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| 24hr Snow | 0 cm | 7 Day Snow | 0 cm | Snowbase | 175 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Temp | -14 °C | Valley Temp | -8 °C | Conditions | Hard Packed |
Inukshuk on top of Whistler Mountain
I finally managed to get up the hill today and experience some of this cold arctic air. It was actually warmer than I thought, since there was no wind and the sun was out in all it’s glory. Don’t get me wrong, it IS cold, especially once you start skiing and create your own ‘wind factor’. I wrapped myself pretty good, and even wore a face mask, but I only managed to do a few runs before calling it a day. I have suffered frostbite on my nose a few times, and try to avoid long exposures to the cold now.
The snow is fantastic, with great skiing all over Whistler Mountain (I didn’t go over to Blackcomb). The groomers are amazing, and the off piste is quality. While this cold weather is not to everyone tastes (including mine), if you like skiing groomed runs with near-perfect visibility, then this is for you. It is also good weather to enjoy the views Whistler Blackcomb can provide. All the photos (and video) in this post are taken from the Peak of Whistler Mountain.
Whistler Valley
The cold is also putting off a lot of other locals, so the runs are basically empty with no lift lines to be seen. The forecast calls for cold and dry weather for the rest of this week, but it looks like we might be in for some more snow either this weekend or next week.
With the freezing level in the valley, snow-making is busy making LOTS of snow – mainly in the valley and on the Olympic runs. So, the ski out to Whistler village is good, but I have not bothered skiing down to Creekside due to some construction going on for the Olympic race courses. You can ski down there, and it looks fine from the gondola – just a little constricted around the finish line.
Blackcomb Mountain
Finally, here is a video of the amazing 360 degree view you can get from Whistler’s peak.
I wouldn’t call the off piste quality! Crusty hell are two better words.
Groomers are fine if you like to carve and rip down the hill – pretty unforgiven if you take a tumble though.
I can confirm the run out to Creekside is also pretty fun, lots of “fresh” snow from the machines.
Hi James,
I found some decent turns off the Peak chair today, didn’t really find any crusts though – either it was hard packed or soft snow on hard pack. They are big mountains, so it all depends on where you ski I guess, and with the northerly winds the snow is in different spots to normal. I certainly agree you don’t wont to fall on the groomers, you will slide a long way! I loved the Saddle today, there were a human gates on it, but you could really let them rip down there. The main pitch was smooth as, however the flat section had a number of spots where the surface had broken up into small chunks.
Thanks for the info on the Creekside ski out, I will have to check it out.
The Creekside ski-out is totally skiable. In fact the snow’s a little softer there than elsewhere on the mountain because of all the snowmaking. It’s fun to have a look at the Olympic construction as you wind your way down. Recommended.
perfect snow conditions for spraying people