Story by Diane Selkirk
 As the gondola climbed higher, the terrain grew steeper. I started to have second thoughts about the trip down Whistler Mountain. I knew people skied the slope all the time, but my plan was to do it while strapped to a seat on skis, known as a Sno-Limo.
Although I'm a cross-country skier, I haven't downhill skied since I was 18, when I fractured my spine in a cycling accident. I was told that the Sno-Limo would let me re-experience the thrill of careening down the slopes, but I was nervous about the idea of someone else being in control. My first view of the Sno-Limos at 6,000 feet at the top of the Whistler Village Gondola outside the Roundhouse Lodge didn't make me feel any better. They looked like the sort of chair you might recline in at the dentist's office.
Invented by brothers Paul and Guy Auger, the Sno-Limo was designed for the estimated 15 percent of Whistler's visitors who, for a variety of reasons, can't ski or snowboard. The chairs were first introduced to Whistler Blackcomb in 2005, and now they are found on Whistler Mountain as well as other British Columbia resorts: Big White, Grouse Mountain, and Sun Peaks.
With the lap belt cinched, a blanket tucked around me, and Paul Auger as my chauffeur, my confidence improved. We took the first slope slowly, carving a gentle, controlled curve. Auger explained the chair's safety features and demonstrated how it maneuvered. Just as I started to relax, Auger explained that the chair was capable of being loaded on a chair lift. And with the flick of a lever, I found myself awkwardly upright, and being loaded into the Peak Chair.
As we traveled up the lift, I wondered if I would get used to the sensation of being strapped to a chair while hurtling down the side of a mountain with a near stranger at the helm. But then we skied off the chair to the sight of snow-capped mountains framed by bright blue skies. And the runs beckoned.
As we started down, I found the rhythm and began to anticipate each shift and turn. As I leaned into the curves, wind rushed past my face, but I was snug under the blanket. We picked up speed and hit a few low bumps. Giggling, I told Auger that it felt like I was really skiing, a sensation I hadn't even realized I missed.
Tours with Sno-Limo Mountain Ecotouring begin at $90 an hour and can be booked for one to five hours.
(888-568-5466; www.sno-limo.com)
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