 Poster: A snowHead
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According to ad hoc reports from elsewhere, its not been a great start - usual rain in the resort - and warm weather set in for the next few days. We'll be there in less than 3 weeks, but is there anyone out there on the ground with an objective view on conditions?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Good dump early season, been poor since but they had about 60cms I think at the start of the week 
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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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pretty thin by Whistler standards between xmas and new year, when i was there. has been a good dump since then but warm weather forecast. a lot depends on how the snowpack stands up to that. best case is that it consolidates it and doesn't wash too much away. worst case - who knows?
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What they said, there've been better years, there've been worse too. Memories are incredibly short.
I just got back before the latest set of dumps, which will help tremendously. Before that, from my perspective it was "piste only". Off the pistes was covered, so way better than a few years ago, but not to any significant depth. The higher stuff was mostly hard with some encrusted rocks. Lots of fun for a piste board. Probably a little more crowded than usual because there's less terrain to ride. Locals described it as "brutal", but most tourists would not actually notice any problem at all.
There's always rain in the resort though. That's just the way it is. Ride something that's good in the slop, and use GoreTex, or stay above the freezing point.
Here's the highway cam just south of Whistler. You want to see a couple of meters or so around this for it all to be "go":
http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/4.html
And here's the RV park webcam (same height as the village, the village should be in the distance when you can see it):
http://www.whistlerrvpark.com/webcam/
As of my last check the whole of North America was a bit like that. I retired to a place with where it always snows and where they have helicopters to get me to it, otherwise, I would say Whistler is as good a bet as anywhere. Plus three weeks is a significant part of a season... when the machine is "on" in Whistler it will dump 30cm a day, every day, so it can easily fill in quickly. If you book in advance, you kind of have to suck it up anyway...
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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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philwig, I think Vancouver/Whistler residents have a different conception of "no snow" from people in dryer parts of the alps!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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philwig, Arno, thanks, that's quite re-assuring. This is our first venture outside Europe, where we've tended to go high for secure snow conditions and never really been disappointed.
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Colin Bell, my son is out there for the next twelve weeks , on a snowboard instructor course , so will get you some live updates tomorrow , high alpine was closed for a bit whilst they made everything safe , after 70+ cm last weekend , he's been up on the glacier today and said things were pretty good , I am going to be out there to see him in march and can't wait
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Dabber, thanks for this. We'll be on-piste most of the time so any info on the best places would be gratefully received. My son did a season in Whistler the year before the Olympics. Sadly for me, he's so much better that we don't ski much together!
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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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Colin Bell,
We've been to Whistler 5 times and spent a month there in March 2012 - as philwig says the level / intensity of weather fronts coming in from the Pacific means that a strong storm can drop 50-60CM of snow in a day. So you can't reall predict what conditions will be like in 3 weeks - having said that the FL seems exceptionally high for this time of year. Don't let the rain (if you encounter it) at resort level put you off - ther'es plenty of skiable terrain above the mid-station points on either mountain, you can always download from these points if this happens.
Please PM me if you'd like any pointers and recommendations on runs, restaurants etc - do you have any plans to visit Vancouver while you're there?
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We're also out there on our first Whistler trip for Feb half term. Love to hear any snow updates plus recommendations for family friendly bars/restaurants
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mountain restaurants (other than Christine’s or Seppos which at busy times require a reservation) are nothing to write home about – mainly large scale self-service affairs. Variety of food is decent and quality OK but I wouldn’t say that you necessarily get value for your money. If you’re self-catering you can discreetly take your own sandwiches etc (which we have done on occasions).
Our favourite place (and I think most SH would agree) is the Crystal Hut at the top of the new Crystal Ridge Express – great waffles and a limited variety of good dishes (meatloaf, goulash, steak etc). Just make sure you get there by 12 otherwise you may need to queue.
The Crystal Ridge zone is my personal favourite on Blackcomb, great variety of intermediate runs.
At times, we have lunch or a mid-morning pit stop at Dustys in Creekside – good food and a nice terrace (après ski is pretty good here too but you will need to get the bus back to Whistler / Blackcomb villages). You can also grab lunch in Whistler village but it’s a bit of a faff.
A few family friendly restaurants in the village (not sure what age the little ones are / some are more appropriate than others) :
- Earls
- The Keg
- Old Spaghetti Factory
- Umbertos
- Sushi Village
- Fat Tony’s Pizza (take-away)
- great nachos at The GLC or Merlin over in Blackcomb
- plus countless others
Have a look on Tripadvisor for latest reviews etc …
Araxi (Whistler) and Rimrock Grill (near Creekside) are my top 2 special treat restaurants – exceptional quality.
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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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Snowhead and Whistler resident wbsr has just updated his blog, following last week's much needed big dump.
A couple of nice short videos of powder in the trees. (www.whistlerblackcombsnowreport.com).
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My boys are 9 and 11 but they've skied since they were 3 so they are parallel blue run (US/Canada) cruisers now. Food options in your list sound good and yes, we are self catering so noted re picnic sandwiches. We were in Breckenridge last year and we found that the "mid-morning pit stop" (as you accurately describe it) worked well for us, so Dustys in Creekside will definitely get a visit.
Thanks Franga, v useful.
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You know it makes sense.
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franga, thanks, all very useful. We'll be arriving in the resort early evening on Monday 3rd Feb, staying in the Delta....whatever its called, in the centre - should we make reservation for dinner? There are four of us, all 60ish but one of us is a non skier so lunch might be taken back in the village some days although I see there is a sight-seeing pass but does it connect to a half decent eatery? Us skiers are early birds so might take advantage of the early lift/breakfast option on some days. I see the lifts close at 3.30, but do they clear the mountains shortly afterwards or are there connecting lifts which stay open later?
Thanks for recommendations on dining out. We'll probably keep it simple most days but splash out on say two or three. We've arranged to stay two nights in Vancouver on the way home - organised by Ski Independence - our friends trust them but I have no idea of their performance.
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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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Colin Bell, ski I , are a great company , use their concierge service in resort it's really good and the reps know there stuff , where are you staying in Vancouver ??
In resort , dusty's has to be done , ski peak to creek then stop for lunch , but if your kids are loads faster than you , you'll get there in time to get the check !!! Rock n roll is another fun piste ,
Do a search on here and you'll find loads of info re things to do and ski
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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stuarth, notice you're from north van ,what's the local hills like ATM ?
Excuse the thread hijack 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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stuarth, cheers did mean for skiing , but if can't ski then biking would do ! , just have on going interest in NV as have just paid deposit on a place there ready for next year ,and was hoping to ski grouse in march when were out for a look see
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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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I just thought I would try and refresh this thread as we are travelling to Whistler in a couple of weeks and was wondering how the snow was looking? Anyone out there at the moment?
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lynnecha, we'll be there on Monday. Looks like its going to be dry, sunny and cold for a few days. Snow Forecast is saying there may be snow in a week or so, but its too far away to be reliable.
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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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Skied with a couple from Whistler the past couple of days.
Reports from their family & friends saying +12 C on the mountain. Spring conditions.
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i skied there yesterday, lots of talk about worse conditions in years etc...that may well be true and yep not epic, but really good skiing to be had under bright blue skies. Unless you are going there specifically to ski powder you won't be disappointed.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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DoubleBombardino, thanks, that sounds like my kind of place, with the prospect of some fresh stuff later on!
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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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Many thanks everyone. I will report back when i am there!
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First day on Blackcomb Mountain - very cold (-25ish) but sunny throughout. Locals complaining about lack of snow, but the best pistes are in good condition and artificial snow better than I had remembered in Europe.
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You know it makes sense.
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hi Colin Bell, a mild -20 over here in Sun Peaks. Colder tomorrow! Piste skiing as good as it gets; off-piste sketchy.
Can heartily recommend this resort; lot of variety in the skiing with stuff for all levels; incredibly friendly folk, great beers and food, plenty of stuff to do and all at a most generous dollar:pound exchange rate. Get it while u can.
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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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There's a healthy dump forecast for the weekend
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Poster: A snowHead
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Snowing fairly constantly since we arrived yesterday. Pistes in good shape but off piste looking tracked out. Snow falling right down to below village level. Drive up from Vancouver was 'interesting' with a lot of snow on road, 4x4 with winter tyres recommended
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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 off-piste in Whistler is normally tracked out within about 20 minutes of the lifts opening with the workers bashing out a couple of runs before starting work. With some local knowledge you can still find pretty good (less skied) or even fresh snow after that, but you need the inside line and it won't all be easily accessible.
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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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Great looking forecast for Whistler for next 9 days or so, lots & lots of snow. Big contrast to dry & warm Europe... any snow heads there at the mo, what are conditions like on the ground??
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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horgand,
I'm going this weekend. I'll post updates 
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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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First day in Whistler yesterday. Conditions were "typical" (rain in the village, snow on the mountain. Conditions on Blackcomb varied from hero snow high up, through Sierra cement at about the top of the first chair to spring sludge on the ski-out.
I spent all my time on the hero snow 
When the weather's not great, the place to ski is on Blackcomb. When the weather's not great on Blackcomb, the place to ski is off the Crystal chair. This is new, this year, the old double having been replaced by the former Harmony quad. -As well as transferring the quad, Intrawest look to have transferred it's lift line, also. - But it WAS a Sunday, with the accompanying Vancouver crowds.
Should be a lot better today, especially with all the snow that was falling yesterday.
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I haven't used it for Whistler, but for other places in the Americas I use meteoexploration, here are the forecasts, hindcast and snowmaps. A quick view show, from the freezing levels, that the upper section could be OK, but it has been quite warm for the lower slopes.
There is also a Canadian Cryosphere information network that gives very general information on snow cover. Currently it seems to be below average: https://www.ccin.ca/home/ccw/snow/current
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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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Many thanks guys, useful stuff.
Will definitely not be stressing over snow depths at present, not going until the 18th January.
Will however definitely be checking on a daily basis!!
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FAQ
. This year (well 2013 I guess) has generally been quite weird, mostly dry from June onwards except for a week or so in September.
