 Poster: A snowHead
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We have skied most of the resorts in interior BC and are planning on going back to Canada again this year. We need to keep the costs down (relatively) and cannot remotely match the prices of Crystal with a DIY holiday, so are thinking of going with them to Whistler.
I have heard very varied reports on the place, a lot of the Canadians we have spoken to over the years have been very dismissive - we will be skiing in rain, the snow is like concrete etc etc. Is it really that bad? We are planning to go last week in January for two weeks, and happy on nice trails both groomed and ungroomed
Our last North American holiday was a couple of years ago to Heavenly when only a tiny proportion of the mountain was open, so it was a long way to go to ski down the same slope again and again, so I am trying to avoid a repeat of that 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Whistler is near the coast and at low altitude for a North American resort, so rain at the base is more likely there than and other resorts, but it is still very unlikely, especially in January. On the rare times you have rain down low, you are likely to be having heavy snow up higher. Whistler has more vertical than any North American ski area. It's comparable to many alpine resorts in that respect. So, if it's nice down low, it frequently is not up top, so, on most days, you just have to pick the right zone for the weather you are having, and it might even change during the day.
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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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@Anniegirl, i was there for two weeks last january , had a great time , lots of snow and the whole resort fully open , there is so much terrian on both mountains that you won't get bored !!
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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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Thanks both, think it might be a trip down to the travel agents this weekend
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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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I was there for the last week of Jan this year. My son was doing his second season there so we skied a lot together. He stopped there until October so loves the place. Yep it rained a bit at base level, but then it is low, and we only skied back down to village level at the end of the day. Snow was good in general, we got some fresh stuff but it was a bit wet, but the week before had been dry fresh snow. Enough to keep you occupied on the two mountains, especially if you go off the groomers a bit. I'd go back .
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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'm hoping to sneak up there myself before end of this year. It looks to be a decent start to the season if it would just get a tad bit cooler. Storm on it's way for this weekend. End of January can generally be very good. However, because Whistler gets a maritime snowpack, and is so close to the Pacific, there's always a chance for a spot of rain or heavy wet snow. Coverage is generally very good though, because that snow sticks to everything.
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| Anniegirl wrote: |
| ... a lot of the Canadians we have spoken to over the years have been very dismissive - we will be skiing in rain, the snow is like concrete etc etc. ... Is it really that bad?... |
No, it's not. You have to put what you hear, including this, into perspective. - WB is North America's largest destination resort... Most locals don't want a "destination resort". The parking is expensive, as is the accommodation and the lift tickets. It has stuff locals don't need/ won't use/ is expensive. What's good for people who'll stay in one place for two weeks is what WB has, but that's not what locals are generally looking for.
- Locals know that some other place may have better un-tracked powder three days after a storm, and they know how to get to it, which you don't/ won't. Whilst on average WB will have better conditions than any tiny local hill, locals can pick any local hill. Hence their "actively managed" approach will achieve better results than staying in one place could.
- It's coastal, so the snow is wetter than inland. As you're asking, this probably makes zero difference to you. If you've been to California, the snow's better than that, never "cement". If you only ride "groomed" stuff then it's no issue at all, you'll just find there's a lot of snow and it keeps on coming. If you ride powder, then you'll find it's slightly heavier than the lightest, and it needs to be ridden "in the storm" (if you wait it will settle out and can consolidate top-down, which isn't the best way to ride it). The good news then is that there's usually tons of fresh snow; the bad news is that it's not the world's lightest. To quote the Canadians "it's all good".
- Sometimes the freezing level is above the resort level. That's not particularly uncommon in other places with low-lying villages, and the solution is to use the lifts. When it is raining in the village, almost always you know it's dumping a few hundred meters up the mountain. So catch the lift and ride in the storm, not the rain. For what it's worth in 30 seasons I've never been there when you could not ride all the way down to the village, albeit in sloppy snow. I can't say that of many places I've ridden. My advice though would be to use the lifts if conditions low down aren't perfect: take the best, ignore the rest.
- My BC/AB snowboard mates come from all over Canada and they mostly ended up in Whistler (even the ones who work elsewhere). There's a "hard core" in Whistler, perhaps like Chamonix. It is a large corporate resort, but it's significantly more edgy than (say) Vail or similar places. One of the reasons is geography: (a) the terrain is actually more interesting than many in North America; and (b) there aren't that many small hills worth riding within respectable distance of Whistler, so good people gravitate there.
In summary... 30 years after I first went I can pick and choose where and when I ride, but I go there and can't think of a better place for a first trip to North America.
My mates run the local Cat skiing operation and I run their billing system.
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Rather like FX or the stock market it's actually a bad idea to look at the weather if you can't do anything about it, and it's way too early in the calendar, but the highway cameras are an impartial way to assess the weather conditions.
http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/index-LowerMainland.html
The highway is essentially at village level. In season, you'll see banks of snow at the side. At the moment you need to go north a fair way before you see piles of snow, but that's why it's called "autumn". It's coming, and when it arrives it comes quickly.
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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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It depends on the conditions. They have "ski hosts" there who will actually take you on a tour, or advise you on where the conditions are best that day. But it is likely "all good".
I'm probably too jaded to really advise. You could look to the zones marked "slow skiing" to start, although I'd avoid the easiest "cat roads" which zig-zag across the mountain as they're not very satisfying runs. These are actually fun runs, but they're "slow" because they get a lot of traffic. So they're good when it's quiet, less good when busier.
On Whistler "Emerald" is popular, then look at Harmony (higher up). If it's busy, then you generally just need to go off the main "trade routes".
Blackcomb tends to be quieter. Jersey Cream is a trade-route and most of the blue runs marked to the left there would be fine.
Even where they have bumps, the general approach is to bash one side of the piste and leave the other bumpy, so you can avoid that.
Bearing in mind that I'm jaded, I tend not to notice run colours much. Looking at the map now, the "Dave Murry Downhill" is the trade-route down to Creekside (the satellite village at the right on the piste map). That's marked black but it's not technical, just long (although not comitting). The Whistler Bowl stuff is steep... and easy if you can ski powder and they're fresh, or much more work if they're cut up crud. Other runs on Whistler will be 100m wide and may be bump fields, so their difficulty depends much on their condition. The runs are close together so you could easily split up on the way down. Blackcomb has more macho stuff on it.
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@Anniegirl,
i mainly ski Blackcomb side , these are my fav blue runs and stops
From the Crystal chair - Ridge runner, rock n roll, twist and shout.
Go to the crystal hut - this place quite literately has the best loaded waffles ever!!!
7th heaven express chair - everything under that. All are nice blues.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks all - bit of a panic yesterday as the holiday we wanted had been booked. We've moved our holiday a week and managed to get another holiday, and it is ski-in/out 
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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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@Anniegirl, As mentioned above the host system, meet at light board either mountain, is handy for you to find you way around first thing.
Remember Whistler system is Green is easiest, Blue is next hardest and Black harder still. BUT that just means from where you are so they are not that indicative.
If you look at the website each morning it shows the Blues that have been bashed and they are the ones that are worth exploring first.
OK Blacks (depending on conditions, i.e. how many lumps has it on it) Dave Murray (award your selves a pulled pork sandwich in Dustys at the bottom) and I like Bear Paw too.
Tokum is a great blue but can be a mogul field. Orange Peel & Banana Peel are generally great fun for my level.
If it is good high up (could be either way early Jan) then Jeff's Ode to Joy is worth the trip over there. On Blackcomb anything off Crystal Chair or 7th Heaven are fun.
Have a great trip
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Thanks @Jake43, lots of good suggestions for us, now for the daily check of the webcams - it's looking good at the moment
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You know it makes sense.
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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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I am slightly addicted to the village webcam this evening, enjoying watching them set up for tomorrows opening and seeing it slowly turn white
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Anniegirl, webcams looking good today , whistler seems to have had the best opening for years , waist deep fresh dry powder thats keeps coming , should be a great base for the year to come
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FAQ
this is the organised tours info 