Well, I finally did it - drove south of Whistler and into Brandywine just to see what all the fuss was about.  The weather was perfect, and good friends were abundant.  Mick and his buddies were up from Washington for a weekend of riding and he wanted to show me around his favorite area.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  Of course, I had to show Mick and his friends the finer points about not getting stuck when breaking trail.....

After breaking fresh trail up the "Gauntlet" and digging everyone out once or twice, we made it out onto Powder Mountain.  The views were spectacular.  Fresh powder, sunshine, steep hills and endless terrain.  What a day.

No one knows where the "Snowfreak" came from - they are thought to live in ice caves up on the Pemberton Ice Cap, but one must have wandered over the glaciers and got lost in Brandywine.  More on that later.

If you've never been here - it is worth the drive.  Get a guide for the first time - it is very easy to get lost here and there are many hidden dangers.