if you visit the official WB webpage today you will be greeted with a video claiming that this coming thursday whistler will be opening the most terrain of any resort anywhere in the world. i personally find this hard to believe since a buddy and i climbed whistler on saturday as a little pre-season warm up.
what i found was snow that has been very sun baked for the past week. it has been warm enough to stay soft, very springlike granular. the temps at mid mountain have been about 10C everyday (while an inversion has kept temps in the valley around 0C at night and 5C daytime).
we hiked the peak to creek runs up to Highway 86 (about 1600m). the base was probably about 60cm (as i would discover when i crunched through the top layer of snow). some telemarkers were having a hell of a time skiing down - every turn they would dig through the top layer and come to a total stop. the stumps and boulders make for some interesting lines. i rode my board down halfway and it was actually pretty nice. firm enough that i could stay on top as long as i maintained speed.
i spoke with a blackomb patroller this morning who said blackomb is hurting bad and losing snow fast due to the high temps. looks like another week of high skies, hence my skepticism of the website claim.
my prediction is that main runs will have enough snow down to about 1200m, which will allow them to run the red chair, emerald and harmony. not sure about a ski-out to olympic station, but who does that anyway? i can't believe they will try to open the peak and flute bowl, but this is what they claim. bring your rock skis and rock suit. hardly worth it considering there won't have been new snow in two weeks.
setting up at creekside
looking towards alta lake
westbowl, not nearly as much snow as it appears in this photo
approaching highway 86...decent coverage
as far as we went today
what i found was snow that has been very sun baked for the past week. it has been warm enough to stay soft, very springlike granular. the temps at mid mountain have been about 10C everyday (while an inversion has kept temps in the valley around 0C at night and 5C daytime).
we hiked the peak to creek runs up to Highway 86 (about 1600m). the base was probably about 60cm (as i would discover when i crunched through the top layer of snow). some telemarkers were having a hell of a time skiing down - every turn they would dig through the top layer and come to a total stop. the stumps and boulders make for some interesting lines. i rode my board down halfway and it was actually pretty nice. firm enough that i could stay on top as long as i maintained speed.
i spoke with a blackomb patroller this morning who said blackomb is hurting bad and losing snow fast due to the high temps. looks like another week of high skies, hence my skepticism of the website claim.
my prediction is that main runs will have enough snow down to about 1200m, which will allow them to run the red chair, emerald and harmony. not sure about a ski-out to olympic station, but who does that anyway? i can't believe they will try to open the peak and flute bowl, but this is what they claim. bring your rock skis and rock suit. hardly worth it considering there won't have been new snow in two weeks.
setting up at creekside
looking towards alta lake
westbowl, not nearly as much snow as it appears in this photo
approaching highway 86...decent coverage
as far as we went today
