There are very, very few things to complain about living next to two world class mountains. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and say this is a #shredworldproblem, but here it is: while there is no such thing as too much terrain, it can create challenges in meeting up with your buddies on the mountain.
Anyone who has tried can attest to the fact that trying to find a friend on Whistler/Blackcomb is akin to playing the world’s most intense version of Cat and Mouse.
In order to help you make the best use of your time on the mountain, I have established this highly advanced evaluation of meet-up techniques. You’re welcome.
Method One: Texting
Person One: Hey dude, just getting to Solar. Where are you?
Person Two: We’re at Seventh now. Just about to get off lift.
Person One: I’ll head that way.
Person One: I’m here. Where are you?
Person One: Hello?
Fact: texting sucks on the mountain. The only time anyone ever really checks their phone is in the chairlift line or on the lift itself. In other words, in five minutes, they will be exactly where they are not right now. Also, mountains are cold. The last thing I want to do at the end of an epic run is find my phone, try not to drop it in the snow, and take off my mittens to expose my fingers to the extreme temperatures. If you do decide to start a text dialogue, it will take you forever to actually figure out a plan. Information becomes stale as you move around the mountain, so unless your buddy is texting you back immediately, you’re out of luck. On Magee’s Mountain Meet Up Scale, Texting gets a dismal 1/10.
Method Two: The Phone Call
The phone call has some advantages over texting. You are talking to a person in real time and can actually create a solid game plan quickly and efficiently. The trick is getting the other person to actually answer their phone. If they happened to remember to take their phone off silent, chances are they won’t hear it over the music playing in their headphones or the mechanical noises of the lift. And if they do hear it mid-run, do you think they will happily stop mid run to answer? Not unless they are lame. Phone calls get a 4/10.
Method Three: HeyTell
HeyTell is an App that, as far as I can tell, is used by approximately three people (me and two of my friends). It’s like a walkie talkie meets a voicemail. You can record a message and send it to your friend, and it pops up on their phone and they listen to it. The advantage over texting is that you don’t really need to take your mittens off (no frostbite! Hooray!) and the advantage over a phone call is that the other person doesn’t need to answer right away. Still, it lacks time stamping, so unless you remember to mention what time it is in your message, chaos can ensue. HeyTell: 5/10
Method Four: The Predetermined Meet-Up
In the olden days, people used to communicate ahead of time, determine a meet up place and time, and then show up at the aforementioned place at the predetermined time. Novel, right? This method is shockingly effective.
The challenge is to ensure that you plan your day accordingly and keep track of time. If you’re not careful, before you know it, you’ll realize you have five minutes to make your way to a lift on the opposite side of the mountain. It is extremely lame to keep your friends waiting for you when they could in fact be shredding some excellent pow.
The PMU gets a solid 8/10 from me.
I have yet to discover the perfect 10/10 method, other than just starting the day off with your buddies in the first place and telling everyone else you’ll just meet them for après. Life is harsh that way, but they’ll understand.
According to the internet, this is how you meet-up with your friends
