Up the Duffey

One of my favourite things about living in the Whistler area is the fact that it only takes about 20 minutes drive to get away from the crowds.  Don’t get me wrong, Whistler is awesome.  It’s a lot of fun with an incredible amount of things to do in some of the best scenery around but lets not kid ourselves, it can get crowded.  That’s where a short sneaky drive north comes in handy.

A couple of weeks ago we headed into the Duffey Lake area and we were planning to do a bit of a hike and a scramble and then chill out for the night.  There was an old decommissioned road which, fortunately for us, we could drive a decent way up.

This cut our hiking time down considerably which was good news as it meant we could justify carrying in a couple of extra beers! Crucial! The views were amazing from the get go!

It also meant we had a bit of extra time to scramble up some scree and see some pretty stunning views high about the lake!

It was steep and possibly a little sketchy…

It was incredible being in such isolated and enormous terrain.

During the course of our scramble we dislodged a rock or two and it was impressive and somewhat intimidating to see the path they took down the hill.  Definitely a no fall zone!

Scoping out the terrain, I cannot wait to get back here in the winter.  Some excellent skiing to be had, that is for sure!

We had a mixture of weather as well.  Three seasons that day at least.  We had a nice little downpour during dinner.  Gave us a good excuse to have some drinks and then in the early hours of the morning the skies cleared which was perfect!

An awesome overnight trip!

Blackcomb’s Night Sky

I just missed the sunset and orange clouds

Last night was another incredible night in Whistler.  The sunset meant the clouds were showing a stunning golden glow.  My original goal was to head out and attempt another ‘cloud trail’ style picture like this picture that I took in the UK.  I was just a few minutes late getting set up and missed the glow so I decided to wait a few hours and try a star trail instead.  I think it turned out pretty well!

It was a beautiful night over Blackcomb

Bungee Bridge Night Sky

Last Wednesday was the full moon.  It was an excellent night to go camping as it was warm, dry and incredibly stunning.  We headed to a campsite near Hippy Lake just south of Whistler.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take a decent star trail as the stars seemed a little faint however, fortunately, it turned out fairly well.

Cut Yer Bars

We have been blessed with some incredible weather in Whistler the past few days.  This time of year is amazing.  A great mix of people wandering through the village.  Skiers, boarders, bikers, hikers, you name it, they are all strolling about.

A mate and I ducked into this awesome trail near the village and played around.  Cut Yer Bars is a short but fun trail with some fast fun descents, a couple of cool rock rolls and a little bit of pedaling for good measure.  It was a glorious day.

 

Alta Lake Time Lapse

A little time lapse video of the star trail I took at Alta Lake the other night.  I am still trying to figure out how to keep the image sharp as I seem to lose a fair bit of quality in the image processing.

If anyone has any advice let me know!

Surprise Aurora

Change is in the air in Whistler at the moment.  The sun is out, the days are warming up and the snow is melting extremely quickly.  My thoughts have turned to biking and for the past week that is all I have been doing.

Work has slowed down rapidly and a couple of nights ago it was completely dead.  I decided to call it quits, grab my camera and head down to the lake as it was a fairly clear night.  A little bit of mist, fortunately not too much.

My aim was to attempt a star trail and as I was playing around taking some test shots I noticed a very obvious green tinge on the camera that my eyes weren’t picking up.

Hopefully we get some more nights like this over the next few months.

Cloud Trail

The World Ski and Snowboard Festival has been and gone in Whistler.  Unfortunately I missed most of it as I left the country for a week.  The good news is I was gone to attend a wedding.  A fantastic wedding.  I was actually put into a suit.  Outrageous.

While I was in Norfolk I experimented with a new photo technique.  I took the technique I use when taking star trails and applied it to clouds.  I was relatively happy with my first attempt and I cannot wait to play around with this more over the next few months.

What do you think? Any comments, advice or ideas?

Star Trail in Chamonix

Awhile ago now, when I was in Chamonix in January, I wanted to attempt a star trail photograph in the French Alps.  Unfortunately the view towards the more dramatic peaks and the Aiguille du Midi was obscured by blowing snow.  So I aimed my camera at the only space in the sky that was clear.  It’s not perfect however this is what I came up with.

What do you think? Is it better in colour or black and white?

What a day!

Every now and then a day comes along that simply hammers home why I live in Whistler.  A surprise 32cms of fresh, dry, light powder and bluebird skies.  How can you beat that?  I suppose I should add that I got first tracks down several runs.

Never Ceases to Amaze

Riding Peak Chair on Whistler in late February, I unloaded at the top, chuckled at all the ‘tourists’ taking their holiday snaps,

stopped a moment to look at their subject and was blown away.  I can’t tell you how many times I have looked upon this view, however it never, never ceases to amaze me.