nov 18, 2009 - qualifying epic

24hr snow = 19
base depth = 189
cumulative = 367
freezing level = valley
days riding = 2

five day forecast

day1 se 40-55 day2 se 35-45 day3 30-40 day4 5-10 day5 5-10

ok, i tend to feel that the "E" word is overused, especially in describing snow riding. but i will cautiously describe my first day of lift riding this year as epic. given that the alpine terrain is closed, blackomb is closed, you would never have been able to convince me that i would be shredding powder run after run on nov. 18. and yet that is what is happening up here right now.
since my last post we actually received back to back days of 71cm! we have a deeper base now than in february last season. and yes, it was true powder up there today, and tons of it.
you don't have to go far to find snow. laps of franz', laps of seppo's, hell - even the main runs weren't tracked out by 11am.
now take a look at that 5 day forecast. epic.


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

Nov 16, 2009 - believe the hype

Holy shit!!!! Had to post today just to report on the 71cm(!!!!!) that fell in the last 24hr. I wasn't planning to burn any edge card days this early in the season, but how can I miss out on this. But the thing is that it's not going to stop, it's never going to stop! They're forecasting another 50-70cm for today, and close to another metre for the rest of the week!
The base depth this morning was recorded at 156cm - we didn't hit that level until the end of February last year. Truly insane start to the season.

Nov 11, 2009

Happy winter! WB just announced that they will be opening early, this weekend. Nov 14 will be opening day for Whistler, the earliest season opening since I've been living out here ('04).
But alas, I no longer reside in Whistler. I moved to Squamish last May, and I didn't get a season pass this year. Instead, I got a splitboard and plan to do mainly backcountry in the sea to sky area. I may post occasionally, but since I can no longer look out my window to assess snow conditions, I don't expect there will be many entries.
Enjoy the early season snow!