5 Day Trend..This Frontal System Will Continue To Spread Snow Over The Region On Thursday With A Few Flurries Expected To Linger On Friday. A Ridge Of High Pressure Begins To Build In On Friday Giving Way To Drier Conditions For Friday Afternoon. Another Low Pressure System Approaches The Coast On Saturday Spreading Snow Over The Region Which Will Become Mixed With Rain Over The Northshore Mountains Due To Rising Freezing Levels.
What it means:
Good skiing on Thursday and Friday. Get your weekly dose of vitamin D on Friday. Saturday will be a tough drive up from Vancouver!
Chest Deep In Whistler Powder
January 07, 2008
Just to finish off the holiday season on a high note, my friend Greg Dobbin and I decided to ski both mountains and finish the day with a ski tour.
We got a nice early start and went up Blackcomb Mountain from the Upper Village on the Wizard Chair. I highly reccommend this route up the mountain. It's rarely crowded and the atmosphere is 'super-cas'. We noticed that it didn't seem too busy and we thought we were in for some easy pickins for powder.
We went for a quick warm up on our way to the Glacier Creek area to see what lifts were open. Then we looked over at t he Glacier Express. At that point we realized why it seemed so dead on the hill. Everyone was in line at the GE! And right then and there it opened. We decided to try a sneaky approach and head up the Jersey Cream chair and head over to Seventh Heaven. Good plan! The snow was really nice in the trees. Then we went into the Horstman Glacier and up the Showcase T-Bar. We burned a quick lap through the Blowhole and 'Surf's Up' on the Blackcomb Glacier. The snow was good but we were far from the first people their!
Keeping to our plan, even though it was starting to snow quite heavily, we skied to the bottom and went up Whistler Mountain. Much to our chagrin, none of the alpine was open on Whistler Mountain while EVERYTHING had opened on Blackcomb - weird!
Anyway, we waited in a long line at the Peak Chair and watched a few crazies drop the 'Waterfall'. Always good to take your mind off the wait. Kind of like having a ski movie playing in a waiting room at the dentist's office or something.
The wind was really howling and the snow was blowing horizontally but we were determined to get some fresh snow all to ourselves. So, we made the long traverse from the Peak chair to the low shoulder of Flute and put our skins on. It was chilly but we were just about to warm up in a hurry!
As we started skinning up Flute, a group was skinning DOWN! Not what you expect to see, that's for sure. They informed us that it was a total white out up top so they turned around. Hmm we thought...I bet we can find our way. So, we decided to keep going and were well rewarded. We made it up to the top of Flute and got ready to ski after some water and a bite of sugar. We know the terrain well but it was difficult to see. However we followed our noses and eventually discerned a little horizon. Then we were able to figure out exactly where we were.
Guess what. We have received over 100 cm of snow in the past week. And it's been cold. Does that help with the guessing?
It was waist deep, billowing overhead, turn after turn after turn! It was so good we decided to break trail, skin back up and do it all over again. Ah, the beauty of it all.
Then the slog out.
It usually takes between 40 and 60 minutes to get to the village from where we finished skiing. How does 3 hours sound? Complete with breaking trail in deep powder, open water, bridges, alders, and darkness. Can you say F-U-N??
We got to the bottom at about 6:00pm. Considering we started at around 8:30am that is a solid day of skiing - no apres involved!
Very good times, including getting back to Whistler Village!
Let's see what tomorrow brings! For me and Hew Hampshire.
Whistler Avalanche Triggers Debate
January 04, 2008
When you play on the mountains there are inherent risks. These risks often lead to the adrenaline induced moments that are so addictive! And so the cycle begins...
We recently had an avalanche on Whistler Mountain. The strange thing about this incident is that it happened on a permanently closed section of the mountain.
Permanent closures are much different than the ski area boundary. All mountains have a certain boundary that they are obligated to maintain safely. This means the lifts run safely, there is ski patrol rescue and avalanche control. Outside of this boundary the mountains have no obligation for rescue or avalanche control. You are on your own and should have the proper touring gear including a transceiver, shovel, probe, and some experience with knowledgeable backcountry enthusiasts.
Now here is where things get a little tricky. This avalanche occurred in a permanent closure. This is an area WITHIN the ski area boundary that the mountain has deemed unsafe to ski. They are marked loosely on the trail map and on the mountain they are roped off with signage. But they really do not look much different than an area boundary markings. Because these closures are located within the boundaries people may feel a false sense of security.
Now the local police are thinking of pressing charges. Trespassing charges come to mind. Or wilful endangerment. Or something else. While these riders need to accept the consequences - one has already passed away - another question is - should permanent closures have a more permanent and stark demarcation to make them, and the risk they carry, more obvious?
I have skied the line these gentleman were on. It used to be a 'soft' closure until someone died there in similar circumstances many years ago.
Tragic situations will always start a finger pointing situation. Let's be frank. The mountains can strike at any time and without warning.
Respect to the victims and their families.