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Whistler Conditions

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
As I am just back- and as I see some Snowheads are about to go and wondering what conditions are like- the following might be of some use. One caveat, however, is that when I was leaving on Friday morning it was snowing top to bottom and I see the web site is claiming 11ins fell on Thursday night. As such things are likely, even now, to be better than set out below.

There is no doubt that this is a below average snow year for the resort anyway. That, coupled with the warm/wet conditions of mid January, have caused significant loss of snow at and below mid mountain. There is less snow there, now, than I saw in mid April on my first trip to the resort a few years ago.

However, for those unfamiliar with the layout and size of the resort, that does not matter a great deal as these runs are usually reserved for lessons for the younger kids or for those who want to ski out to the resort at the end of the day (which you can still do though I downloaded). Visually the trip up on the gondola is less than one has come to expect, what would usually be snow covered is brown or green, but since you would not usually be skiing there anyway, the loss is no more than that.

At the top there is relatively good snow cover- again less than in a "good" year but nevertheless enough to keep most people-including me- happy for 7 days skiing. We had the benefit of "local"guiding through the Ski Esprit and Dave Murray programmes I signed up for and we always found some good snow. The bowls off the Harmony and Peak chairs-and the Tbars- particularly were good on a number of days. On Blackcomb the area around the Tbars and Seventh Heaven had some nice snow, as did Secret Bowl and Secret Chutes. but the 2 days I was there visibility up high was a bit on/off. Again it got better as you came down.

The ski out to the top of the Blackcomb gondola-which is at mid mountain- was mushy at the end of the day. On Whistler you download on the gondola from much higher up so it was easy to get to.

Weather wise it snowed- at the top- a number of days that I was there. We saw the sun-and the views from the Peak- on Day 1, but thereafter the Peak was in mist/cloud so some braille skiing was needed. You usually only had to come down a bit and you were back into clearer weather. It only rained for one day on the slopes and it was not really a problem- not if you are used to Scottish weather anyway. Needless to say there was a lot of rain in the resort.

Temperatures were set to plummet as I was leaving which will have a double benefit of enabling snowmaking-it was too warm for them to do any of that for the last few weeks- and to ensure any precipitation falls as snow.

Perhaps due to the poor perception of the conditions crowds were low- the locals/those from Vancouver presumably being used to a lot better and so not bothering to venture out. As such lift lines were never a major issue. Mountain restaurants cut their prices by 50% for food -not alcohol !!- so that was an unexpected benefit, particularly since the conditions -for me anyway- were ok.

In my view it will be possible for anyone to go there and have a good time, even if the conditions stayed as they are. If they get more snow, so much the better.

Here is a link I found on epicski from another visitor who must have been there around about the same time as I was, with photos

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24250
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Thanks Colin - I'm off there in 2 weeks, which should be time enough for it to improve. Hope they don't double the food prices to compensate for your pig-outs!
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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?
Hi from Whistler.

Yes 26 Cm of powder fell on Thursday night with a few more on Friday, the fairly high humidity at the time meant it came in heavy but has stuck to the pistes well, so yesterday, Saturday we had some of the best skiing of the season. It is snowing gently as I write and it seems that at last the valley temperature is staying below zero, so we are optomistic that the lower mountain will start to repair itself!

Yesterday,Saturday, I took a tour out towards Singing Pass. In the first bowl over, Flute bowl there was a slight wind crust that made for some entertaining turns, but in the next bowl over, in the Garabaldi Park, we had two climbs on skins with two runs in good light powder, about 20 cm deep.


Winter is returning, so if you are heading this way, it is looking good.
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Colin, colinmcc, thanks for the reports. keep them coming Smile

Good to hear that winter has finally arrived properly at Whistler (fingers crossed that it stays...). I fly out in two weeks time too, staying at the Aspens.
snow conditions
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Colin & Colinmcc, music to my ears. I may yet avoid a lynching.
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Hurrah.

40 sleeps and counting...

Blush
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
41 and counting!!!!
snowHead
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
another report from epicski from yesterday

"It's not as bad as I expected -- mid-mountain conditions are generally OK, thanks to a couple good snowfalls over the past week. Some trails are still not officially open. Here's how things looked on Sunday February 6:

http://whistler.reedspacer.net/epicski_20050206_a.jpg
http://whistler.reedspacer.net/epicski_20050206_b.jpg

Snow at the peak was great, but visibility was terrible:

http://whistler.reedspacer.net/epicski_20050206_c.jpg"
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All round good today. No fresh snow today but cold and beautiful blue skies snowHead
Oh I wish I could be in the office instead of skiing these 'terrible' conditions....or do I?! Twisted Evil
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
In my experience, Whistler is the only Canadian resort that drastically UNDER-REPORTS how much snow it gets. 10cm of fresh at Whistler seems to be deeper powder than a supposed 30cm at Grouse Smile (Grouse is a local, and not great, Vancouver mountain).
Up to Whistler for 4 straight days, 14, 15, 16, 17, hopefully the snow keeps comin Smile

Edit: just checked the site, 39cm in the past week, -12 peak, -8 mid mountain and -1 village. Plus unlimited visibility. Wish I was there right now Smile
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I missed this thread - it's been an odd week!

Ah, Colin, I came back last saturday snowHead
This means I too can verify that there were in fact 11" of powder on friday!!!!
Smile Smile Smile

Of course I tried to get up Whistler bowl to do the run there that Leslie showed us (shale chute?) ---- AND THE PEAK WAS CLOSED!!!! Shocked Shocked Shocked
I was devestated!

So instead I tried my hand at skiing in powder up to my shins (without repeating the 360 head over heels I perfected on monday) and discovered 'dodge the tree' snowHead

And I'm insanely jealous of stuarth (hi stuart - sorry we didn't get long to say hello!) and Robbie (I've not lost the books!)

johnnyrotten, you could still ski down from the Aspens (we stayed at the Woodrun, next up the hill) but it was *way* too slushy to ski-in (Solar Express down was deep, heavy, brown *difficult* slush). I did it once and got so sore and knackered that I ruined my skiing for the next day!

The *really* good news is that Denise is now asking if I'm sure we don't want to go back before easter... Smile

Oh, and for those who do visit - there's something called the "Fire and Ice Show" on sunday nights at the whistler base at 6:30. It's free and it's the nutter intstructors (Robbie?) doing various 360s, 720s and 1080s (nearly!) on skis and boards - well worth watching!! (And Denise won a 4-day Ski-Esprit in the free draw too!)

PS Colin was right - despite the weather we had a good time. The town was mainly dry (no slush) so it was nice walking around. The people were a bit sad about the weather but dead helpful and friendly.
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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.
Colin, the link you posted re-enforces what I was saying about Whistler under-reporting on their own conditions. I have skied at whistler when there was supposedly only 2cm of snow in the past week, and the snow was fresh, fluffy, and great - a few inches of powder for sure, and nothing ice-like anywhere.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

johnnyrotten, you could still ski down from the Aspens (we stayed at the Woodrun, next up the hill) but it was *way* too slushy to ski-in (Solar Express down was deep, heavy, brown *difficult* slush). I did it once and got so sore and knackered that I ruined my skiing for the next day!


lbt, thanks for that report. They've had the snow-making going 24/7 in the last week so I'm hoping that the ski down from Solar will be fine by the time I go. I've deliberately paid out more this year to trade up to better accomodation and get one the few condos in Whistler that is slopeside ski-in/ski-out- so I'll be grumbling if the runs to resort aren't skiable!

Sometimes I quite enjoy a bit of mucky slush skiing on the last run down. But preferably on rental skis and in April not February...

They've had one of Whistler's strange temperature inversions yesterday but at least it's keeping below freezing and it looks like there's more snow on the way this weekend.

11 days to go.... Very Happy
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Well it's chucking it down outside at the moment - hopefully that means snow further up
It a bit warmer yesterday so not much snow making, a few slopes were getting a bit icy, hopefully a bit of fresh stuff (only a few cms forecast I'm afraid!) over the next few days will sort that out.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
David,

glad to see you got back ok. To say I was ticked off to get up for the bus back to Vancouver on the Friday morning to find it snowing in the village with a lot more up top- which had not been forecast at all so far as I am aware- is an understatement. Especially since my original plan was to go back on the Saturday but I then had to change it to the Friday !!

Did you get an email from Tom Pro with the Dave Murray photos?

Yes that was Shale Chute that Leslie took us to- it only marginally decreased my angst at leaving all that new snow when someone said the top would be shut for avalanche issues on the Friday

Colin
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Thanks for the updates guys, good to know things are trying to return to normal out there. 34 sleeps until i return...

lbt, you know you want to go back out at Easter. Have a look under "trips", we have a snowheads meet all planned for 21 March in the GLC snowHead In the meantime, i guess Bracknell will do rolling eyes
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Colin,

If Tom didn't send pics, let me know. He, Jean(DM's video guy) and I work together in the summer, so I'll have no problem finding him....

Aloha

Colin McCubbin
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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?
colinmcc, and Colin, you can see all of Toms photos on line at:

http://whistlerblackcombskicamps.com/
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Any updates or tips? Any great bowls we should hit? I leave tomorrow!! Can't wait. Thanks!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
33 sleeps to go snowHead
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31 sleeps here ...

snowHead snowHead snowHead
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
32 now!! snowHead snowHead snowHead
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
31 sleeps until Colorado! Very Happy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Helen, Hurrah.

Oii, no counting down sleeps to other places on OUR thread - bad foxy.

*stamps foot and wanders off muttering...*
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I prefer to think in termsof "get ups" so 21 for me before I head for the Rockies
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Leave WTFH alone! Only 8sleeps before I leave fpr W....n (The resort that dare not speak its name!) snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead
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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.
Foxy has reason to be excited though I think. A rendezvous with a southern belle perhaps? That is why he is gate crashing the Whistler thread Laughing Laughing
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