Just because it was the second biggest snowfall on record, doesn’t mean that the season should end any differently than usual. And just because the world didn’t end as predicted by some fruitcake radio host, doesn’t mean that the apocalypse didn’t hit- at least some areas of the world. Namely Whistler, BC on May 30, 2011.
Or at least that’s what some people might have thought. It was a surprisingly warm and bright day at the end of May. Because our weather as of late has gotten us a little TOO used to rain and cold in early summer, I can actually refer to it as ‘surprisingly’. Blast! Anyway, why wouldn’t there be over a hundred people dressed in costume heading up for one last ski? For strangers to Whistler it would seem unusual, for locals, it’s just another day wasting away in Gaperville.
And so things kick off with a race down the Pan Pacific stairs. To my surprise, everyone made it, with no broken skis or bones. Then onto the gondola! One last trip up Blackcomb for this group of fun loving lunatics. Up the lifts people randomly cheered and shouted at the top of their lungs. Translation: “Life is good!”
At the top of the first runs of the day, a huge group of people would collect, all waiting patiently for everyone to arrive at the top. I stop to ponder how there’s something rather nice about that, but in a beat we all take off at top speed. One would think that holding a beer whilst riding would slow some people down. Apparently not.
A visit is made to the Jersey Cream cliffs, and everyone shows off their best tricks. Props go to the gentleman who did the front flip on a mono-ski. I believe he was wearing a giant afro wig. There were lots of bails, lots of moves, and most of all, lots of smiles.
Next up – the pond skim. The pond was a little small this year, a small price to pay after such a spectacular season. The sun beat down and huge crowd gathered to see who had the guts to go for glory. It was more the spectacular falls that got the cheers this time around, being that it was deemed ‘easy’ to make it across. I enjoyed watching the real Gapers skiing down, with no turning back, had to face a gauntlet of snowballs in order to pass through to Excellerator. Now you know for next time, folks.
Gaper Day is a Whistler tradition, and it’s so fun to see people get out there and make it a day to express how much we love the mountain, being silly, a little sunshine, and our friends.
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