 Poster: A snowHead
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This seems to be a constant whinge on any US/Canada thread. Just want to know how its born out in actual numbers - so for anyone who has been on repeated or extended visits to the continent how many ski days have they actually missed or found unbearably unpleasant because its been too cold?
Me - 2 last winter during a very abnormal high pressure. A very small % of ski days in total. Missed far more due to storms/rain/hangovers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I had a day East Coast where I couldn't ski for more than 2 hours without having to go inside, first time I've ever skied with goggles in bright sun down to the cold!!
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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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I've had two hols in Canada in Feb. On one day, at LL, it was bloody freezing in one particular place (near the bottom oddly, in little gully, must have been some sort of temperature inversion), which encouraged us to go and do a bit of no good to the all you can eat (quite a lot in my case) rib buffet at Temple Lodge. We could have skied on quite happily, though, if the buffet hadn't been there. In 6 years skiing at Easter in Canada and 3 more in USA, no problem (apart from the odd day lost due to snowstorms).
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Only been once to Banff but over New Year. I was expecting, and was prepared for, the worst as far as temperatures were concerned. However it was fine and I've certainly experienced worse in Europe. My daughter, 9 at the time, didn't have a problem with the cold either.
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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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Is this one of those more reasons to ski in France threads 
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Hmm - Fernie got hit by a *lot* of arctic fronts this season - fair few -30 days. It's not as bad as it sounds, it's a dry cold - but I guess if you don't own thermals + down jacket + layers it's a bit awkward. I do think the potential for a couple of days cold snap is something to consider - then again, I think that the snow and conditions easily make up for the occasional cold.
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out of 8 trips, only 1 day was so cold that in fact they closed the lifts to the exposed areas (-45), we were desperate to get down that day and it was the first run of the day - everything was numb, but once we warmed up we wnet to the sheltered area where it was a balmy -23. I've never missed a day because of the cold (it must be that good spyder gear  ) but I have had to buy hand and toe warmers and a face mask.
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Never been skiing to Canada/US and not likely to go either. But I have experienced -16º in VDI in January. Fine whilst skiing but absolutely brrrr on chairlifts. I pretty much always go skiing in March now, but I have sometimes found that to be uncomfortably warm. We had an 8º day in Courmayeur this season!! I can't win! But I definitely wouldn't enjoy anything under -10º. My gear really isn't up to it...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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In my two trips to NA one in canada (tremblant) and one in USA (winter park) i felt cold once! It was in tremblant and a pretty cold day -30 something but once i put a hat on instead of head band thing i was fine! This year in les deux alpes i was cold, though i think this was due to 1 layer less then needed!
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| Quote: |
It was in tremblant and a pretty cold day -30 something but once i put a hat on instead of head band thing i was fine
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This is the kind of comment that would put me off skiing in Canada. I generally wear a helmet, which is quite warm, and a silk balaclava underneath if it's cold (ie worse than minus 10). I'm sure I could ski in - 30 but only if somebody were paying me a lot of money. I wouldn't call it a holiday, frankly. Minus 15 is about my limit for enjoyable skiing. Obviously people vary enormously in their response to the cold - some people need lots of layers, others just have a base layer and a shell even on quite chilly days.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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fatbob, Stowe, vermont, about 20 years ago -29 I thought I was going to die on a chairlift. I saw Ranolph Fiennes crying like a baby for his mummy. Not single peice of skin exposed and they had huts with heaters at the top of every lift in which you had to spend 15 minutes thawing out.
Next day it rained 
I didn't return...
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 30-04-09 20:29; edited 1 time in total
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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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I've been 4 times to Canada, for 2 weeks each time. Twice in Feb and twice in March. I've never had these extreme cold temps and never missed a day's skiing because of the cold
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You know it makes sense.
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I was in Fernie late Jan/early Feb and Jasper mid Mar this year.
Fernie got down to about -27ish IIRC and apart from a couply of frosty cheek moments wasn't too bad (seem to recall they shut Bear due to the temp).
Jasper on the other hand got properly cold. Several days, dropping as low as -42 at the peak, but only -37 mid mountain (I declined the drag, being the only way to get further up). Shattered a toe binding (four pieces!) due to the temp, which also was the first time I've ever been forced inside to get hot choc (every 40 mins or so).
The extreme cold is the only real drawback to Canada, and can happen regardless of which time of the season you go.
Of the nine/ten or so times I've been to Ca I can't recall NOT having at least one cold (-15 or under) day per trip. There did seem to be more colder days this year, but maybe I'm just getting nesh in my dotage.
OTOH I prefer the temps around -5/-10 anyway so it's no great shakes.
John.
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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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Not cold that ruined a skiing day, but POWDER!
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Tue 26-03-19 4:49; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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Christmas in Portes du Soleil 2005 it was down to -20-odd at night and not much warmer in the day, but still not as cold as a weekend in New Hampshire about 12 years ago. Sitting on chairlift with gloved hands over face to try to keep cold (not wind) off face. Worst cracked lips I've ever had, really painful.
Still, I'd go back.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skiking4,  er... ok - thanks for sharing that with us...
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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.
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It was absolutely roasting when I was around Tahoe mid-march. Much the same temperatures as at Easter in Europe.
Yes, the US/Canada (especially inland) *can* be cold - but there are many months/places that this is certainly not the case.
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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.
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I have only been to Canada once, we went to Whistler in February last year. I had been warned about the low temperatures by my sister-in-law but we were there for a week and even as novice skiers had no problems with the cold. In fact on one day it was really sunny and some people were taking jackets off and skiing in base layers or tee shirts!
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skiking4, did you kick the cat too?
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RPF, is skiking4 not 14?  Ach well, he'll figure it all out soon enough. It feels colder in Scotland when it is -5 than it does in Canada when it is -25, really ain't that bad.
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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: |
Skiing powder is like sex, a wonderful experience but the first time can be awkward and less satisfying than expected
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It is indeed like sex - every body talks about how fantastic it is, watches lots of films of beautiful people doing it, and thinks everyone else is getting a lot more.
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| pam w wrote: |
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Skiing powder is like sex, a wonderful experience but the first time can be awkward and less satisfying than expected
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It is indeed like sex - every body talks about how fantastic it is, watches lots of films of beautiful people doing it, and thinks everyone else is getting a lot more. |
Although when it gets overly wet it tends to lose its appeal a tad. Powder that is.
John.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| This seems to be a constant whinge on any US/Canada thread. Just want to know how its born out in actual numbers - |
Well, the US + Canada makes up the bulk of the CONTINENT of north America. Which part of it do you want to know?
You want warm? Florida is quite warm. Texas is arguably HOT. Arizona is usually quite hot too. Except in the winter time, Flagstaff has pretty good snow record. Whistler often gets rain even in the winter. Why? Because it's too warm for the most part.
Alaska, on the other hand, is usually pretty cold. So is Banff/LL. Rarely do you have to worry about rain in mid-winter. While Vermont oscilates between -30 to 30 in a matter of hours, winter or summer!
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| so for anyone who has been on repeated or extended visits to the continent... |
I speak as someone who've had a rather extended visit to the continent: about 20 years!
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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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Extreme cold can be fairly extreme. Lived in Calgary for 2 seasons and anything below around -25 I find cold. Our kids stop skiing at around -20, which is when they stop playing out at school , but I am sure they have done some -22 days on the hill. WE all have masks and make good use of them- I have hotronics too. it's hard to imagine this type of cold. Before we landed into Calgary at -18, I thought my kids might die of cold on the way to getting the rental car. Of course they didn't and even babies are known to survive the winter here. The cold in Alberta is a less cold type of cold!!! It often feels colder in the spring when the air get damps and the wind rises- even though its around freezing to +8.
We have actually lost very few days to skiing, but that's perhaps coincident with the cold spells just as likely to be in the week as the weekend.
WE have probably done less sking on some days and had more hot chocolate breaks rather than not ski at all. That said the cold can be brutal. We have had tow brutal snaps in the 17 months we have been here. One, leading up to christmas this year and one in Feb last year. THis december was cold for a prolonged period (say 7 days) and that can be not nice. Anything below -27 frostbite becomes an issue on exposed skin. I personally wouldn't ski in a brutally cold patch, but then I know I can go the next weekend!!!
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PS
I reckon you can add 15 to 20 degrees to albertan temps to get the equivalent british temps.
I can often stand around in jeans , with jacket unzipped in the minus 5 to minus 10 range. Warmer than minus 5 doesn't even really need a coat- its just so sunny. Balmy.
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You know it makes sense.
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Skied Blackcomb today, all the way down to the base is open. About 15C in afternoon in the village, low of about -3C on the glacier. Great spring skiing.
And there were no clouds, so surprisingly it wasn't raining, which from reading these forums seems quite inconceivable.
Don't believe everything you read
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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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| gryphea wrote: |
PS
I reckon you can add 15 to 20 degrees to albertan temps to get the equivalent british temps.
I can often stand around in jeans , with jacket unzipped in the minus 5 to minus 10 range. Warmer than minus 5 doesn't even really need a coat- its just so sunny. Balmy. |
Yep. When talking to non-sliding friends they seem to struggle to see how you can be anything other than perished when you mention the temps involved. But I try to explain that with "dry" cold it doesn't affect you as much as the "wet" cold we get in the UK. Probably got something to do with heat transfer (due to water vapour), much in the same way as hot air at 100 deg C won't burn you but steam at the same temp will.
At home a damp, grey day with the temps even just a shade over freezing "feels" a lot colder than a dry cold day in Canada that can be close to minus ten. There is a palpable difference.
John.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Worst I had was around -30 at Lake Louise . Main problem was getting board to run as would immediatley freeze to the ground, but got a couple of runs in before wussing out and having to retire to the bar and nursing frostburn on a patch of exposed skin.
Cold never been a problem for me, colder the better i say. If you've got decent gear, layer-up and keep your work rate up you'll stay warm and the hills are quiet as all the fair-weathers are inside trembling in their fartbags...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No decision making hinges on it on my part - I'm more than happy from personal experience that even Banff areas & Colorado in Jan are usually fine provided you know how to wear a face mask & goggles & its only at -30 C that things start to get unpleasant.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
It was in tremblant and a pretty cold day -30 something but once i put a hat on instead of head band thing i was fine
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This is the kind of comment that would put me off skiing in Canada. I generally wear a helmet, which is quite warm, and a silk balaclava underneath if it's cold (ie worse than minus 10). I'm sure I could ski in - 30 but only if somebody were paying me a lot of money. I wouldn't call it a holiday, frankly. Minus 15 is about my limit for enjoyable skiing. Obviously people vary enormously in their response to the cold - some people need lots of layers, others just have a base layer and a shell even on quite chilly days. |
I and the OL have skied in -25 and lower on couple of days in Feb in Canada, and it's not a problem if you have the right gear, which is readily available in Canada. The only stuff I wore on those days which I wouldn't normally wear in Europe is long undies (mmmm, nice) and something covering the mouth and nose. We also chose the thicker of our jackets and trousers, although layers would probably work better. Apart from the one brief experience I mentioned above, where for about 200 yards we were skiing (slowly, as it was flat) through a gully which was bone chillingly cold, no problem.
If you visit N.America in March or later, you'd be unlucky to experience anything notably cold, IME, although I'm sure it can happen, and earlier in the season the temp can drop to ridiculously low temps.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| richmond wrote: |
If you visit N.America in March or later, you'd be unlucky to experience anything notably cold, IME, although I'm sure it can happen, and earlier in the season the temp can drop to ridiculously low temps. |
It can. My one trip to Canada was mid March - 5 nights in Jasper, two in Lake louise, 3 in Banff.
During the time in Jasper, the daytime temperature at the base lodge never got above -20C, and the top of the mountain was mainly around -28-29C.
But provided you covered up all exposed skin, it was fine for skiing in.
The only time I really felt seriously cold on that trip was on the last day at Sunshine, when the temperature was only about -12, but I was on an exposed chairlift on Goatseye, and by the time I reached the top, all I wanted was to get indoors as fast as possible.
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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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| Quote: |
Probably got something to do with heat transfer (due to water vapour), much in the same way as hot air at 100 deg C won't burn you but steam at the same temp will.
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Steam gives up a lot of heat condensing (hence is can cause more damage than water of the same temperature) so not quite the same phenomenon.
Hot air and hot water would be a more appropriate comparison, but the physcs is to do with specific heat energy (energy and mass) as well as heat transfer.
Cold damp air has a higher heat capacity than cold dry air, so "feels" colder as it takes more heat from you to warm up the layer of air close to the body.
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I've skied 20+ weeks in Canada and never missed a day because it was too cold. Just need some decent clothes to stay warm. Also as noted, Canada is a big place and not uniformly cold everywhere. Interior BC is notably warmer than Alberta for example. Also depends what time of year you go. I've seen everything from -40 to +15C this season.
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In 12 years of skiing in Canada, the only time I've lost to weather was (i) half a morning in January '98 at Lake Louise when the early morning temperatures were too low (about -35C) for the lift motor to start: they had to wait for the sun to come around and warm it up and (ii) half a morning at Nakiska, after so much snow fell that the lifties couldn't get into work - Great powder afternoon though!
I absolutely concur with BCjohnny,
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At home a damp, grey day with the temps even just a shade over freezing "feels" a lot colder than a dry cold day in Canada that can be close to minus ten. There is a palpable difference.
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I find Yorkshire winters a lot less attractive than Canadian ones. Layer up, cover exposed skin (neoprene face mask) and take a break for a hot drink if you need to.
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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: |
The only stuff I wore on those days which I wouldn't normally wear in Europe is long undies (mmmm, nice) and something covering the mouth and nose.
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Well I frequently wear long undies on cold days in Europe, and something covering the mouth. My OH has a mask which he wears if it's cold as he finds his nose gets cold easily. As I said, we all vary. So I guess that people who find they like to wear several good quality layers in Europe, in the -15 kind of weather (which is also very dry cold, generally speaking) would not much enjoy -25 or 30, let alone more. I don't think I would.
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I did a season in Banff in Alberta, and to begin with yes it was pretty cold, but really that was only the first few weeks i was there (early january)...at times it was -30! HOWEVER this is not as bad as it sounds...when its this cold its usually very still and tranquil so it is still very bearable!!!! the times when i got coldest were later in the season when the snow storms started...the temperature at these times is much higher than -30 but it feels soooo much worse because of the icey wind!!!
so to summarise (!) don't be put off when it says temperatures like -30 cos it really isnt as bad as it sounds....if you're wearing the correct clothing then you'll be fine...i was not the most competent of skiers before i went and was usually put of pretty easily by bad weather, but this didn't put me off at all and i lasted the whole 3 months!!! honestly, the cold in Canada really isn't an issue...x
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FAQ
Its true though people who haven't skied or cant ski powder don't understand what the fuss is about. Skiing powder is like sex, a wonderful experience but the first time can be awkward and less satisfying than expected 
