I remember many years ago when my family would take an annual trip to Disney land, maybe once or twice a year. Each and every one of those occasions, I remember having a very hard time falling asleep. Not because I would go to bed early, but the excitement would keep me from falling asleep. Just the thoughts of how much fun the next day would be would prevent me from coming to a relaxed and peaceful state. I obviously grew out of this phase, but when I discovered my love for the mountains, I found that state of mind once again.

Now you may ask, what does Disneyland as a child and the resort of Whistler have in common? Well let me explain.

People here come for the ride and stay for the good vibes. Much like a kid at Disneyland, we all wish we could just stay forever. Some people will do whatever it takes to get that first ride. Just as Disneyland was a family tradition, first few chairs at Whistler's opening is a local's tradition; and I have been playing this game for a few years. It gets bigger and better each year.

Just as I was getting comfortable, my alarm went off. I woke up at 3am on Saturday morning. I couldn't sleep at all before then, typical little-kid excitement. As I was getting  dressed into my snow gear, I asked myself, "am I seriously going to do this?" Leaving your house at 3am is such a weird feeling. Finally, I made it to the base of the hill and just as I expected, a crew had already formed.

We sat in the cold for what seemed like forever. It was cool though; a few kids had brought an electric heater and we grabbed chairs from the closed patios around the village and exchanged stories from the previous season. Every year a bunch of eager riders wait in line together from the wee hours of the morning. It's not like I was going to sleep anyway, my favorite theme park was about to open and there was no way I was going to calm down.

This photo doesn't even show the front half of the line, luckily the over-nighters were first! It felt good to look back at the massive, growing line at 8am before the gondola doors opened. I knew that hundreds and thousands of people just wished they had my spot in line. The sun had rised and the first gondola was rushed. The 2009/10 season had begun!

Just as this photo shows, kids were just running right onto the slopes with no time to take a breath. The level of excitement and stoke kept me awake for a while, and I felt re-energized once I hit the snow. I'll keep it short and sweet and just say that the day was amazing. The sun was partially out, the weather was tame, and the snow was actually some of the best I've ever experienced. Especially for early season, the conditions were light and unreal. I'm not going to exactly mention where I rode, but I can tell you that it was a highlight of my life on snow.  Basically, you know when you open a fresh bucket of ice cream, and it has't even been touched, and it's prefectly level and smooth all the way across and through? Yeah, it was like that.

Sitting on the run home, taking a break from the knee deep fresh.

I got home at around 3pm, almost exactly twelve hours from when I left my house. 3...2...1...bed. Asleep I was within the first few minutes of being home. My inner child was satisfied and I had nothing to keep me awake. My favorite amusement park had tired me out!

I woke up at 10am this morning, and I looked out my window only to find 10cms of fresh. You know what I was thinking. I stretched my sore legs and arms, took a deep breath, and threw on my long underwear before I changed my mind and went back to bed. It was a blizzard up there, but any time where I'm strapped into my snowboard is a good one, and I look forward to the full season ahead of me. With a start like this, it's easy to realize how amazing this winter is going to be. Much like a whole new section added to Disneyland, this place is only going to get more exciting. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping next weekend.

- Cooper Saver

*Thanks to Spencer Watson and WhistlerBlackcomb for the photos besides the one I took. More video, pics and sightings coming soon.