bowl to Shale Slope from the Peak Chair. We skied until they closed up at 4:00 PM and then returned to our condo for dinner.

Tuesday, March 6, was the only day that it did not precipitate at all. Whistler had a base of 119 inches and conditions were still nice from the snow the day before. We spent the whole day at Whistler and I skied again.

Wednesday, March 7, we woke up and it was snowing outside our window. Conditions were phenomenal. It snowed about 35 cm on Wednesday. The snow report said 35 but it seemed like two feet of snow at Jersey Cream. I decided to snowboard due to all the powder. At the top of the Jersey Cream chair to the right is the Jersey Cream Bowl. It is supposedly a double diamond and maybe it is on a hard packed day but with all that powder it didn’t seem that difficult. We went off of it and floated down on the soft powder. We did this about seven times and then headed over the long flat green run, to Seventh Heaven. We got off the chair and walked in near white out conditions to the very last run, a diamond called Ziggy’s Meadow. We were the only ones brave enough to walk blizzard conditions to the end. We were rewarded by making first tracks on Ziggy’s Meadow all the way to the Seventh Heaven Chair. What a thrill that was. We took Ziggy’s Meadow again and then took the Seventh Heaven Chair straight to Horstman’s Glacier, a blue/black. No one was on it and we floated down on the fresh powder all the way to the Glacier Chair. From the Glacier Chair I talked Susan into walking up Spanky’s Ladder, the entrance to the double diamonds behind Blackcomb Glacier. I have always wanted to try this. The wind was blowing hard as we walked up the snowy steps with our boards in our hands to the entrance. We didn’t get to make first tracks but few people had braved the blustery winds to make it over there. Because the runs are in a steep sided bowl there was no wind inside Spanky’s Ladder and as we arrived the sun came out briefly allowing us to snap off a few pictures of this incredibly gorgeous area of the Cascade Range. From the top looking north you are looking into Garibaldi Provincial Park. Susan videotaped me gliding down Ruby Bowl on my snowboard. It was such fun to snowboard in these fantastic conditions, the kind you just dream about. The only way out of Spanky’s Ladder is on the Glacier Road, which is just that, a road, but it was well worth it. There was little time left by the time we made it back up the Excelerator Chair where Glacier Road lets you off and back up to Jersey Cream and Glacier Chairs but the Mountain Host told us if we “hoofed it” we would have time for one more run down Jersey Cream. We made it to the chair just before it closed at 3:30 in time for one last run down the Jersey Cream Bowl. I was very surprised that at that late hour the bowl was still full of untrammeled powder. I sailed down the sugar sweet bowl with few people around all the way to the bottom and back to the condo.

That night we had dinner and a few pints of ale at the Dub Linh Gate which is inside the Pan Pacific. We must have exerted a lot of energy on the mountain that day because I was shocked at how much food and beer I was able to hold.

Thursday, March 8, it was again snowing but there were strong winds. I decided to snowboard again. Everything was on wind hold except for Jersey Cream at Blackcomb. We took more runs than we had planned down Jersey Cream Bowl waiting for Glacier Chair to open. Finally they opened Seventh Heaven and we headed over there on the dreaded flat green run. We got on the chair and near the top the lift stopped while we were still on it and gail force wind blew the chair around. I was so surprised they were running the chair in that wind. We plowed our way over to Ziggy’s Meadow. The top was a bit wind blown but after that was quite nice and we were able to again make first tracks. When we made it back to the chair it was closed due to 85 KPH winds so we had to take another green run back to Solar Coaster, a chair I have never found the occasion to take. There was an enormous line so we opted for an early lunch instead. Glacier Chair never reopened so we spent the afternoon at Whistler. Amazingly they had the Harmony Chair open even with the strong winds but it soon closed as well. So we had no choice but to explore some areas we had never seen off of the Garbanzo Chair. There were very few people skiing after 2:00 PM as usual and we easily found some snowy areas for our enjoyment until Whistler finally closed and kicked us off the mountain.

Friday, the last day, March 9, it again snowed all day long. It snowed heavily. I was nervous but I put on my skis figuring I had to learn powder some time and now was as good as any. We decided to ski Whistler since it was again windy and more chairs were open on Whistler on a windy day than Blackcomb. We tried some black runs off of Big Red Chair until they finally opened up Peak Chair and we headed over to Whistler Bowl which was just chock full of powder. We did that twice and then decided to try the double diamond, West Bowl. Peak to Creek Run was wind swept and icy at the top from the strong winds but after a few meters it was again snow filled. Off to the right past Whistler Bowl is West Bowl. The entrance had a large cornice but I just put my skiis over the edge and went into it and it broke off. Somehow I convinced Susan to do likewise and then we were in a dream like powdery bowl with no people. There is no way back to Peak Chair from West Bowl. Your choices are to take the boring Road 86 to Big Red or the incredibly long Peak to Creek run to the Creekside Gondola. We decided on the long Peak to Creek which rarely has anyone on it. As you descended the mountain the snow became heavier and not nearly as nice as it was at the top. So we quickly got on the gondola at the end of the run and headed immediately to Harmony Chair. I talked Susan into taking Harmony Ridge to the double diamond, Horseshoe. It also had a large cornice which we both jumped off of and into the deliciously fun powder filled Horseshoe run back to Harmony chair. We had just enough time for two more runs down Kaleidoscope before the Harmony Chair closed. Our vacation was coming to a close fast. We took Emerald chair up for our final run of the day all the way back down the mountain and back to Vancouver. You never know what you will get when you go skiing. So we knew just how lucky we had been to have those fabulous conditions and to spend a whole week in beautiful British Columbia at the luxurious Pan Pacific. I know I was so lucky to have had the opportunity to have this incredible experience.
Michelle Brodie
3/12/07