My travel partner is between these. She is in favour of booking last minute if we're somewhere that is not in peak season. She too likes to stay in one place at least 2 nights.
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I'm wondering if Sun Peaks would appeal to a Seattle intermediate? These people are used to skiing the Cascades. I would think they would be unimpressed with the terrain and amount of snow fall.*
*There are many on the Australian ski forum who jokingly ridicule all the fellow Aussies that go to Sun Peaks for extended periods. Common one liners are "looks flat", "it's a golf course" and "you can't have much fun with 5 centimeters".
ChrisC
Well-known member
The WA Cascades are not that great for intermediate skiers. It can rain at the summit of most mountains 1-3x per winter and more frequently at the bases. Sun Peaks and Big White, with slopeside condos, good terrain, driveable, and fewer crowds than Whistler, are quite appealing.
Snoqualmie Pass/Alpental - 1 or 2 sectors, but generally too mellow (West side) or too tough (Alpental). Very Wet Snow! Prone to rain. 3k base elevation.
Crystal - It's not that great for intermediates. It's either too steep/crowded or a bit flat—just 1 or 2 sectors.
Stevens Pass - Best intermediate area. There are a few lifts with cruisers on the front or back sides. Also, due to the pressure gradient, cold air gets sucked through Stevens Pass from the interior, keeping the snow quality better.
However, if you are looking for a long weekend, you can go to Whistler, Interior BC, Mt. Bachelor, or you may have to hop on a plane. The Okanagan is thought to have 'drier' snow vs. Western Cascades - similar to how Mt. Bachelor has better snow quality than the Mt. Hood areas.
Believe it or not, the area that advertised the heaviest around Seattle is Sun Valley - the GOT SUN? campaign (billboards). Similar to the GOT MILK? campaign. Seattleites suffer from low light syndrome, so they are more than happy to go to sunny Idaho with low snow for some Vitamin D. Also, there is a very strong historical connection between Seattle and Sun Valley - lots of 2nd homes there, same ski shop chains, drivable for a week, etc. Hence, the name of one of the most popular Sun Valley sectors is Seattle Ridge.
Frankly, Seattleites think Colorado or Utah is a ski vacation. Casual NW skiers will complain that they got rained out/fogged out at Whistler since they generally only use the middle 1/3 and a few runs from the top.
Or they will go to Mexico, Palm Springs, Hawaii, etc. Anything to get out of the NW for a few days during the winter.
They have excellent local skiing, but heavy Cascade snow is tempered by occasional rain, wet snow, fog, clouds, etc.
In general, you will find a lot of American skiers (especially casual skiers) who tried Whistler and will never go back because there was no sun for a week or got a Pineapple Express (warm) storm where it rained to the summit, etc. Hence, there are no real destination ski resorts in the NW USA (maybe Mt. Bachelor).
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I didn’t know this. Interesting.
I’ve had fantastic experiences at both Whistler and Mt Bachelor but will admit to being rained on at the base in Whistler.
ChrisC
Well-known member
Yes, I think Whistler is excellent and possesses every type of terrain! I have skied Whistler at least once every month from December to June.
- bluebird weeks in January, similar to Colorado - with a few inches per night
- arctic blasts in February where it's as frigid as Jackson, WY
- Pineapple Express storms where the top is closed/raining to mid-mountain (give up and go home)
- bowls&glaciers in May/June.
And here is typical apres-ski - drizzle/flurries under heat lamps at The Longhorn - base of Whistler Village. Spring Break: NW Vibes (pic is from pre-helmet days)
That said, I would avoid Christmas/New Year's there, which is way too crowded. February weekends, too.
Also, culturally, it feels very international - especially since many workers and visitors are British Commonwealth. It's a global resort that is as good as anything in Europe. It is not as overrun by the dumb posers/celebrities of Aspen (many who don't ski) or the Wall Streeters of Vail.
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Wow, a ski mountain jingle.
Here's a new one for Steamboat (I like Sun Valley's better):
ChrisC
Well-known member
Yeah, I had to stop that ad/jingle from being shown in my IG/Facebook Feeds.
This topic is now drifting wildly from Apex mountain but.................apologies. @Tony Crocker feel free to move this if you think it's warranted.
The talk of the common Okanagan fog and the variable conditions in the Northwest got me thinking about the most reliable pre-booked ski holiday and by extension any holiday. I would think that mid March in Europe or North America over about 6500 feet would be almost fool proof with an almost guaranteed base and minimal chance of significant rain. As far as non ski holidays there are many that I can think of that offer little chance of rain but this often comes with uncomfortable temperatures (for me above about 70 degrees). One I have on my bucket list is Utah National Parks/Monument Valley/Los Alamos/Taos in late October/early November. Obviously city holidays can be somewhat fool proof in that it's possible to escape indoors in the event of rain.
Can anyone think of other weather proof outdoor style adventure holidays that don't typically involve overly warm weather? As someone who is still working a significant amount I would like the time I take off to be as unaffected by unexpected weather as possible.
Hard to imagine Crested Butte making the top 5 in view of that last sentence. Is there anywhere else you have to be on the lookout so much for rocks in expert terrain?
Seattle vs, Denver has always been my cited example of why "where should a skier take destination trip" is a different question that "where should a skier live." Seattle is much better for expert terrain and bigger powder days. But if you plan ahead and show up during the week it rains you will not be happy.
Yes, Larry Schick grew up in Laguna Beach and was a surfer before he was a skier in college (Northern Arizona U. in Flagstaff). But during most of his time in Seattle he would take a winter week surfing vacation in Hawaii.
Larry has mentioned that too.
I view Mt. Bachelor as destination but many people are put off by all the lodging being 20 miles away in Bend or Sunriver.
The reality is that Mt. Bachelor's wind risk is much higher than Whistler's rain risk. Rain into the alpine at Whistler is maybe a once or twice a year event. Snow preserves very well up there, comparable to top of Mammoth.
Mt. Bachelor's Summit chair is closed for wind half the time January-March, which takes out at least one third of acreage and more than half of advanced terrain. Summit is rarely open in December because it takes at least a 5 foot base before they can get grooming equipment up top to prepare the unloading area.
Spring is best at Bachelor but still not a weather guarantee. It took three trips before Liz got to experience the legendary backside corn off Summit.
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Exposure also goes into that March equation. Jackson Hole and numerous resorts in the Alps should be avoided due to too much south exposure. 6500 feet is a good number for the Alps which are in a narrow latitude range. But in North America that number varies by latitude from about 5,000 feet in Canada to 9,000 in AZ/NM.
And there is no such thing as a ski vacation immune to weather anomalies: extended dry spells degrading surfaces, wind/visibility closing lifts, etc.
Over the years I have had 4 vacations seriously degraded by weather.
1) The cat skiing in 2005 after 4 days of rain.
2) An Alaska heli week in 2014 with only one+ ski day and so-so conditions.
3) 10 days over Christmas 2017 during Chile’s dry(?) season with frequent torrential rains and flooding. We never got on the Futaleufu River, the primary objective of the trip.
4) The 2019 Paul Gauguin cruise where all of the first week’s activities were missed due to inclement weather: no landing Pitcairn Island, clouded out eclipse, no scuba on Rangiroa.
If you travel a lot, sometimes $#!% happens. And the more adventurous the plan, the more you need to accept the risk.
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Sbooker does not live in a good places if he dislikes temps over 70F.