obersee1

I have a trip in 3 weeks to Whistler. How bad are the ski conditions, really? I hear there is no snow at the base today. Anyone know what % of the mountain is open and what the conditions are like there (powder/ice)?

WhistlerAl

Hi obersee1,
I haven't been up , but I have talked to a few people that have and it is not very good. There is some good snow left in the alpine, but it is getting skiied pretty hard. It is raining now in the valley, and the top is getting a bit of snow, but the forecast is for freezing levels to rise this week with more rain on the way. A lot can happen in 3 weeks, but if you can rebook for a later date, it might be wise. most hotels are allowing guests that have prebooked, to rebook for another time. Watch the weather forecasts and snow reports at www.whistlerblackcomb.com , and pray for snow. Cheers, Al

onthegogo

We visited Whistler last year - during the fall before skiing season. I cannot understand at all how they are going to host the winter olympics......the roads to and from are so narrow with no where to expand. There are probably almost enough hotels rooms, but the logistics does not make sense....especially if the weather is bad. Will be interesting......

padams421

We have plans to go to Whistler in March. I have been watching the resort/travel board on www.epicski.com for comments on the conditions at Whistler. Hoping for snow....
Pamela

Sam_Salmon

&quot;<i>I cannot understand at all how they are going to host the winter olympics......the roads to and from are so narrow with no where to expand</i>&quot;
I travel that road regularly-the work that's being done now/scheduled for the future will ensure easy access with little problem for anyone.
There is in fact <b>lots</b> of room for road expansion-a first timer only sees the road not the area around it.
As to weather god only knows-a few years ago there was 10 meters of snow in some places.I can remember hiking up to Cheakamus Lake in late May and seeing huge patches of snow beside the trail.
Further to the Winter Olympics only <i> some</i> events are being hosted @ Whistler-many will be here in Vancouver.

sohara

My daughter skis every weekend and as of last weekend the only thing closed seemed to be the glacier, because of avalanche warnings. They had some fresh snow last weekend, but it hasn't been great skiing so far but as others have said, a lot can happen in 3 weeks. Best to play it by ear and keep an eye on the weather reports.

I've heard the skiing at Sun Peaks, and other locations in the Okanagan is quite good but don't know first hand.

peykoff

We were there 1/12-1/18 right before it started the downpour and except for a concussion and broken arm in our 9yo (ran into snow making equipment). There was snow on the lower part, but it was very sparce and I could totally see how a little rain would have washed it away. Further up it was OK, but again, overskied in my opinion. I agree 3 weeks and luck can make all the difference...good luck!

laverendrye

There are several sites which give unofficial reports, usually more accurate and revealing than the official site.

Here is a local report:

http://www.dualmountain.com/report/


There are also a couple of skiers' forums where you can find useful information on conditions:

http://kokotele.proboards18.com/inde...board=whistler

http://forums.epicski.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21

The general consensus seems to be that the worst is over and that conditions are starting to improve.

WhistlerAl

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!
28 cm's overnight and more on the way.Skiing on the top half is very good, and you can ski out to the valley. Still not the best year , but getting better. The cross country trails are officially closed for the season, but if we get enough new snow in the valley, they will groom them and allow free cc skiing til spring.
Cheers, Al

ALF

We skiied Whistler today, and it was pretty good, particularly the runs off Harmony, Emerald, and Big Red chairs. A few inches fell last night, and a bit more will fall tonight We also tried the Peak (too icy), and lower gondola runs (too thin). You can indeed ski to the bottom, but I'd suggest downloading at the gondola mid-station. Temps hovered around 0 degrees (C). Over 75% of the upper runs are open, while perhaps only 20% of the lower runs are open.

We had fun, and are headed for Blackkomb tomorrow.

ALF - not WhistlerAl, but another Al in Whistler!

christies

I just returned for a long weekend in Whistler, and while the conditions weren't amazing, they were just fine, as long as you weren't a beginner. Around the village was pretty bare, but the higher up you went, there was snow. We got about 2&quot; each night, which was nice. I agree, it's best to download at the Gondola. We spent all out time on Blackcomb and the area around Solar Coaster and Jersey Cream was great. Up at 7th Heaven, it was pretty windy, so we didn't didn't spend much time. On the far side of the mountain, around Rock &amp; Roll and Ridge Runner, it was pretty icy, so i'd stay away from there. But the crowds are fairly thin, which i think is great!