 Poster: A snowHead
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Great day today. 7th under the lift was beautiful after lunch; just perfect. Tomorrow the snow comes...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The snow came yesterday and hasn't stopped since. It's snowing to village level now. I'm going to guesstimate 30cm ish from mid mountain up and more in drifts. Hurry up and open lifts! 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yeah a great powdery start to the day today 
Bring on more snow...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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It's very wintert up top today!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Keeps snowing, still skiing... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@stuarth, great end to a trying season for the resort. Despite the doom and gloom mid season, we had a blast... The skiing was phenomenal, as was the standard of skiing on show from the locals. Will try and post a few pics tomorrow. If this was how good whistler was in a bad year, i can't wait to return and ski it in a good year!
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Im going out for a season from November. This will be the 2nd time iv'e gone out in a El Nino year FFS
Fingers crossed for a better than predicted season
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Welcome to @Ex_ollie and fingers are crossed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sorry for being completely dumb here but what does El Nino mean and what bearing will this have on Whislter?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@dave_wick, its a band of warm water in the pacific ocean which has a big effect on the weather. I think El nino is the warming phase while La Nina is the cooling phase.
With the strong El Nino many forecasters are predicting a warmer than average and dryer than average winter for West Canada (where Whistler is). Although I did read a number of quotes from various websites suggesting that Whistler usually does alright in El Nino years due to its altitude.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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That's all I needed to hear having booked a trip Whiatler for Febuary.
Could my luck get any worse.
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That's all I needed to hear having booked a trip Whiatler for Febuary.
Could my luck get any worse.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Russeh wrote: |
@dave_wick, its a band of warm water in the pacific ocean which has a big effect on the weather. I think El nino is the warming phase while La Nina is the cooling phase.
With the strong El Nino many forecasters are predicting a warmer than average and dryer than average winter for West Canada (where Whistler is). Although I did read a number of quotes from various websites suggesting that Whistler usually does alright in El Nino years due to its altitude. |
Whistler has a variable snow record, particularly at resort level. It's low and is relatively near the ocean.
The higher bowls are pretty snowsure though, particularly in February.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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yeah I hear it gets a lot of rain at resort level due to its proximity to the ocean. I was all set to go next year but I've decided to stick to Europe this season
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Poster: A snowHead
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| dave_wick wrote: |
That's all I needed to hear having booked a trip Whiatler for Febuary.
Could my luck get any worse. |
Dave - don't panic about it. They've had good and bad years with El Nino. Oh, and Whistler itself is potentially the best place on earth - even if you can't ski, you'll have an epic time and I'm envious!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@dave_wick, I would be seriously excited to be heading to Whistler (and I write this from Innsbruck). The conditions like anywhere else will be anything from poor to epic. Get excited!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yep - Cheer up Dave.
Whistler is the best resort in the world.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Apart from Vail, of course..............
and Beaver Creek................
and Keystone.........
and the 3V///////// 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Too soon to fret about a ski vacation some 5 months off. El Nino's can be finicky thing here in the PNW. Last year was abysmal, and I believe it was just a weak El Nino season. Currently it is forecast to be the Godzilla of all El Nino's, so who knows what Godzilla's got in store for Whistler, North America this winter. Time will tell.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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When should we see snow arriving?
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| dave_wick wrote: |
| When should we see snow arriving? |
First snow in the Alpine usually start to come around very end of October first week of November. Some years Whistler opens up the Blackcomb glacier the last week of November.
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Some snow forecast for my home mtn up coming this weekend. Won't stick around for long though with rising freezing levels for later in the week.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.93150988336929&lon=-121.48269653320312&site=sew&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en#.VjOPELerQdV
Whistler will get some too. Fluctuating freezing levels from 1,500 meters to 2,300 meters. But some nice wet, sticky snow for base building.
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/mountain-info/snow-report
Edit to add: In past El Nino's the tendency seems to be for early snow fall up until late December, and then the pipeline of cool moist air gets shut down, and the warm, dry, or warm and moist seems to be the norm. But, the caveat always has to be that no one can ever really forecast months in advance what the trend will be. One local mtn weather forecaster out here, Larry Schick seems to think that big blob of warm air is getting broken down that will remove the high pressure blocking trends that crushed the PNW last season, and gave us lots of dry and warm weather.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Just sent me an email that they are expecting 48" in the next few days. We will see.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Nice, looking forward to it 
Just keeping an eye on the changing freezing levels to see if it will be snow or rain at mid-mountain when we open.
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It's been dumping big time on highway 5 from Kamloops northwards. They're getting pounded.
Soon, people will be fretting about how to drive through it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| philwig wrote: |
It's been dumping big time on highway 5 from Kamloops northwards. They're getting pounded.
Soon, people will be fretting about how to drive through it. |
Will just have to change my hire car plans for my early season drive to Revelstoke 😎
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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How guaranteed is early November snow to last the season in North America? We have enough recent experience in Europe of early snow either completely melting, or, worse, turning into faceted crystal and leading to major problems well into the real Winter
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Poster: A snowHead
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Got the usual email from Whistler. They are managing to open early on limited terrain but full opening 26th as plan due to the huge dump they have had and the colder temperatures.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The weather map is looking excellent today.
I'd not take a lot of notice of Whistler resort's PR machine. They can open pretty much any-time they like with all those canon, so long as it's cold enough high enough. Look at independent weather, ask people who are there, or look at the highway cameras. Their problem is the freezing level as someone pointed out. So compare (say) Garibaldi (just south of Whistler) with Blue River (north of Kamloops):
http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/index.html
... which may explain why although Whistler is good, other places may be better.
As far as snow pack... a little bit north and it tends to just build up, as it's cold enough. Whistler is coastal so it's a different deal, but most years anywhere high enough there it just piles up, although it consolidates much more than where it's lighter and drier, if you see what I mean. So Whistler snow you want to ride as it falls or soon after, before it's been rained on or had the top bit melted a bit (which makes it "upside down" snow - the top bit it heavier than the bottom bit).[/img]
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well, it looks like Whistler avoided most of the higher freezing level, or it was very short lived. The high winds, are another matter. But it looks like the forecast is calling for dry and cold temps next week. The Jet Stream is forecast to stay a bit further South, which means it is looking pretty d-a-m-n sweet for the WA Cascade range if the forecasted precip and cold temps hold going into the weekedn, and early next week.
The forecasted precip is somewhere in the neighborhood of a foot of water equivalent to fall from this past Wednesday into Sunday! 
So above 7,000' that should all fall as snow, which depending on temps could be as much as 4 meters of snow! Sadly no ski area in WA has that kind of elevation.
As long as the cool moist air continues, things should be looking good for a nice Whistler opening in a few weeks. Might pull the trigger on a last minute deal if Whistler ends up getting hit again with a nice storm before Nov.26th.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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A question for all those here more familiar with Whistler than me (i.e. not at all for me ) – do late booking deals exist as such in Whistler, or am I better off booking now?
I'm looking at 2 weeks from the 20th March, and have found plenty of early booking offers finishing this weekend – would I miss out on any major savings if I went ahead and booked now rather than last minute?
Edit: just checked Easter dates, and I'm going for the 2 weeks with Easter in the middle, so I'm guessing that would constrain any late minute deals...?
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 13-11-15 17:46; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| fixx wrote: |
A question for all those here more familiar with Whistler than me (i.e. not at all for me ) – do late booking deals exist as such in Whistler, or am I better off booking now?
I'm looking at 2 weeks from the 20th March, and have found plenty of early booking offers finishing this weekend – would I miss out on any major savings if I went ahead and booked now rather than last minute? |
Yes.
The last 2 Christmas's we've gone to whistler having booked only a few days before. Just check the Canadian and us spring break dates, as these are the busy times in march
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@stuarth, thanks - just edited my first post as I looked at the Easter dates while you were typing I think
I will be there over Easter (that's not why I'm going then, just an unfortunate coincidence) so I'm guessing that could make late deals a little tougher to find?
Edit: and I seem to be arriving as Spring break finishes - which is good!
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fixxWe have been at Easter regularly over the years and found that it is not that busy then, as it is not a huge thing for that market as most of the people going are coming from USA. Unless it is US Spring break as Stuarth says above. Canadian schools are off when we are there, but even that is not that bad in the past. We are coming back as you are going! Obviously they do get a load of people coming up at the weekend - especially if the snow is good.
You do not say if you are doing it DIY. Because we want it sorting out we always do the early booking deals (i.e. now) they run out very soon can't remember exactly when in Nov. So if you push the TO's now you will get a good deal and a cheap lift pass. Then it is all sorted and you can look forward to it.
If you are diy then I would get the fights now and hold off for a late booking. You will always get something and it could be cheaper. But maybe not in a prime spot. If you are wanting a good "close to lifts" place then do it now. Allura is good for an apartment if that is what you have in mind, they also will do a cheaper deal on the lift pass too through them.
CAD Dollar is really cheap at the moment too so maybe just worth doing it and then you can just look forward to it without worrying.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Might pull the trigger on a last minute deal if Whistler ends up getting hit again with a nice storm before Nov.26th.
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Whistler is opening on Nov 19th now due to the early snow.
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Because we want it sorting out we always do the early booking deals (i.e. now) they run out very soon can't remember exactly when in Nov.
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That finishes in 2 days on Nov 15th so better be quick.
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FAQ
) last night! And its its still coming down!
