dec 31 - signs of improvement

24hr snow = 28
base depth = 125
cumulative = 311
freezing level = valley
days riding = 5

five day forecast

day1 sw-s 10-15 day2 s 10-20 day3 0 day4 3-5 day5 5-10

alright - today was a legit powder day. definitely the best day of the season so far, but closures are still limiting rideable terrain. i am still avoiding areas that i would automatically hit on a day like today. i had to pull a kid out of a tree well just below roundhouse - i was sunk in above my waist trying to get to him. props to the kid for not freaking out.
the snow depths that i post here on my blog are taken from the official whistler website. in previous years i have felt that they are pretty accurate, but this year they are padding those stats. the blackomb patrol phone reported only 19cm in 24hr and this seems a lot more realistic. the hype machine also had harmony listed on standby, but as of 11am they didn't even have the chairs on the line. the terrain under peak chair is still suicidal.
i have heard the snowpack described as rotten. i think the technical definition is that due to the extreme cold temperatures, hoar frost, and thin snow pack, the base has lost any ability to bond with the ground below or any new snow above. avalanche risk will be high and likely remain uncharacteristically dangerous throughout the entire season. even with warnings posted everywhere, as i was leaving the hill today i saw a couple heading up with their split boards, backpacks and poles, and they were complaining that harmony was still on standby. what can you do....

snow coverage: C
snow quality: B+
run selection: B+
crowds: C-
visibility: A
overall: B

dec 29 - it was thiiiiiiis big

24hr snow = 19
base depth = 100
cumulative = 264
freezing level = valley
days riding = 4

five day forecast

day1 s-sw 12-14 day2 sw-s 15-20 day3 5-10 day4 2-4 day5 10-20

back in ontario i used to do a lot of fishing and a buddy had this fake tape measure that showed 1" for every real 1/2" - it was great for trip pics and new personal bests. anyway...i'm pretty sure that the snow reporter on whistler got one of these tape measures for christmas.
i went up early this morning, pretty skeptical since i only measured about 10cm of new in my parking lot. i would normally only count 20cm in 24hr as a true powder day, but this year 19 will have to do. it was relatively quiet when i hit creekside at 8:30, and by the time i got to the top of red, franz' meadow was still untracked. i sucked it up and decided to check out the potential mine field. it was definitely a high alert status run, but i did manage to hit some nice powder and not hit any rocks. upper franz was decent groomer, and i took lower franz past the boundary signs and hit some more powder on the way to the base. by the time i got down the lineup at creekside was at least 20 minutes and that was too long for me. might head back up a little later when it thins out.

snow coverage: C
snow quality: B+
run selection: B+
crowds: C-
visibility: B
overall: B-













this is what i measured this morning on a car that hasn't moved in 2 days.
the scale is in mm (americans 25mm = 1")









our snowy parking lot - doesn't quite look like 19cm to me

dec 28 - waiting

24hr snow = 1
base depth = 84
cumulative = 245
freezing level = valley
days riding = 3

five day forecast

day1 sw 15-25 day2 s-sw 10-15 day3 15-20 day4 10-15 day5 0-2

this upcoming storm cycle might finally give us enough snow to access good terrain. i noticed that 7th heaven was running today, but didn't bother making the trek out. i'm highly skeptical...
found some pretty heavy bottlenecks again on whistler, but was pleasantly surprised to get in a few powder turns on the bayshores ski-out. amazingly, the coverage out there is as good as anywhere else on the mountain (which isn't saying much).
light snow in the valley as i type.

snow coverage: D
snow quality: C+
run selection: C-
crowds: D
visibility: C
overall: C-

dec 27 - the problem

24hr snow = 15
base depth = 85
cumulative = 244
freezing level = valley
days riding = 2

five day forecast

day1 sw 10 day2 sw 10-15 day3 5 day4 5-10 day5 10-15

15cm yesterday and everything looks beautiful. doubt i will go up today though because my experience has taught me that the weekend after xmas are the busiest days of the year.
if you haven't noticed by now, i love snow and hate crowds. why do i live in whistler? don't ask. but i digress...
the forecast is looking good, but the biggest problem we are currently facing is that we never got that heavy wet 40+cm dump to start the season. the one that works its way into all the crevasses and buries the nastiest rocks and creates a nice level base for all the rest of the lovely snow that we will receive. the snow we've been getting the past few days would have been top notch powder if we had a base, but it just blows away and does not fill in all the danger spots. i never thought i'd be hoping for a heavy wet dump, but that is what we really need right now.
hey - another metre of powder and i'm sure we'll all have forgotten about the bad start, but nothing fills up faster than the wet dump!

dec 26, 2008

24hr snow = 0
base depth = 85
cumulative = 229
freezing level = valley
days riding = 2

five day forecast

day1 sw 10-15 day2 sw 5-10 day3 10-15 day4 5-10 day5 5-10

light snow again today. seems like everywhere else in the province (country?) has snowfall warnings except for whistler. we should start to see some significant accumulation by next week, but the next few days will serve as just enough to cover those lurking rock sharks ready to chew up the bottom of your board or worse. there will no doubt be some brave idiots out there who will keep the ski patrol busy...

dec 25 - the truth?

24hr snow = 9
base depth = 84
cumulative = 229
freezing level = valley
days riding = 2

five day forecast

day1 0-2 day2 sw 5-10 day3 15-25 day4 5 day5 10-20

i wish i could add a positive spin to things...it's impossible. it's really bad out here. terrible. i can't remember a worse day in the past two seasons, and probably longer, but i can't remember anything beyond that.
we seriously have no base. nothing is open, and what is open is half ice and jam packed with tourists. things are pretty dismal at the moment. even with the snow in the forecast there is not near enough to be able to ride good terrain.
i know a week can change a lot and that is all we can hope for. we need a huge heavy dense dump to start filling in the massive craters everywhere. seriously - don't come here. sorry - that's just the truth. merry christmas.

snow coverage: F
snow quality: F
run selection: F (there's nothing to choose from!)
crowds: C-
visibility: A
overall: F

dec 24 - xmas wish

24hr snow = 4
base depth = 72
cumulative = 218
freezing level = valley
days riding = 1

five day forecast

day1 sw-s 10-15 day2 2 day3 5-10 day4 10-20 day5 15-25

looks like we'll finally get some decent snow this week. we'll have a white xmas for sure as it is currently coming down pretty good. think i'll be aiming to head up early tomorrow. who knows how much we'll have by the end of the weekend, but it looks pretty certain that we will get hit hard by something. off-piste will still be sketchy, but things are looking better.

dec 22 - day 1

24hr snow = 5
base depth = 75
cumulative = 214
freezing level = valley
days riding = 1

five day forecast

day1 0 day2 0 day3 5 day4 5 day5 5-10

i finally found the time to start the season today. the conditions were about what i expected, and probably best referred to as "eastern". the base is primarily man-made snow, with a few soft turns to be found. but there are also very icy spots, ice chunky spots, and the always enjoyable experience of getting fake snow blasted into your face.
i called it a short day since i know there are no secret stashes up there. i would probably recommend blackomb due to the fact that they have much more alpine terrain open.

we are still desperately in need of a huge storm cycle. the 5cm here and there is not helping, and it seems like the forecasters have hit the xmas sauce early this year as the 5 day forecast is changing faster than a baby with the runs. at least the deep chill seems to be gone.

snow coverage: D
snow quality: C-
run selection: C-
crowds: B
visibility: A
overall: C-

dec 21 - getting closer

24hr snow = 14
base depth = 74
cumulative = 209
freezing level = valley
days riding = 0

five day forecast

day1 7-9 day2 0 day3 0-2 day4 2 day5 0

another 14cm last night and at least it's starting to look like winter out here. still, only groomers are open and it's still frikkin freezing. it's been our luck so far, there was a blizzard in vancouver and squamish today, but only a few flakes made it as far as whistler.
we're still waiting for a big dump to kick things off - if you can believe it the 14cm last night was our biggest 24hr snowfall of the season. to put it in perspective, the last two seasons we opened with a deeper base than we have currently.
i figure i'll actually do my first day later this week. guess you gotta start somewhere...

dec 16 - at least it wasn't the peak to peak

24hr snow = 0
base depth = 59
cumulative = 186
freezing level = valley
days riding = 0

five day forecast

day1 0-2 day2 4-6 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

OK - i'm sure by now everyone out there has heard about the excalibur gondola collapse. the best info i've found is here:

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/157146.asp

seems like everyone got lucky and no serious damage was done. but i gotta laugh at some people's reactions, like TW37. yeah - i'm sure whistler is "unsafe". i'm sure we manufacture all our own gondolas on site to much lower standards than the rest of the world. whatever dude - just stay home.

having said that, maybe they should have done a quick inspection while they had all those world-class engineers here building the peak to peak.

well, a gondola collapse isn't going to keep me off the mountain, but -20C and no snow will. so i'm still waiting for a good reason to go up, and there's still nothing in sight.

dec 12 - a little somepin

24hr snow = 8
base depth = 56
cumulative = 181
freezing level = valley
days riding = 0

five day forecast

day1 0-2 day2 0 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

wow - there is actually some white stuff out there. if i had to wager a guess, i'd say saturday morning will probably be the best day so far, but that's not saying much. there is hardly any terrain open, and none of the good stuff. my buddy put it best when he said that opening day was a 2 out of 10, and last time he was up was about a 4 out of 10. 200% better than opening day, but still pretty crap.
now we've got a cold dry spell coming up - and we're talking freakin cold. -10 to -15 in the valley.

oh - and i just realized once and for all that the environment canada alpine forecast must actually be commissioned by the resort operators. last night they forecasted "ideal temperatures for snowmaking at all elevations". since when do weather forecasters care about snowmaking?!?

i'm holding out for another 40cm. maybe by xmas....

dec 5 - any snow this year?

24hr snow = 0
base depth = 41
cumulative = 150
freezing level = 2700m
days riding = 0

five day forecast

day1 rain day2 0-2 day3 0-3 day4 0 day5 5

things are not looking any better for the next 5 days. i still haven't bothered to go up, and the word on the street is ice pack. it's always nice to get some early season snow before the crowds show up, but it's not looking promising this year...

nov 29, 2008 - yikes

24hr snow = 4
base depth = 58
cumulative = 150
freezing level = 2500m
days riding = 0

five day forecast

day1 rain day2 rain day3 rain day4 0 day5 0

well, whistler opened on wednesday (nov 26), and blackomb on thursday, and i still haven't been up for a look. that should say all you need to know. burnsy reported the worst ice he's ever seen on upper franz, and anything not groomed is completely unrideable. we probably don't really have enough snow to open, but they are not going to keep the mountain closed. i'm not heading up until we get at least another 60cm, and that won't be any time soon

nov 6, 2008 - hello, what's this

24hr snow = na
base depth = na
cumulative = na
freezing level = 1300m
days riding = 0

five day forecast

day1 10 day2 rain day3 rain day4 5-10 day5 5

woke up to the strangely familiar sound of metal scraping concrete this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see the first accumulation of snow in the valley this fall. i actually saw the first valley flakes two days ago, but this time it's sticking. the ploughs are on the road and winter is in the air. hard to believe another summer is already done.

jun 11, 2008 - season in review

ok - i think it's safe to say the winter season is over. we did get a few more cm's this past week, but the freezing levels haven't been close to the valley in a while. the snow's all gone on my favourite bike trails, WB's closed for the season (except summer glacier), time for the season recap.

i would say '07-08 had a lot of similarities to '06-07. early season wasn't as good, we got a lot of good snow around the new year, but it was pretty much done by the end of january. the main difference (improvement) over the previous season is that the temperatures were consistently colder throughout the winter which meant far better snow preservation, and very little RAIN! in fact, there was only the one super disappointing dump on Dec 3 that turned to freezing rain and ice, and other than that for the most part our storm systems maintained freezing levels close to the valley with no major temperature spikes, and no freezing crusts.

having said that, the final numbers don't look nearly as good on paper:

2008:
cumulative snowfall: 1019cm
deepest base depth: 257cm on Feb 7
no. of days of 10+cm: 35
no. of days of 20+cm: 12
no. of days of 30+cm: 3
no. of days of 40+cm: 2* (1 of those days was completely covered over with ice crust)
personal days riding: 69
powder days: 35
epic days: 2 (dec 17 and jan 7)

for comparison, here are the stats on 2007:
cumulative snowfall: 1406cm
deepest base depth: 334cm on mar 25
no. of days of 10+cm: 43
no. of days of 20+cm: 16
no. of days of 30+cm: 7
no. of days of 40+cm: 2
personal days riding: 74
powder days: 41
epic days: 4 (nov 25, dec 15, dec 26, and jan 7 again)

interesting side note - on jan 7, 2005 i recorded it as best day of season so far. for all the trip planners - i guess jan 7 is your best bet!

guess that sums it up for this year. not sure what the future holds at this point, but the plan is to keep up the posting next winter. catch ya then!

apr 29, 2008 - surprise pow day!!

Holy shit - this was going to be my season finale last post, but when i went to check the snow report i discovered that it had dumped 19cm in 24hrs. So first thing I did was grab my board and head out the door...
only blackomb is still open, and only running at about half capacity. it had been raining with high freezing levels all day yesterday so i decided the only place worth checking out was the high alpine. good call. i hiked into blackomb glacier and found at least a foot of true powder. the place was empty. me and a guy i met on the lift were the only people in the whole place. needless to say we found untracked lines wherever we wanted to go. if i was to have one complaint it is that the snow seemed a little slow and the terrain is not all that steep so it took a lot of effort to keep that board surfin. but all in all, i would probably say it was the best run i've ever had in the glacier - on freakin april 29th!

i haven't been tracking weather lately since we've had virtually no snow all of april. this was a total surprise.

the lower mountain is not really rideable, but the coverage on the upper 2/3 is still pretty decent. but who cares? i'm not there to ride the bumps.

i'll give this day an A rating just for the glacier run. other than the high alpine the rest of the mountain was pretty crap.

apr 14, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 244cm
cumulative = 974cm
freezing level = 1300m
days riding = 64

five day forecast

day1 2 day2 0-2 day3 0 day4 0-2 day5 3-5

pros and cons...looking like we've seen our last powder days of '08, but thankfully we have squamish and pemberton for early season biking.
had a two sport weekend with snowboarding on saturday and biking on sunday. snow conditions best described as sticky. so sticky in fact that it seemed like you would come to a complete stop on anything less than a 10 degree slope. still fun for goofing around though.
on saturday the temp was +6C in the alpine and 18C in the valley. getting a bit colder this week (it's actually snowing outside right now), but looks to be officially done. the past 3 seasons we've had at least one significant dump around mid-april, but unless it comes really late, it doesn't look like it's going to happen this year.

snow coverage: A
snow quality: C-
run selection: B
crowds: B-
visibility: A+
overall: C+

apr 7, 2008

24hr snow = 2cm
base depth = 265cm
cumulative = 969cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 63

five day forecast

day1 0-1 day2 1-3 day3 0 day4 5 day5 0

did a couple of quick laps off peak today. nothing special - was hoping for a bit more fresh than reported, but there wasn't really. occasional soft turns through surprise and doom and gloom, but not enough to keep me out there.

i hiked up to the warming hut at elfin lakes with jayne and amy on saturday. that was pretty fun, although the riding was really only to save us from hiking back down again. the snow above the hut improved quickly, but we had only budgeted for an afternoon trip so we couldn't go too far. think i'll try to get out there again before the end of the season.

snow coverage: A
snow quality: B-
run selection: C+
crowds: A
visibility: C-
overall: B-














the hike up











warming hut











really hamming it up in there

apr 4, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 260cm
cumulative = 959cm
freezing level = 1500m
days riding = 61

five day forecast
day1 0-2 day2 2-5 day3 4-8 day4 0-2 day5 2-4

man, i've really been slacking with the posts lately, mainly because there's not a lot to report. the temps have been pretty cold actually, and there is a lot more snow in the valley than there was at this time last year. we've yet to receive any of those torrential rains that wash it all away.

i got the bike out for the first time yesterday and did some trails up around pemberton. anything south facing up there is completely bare and dry, but we did have to plough through some snowy areas. generally though the trails were in excellent condition and i didn't come out of it with any cuts or bruises, so i'd have to consider it a good start to the season.

my last day of mountain riding was on wednesday, and included a few terrain park laps with burnsy. not much softening going on, but the jumps are in excellent condition, as is the halfpipe. hadn't taken a spin in that thing in years, but it went OK. we also hit the wind lip in 7th...you need to look a little harder for things to do right now.

yesterday morning's forecast was calling for cold heavy precip this weekend, but as has been the case lately, it was quickly downgraded to nothing much. either snow or melt already!

i'll try to keep the posting up for another month or so. my goal was to have this blog appear in the first page of a google search for whistler snow reports, but lately i've slipped to page 5. hey - it's not my fault it hasn't snowed in 2 months!

snow coverage: A
snow quality: C
run selection: C
crowds: A
visibility: A+
overall: C+

mar 30, 2008

24hr snow = 1cm
base depth = 276cm
cumulative = 944cm
freezing level = overnight valley
days riding = 58

five day forecast
day1 0 day2 3-5 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

had a couple of good days up there recently. crowds have died off and the conditions have been pretty good on and off piste.
looks like it's warming up this week, not much snow in sight. i expect we'll still get one or two more good dumps in the alpine before we're done for the season. hard to believe my first day of mountain biking was april 1 last year. still tons of snow in the valley right now.

snow coverage: A-
snow quality: B
run selection: A-
crowds: B+
visibility: A
overall: B+

mar 28, 2008

24hr snow = 8cm
base depth = 279cm
cumulative = 952cm
freezing level = overnight valley
days riding = 58

five day forecast
day1 0-2 day2 0 day3 0-2 day4 0 day5 0

are we going to hit a 300cm base this year? looking doubtful now...
snow's still good cause it's been cold, the latest snow system is moving out and we'll be back to spring sun next week.

mar 27, 2008

24hr snow = 6cm
base depth = 278cm
cumulative = 944cm
freezing level = overnight valley
days riding = 58

five day forecast
day1 se3-6 day2 se10 day3 2-4 day4 0 day5 0

my first day of alpine powder in two weeks. the temps have been steady around -10C in the alpine, so any new snow is well preserved, and we've been getting refresher layers every other day. it wasn't like a 35cm powder day, but soft, semi-tracked snow to be found everywhere. overall the conditions are very good. the lower mountain is rock hard every morning but by the afternoon has softened into good corn.

snow coverage: A
snow quality: B+
run selection: A
crowds: A-
visibility: C
overall: B+

mar 24, 2008

24hr snow = 24cm
base depth = 270cm
cumulative = 929cm
freezing level = 1000m
days riding = 57

five day forecast
day1 s10 day2 s5 day3 5-10 day4 2-5 day5 1-3

24cm + march break = ridiculous crowds. been too busy to put in anything more than a few runs lately, but any hope of hitting the alpine was shot down due to enormous lines. i'm sure there is some great snow to be found up there, heard it was pretty wind affected. i did a couple of mid and lower mountain laps, where the groomers were decent until about 200m from the valley where it turns to a sheet of ice.

snow coverage: A
snow quality: B-
run selection: C+
crowds: D
visibility: B
overall: C+

mar 22, 2008

24hr snow = 4cm
base depth = 255cm
cumulative = 890cm
freezing level = 1300m
days riding = 56

five day forecast
day1 s10-15 day2 sw5-10 day3 3-5 day4 3-5 day5 3-5

finally made it out for a few turns yesterday. almost changed my mind when i saw the crowd at creekside gondola, but luckily we toughed it out and were rewarded with some excellent conditions. beautiful soft packed groomers with traces of powder to be found off piste. had to call it a short day though due to work. only negative was the large lines at all chairs.
we are supposed to get a significant system moving through tonight and tomorrow. looks like winds might keep the alpine closed tomorrow.

snow coverage: A
snow quality: A
run selection: A
crowds: D+
visibility: B-
overall: B+

mar 20, 2008

24hr snow = 7cm
base depth = 246cm
cumulative = 871cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 55

five day forecast
day1 se8-16 day2 sw2-4 day3 2-5 day4 15-25 day5 0-2

been snowing in the valley most of the day today. it's melting on the ground down here, but i'm sure there is some pretty decent accumulation on the mountain.
too much shit to do this week...i'm hoping to make it up tomorrow. it's been a while....

mar 19, 2008

24hr snow = 3cm
base depth = 243cm
cumulative = 864cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 55

five day forecast
day1 2-7 day2 2-5 day3 0-2 day4 2-5 day5 10-15

what a frustrating stretch! everyday the long term forecast calls for significant snow, but it never gets any closer. got another 3cm last night for perfect dust on crust conditions. really haven't had any good snow in over a month now.

mar 17, 2008

24hr snow = 4cm
base depth = 239cm
cumulative = 858cm
freezing level = 1400m
days riding = 55

five day forecast
day1 2-4 day2 2-4 day3 5 day4 5 day5 5-10

still waiting for some decent new snow. looks like it might be coming this week, but the forecasters keep pushing it back and lowering the amounts. freezing levels are pretty low for this time of year. i'm expecting one more good dump this season, but the end must be near.

mar 13, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 242cm
cumulative = 847cm
freezing level = 1400m
days riding = 53

five day forecast
day1 0-2 day2 1-2 day3 0 day4 10-20 day5 5-10

hiked out to flute yesterday with greg for the first time in a month. it was his first time riding in powder, and he handled it pretty well. quite heavily tracked considering the alpine has been closed since the last snowfall.
snow has generally been pretty good above 1800m, soft spring on the lower mountain. mid mountain is pretty icy / hardpack.

snow coverage: B
snow quality: B
run selection: A-
crowds: A-
visibility: B
overall: B










greg on the ride out to flute










christian the entertainer













backcountry













free autographed t-shirt to the first one to figure out what this is
(NOTE: winner will not receive autographed t-shirt)










powder face

mar 10, 2008

24hr snow = 4cm
base depth = 242cm
cumulative = 826cm
freezing level = 1800m
days riding = 51

five day forecast
day1 s15-25 day2 sw 2-5 day3 0 day4 2-5 day5 5-10

freezing levels on sunday were around 1500m, which meant decent groomed snow up top, icy mid-mountain, and soft corn snow on the lower mountain. ended up doing a few laps on lower franz where you could really rip in the soft snow.

it's raining pretty nasty today with very high freezing levels. the forecast calls for cooling temperatures this afternoon with the freezing level at 1000m overnight. if this holds true, tomorrow should be a top notch powder day. keeping my fingers crossed - there's only been one 20cm day since Jan 11, and i missed it.


snow coverage: B+
snow quality: C+
run selection: C+
crowds: A-
visibility: B
overall: B-

mar 7, 2008

24hr snow = 2cm
base depth = 241cm
cumulative = 818cm
freezing level = 1400m
days riding = 50

five day forecast
day1 sw5-8 day2 0-1 day3 0 day4 5-10 day5 15-20

looks like a mixed bag in the forecast, but hopefully seeing a snow trend long term. it's been typical spring conditions lately, frozen in the morning, softening up by the afternoon.

mar 6, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 244cm
cumulative = 816cm
freezing level = 2500m
days riding = 48

five day forecast
day1 0 day2 5 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

up yesterday for some great cruising. spent most of my time doing laps in the sun under red chair. groomies were nice top to bottom.

warm and sunny days lately have felt more like april weather. i'm not quite ready to say goodbye to winter, but it's sure starting to feel like spring. rain rather than snow in the forecast does not bode well for a late winter season.


snow coverage: A
snow quality: B
run selection: B-
crowds: B+
visibility: A+
overall: B-

mar 3, 2008

24hr snow = 5cm
base depth = 246cm
cumulative = 810cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 48

five day forecast
day1 sw 3-5 day2 n 0 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

first really good riding day for me since the start of february. we've had about 30cm over the past three days, so even though there wasn't a lot overnight, there were still plenty of great turns to be found. found some fresh in doom and gloom, and some soft snow in the horseshoe bowls. the legs are feeling it.

snow coverage: A
snow quality: B+
run selection: A-
crowds: A
visibility: C-
overall: B+