AndreCharland's blog

Helmet Follow Cam in Corona Bowl

AndreCharland — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:42:47 -0400

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Good news: my cheap flip video camera can double as reverse helmet cam

Bad news: The last day of Whistler for 2008 was cold, icy and uneventful.

Thanks to Jamie, Lotte and Danielle for being troopers though.

Blower Pow, Pillows and Exposure in La Grave

AndreCharland — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:37:00 -0400

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The last couple days of skiing in La Grave have continued to deliver!

With the snow pack tightening and skies still mostly clear we able to get onto some steeper slopes ski some bigger runs to the Valley. Pan Rideaux was the most exciting with some steep turns, serious exposure and deep pow. But Chirousse the 2400m vert epic was a close second. Rocky Garden provided blower pow under blue skies so all good. I can't wipe the grin off my face! Lars Krantz and Even Ofstad of BigTrix.com are awesome guys to shred with. More to come...

Getting into the Alpine in La Grave

AndreCharland — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:30:44 -0400

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So the storming stopped finally and we woke to blue bird skies and about 40cms of fresh. Lars, Ida and I hit up a bunch of alpine chutes and the hit the Freaux couloir all the way down to the rode. We stuck mostly lower angle and sheltered slopes as avalanche danger is high. As stability improves we should be able to start skiing higher and steeper lines.

La Grave is Getting Nuked!

AndreCharland — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:13:19 -0400

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I just arrive in France and the snow started falling in La Grave. Yesterday winds were over 100kmh in the Alpine, it snowed about 30 to 40cms so Lars and I decided to go for a small ski tour.

Today is blue bird:)

Team Faction Video

AndreCharland — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:39:33 -0400

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Sick vid of the of the Faction boys shredding in the Whistler area.

The Coquihalla is Finally Open!

AndreCharland — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:37:13 -0500

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The Coquihalla is Finally Open! , originally uploaded by Andre Charland. Taken 15 Feb '08, 9.50am PST PST

Jamie and I are headed to Revelstoke and Rogers Pass for a few days! yeehaa!

Blogged from my Crackberry Pearl!

Happy 25th Bday blazer!

AndreCharland — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:10:47 -0500

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Happy 25th Bday blazer!, originally uploaded by Andre Charland. Taken 10 Feb '08, 5.24pm PST PST

Blazer hit a quarter century in style last night! We started at 3pm, got kicked out of Merlins and rounded out the night at the crystal drinking more shots that I can remember. Blazer kept his ski boots on the whole time...actually right until the next morning!

Blogged from my Crackberry Pearl!

Best Xmas Forecast Ever!

AndreCharland — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:15:48 -0500

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Words fail me.

My First Weekend in Whistler of 07/08

AndreCharland — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:53:51 -0500

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Just when I thought it would never come, my first weekend 6 months after shoulder delivered a cold sunny day with my best friends and light powder.

Jamie telling Calvin and Hobbes how it's going to be.

Of course there was some ice, some rocks and not all the lifts were running. Now my calves, quads and back are screaming. But I can't wipe the grin off my face with steel wool! It's on now, the alpine is open the base is settled and it's all cold smoke from here.

We stared off the day with a few quick laps in Spanky's which was deeper and lighter than I would have expected. After a late lunch we started to hit the typical boot packs. Then finished off the day with tour up to the top of Spearhead.

The run down Husume from there was glorious. We all had fresh lines down the high shoulder into the gut. Sorry no pics of that, it was getting dark and the beer at Merlins was calling!

Hotel Ski Base Jumping

AndreCharland — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 01:55:48 -0500

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And we thought Gaper Day was crazy! Here's JT Holmes sending-it-gaper-base-jump-style:

Erik Seo was there to shoot it and had this to say about it:

So as a part of a fundraiser event for the Make a wish foundation Shane McConkey, JT Holmes, Jesse Hall and Miles Dasher are doing a ski BASE jump from the top of the Silver Legacy Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada. A wooden ramp was built on the top of the hotel for the in-run with some Snow Flex carpet and topped off with 1,000 lbs of shaved ice.

There's some more footage up here.

Whistler Opens this Saturday Nov 17th

AndreCharland — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:07:19 -0500

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Early Opening Saturday, November 17

Date: November 14, 2007 Valid: Weekend of November 17-18

Unmarked rocks and obstacles may be encountered on groomed runs. Please obey all on mountain signage and stay within bounds. Ski and ride with care!

Parking

Parking is available in the Village and Creekside Lots.
Base II is scheduled to open on November 22nd

Shuttles

Shuttles available from the village lots to the village gondola.

Guest Relations

FRIDAY – 11AM-7PM at G1 Village, Creekside and Blackcomb Daylodge
SATURDAY – 8am-7pm at G1 Village; 8am-5pm Creekside and Blackcomb Daylodge
SUNDAY - 8AM-5pm at G1 Village and Creekside
MONDAY – Village G1 8am-5pm; Creekside and Blackcomb Daylodge closed
TUESDAY – Village G1 8am-5pm; Creekside and Blackcomb Daylodge closed
WEDNESDAY – Village G1 8am-5pm; Blackcomb Daylodge 12-5pm; Creekside closed
THURSDAY - 8am-5pm at G1 Village, Blackcomb Daylodge and Creekside
FRIDAY – 8am-7pm Village G1, 8am-5pm Blackcomb Daylodge and Creekside

Passes

Refer to Guest Relations for pass pick-up hours

Pricing

Early Season Pricing to November 22 TBA Friday, November 16

Tickets

Lift tickets will be available at G1, Excalibur and Creekside Ticket Windows - weekend only
During the week, G1 will be open Mon-Thurs

Mountain HOURS of Operation

8:30am - 3pm Last upload: 2:45pm

Whistler Mountain is open November 17, with early season conditions. There may be unmarked rocks and obstacles on the runs that are open. Please obey all on mountain signage. Ski and ride with care. Terrain is recommended for intermediates and advanced skiers and riders.

Upload From the Valley Whistler

Whistler
Village Gondola.
Creekside Gondola

Blackcomb
Closed until Thursday, November 22.

Lifts Scheduled to Open

Whistler: Lifts Scheduled to open:
• Whistler Village Gondola, Creekside Gondola, Red Chair, Emerald Chair and Franz’s (weekend only)

Early Season Conditions apply. Mandatory Download is in effect.

Après

Merlin’s Bar and Grill open daily
Garibaldi Lift Company open daily
Dusty’s Bar & Grill open Nov. 16 to run daily

Retail Operations

Base at Pig Alley

108cm – Wednesday November 14

All operations are weather dependant and subject to change…

Via Whistler Blackcomb.

Kees and Claire Frundraiser was a Success!

AndreCharland — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:22:48 -0500

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The Kees & Claire fundraiser event Saturday night at the Howe Sound Brew Pub in Squamish was better than I could have ever imagined. By my guess there was about 150 people who turned up from all corners of the province including Claire's Dad and brother!! We raised just over $2000 that is going towards the memorial hut. So with that in mind the planning committee is turning it into high gear to make the hut a reality as soon as possible. If you want to help out just let me know.

Thanks to everyone that showed up. What a great way to kick off the season in honour of two very special friends!

For those who couldn't make it, we'll be setting up online donations up for very soon so you can show your support and contribute!

Up to 60cms Forecasted for Whistler Cross your Fingers!

AndreCharland — Tue, 6 Nov 2007 13:22:39 -0500

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See for yourself here

Thursday.. Periods Of Snow.
Snowfall Accumulation 15 To 20 Cm.
Rainfall Amounts Trace.
Freezing Level 1800 Metres.

Friday.. Snow. Windy.
Snowfall Accumulation 15 To 25 Cm.
Freezing Level 1500 Metres.

Saturday.. Flurries.
Snowfall Accumulation 10 To 15 Cm.
Freezing Level 1300 Metres.

Snow in the forecast

AndreCharland — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:57:02 -0400

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Winter is coming!!! According to the WB forecast.

Tuesday.. Periods Of Snow. Snowfall Accumulation 5 To 10 Cm.
Freezing Level 1500 Metres.
Wednesday.. Periods Of Snow. Snowfall Accumulation 5 To 10 Cm.Freezing Level 1250 Metres.
Thursday.. Periods Of Snow. Snowfall Accumulation 5 To 10 Cm.
Freezing Level 1000 Metres.

Better start doing squats or something it's almost time to shred. 5 More weeks until the lifts roll.

Skiing in October

AndreCharland — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 12:33:16 -0400

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So I thought by now everyone would have a seen the vid of those lucky bastards skiing on Blackcomb glacier just before thanksgiving. Turns out not everyone has yet so I figured I should repost it for everyone.

Click here to watch the October Skiing Vid.

Get your stoke on!

Will Burks Skiing Deep Pow!

AndreCharland — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:20:08 -0400

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If this doesn't get you stoked...go buy some snowblades!

Jonesin' for a summer truck driver?

AndreCharland — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:58:04 -0400

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_DSC1348.jpg, originally uploaded by MATiO FreeSkiing.cz(.sk). Taken 29 Aug '07, 11.32am PDT PST

I know I am. 3 Months til ski season who's stoked? I got my shoulder out the sling and half way through recovery from my surgery in June. Get ready to kill it!

Blogged from my Crackberry Pearl!

People are skiing in Chile!

AndreCharland — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:31:57 -0400

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MMM Fresh!, originally uploaded by stuntmanjeff. Taken 26 Jun '07, 4.48pm PDT PST

Jealousy...

"Taken near the summit of the lookers left volcano in Termas De Chillan, Chile.

Lots of sunshine and fresh powder to be had with very little skinning! Love these days!"

Blogged from my Crackberry Pearl!

Save Mountain Biking on Cypress!

AndreCharland — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:14:07 -0400

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From my good friend Andrea at Sombrio:

Dudes,

Not sure if you are aware or not but the trails on Cypress are about to be developed. We really need to rally the troops to show support on behalf of mountain bikers who want to continue to ride this rad mountain. Please come to this meeting, you don’t have to speak or talk to press. Just be present.

Here are the meeting details:

OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday June 20th, 2007
6:00 to 8:30 pm
West Van Seniors' Centre, 695 - 21st Street - click here for google maps link.

Why not?

\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Verdana\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Verdana\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana\"\>Krafty\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt\"\>\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" width\u003d\"800\" height\u003d\"115\" align\u003d\"baseline\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003c/div\>\n\n\u003c/div\>\n\n\n\u003cbr\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\"\>No virus found in this outgoing message.\u003cbr\>\nChecked by AVG Free Edition.\u003cbr\>\nVersion: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.9.0/852 - Release Date: 6/17/2007 8:23 AM\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/font\> \u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\> \u003c/font\> \u003c/p\>\n",0] ); //-->We can have a few coldies after too.

Krafty

Baker looks good to go!

AndreCharland — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:57:56 -0400

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Just found these pics from a recent to trip to Baker.

Mt. Baker 2007

Looks good to go. Who's in for this weekend?

AndreCharland's blog

Helmet Follow Cam in Corona Bowl

Blower Pow, Pillows and Exposure in La Grave

Getting into the Alpine in La Grave

La Grave is Getting Nuked!

Team Faction Video

The Coquihalla is Finally Open!

Happy 25th Bday blazer!

Best Xmas Forecast Ever!

My First Weekend in Whistler of 07/08

Hotel Ski Base Jumping

Whistler Opens this Saturday Nov 17th

**Early Opening Saturday, November 17**

Date: November 14, 2007 Valid: Weekend of November 17-18

Parking

Shuttles

Guest Relations

Passes

Pricing

Tickets

Mountain HOURS of Operation

Upload From the Valley Whistler

Lifts Scheduled to Open

Après

Retail Operations

Base at Pig Alley

All operations are weather dependant and subject to change…

Kees and Claire Frundraiser was a Success!

Up to 60cms Forecasted for Whistler Cross your Fingers!

Snow in the forecast

Skiing in October

Will Burks Skiing Deep Pow!

Jonesin' for a summer truck driver?

People are skiing in Chile!

Save Mountain Biking on Cypress!

Baker looks good to go!

Early Opening Saturday, November 17