LIFE WITH LILLIAN
No doubt about it we were all improving; and with Hamish acting as mountain guide, we got to know all the different slopes of this enormous ski resort.
downhill and moguls skier, he turned out to be also a very good instructor. Just getting a few tips from him made me ski better than I have ever skied. My turns got smoother, my curves were more gentle and relaxed, my shifting of weight more graceful, and magically, I was going faster with a lot less effort, in fact with no effort at all as I succeeded in using the gravity of the slopes to my advantage. I recommend getting an instructor to ski with – it just makes the skiing so much more challenging and more fun. No doubt about it we were all
improving; and with Hamish acting as mountain guide, we got to know all the different slopes of this enormous ski resort. Whistler has well over 300 chair lifts, three gondolas and an amazing network of green, blue and black runs. Tere are big bowls and wide blues that give plenty of opportunity to practise one’s turns and there are also gentle trails for the less adventurous. And best of all, there are the more challenging black diamonds and double black diamonds. Jack was on a quest to pass level 5 in his skiing this time round having worked on level 4 last year, and to do this, he had to be able to ski down black diamonds using his parallels and turning more frequently. By midweek, he had got so good at it Hamish took him to Blackcomb to participate in some downhill race skiing! I am impressed at how fast kids improve. William, Jack’s cousin and Honey’s son, learned to ski to a pretty good level through the week, good enough to tackle some blue runs all the way from the top to the bottom of the mountain. Tat was quite awesome! Vancouver had hosted the last
Winter Olympics of 2010, so there were an amazing number of special runs built to Olympic standards for skiers and for
32 FENGSHUIWORLD | MARCH 2014
Jennifer making friends with the birds of the mountains.
snowboarders. Indeed, we had the chance to ski down the long Olympic run, which I found very challenging but also inspiring. So we decided to take a special picture against a backdrop of the five Olympic rings, each representing one of the five elements. Perhaps it is also the hype surrounding the current year’s Games in Sochi Russia. We must have got into the Olympic spirit! I have to say that pursuing
perfection on the slopes made the days pass by so fast. The weather cooperated as everyday was bright and sunny so that despite the temperature being a scary minus 24 degrees Celsius and the wind chill factor reaching minus 35 degrees on some days, we somehow managed to generate sufficient body heat to stay comfortable. It is important to wear the right clothing and the best way to stay warm enough is to have an inner thin layer of warmers, followed by a layer of fleece and then a down, and then the jacket. For the feet, there is nothing better than battery-operated footliners. And for the fingers, it is vital to use hand warmers. Unless you are dressed properly for the weather conditions, it is possible to get frostbite and then it is not fun! There are wonderful mountain
restaurants all over mid-stations as well as on the Peaks. We especially loved the Waffles at the Crystal Hut – truly out of this world – and although
it was difficult to get to, the run going there is a glacier kind of glide so it is icy and steep, still it was worth the effort. Jennifer did their Fresh Tracks program one morning, which meant getting up earlier to be the first ones on the newly-groomed slopes, but it also meant she could tuck into a very special buffet breakfast at the top of the gondola.
Whistler is a very big mountain and skiing is a very sporty kind of holiday. It is not for everyone – my husband for instance was much happier enjoying the hot spa of the resort and then joining us for après ski dinners in the evenings. Tere are any numbers of excellent restaurants, so one is spoilt for choice. Even if you are not a skier, you can enjoy Whistler. Te mountains are gorgeous. Te
skies stayed a beautiful blue through our days there and the evergreen conifers created an ambience that really makes this place very special. I so prefer the Conifers to the stark leafless trees and dreary wintry feel you often get with other ski resorts. When I first arrived, I had offered incense to the spirits of the mountains to appease them and seek their help in keeping the temperatures bearable. I am also averse to snowstorms, so it was great that we missed the heavy snowing after we left. I did the same on the day we drove out of Whistler to keep the mountain spirits appeased and to thank them.
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