EMBEDDED ON WHISTLER FOR SIX DAYS
Written on November 16, 2011
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Mike Douglas – Godfather of Freeskiing – has his first EMBEDDED instalment from the top of Whistler Blackcomb.
EMBEDDED Day 1 of 6 – Patience from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.
Mike Douglas “The Godfather of Freeskiing,” is currently EMBEDDED on Whistler Mountain for six days, documenting the inside story as Whistler Blackcomb prepares for its early opening on Friday, November 18.
Armed with only his camera equipment and winter gear, Douglas is living solo in the patrol hut atop the iconic Peak Chair at 7,160 feet on Whistler Mountain. He’ll be producing a series of short videos that bring to life the behind the scenes work that goes into opening a world-class ski area for the season. Douglas will be EMBEDDED with Whistler Blackcomb snowmakers, groomers, patrollers, and lift operations teams as they mobilize in preparation for Friday.
“Good things seem to come to those who wait. As the snow falls on Whistler Blackcomb, we all want to be up there as soon as possible, which is an exercise in patience,” says Douglas, co-founder of award winning film crew Switchback Entertainment. “After a long wait, I’ve finally made it up Whistler Mountain and it’s so good! The morning views have been spectacular and there is lots of snow up here. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
With a snow base of 55 centimetres at Pig Alley (1,650 metres), Douglas could be in for a few exclusive ski laps with patrol as they prep the mountain to safely open for the public. There will be no general public access to the alpine terrain on November 18, as early season conditions still apply.
As much as 35cm of snow expected by Friday and Douglas could experience one of the raging storms that frequent the Peak of Whistler Mountain each winter; frequently clocking winds of more than 100km per hour. The EMBEDDED story has only begun….
DAY 1
Patience — it’s the one thing we all have to learn in the weeks leading up to winter. The anticipation is often unbearable as the weather taunts us with tell-tale signs that winter is on its way. For pro skier Mike Douglas, embedded at the top of Whistler Mountain, the anticipation is over and winter has arrived…big time. Follow Mike as he journeys to the Patrol Shack on Whistler Peak that will be his home-away-from-home for the next 6 days and nights, and follow his progress has he documents the Mountain’s transformation and preparation for opening day.