jan 31, 2008

24hr snow = 16cm
base depth = 236cm
cumulative = 683cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 38

five day forecast
day1 sw 12-15 day2 sw 2 day3 10-15 day4 0 day5 2-5

15cm of powder overnight added to already great alpine conditions. only problem today was very poor visibility and flat light. had to stick the trees mainly, but that's not a complaint. had our best run of the season down million$ with a marathon of deep soft powder.

here's a comparison to the numbers from this time last year:

_______base depth____cumulative snow____days riding
2008:..........236.......................683....................38
2007:..........266.......................945....................43

- last year we hit the 300cm base depth on jan 3; this year we've been stuck around 240cm
- we've had almost the exact same amount of snow in dec and jan as last year; november was the big difference


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

jan 30, 2008 - secret stash day

24hr snow = 6cm
base depth = 225cm
cumulative = 667cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 37

five day forecast
day1 se 12-17 day2 sw 4-8 day3 0 day4 0 day5 3-5

6cm doesn't sound like a lot, but the wind was howling at the peak and anything leeward was getting loaded and refreshed all day. on the right aspects, the snow rode like a 20cm day. no one in the alpine meant fresh tracks lap after lap off the peak. the only hindrance was visibility which was coming and going. finished up with a long ride through kybers and the snow stayed nice all the way to the bottom. one of my best days of the season so far.

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

jan 29, 2008

24hr snow = 4cm
base depth = 225cm
cumulative = 661cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 36

five day forecast
day1 se-w 3-5day2 sw 3-5 day3 15-20 day4 6-10 day5 3-5

snap! another freakin cold day in the valley. bit more tolerable at mid-mountain and up. about halfway down lower dave murray the temp must drop by about 8C.
found a lot more than 4cm in the trees of the peak, but the perceived dust on crust must have been why the alpine was completely empty.

finally looks like we're into another storm cycle. i wouldn't say we desperately need it, but we're all here for the powder, right?

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

jan 27, 2008

24hr snow = 18cm
base depth = 232cm
cumulative = 657cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 34

five day forecast
day1 0-2 day2 sw 0 day3 0-1 day4 3-5 day5 10-20

18cm of dry powder fell yesterday. i'm sure it's nice, but probably not enough to really cover over the last dry spell. think i'll wait for the crowds to clear out before i head up to check it out.

jan 25, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 218cm
cumulative = 639cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 34

five day forecast
day1 sw 0-1 day2 sw 10-15 day3 5-10 day4 5-10 day5 10-15

last day of sunshine before we get hit with the next wave of winter. bring it on!

jan 24, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 219cm
cumulative = 639cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 34

five day forecast
day1 se 0 day2 w 0 day3 10-15 day4 5-10 day5 5-10

nice day for cruising. good groomies on the upper mountain. nice to get a bit of sun too. looks like it's back to snow again on saturday.

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

jan 23, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 221cm
cumulative = 639cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 33

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

nothin much doin the last few days. still really cold and really sunny. finally made it up for a couple of cruisers today and to check out the freshly groomed peak to creek. snow quality really wasn't all that great, but what can you expect with only 8cm in the past 7 days. i wouldn't say "icy", but extremely hard pack would be a good description. looks like we'll get a refresher this weekend. much needed.

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

jan 20, 2008

24hr snow = 6cm
base depth = 229cm
cumulative = 639cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 32

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

dude, it's cold out there. crazy wind blowing up the mountain today creating waves in the snow. because it's been so cold, the groomer snow is still well preserved. it's getting harder though. looks like clear skies until the end of the week.

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

jan 18, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 230cm
cumulative = 631cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 31

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

went up for some blackomb cruising with keith. found the best snow in cougar chutes. anything off-piste below treeline is pretty nasty. alpine snow was decent crud, and the groomies are still mostly soft. still nothing in the forecast.

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

jan 17, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 237cm
cumulative = 631cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 30

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

no snow in the forecast! jp, did you book your flight and not tell me?

jan 16, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 242cm
cumulative = 631cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 30

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

not much more in the forecast at this point. it's pretty frikkin cold out there, but we are supposed to be getting an inversion, which means the alpine warms up while the cold air stays trapped in the valley. might be time to bust out the snowshoes and do some trekking.

jan 15, 2008 - bluebird

24hr snow = 13cm
base depth = 244cm
cumulative = 631cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 30

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

joel's still waiting for the mountain to process his application for the retirement season's pass, so he had to use physical labour to get up there today. turned out to be a great day with sunny skies and at least some areas of nice alpine powder.
we couldn't take the crowd at harmony so we booted it out to flute, which didn't help joel's situation at all. always worth the extra effort though. found some nice lee loaded slopes and we managed to hit quite a bit of fresh powder overall.

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

hiking out









mandatory shot of tusk












always waiting for the skiers...









looking out towards oboe









looking back up at our lines










rippin some pow

jan 14, 2008

24hr snow = 11cm
base depth = 237cm
cumulative = 618cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 28

five day forecast
day1 sw 15-25 day2 0 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

what was pelting rain when i woke up this morning now has a distinctive white solidity to it. my guess is that we're looking at cement this morning, but the temps are falling and by this afternoon the snow will be improving, and tomorrow will be a rare beautiful bluebird powder day. sun in the forecast for the remainder of the week. just did a count and including today we will have had 14 consecutive days of fresh snow!

jan 13, 2008

24hr snow = 5cm
base depth = 232cm
cumulative = 607cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 28

five day forecast
day1 sw 5-10 day2 sw 15-25 day3 0 day4 0 day5 0

tuesday should be the next big day.

jan 12, 2008 - check this out

24hr snow = 2cm
base depth = 237cm
cumulative = 602cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 28

five day forecast
day1 s 5 day2 sw 3-5 day3 25-35 day4 0 day5 0

a friend sent me these awesome photos of a class 3 that slid in surf's up last weekend. it was accidental skier triggered after avi control went through. no one was caught in it. don't know if i'd want to be that guy standing at the middle of the crown line measuring...









































surprisingly, that system coming in on monday is now looking like it's going to be mostly snow with low freezing levels. hardly ever goes that way, but i'm not complaining.

jan 11, 2008 - oh yeah

24hr snow = 20cm
base depth = 245cm
cumulative = 600cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 28

five day forecast
day1 sw 1-5 day2 s 5-10 day3 3-5 day4 20-30 day5 0

i'm so sick of this snow, i wish it would just stop. i actually heard a girl say that the other day. another 20cm and another day of excellent conditions. mid-mountain was great until peak opened. stiff powder on the front side, then we hit softies in million dollar. soft pillows all the way down big timber, but the final run out was sludge.
think i'll be taking the weekend off. looks like it's going to get wet for a day before a ridge of high pressure moves in. hoping this isn't a repeat of last season's second half trend.

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

jan 10, 2008

24hr snow = 16cm
base depth = 237cm
cumulative = 580cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 27

five day forecast
day1 sw-s 10-15 day2 sw 0-5 day3 5-10 day4 5-10 day5 40-50

pleasantly surprising 16cm of medium density dry snow fell overnight. went up for a few runs off peak, but visibility was bad and getting worse. bit of a wind crust and lots of wind features made nice lines difficult. best snow was mid-mountain where it was softer with better vis. nice drops through upper insanity.
something ugly is coming our way if the forecast holds. this morning they were calling for freezing levels up to 1900m on monday, but i see that the forecast has since been revised slightly. still too early to say which way things will go.

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

time to shovel the deck again...

jan 9, 2008

24hr snow = 10cm
base depth = 230cm
cumulative = 563cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 26

five day forecast
day1 sw-s 7-9 day2 sw 10-15 day3 2-4 day4 10-15 day5 2-4

another off day. did some much needed shoveling instead. looks like we'll be getting another refresher in the next few days.

jan 8, 2008

24hr snow = 7cm
base depth = 231cm
cumulative = 553cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 26

five day forecast
day1 sw-w 10-15 day2 sw 2-4 day3 15-25 day4 2-4 day5 15-20

another 6cm of superlight fell overnight. conditions are about as good as they get right now, but i guess i should take a break and get some work done...

jan 7, 2008

24hr snow = 12cm
base depth = 232cm
cumulative = 546cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 26

five day forecast
day1 sw 5 day2 sw 5-10 day3 3-5 day4 20-30 day5 0

have to rate today as "epic" based purely on one run down from flute. let's say 70cm since last tracks were laid, untouched line all the way down. perfect dry light powder. also got a couple of nice runs down piccolo shoulder and glacier bowl.

after a very brief reprise, it looks like more big dumpage in the forecast.

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

jan 6, 2008

24hr snow = 23cm
base depth = 232cm
cumulative = 534cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 25

five day forecast
day1 s-se 2-4 day2 sw 1-3 day3 15-25 day4 5-10 day5 3-5

day 2 of avi course and unfortunately i mostly missed an epic powder day. the snow that we hit in boundary bowl was fantastic, and the snowpack is quite solid.

strange crowd distribution today. apparently creekside was pretty insanely busy again this morning, but the village gondola was empty at 8:30. we were hanging out around harmony chair, which eventually opened around 12:30 after some mechanical problems. only a few people toughed it out and for about 40 minutes you could do alpine laps in 70cm with no lift lines! unfortunately i was standing there waiting for the group to get moving.

snowed heavily again all day and more in the forecast.

snow coverage: A+
snow quality: A+
run selection: B
crowds: A (take that with a grain of salt, but i didn't wait for a chair all day)
visibility: C
overall: A

jan 5, 2008

24hr snow = 45cm
base depth = 236cm
cumulative = 509cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 24

five day forecast
day1 s 15-25 day2 se 5-10 day3 0 day4 30-40 day5 0

doing an avi course this weekend. snowed heavily again all day. alpine closed again (3 days!), fantastic powder conditions above mid-mountain, heavy cement on the lower mountain. the alpine WILL be awesome when it finally opens.

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

jan 4, 2008

24hr snow = 18cm
base depth = 198cm
cumulative = 464cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 23

five day forecast
day1 se 20-30 day2 sw 5-10 day3 3-7 day4 0 day5 8-14

heavy wet snow falling on a crusty layer on lower mountain. alpine closed again. too many crowds to bother sticking around so i called it a 1 run day.

snow coverage: na
snow quality: C-
run selection: na
crowds: C
visibility: C
overall: C-

jan 3, 2008

24hr snow = 6cm
base depth = 183cm
cumulative = 446cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 22

five day forecast
day1 se 15-25 day2 s 15-25 day3 30-40 day4 1-3 day5 0

rode some groomies with a visiting friend. snowing heavily all day and extreme winds kept the upper mountain closed. looks like we'll hit the reset button on the alpine terrain when this is all over with.
found the best snow in lower insanity on my ride home.

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









girls discussing the weather

jan 2, 2008

24hr snow = 18cm
base depth = 183cm
cumulative = 440cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 20

five day forecast
day1 7-14 day2 20-30 day3 25-35 day4 30-40 day5 3-5

all 18cm fell last night so it seemed worthy of checking out. the crowds are still here, but not too bad. took them a while to get the alpine open, but i waited it out at peak chair and was rewarded with a long run of fresh snow. checked out west cirque again, but it had been so wind affected that it was like putting an edge into hardpack. paid off though with a run through bonsai trees and mega face shots on every turn. capped it off with peak to creek which became more like cement about halfway down.
figured i'd try doing a letter grading system for the days that i ride. might take some refinement along the way. keep in mind this is all relative to my own experiences...

snow coverage: B (A+ would be 30+ fresh top to bottom; F would be rocks, grass and logs)
snow quality: C+ (A+ would be dry powder top to bottom; F would be rain top to bottom)
run selection: B (A+ would be good snow, untracked lines; F would be busy, cliffs, tree wells)
crowds: B- (A+ would be laps on empty peak chair; F would be line over the bridge at creekside gondola)

jan 1, 2008

24hr snow = 0cm
base depth = 168cm
cumulative = 422cm
freezing level = valley
days riding = 20

five day forecast
day1 18-25 day2 5 day3 25-35 day4 35-45 day5 15-25

haven't been up in 5 days mainly due to crowds and lack of new snow. heard it was insanely busy on saturday. but today it looks like the people are leaving and the snow is coming. big week lined up and it looks like it'll stay pretty cold for the most part. freezing level might hit mid-mountain as the main brunt of the storms moves through, but it looks like any wet snow will then be nicely covered up with cold powder.