Week of March 28: Banff, Whistler, Silver Star or Salt Lake

B

Bernard

New member
I am going for a ski week starting March 28. I want to minimize the risk of spring conditions and rain. Here is what I understand so far: <BR> <BR>Louise/Sunshine would normally be a good bet, but this is a low snow year(again...)and many expert trails that interest me are rocky. <BR> <BR>Whistler has enough snow but there is always a risk of rain. <BR> <BR>Silver Star has only ordinary cover. I am only attracted to Putnam Creek. Is it as prone to rain as Whistler? <BR> <BR>Great snow year around SLC, but I won't be skiing only Alta/Snowbird. I also want to go to Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Deer Valley <BR> <BR>I have skied all these places except Deer Valley and Powder Mountain and know what to expect terrain-wise. <BR> <BR>In my experience, rain is a vacation-wrecking disaster. Got it 3 times out of 4 trips to Whistler and 1 in 1 at Silver Star. <BR> <BR>Comments will be appreciated
 
Salt Lake City, more options, and less likely to have bad conditions. It starts raining at whistler in late february, don't know much about the others.
 
I vote for SLC as well. In my season progess reports at <A HREF="http://bestsnow.net/seas04.htm" TARGET="_top">http://bestsnow.net/seas04.htm</A> you will see that Utah is having the West's best season around 135% of normal, Whistler is just above average and interior Canada is below average. <BR> <BR>Snowbasin and the Park City group will likely have spring conditions due to east exposure and lower altitude than the Cottonwood Canyons. However with the deep base the expert terrain should all be open. <BR> <BR>I was at Whistler March 31 - April 4, 1998 and had excellent conditions. Rain incidence in the village may rise after February but I have 30 years of data showing that is not true at alpine altitude, where nearly all of the best skiing is. <BR> <BR>I was in Fernie and Banff/Lake Louise the first week of February and you can check my reports with pics here on FTO. Lake Louise is skiing much better than the numbers indicate due to November dumps that covered most of the rocks. But February has been much drier than normal and I would rate the region well below either SLC or Whistler this year. <BR> <BR>Silver Star is far from either Banff or Whistler (~7 hours drive). Rain is rare in the Okanagan. If you go there you also have Big White, Apex and Sun Peaks in the region. Snowfall has been below average but all of the areas currently report full operation. I would worry some about Big White and Sun Peaks predominantly south exposures in late March. Front side of Silver Star also faces south, but not Putnam Creek.
 
Thanks for the comments <BR> <BR>Tony, I had read on your web site before asking my question, and I appreciate your specific indications regarding this year's situation. <BR> <BR>After a special reunion of the family council, it has been decided that Salt Lake City would be the destination. <BR> <BR>Just hoping it will not be too spring-like. At least I know the base depth is there. <BR> <BR>This late date is not my first choice but a compromise arising from work constraints. My first choice would have been Mammoth Mountain, but is not easily accessible from where I live (Quebec City). Tacking 3.5 hours to go to Montreal to get on the plane and 3 hours at the other end from Reno to Mammoth, in addition to the lack of a direct flight and reasonnably priced tickets is too much for me.
 
I'm in Utah in March every year (I'm going a week from today for 4 days) and it is generally warm if it's not snowing. Thus there is often a dramatic difference in surface conditions between the Cottonwood Canyons and other areas as the former are mostly north facing with much higher base elevations as well as the higher snowfall. <BR> <BR>If you're based in SLC you can choose where to ski based upon current weather. Of the Park City group Deer Valley will have the best surfaces when it's warm due to more north exposure as well as the intense grooming and lower skier density. <BR> <BR>To some extent Powder Mt. has a similar advantage over Snowbasin. If it's really warm you should spend most of the time at Alta/Snowbird/Brighton/Solitude.
 
Thanks again Tony. <BR> <BR>I have been to Utah twice before, but never later than mid-February. I have skied Alta (no-snowboard paradise), Snowbird (near paradise, but higher skier densities), Snowbasin (remote secret stash before the Olympics), Brighton (lots of flats), Solitude (good for a day), Park City (too warm, not enough snow), The Canyons (too warm, not enough snow, lots of flats) <BR> <BR>On my next trip, I intend to try Deer Valley and Powder Mountain. But I will probably spend a large part of the nine ski days (playtime has been extended!) at Alta and Snowbird, with a visit to Snowbasin, to see how much it has changed, and possibly one day at Solitude. <BR> <BR>Would Sundance be worth a visit? <BR> <BR>Thanks
 
Bernard, <B><I>DO</I></B> go to Powder Mountain. Don't miss the chance. When Alta and Snowbird will have choice lines tracked out within 90 minutes on a powder day, you'll find freshies for literally days after the storm at Pow Mow.
 
Message well received, Marc! <BR> <BR>So I guess Powder Mountain should not be too crowded on weekends.
 
Sundance is the only Utah area I haven't skied. It gets less snow than most, so a big year like this one is the right time to try it if you're interested. <BR> <BR>My one day at Powder Mt. was on President's weekend of 1991: full-on blizzard and about 1/4 of chairs were occupied. In bounds terrain then (it's been expanded since) was intermediate pitch and you could get stuck if you didn't know what you were doing (first day there + bad visibility). <BR> <BR>The "Powder Country" run down to the shuttle bus pickup was excellent, but I think it's south facing. Elevation range is 6,900 - 8,900, which is on the low side if weather is warm. But if it dumps Marc is right, you'll have freshies all day, even on the weekend.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1><B>Quote:</B></FONT><P>So I guess Powder Mountain should not be too crowded on weekends.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> <BR>Not at all.
 
I've had a trip to Banff planned for months now. Going from Mar. 18-30. I'm an East (Ice) Coast skier who's never skied west of the Mississippi. Is it really THAT bad up there? Already have a 5 day pass to Sunshine/Louise/Norquay. Also planning a day or two at Castle Mountain. Any idea what to expect? Any suggestions on what to hit? Thanks!
 
You'll be fine in BC. I guarantee that you will have enough snow and enjoy those mountains. Should be excellent spring conditions. If you can afford it, it is definitely worthwhile to go cat skiing. They will take you to where the snow is best. If you go standby, you can save nearly $100. <BR> <BR>You will not be dissappointed. Remember, people write stuff here who have travelled all over. They may think Utah is better, but that doesn't mean that it will be bad in B.C. I was just at Red and Whitewater and there was more than enough snow. Huge base depths and no sign of rain. <BR> <BR>Have fun!
 
<A HREF="http://www.powderwatch.com/" TARGET="_top">http://www.powderwatch.com/</A> and <A HREF="http://www.cdnrockiesskireports.ca/Default.aspx" TARGET="_top">http://www.cdnrockiesskireports.ca/Default.aspx</A> are two skier submitted report sites I discovered for the region shortly before my early February trip. <BR> <BR>First week of March was great up there and really helped out the conditions. As in any trip, the degree to which you can be flexible based upon the actual conditions while you are there will help a lot. <BR> <BR>I would ski a day early at both Sunshine and Louise to see which appeals to you most and has the best conditions. Norquay is much smaller and also gets the least natural snow in the region. <BR> <BR>Marc Guido and I have both sung the praises of Castle and highly recommend you check it out. <BR> <BR>Kicking Horse has great terrain but was a bit skimpy on base before last week. Try to get word-of-mouth info of current conditions while you are out there. <BR> <BR>From Banff you're a long way from most of the cat skiing, and at low elevations there is increased risk of spring conditions in late March. You are in range of two heli operations, RK and Purcell, which cater to day skiers from Banff. The downside is that they tend to be a bit slow and conservative on terrain choice with many first-timers. They are ideal if you are new to powder skiing. If you are experienced powder skiers, try to arrange a compatible group or at least request that when you book. I had awesome conditions on my day at RK March 30, 1999.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I didn't hit the lotto, so I'm gonna be ski-bumming this vacation, staying at a hostel or two and relying on cheap ski/stay packages. So, no heli or cat skiing for me, but that might be a little much for me anyways. I think I might also try to get up to Fernie since I just might have enough time to do a whole tour! I can't wait though...from what I've heard, I'm in for one hell of a party? Anyways, thanks, I'll post some pix and a report when I get the chance! <BR> <BR>- Rob
 
"Climate is what you expect and weather is what you get." You who are going to western Canada next week will likely do much better than anywhere in western U.S. The western U.S. is going to get cooked for the second week in a row according to the forecasters, while western Canada is supposed to get a big storm at the end of this week. <BR> <BR>Utah skiing isn't going anywhere with the deep base they have, but it will be nearly all spring conditions until this weather pattern breaks. <BR> <BR>I will be in Aspen and Telluride next week; not quite as warm as Utah, but still mostly spring conditions.
 
Tony, <BR> <BR>I am from NY and thinking of heading out to Park City April 1. Is is worth the hike for spring skiing? I don't want to ski slush. Or would I be better off going somewhere else? or even skiing Vermont? <BR> <BR>-Eric
 
I'm in Banff right now and it's been up and down. First couple of days were sun-baked softies and then it turned really hard. Almost dust on crust today w/ 5cm at Sunshine. Warm-up coming this weekend.
 
Utah has had an excellent year, but I would stick to the Cottonwood Canyon areas (Alta/Snowbird/Brighton/Solitude) in April for best snow surfaces: higher altitude and more north exposed.
 
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