After a long day burning up thousands of calories on the slopes, who wouldn’t want a nice juicy burger? I guess owners Trevor and Miriam Jackson figured this out in 1997 when they first opened Splitz Grill. Their build-your-own-burger joint is jam-packed during the lunch and dinner rush.

You first order at the counter specifying your protein of choice (beef, chicken, free-range bison, Salt Spring Island lamb, wild sockeye salmon, Italian sausage) and if you want cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, or sauteed onions. After placing your order, scoot down the line and pick out your toppings, which includes some interesting Mediterranean inspired items like hummus, baba ganoush, and tzatziki sauce. This aint no Mickey D’s assembly line, so be prepared to wait, but boy is it worth it.

I sampled the beef and the locally-raised lamb, both of which were absolutely drip-down-the-arm juicy and delicious. I wouldn’t necessarily call the lamb gamy, but there’s no mistaking what kind of meat this is; lamb lovers would approve. The thick-cut fries were nice and crisp, no complaints here.

And if you weren’t already full by now, there’s always the banana split.  Gooey, fruity, cold, and hot mess, and yes, whipped cream too.

Happy Friday! And on that note, I’m off to Mammoth for some more snow festivities.

new year’s on the slopes of Whistler Blackcomb

All that bitching about rain and gloom in Vancouver fell silent as we were treated to a magical white new year’s eve in the village, followed by a chilly but awesome powder day on the slopes. Welcome, 2010!

With its low base elevation (2,214 ft in the village), Whistler Blackcomb is susceptible to wet slushy conditions on the lower part of the mountain. When the weather cooperates, it’s pretty darn awesome.

The trees are totally flocked!

Basically the whole mountain is open (after a lot of avalanche control).

I was the only one on this run for a good 20 minutes, because no one was stupid enough to board in knee-deep powder on the moderately flat areas.

Kids, do not attempt this at home. Wait, who am I kidding.

Yes, it was really this deserted… and snowy.

Brrr… time to get in from the cold and refuel.