From - http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-23480-postdays-0-postorder-asc-start-405.html

Useful Things To Know.

• Take a laptop, internet cafes are hell expensive.
• Buy “Whistler and Blackcomb Advanced/Expert Guide book” small palm sized book available in most outdoor shops and the grocery store. Incredibly useful for those secret runs and lots of advise
• Before you go up check the webcams and call snowphone 604.932.4211 (if it’s the same number) weather could be totally different on the mountain. It could be raining in the village and bluebird above
• If its cloudy don’t let it put you off, just head for the trees. Trees are infact magic and disperse the cloud, plus you are not travelling as fast. Many powder turn people miss out on because of overcast days.
• If the village gondola queue is big, upload on Fitz and Garbo chair, which manage to miss all the tourist queues.
• On a big pow day there is nothing wrong with waiting at Peak chair for 2 hours, to be on the first few chairs up. It could well be the best run of your season.
• From personal experience only ride Lower Peak to Creek if it is a pow day or has been recently groomed. 5km is one hell of a long mogul run, and you will be crying at the bottom.
• Tie a whistle onto your jacket, and ride the trees with others, tree wells can be deep and near impossible to get out of.
• Wax your board often, every few hardcore days riding, or about every week as a rule. It makes such a difference and looks after your base.
• Carry ID and insurance papers at all times on the mountain.
• Ride a good bit with people better than you, it improves your riding immensely. Get out of your comfort zone be it on the steepest thing you have done, fastest speed, or biggest kicker.
• Slap hands and say hi to everyone you meet, its all about knowing. Get to know bartenders and bouncers, you can get all kinds of privileges from no queue, no cover charge, to free drinks. Make sure you tip!! At least 10% on drinks and a bit more for food if the service was good. If you don’t tip you wont get anywhere, bartenders might even ignore you and serve everyone else first.
• Don’t forget the tax on all goods. Its about 15% you need to add on to everything you buy, ie something in the shop marked at $5 will actually be nearly $6.50 when you get to the till. Only the liquor stores have the tax included in the price.

Places you must go – On the Mountain

• Flute bowl – Absolute must. Any pow day get some awesome well earned turns in a quiet area. Can hold powder patches for 3 or so days after a big dump.
• Spankys ladder – Again another pow day must, climb the bottle neck of the ladder (steps in the snow and rock, don’t fall or drop your board) to be rewarded with several massive bowls of perfect riding. Double black is the easiest way down from the ladder.
• Couloir – On Whistler mountain, a classic couloir, get it on a pow day and its epic. Daunting to look at but not too bad to ride, good initiation into double blacks.
• 7th Heaven – Perfect open glades, gentle slopes and such a wide area fresh tracks can be found everywhere. Nice into to tree riding on the lower half, not too dense. Awesome riding
• Peak to Creek – get this when it has been freshly groom and it is the most awesome fun long run, 7km of pure ripping straight from Whistler Peak right down to the pub in Creekside in one run.
• Straightline the Saddle – no fresh snow? Time to mess about, a straightline race down the Saddle is called for. Get to the top of the Saddle, find a clear line straight down, point and shoot. No turning or speed checking until you reach Peak chair. Guaranteed to make your eyes water.
• The parks – Start of small and get bigger. Generally the bigger the park the better it is kept and often ridden less. Just don’t be a tit in the park, have some sense, don’t cut people up, stop beneath an obstacle etc
• Backcountry – the proper stuff, fully out of bounds in the middle of nowhere. Make sure you are going with someone who knows the area, best bet is to go on the Avalanche Awareness Course. Teaches you a lot about snowpack, avalanches, and general safety in the mountains. Will learn how to use transceivers and probes etc, do some snowshoe hiking and ride some perfect untouched terrain.
• Harmony – everything from easy cruising to sick ridges, just a massive play area.
• Trees – on a cloudy day head for the trees, also intense on a pow day or just for a bit of fun. Look in the W/B guide for some runs or just make them up yourself, find a hole in the trees and dive in (make sure you know where it comes out and you’re not heading to oblivion)
• Chic Pea on Whistler mountain. Kick ass pizza in a funky cabin. Escapes the crowds of the big Roundhouse lodge