Whistler Conditions

Well, after two weeks of near solid rain to the top of the mountain we
got our first fresh snow in weeks. A 4 cm dusting on top of a frozen
crust. Break out the champagne. The good news is that it was -5 at
the top of Whistler and -2 in the Village. Anything below mid mountain
is an exercise in obstacle avoidance. As of this morning ski patrol
has requested all mountain staff, regardless of division, to help keep
the runs clear of random rocks and debris. Stay high in the alpine and
watch out for avalanches.

According to the farmers almanac the temperature is supposed to be two
degrees below average in February for south western British Columbia.
Hopefully this will mean it will dump solid for the entire month
bringing us up to average for the season (and just in time for march
break).

So keep your hopes up for the second half of the season, but oil your
bike chain just in case. Hard to say what Ullr's gonna throw us.

First a disclaimer - Whistler Blackcomb is my favorite ski mountian

I just got home from a week at Whistler Blackcomb 1/23/05 to 1/28/05

We chose not to ski the first day (1/23/05) due to heavy rain and freezing
levels above the peak. Late in the day we recognized the forcast didn't get
better for the week so we might as well ski before the snow was gone.

Monday (1/24) we went up Blackcomb because the conditions were reported to
be somewhat better than on Whistler. By the time we got to the top of the
Jersey Cream Lift, the wife was too sick to go on. She said her stomach was
upset when we left the condo, but it would pass if we got moving. It didn't
pass. She stayed at the Roundhouse in hopes it would pass and she could ski
later. We skied fog, slush, sticks and rock until 11:00 when I went to
check on her. She was in the restroom too weak to walk. Patrol to gave her
a snowmobile ride to download the Solar Coaster lift. We downloaded and
rode the bus back to the condo where she got really sick. By 4:00 I had it
too. Fortunately, it was only a 24 hour bug. Unfortunately, we were both
in bed or the bathroom until the evening of the 25th.

We finally got some skiing starting the 26th. Conditions were noticable
worse than the 24th. The warm temperatures and rain were rapidly melting
what snow cover there was. We had to stay very high and pick lines very
carefully. The mountain was working VERY hard to keep conditions skiable,
but the warm weather was winning.

The 27th was actually a pretty good day. There was some snow over night and
it was cooler. We skied mostly the Glacier on Blackcomb and 7th Heaven.
Unfortunately, once we tried to ski down to the top of the gondola, we ran
out of snow. There were creeks running across the cat tracks. We scraped
up our skis pretty bad on rocks we couldn't avoid. I blew an edge off a ski
I bought new last year. That took most of the fun out of the day.

We skied Whistler on the 28th. The peak and Harmony Bowl were pretty good.
Sun Bowl was actually very good. We found good snow coverage and nice soft
snow on all by getting off the groomers. Gun Barrels was excellent as
always.

When we were leaving on the morning of the 29th, it looked like the freezing
level had dropped to just above the Village and new snow had fallen on the
trees. We didn't get to see how the conditions had changed on the mountain
since out bus left at 8:30 AM. I had hoped the snow had improved for the
people who were still there.

The mountain was working hard to keep conditions skiable, but there was a
limit to what they could do. They warned everyone of the conditions and
were making and moving snow everywhere they could. They had discounted lift
tickets and half price food on the mountains. They were even refunding
unused lift tickets and the difference between the price we paid and the
price they were charging for the day's lift tickets. Give those guys credit
for doing everything they could to make the most of the weather situation.
I'm sure we will go back to Whistler. I just hope the weather and snow are
better next time.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Well, after two weeks of near solid rain to the top of the mountain we
got our first fresh snow in weeks. A 4 cm dusting on top of a frozen
crust. Break out the champagne. The good news is that it was -5 at
the top of Whistler and -2 in the Village. Anything below mid mountain
is an exercise in obstacle avoidance. As of this morning ski patrol
has requested all mountain staff, regardless of division, to help keep
the runs clear of random rocks and debris. Stay high in the alpine and
watch out for avalanches.

According to the farmers almanac the temperature is supposed to be two
degrees below average in February for south western British Columbia.
Hopefully this will mean it will dump solid for the entire month
bringing us up to average for the season (and just in time for march
break).

So keep your hopes up for the second half of the season, but oil your
bike chain just in case. Hard to say what Ullr's gonna throw us.