Whistler, BC (December 23, 2009) – Have you ever heard of international snowboarding day? I hadn’t, until last week when I received a few emails about the winter solstice being the Official International Snowboarding Day, or something along those lines. I guess someone figured that skateboarders did it on the summer solstice, so why not snowboarders? Any reason to go ride is a good one for me and I happened to be driving into an oncoming storm on the Sea to Sky Highway—perfect timing.

Winter had returned full force to the slopes of Whistler-Blackcomb and conditions could not have been more appropriate—a foot of heavy fresh mid-mountain made for good pillow-popping snow and when Harmony Chair opened up high on Whistler Mountain, whiteouts and wind gave way to waist deep lines into the trees. In the spirit of the day, we rode first to last chair in the storm, including a couple top-to-bottom-leg-burners from the roundhouse down to Creekside. Indeed, International Snowboarding Day couldn’t have come on a better day. Let’s raise a glass to winter, who has blessed us with her presence once again.

Rider: Zeke Helliwell