 Poster: A snowHead
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Whistler, Canada, received 999cm of cumulative snowfall at mid-mountain in the 3 months between Nov 2009 and Feb 1 2010 and should pass the 1000cm (10m) level in the next day or two.
To put it in context, even the snowiest resorts in the European Alps, such as Lech and Val d'Isere, normally only get 400 - 700cm of snowfall during an entire 5-month season.
Of course, the downside is Whistler sees less sun.
Snowfall stats for Whistler here:
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/weather/snowreport/index.htm
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Excellent news in Olympic year.
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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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Excellent we will be there beginning of March for the Canadian leg of our season 
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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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the other downside is that it has set super solid....
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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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And in the Town it could have all been Rain
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mike Pow "Taking measurements from Niseko Now, as of 30 January 2010 Hirafu is up to 10m of snowfall at village level so far this season."
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Cypress is much further south and warmer than Whistler.
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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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You all make good points
This season, Whistler's alpine is in GREAT condition - plenty of snow, almost always quality light stuff too. Coverage is sick. If anyone tries telling you the snow has been 'bad' then don't believe them, out of that 1000cm, approx 2-3 snowfalls have been the wet/heavy stuff accounting for less than 100cm of the total.
However, it has been 50/50 rain/snow in the valley(with more rain than snow lately), and currently the base down low is quite smaller than up top (still enough for 100% coverage though)
So, the olympic runs are in decent shape, and will be more than adequate for the games but they are not 'epic' like the upper mountain.
Cypress in Vancouver on the other hand is struggling - I have not been there but through photos and news it appears they are struggling to get the hill ready for the events they will be holding.
Edit: I just heard that the bottom of Peak to Creek is starting to show bare patches, so the base is definitely getting thin here too. No doubt they have preserved the snow on the race courses better.
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wbsr, I think for safe race conditions they need hard snow, although I'm not sure how hard it needs to be to be? However having been on the Kitzbuhel course last week it was a sheet of bullet proof ice from top to bottom, not so much fun for recreational skiing but perfect for racers! I assume softer snow will not be such an issue for freestyle events.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I got back from Lake Louise on 31st jan. All the news in Canada is surrounding the conditions in Cypress they are shipping snow in by the truck load and storing snow under tarps also hay bails on the hill to protect what is there!! The snow in Louise was very hard packed and icy in places so would have been perfect for the racers. According to weather reports the weather is currently mild for this time of year with little snowfall recently
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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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Had to dig down the list a bit to find the most recent Whistler post! - Here's an on-the-spot update, after our arrival last night.
They may have had 10 metres up to the beginning of February, (and another 50 cm in the last week) but the snow at the base is pretty thin. However up top it's a different matter  .
We got here last night, and immediately felt the Olympic impact: the sea-to-sky roadworks are complete and the transfer was significanlty quicker - we even got though central Vancouver without significant holdups.
This morning we had sunshine and blue skies. Normally this guarantees crowded slopes as half of Vancouver decides to drive up to Whistler for the weekend.
Clearly, there's still some Olympic aversion being felt: although they've reopened some of the car parks, the slopes were pretty quiet. I didn't have any waits for the lift (thanks to the singles line: Mrs. A usually takes the first day off to recover from jetlag. - Actually, considering my parlous state of fitness, I could have done with a couple of 15-minute queues).
With the sunshine it was pretty warm - which was just as well, because the snow as hard-packed and refrozen, first thing and either slick and icy or teeth-chatteringly rutted until the sun climbed a bit higher. After that, I got the distinct impression of being overdressed, as it soon got pretty warm.
I spent the day on Blackcomb, and most of the time was recovering my ski legs on the groomers. I'm now quite satisfactorily knackered, but recuperating with a cold beer.
The village is still full of Olympic activity, with the Paralympics coming to close, tomorrow: There's still quite a party atmosphere, and loads of Russians parading around in Sochi2014 gear. I guess that most of them will be part of the observation and planning team.
We have a change in the weather forecast, with more typical conditions (rain in the village - snow in the alpine -arriving this evening, and we might get another 20 cm in the next few days: bring it on.
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We were there last week and had the best powder and snow of our season. It was fantastic conditions and atmosphere so enjoy your week
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You know it makes sense.
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Mouth,
I'll be enjoying my 2 weeks!
- As predicted, today reverted to what people believe to be typical of Whistler - rain in the village and cloud shrouding mid-mountain. However, overnight snow delivered some nice powder to the top of the mountain (turning into cement and granular sludge the nearer you got to the bottom: something for everyone  ).
We're due for another 10cm tonight, apparently, with the freezing level dropping.
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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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The Acacia powder magnetism works again!
Two days of snowfall (Sunday and Monday) dump 40 cm on Whistler (more at the top) and even some snow settling in the village.
This coincided nicely with my Murray Camp, where all thoughts of running gates evaporated in pursuit of the fresh stuff. The Alpine didn't open on Monday, but there was plenty to be had mid-mountain, and on Tuesday we had some amazing conditions in Whistler Bowl (and some spectacular face-plants).
Wednesday threw up some sunshine, and everything else got shredded in the good visibility.
The top of the mountain still has great conditions, although the lower slopes (below the Gondola midstation) seriously suck (....when in Canada, pick up the vernacular!).
Today was the last day for us, but we still got some good snow mid-mountain as the next storm system blew in a bit earlier than expected.
Until this week, the mountains have been quiet, but Spring Break and the Easter weekend is starting to draw in the crowds (still only a 10-minute wait for the gondola this morning, though, and no problems waiting for the chairs.
This year's party trick is to stand in line at the Harmony chair with your pole held vertically above your head. This encourages the local avian wildlife to fly down and perch on the pole (they expect a snack: if they don't get it, then they cr*p on your goggles).
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Poster: A snowHead
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Whisky Jacks.........
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FAQ
