The Unwritten Rules Of Skiing Whistler

We’ve all read the alpine responsibility code. It’s written on the back of all of our ski passes and is plastered on chairlift poles. They are common sense responsibilities that keep people safe and are second nature to most long time skiers.

Without the code, would ski resorts be anarchic? Probably not, but there are other, more important (fun) rules that ski resorts fail to mention. Some of these are still common sense and others have been etched into skiing history by McConkey and the legendary guys and gals in the ski film GNAR. Worth a watch if you’ve never seen it.

Let’s Get You Up To Speed.

When you see a skier fall, rate it. 

Nothing complements a yard sell like the peanut gallery going off on the chairlift. Yard Sale yapping is always lighthearted and fun and I get stoked when others get a laugh from whatever sort of ejection acrobatics I managed to get myself in. My favourite is to give a fall rating out of 10.

If you’re skiing powder, make noise.

You can’t just not let the entire mountain know how good of a time you’re having. Make some noise. Everyone has their own natural powder yelp, let those skis loose and let those lungs fly. Nothing beats hooting and hollering your way through the pow with you buddies. 

If someone is stopped, spray them.

Don’t spray strangers, but if you know someone, blast them with a blizzard. Also don’t do this if you’re not an expert skier. I’ve seen beginner and intermediates attempt the spray, clip an edge and bodyslam their friends. You don’t want to turn a light hearted prank into a pummelling. 

Clank your poles together. 

If you’re about to ski a big line, or about to go from stopping to moving, always clank your poles together. It feels great and gets you stoked. Who cares if you’re just dropping into your first blue run, clank those poles. 

Whack your poles on all cornices.

Even if you can’t see over the edge of the cornice, still whack at it. It signals to those below that you might be doing something cool. Bonus points if you hit the cornice for more than 30 seconds then just ski around and take an easy route out.

Call out all pro’s and tell them, “You’re a way sicker skier than them”

Hopefully they’ve seen the movie GNAR…. Or they might not take kindly to you.

Never say last run. 

I’ve never had a last run in my life. Not sure what happens if you call last run. Don’t do it. Ever. 

Say, “dropping” every line and jump. 

This one goes even better with a pole clank and sounds great on the go pro footy. Extra points if you mumble your voice to make it sound like you’re using a walkie talkie. I always call my drops even when I’m by myself. It feels great and is extremely important if you’re nearby the pro skier who you just told “you’re way sicker than” 

Ditch pole straps. 

This one is actually serious and might save your arms. Having straps on in the trees or getting caught in an avalanche with straps on could rip your arms clean off… Okay maybe not clean off, but it could be bad. It’s better to lose a pole than lose a limb.

Don’t line snake. 

I’m not talking about the lift line. When you’re hiking to a line or eyeing something down and another skier got there first, make sure to ask them what they want to ski. First skier there deserves to get the line they are eyeing down. There’s lots of snow for everyone. 

Always multiply the size of your drop/jump by 3.

Skiing is like fishing, embellishing isn’t just expected, it’s encouraged. What’s an apres without a good story. By using the rule of three, your stories will stay somewhat believable and you’ll have a better chance of impressing someone special at the apres. 

Chairlift Chats

It’s okay to interview your fellow skiers and riders on the chairlift. Heck, sometimes it’s the only social interaction I get. Even if they don’t want to talk, they have to tolerate you for a few minutes. All jokes aside, chairlifts are on of the best ways to meet new people on the mountain.

Snowballs At Empty Chairs

If it’s a pow day and there are massive lines, no one wants to see a quad chair empty with one or two folks going up. It’s more than likely you’ve had at least 15 minutes to figure out numbers. For those poor few who end up on a partially empty chair, get those goggles down and prepare for an onslaught of snowballs.

Although this list isn’t as legendary as the OG game of GNAR the boys were playing at Squaw, it’s a start.

Let’s make Whistler fun again!