Thursday, January 13, 2005
Whistler Blackcomb
We went to Whistler (2 hours north of Vancouver) on Monday and returned to Vancouver last night. Whistler is a famous ski resort (one of the best in North America), and I had a good time skiing for 2 and a half days. My parents didn't ski. Instead, they went sightseeing and cross-country skiing. We stayed at the Listel Whistler, owned by Best Western, at the foot of the mountain in Whistler Village. The hotel is within walking distance of the ski lifts, and they had the nicest blankets of any hotel I've been to.
The ski area consists of 2 large mountains (Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain) side by side. Each mountain alone is larger than most ski areas in the US. The terrain and the runs are amazing. However, they did not have a lot of snow when we were there. It has been a below-average year as most of the snow storms veered south to California to Lake Tahoe and Mammoth. As a result, over a quarter of the runs were closed due to lack of snow coverage on the slopes. However, near the top of the mountains, the snow was nice, as on Blackcomb there are 2 glaciers that never melts (they do offer summer skiing on the glacier June through August). It was the first time in my life that I got to ski on glaciers, a pretty cool experience.
When I was young, I had dreamed of coming here to ski, so my spirit could not be dampened, even with the subpar conditions. It is interesting how the best efforts of man to build this world-class resort is still depended on God who grants the snow. Without the snow, the town would be nonexistent, and the entire economy and prosperity of the area would be gone. Pray that the people at the resort would recognize their dependency on the one true God and worship Him, and not be preoccupied by the distractions of the world. One has to recognize that recreational activities such as skiing can become a barrier to God if they consume our lives, leaving no room for Jesus. One has to always keep one's life in proper order.
Vancouver/Whistler has been chosen as the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics. and I had the opportunity to ski on portions of the future Olympic downhill, Super G, GS, and Slalom courses (both men and women). It was a treat to speed down these runs. Before we arrived at the mountain, I had been alerted by the Lord to pray against sexual immorality in the area. Later on I found out that Whistler will be hosting an international gay and lesbian ski week at the end of January. We can all keep this in prayer, for the deliverance and the salvation of these folks and breaking down of this demonic stronghold in the world.
The ski area consists of 2 large mountains (Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain) side by side. Each mountain alone is larger than most ski areas in the US. The terrain and the runs are amazing. However, they did not have a lot of snow when we were there. It has been a below-average year as most of the snow storms veered south to California to Lake Tahoe and Mammoth. As a result, over a quarter of the runs were closed due to lack of snow coverage on the slopes. However, near the top of the mountains, the snow was nice, as on Blackcomb there are 2 glaciers that never melts (they do offer summer skiing on the glacier June through August). It was the first time in my life that I got to ski on glaciers, a pretty cool experience.
When I was young, I had dreamed of coming here to ski, so my spirit could not be dampened, even with the subpar conditions. It is interesting how the best efforts of man to build this world-class resort is still depended on God who grants the snow. Without the snow, the town would be nonexistent, and the entire economy and prosperity of the area would be gone. Pray that the people at the resort would recognize their dependency on the one true God and worship Him, and not be preoccupied by the distractions of the world. One has to recognize that recreational activities such as skiing can become a barrier to God if they consume our lives, leaving no room for Jesus. One has to always keep one's life in proper order.
Vancouver/Whistler has been chosen as the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics. and I had the opportunity to ski on portions of the future Olympic downhill, Super G, GS, and Slalom courses (both men and women). It was a treat to speed down these runs. Before we arrived at the mountain, I had been alerted by the Lord to pray against sexual immorality in the area. Later on I found out that Whistler will be hosting an international gay and lesbian ski week at the end of January. We can all keep this in prayer, for the deliverance and the salvation of these folks and breaking down of this demonic stronghold in the world.
