Shawna Olsten

I have a life list, not a physical one, this list only exists in my own head which eases the editing process. The last week I’ve unexpectedly been burning check marks up and down this list.

On December 12th I was lucky enough to be invited to the peak2peak Gondola opening in Whistler, BC. The p2p project has been in the works for the last 2 ½ years and with a price tag of a smooth 52 million bills it wasn’t going to disappoint. The lift links 7,160ft Whistler and 8,000ft Blackcomb - at a point where they are 2.7 miles apart. In order to reach that far, the cables have to be strung across a central, unsupported span that is nearly two miles wide. The cabin’s travel on a cable line 1,427ft above the valley below. These are both world records for this type of lift. Brrreaaaking breeeaaking RECORDZZZZZ. *CHECK*

We were given our tickets to ride on lucky cabin #8 and herded into our cabin cue at the top of Whistler. We then listened to some speeches, sang O CANADA, and watched free skier Shane McConkey and renowned base jumper Miles Daisher get awesome. With a helicopter hovering overhead, the pair base-jumped from the top of a gondola car, free-falling before opening their parachutes hundreds of feet above the valley floor.

We departed the Whistler station around 11am and arrived at Blackcomb roughly 10mins later…no BIG. I found this very convenient as the snow is way better on Blackcomb right now, good thing I didn’t have to waste over an hour to find out. So we shredded the gnarr for a couple runs then headed back to Whistler, simply because we could. We were lucky enough to catch a glass bottom cabin and yes I will get under that rope and superman on that glass bottom before the end of the season. *STILL UNCHECKED*

At the après festivities in the Round House, we sipped champers and descended on the chocolate fondue buffet. We made it back down to the village just in time for the pyrotechnics, YEAH p2p gondola!!

We headed back to the cabin slipped into some formal attire and preceded to Quattro for dinner. This is where I thought our evening would end. I had been up since 4:30am and was beat from the afternoon beverages and intense McShred session. I was wrong…dead wrong.

You may remember Miles Daisher from earlier in the day when he jumped off the p2p gondola with nothing but a parachute. Leave it to him to come up with the great idea that we all go bungee jumping after dinner. Miles is crazy but there is no way I thought even he was going to be able to pull this off. It was at least -10 out and nearing midnight… it was also the evening of the biggest and brightest Full Moon of 2008. Next thing I know 3 guys from Whistler Bungee (in uniform) roll in and roll us out to the middle of nowhere…did I really agree to this?

I have never bungee jumped before but it was on the life list, and something about the day told me this was the way it was meant to happen. Chivalry is still alive, so it was ladies first…and I somehow got roped into jumping first. I’m guessing it had something to do with my big mouth and funny hat. So the gents stepped aside and I stepped up, heels and all. It wasn’t long before I was strapped in and flipping backwards into the chilly abyss below under nothing but moonlight. *CHECK*