For December and January, the grass pitches at Brennan Park were covered in a frozen white blanket of snow.
But with the help of some sunshine, the second half of the Howe Sound Men's Soccer League is now under way, and the players are ready to play.
This winter, instead of wearing cleats and kicking a soccer ball around in the snow and cold, many players in the competitive league decided to wear ski boots to stay fit during the winter break.
As it turns out, those who strapped on the skis and boards may have found out that a little skiing helps out in a big way on the soccer pitch.
"Our guys are still in pretty good shape," said injured Amsterdam striker Marvin Sanderson. "The time spent on the mountain helped keep them in shape. Now we're just trying to get a bit of match fitness back and then we'll be good."
The Amsterdam Pub team walked away with a well-played 4-1 victory over the Carney's Over-35 club from Squamish, who are still searching for the elusive first win of the season.
On Sunday (Feb. 8) at Brennan Park, the men played on the makeshift crushed-gravel surface of the all-weather fields, adding to the challenge of returning to the field after a two-month break.
"Fitness is a definite issue," said Sanderson. "It's almost like playing on a sandy beach, so you're energy gets sucked from you faster. The ball doesn't run as smooth and it's tougher to pass because the ball bounces around in the ruts."
Sanderson said the team will use the first game back as preparation to get back on the grass and to get their touch back.
"The grass pitches here are fantastic, so we're looking forward to playing on them next week. Hopefully we'll get a couple more boys back from the mountains and we'll be ready to have a good second half of the season."
For the Carney's Over-35 team, their down-to-earth attitude and competitive spirit helps them keep up with the much younger teams in the league.
"We're feeling a year older, but a year wiser," said Carney's striker Charles Carter. "We're glad the break is over - it's a perfect day for soccer. We're still working on getting the first win of the season, that's our goal for the year."
With many players in the league living in Whistler, it can be tough getting players to come out to play - especially after a big dump in the mountains. This wasn't the case on Sunday, as many players were keen to run around the pitch and get back into the groove.
"We're feeling surprisingly good," said Allistar Knox from Team GLC. "It's good to see a lot of people show up, especially after a fresh dump of snow. We didn't practice indoor this season so we'll need a little work to get back into form."
Knox's teammate, striker Curtis Erickson added, "We're a little slow and we'll need another game to get running again - the cardio and legs need a good workout, but our communication is great and we're passing well - it's almost like we never left."
GLC walked away with a convincing 4-0 win over the Squamish Rangers.
Play continues this Sunday (Feb. 15), with all eight teams hitting the green grass at Brennan Park.
