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Blackcomb Ski Accommodations

Ski Accommodations At Blackcomb
By: Jewel Montoya

On the Blackcomb side, the largest lodge is The Aspens. Over 300 one and two-bedroom apartments, a large swimming pool and several outdoor hot tubs, plus a large and comfortable lobby, a ski rental/tuning shop and several other onsite facilities comprise the Aspens complex. It is right on the edge of the slopes and just a 20 second ski down to the Blackcomb Base. For easy access to skiing, there is nowhere better than the Aspens. However the apartments in the Aspens are fairly small (the two-bedroom units are around 850 sq. ft.) and often furnished in a Spartan fashion. One or two have been extensively upgraded, and these are the ones to go for.

Next to the Aspens, and also equipped with a pool and hot tubs, is Greystone Lodge. Some people prefer Greystone Lodge since it is smaller and less like staying in a large amorphous hotel, and its proximity to the slopes is almost equal.

If you need a larger unit, a little further up the hill is Woodrun Lodge. This is a cut or two above the Aspens, and has units of up to 4 bedrooms and 1800 sq. ft. Go for one of these if you are a larger group and want to all be in the same place. However, the truly premium building on the North side of the Wizard run is Cedar Creek. A beautiful building, with very few units in the rental market, this is the crème de la crème of multi-unit ski-in, ski-out complexes in Whistler.

At the bottom of the Wizard are a couple of popular buildings which are very convenient: the Le Chamois Hotel: really a glorified apartment building, and Glacier Lodge. These contain a variety of accommodation right at the Blackcomb Base

On the other - southern - side of the Wizard lies Pinnacle Ridge. Pinnacle Ridge is a townhome with over 40 units, some of which are a lost closer to the slopes than others. Also, some have been extensively upgraded (sometimes to the tune of over $1m in renovations), while others are totally original (read: cheap fittings and drab décor). Further over again, and a little lower, are Cedar Ridge and Cedar Hollow. Of the two, Cedar Ridge is somewhat closer to the slopes (but they are both pretty close), whilst Cedar Hollow has the edge in design and interior space. Cedar Hollow and Cedar Ridge have the great advantage that you can ski down to the top of the Village, not just to the base of Blackcomb: this gives you the option of skiing up Whistler as well as Blackcomb mountain.

Further down from Cedar Ridge and Cedar Hollow lies Snowy Creek, often considered the best location in Whistler, since uniquely in Whistler it combines ski-in, ski-out with just a two-minute walk to the Village. Again, the Snowy Creek homes vary greatly in attractiveness, since the ones which haven't been renovated are fairly grim. However, due to their proximity to the Village, these are some of the most sought-after units in town.

So if you are looking for ski-in, ski-out accommodation in Whistler make sure you understand exactly what you are getting.

Read about types of frogs and types of glue at the Types Of Things website.

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The Luger Who Died At The Winter Olympics

luger-who-died
By: Roscoe Patton

David Kumaritashvili gave an interview Sunday outside his house in the Georgian mountain town of Bakuriani, recounting one of the last conversations he had with his 21-year-old son. The Wall Street Journal reports:

"He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, 'Dad, I'm scared of one of the turns.'

"I said, 'Put your legs down on the ice to slow down,' but he said if he started the course he would finish it. ... He was brave."

Nodar Kumaritashvili also spoke with his parents minutes before his fateful slide, telling them he planned to make them proud, according to The Globe and Mail.

Since his death, many people have debated whether the track was too fast or the relatively inexperienced luger was out of his element. A number of Olympic lugers think the track was fine. They fault Kumaritashvili - a sentiment shared by luging officials who deemed the track safe (even while hypocritically lowering the starting location and adding pads to the metal beams that caused the death).

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger, who won a race at Whistler last year, said the women's event has turned into a kids race, a startlingly insensitive remark given the tragedy of Friday:

I'm not happy about the new start.
Live footage of accident, beware graphic
http://www.automated-internet-traffic.com/?cp=ft7at3RI

It's not a woman's start, it's a kinder (German for children's) start. The rest of the track is OK, but it's not as fast as from the proper start. It's the same for all the athletes, but I don't like it. I felt very good, but now because of the new start it's not fun.

Canadian Regan Lauscher complained that the lowered start means her nation's home-track advantage is "basically gone." Given that some have said Canada's resistance to allow other countries to train at the Whistler track played a role in Kumaritashvili's death, that comment beats out even Geisenberger's for insensitivity. Maybe Lauscher is taking cues from her coach, Wolfgang Staudinger, who said that "exotic sliders" are the reasons luge accidents happen
Video of accident, graphic scenes
http://www.automated-internet-traffic.com/?cp=ft7at3RI

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