Recent content by takeahike46er

After several years of living in BC, I finally got out to the Kees & Claire hut in winter. The hut is the first of three planned along the Spearhead Traverse, a route which links Blackcomb to Whistler. Conditions were about as good as it can get: a recent storm, cold temps aiding snow...

The Glacier Lodge consists of condos and the seller could be anyone. You’re assuming the seller is Vail. More details on how valuable parking is in Whistler here. There are a lot of things to blame Vail for, but the high cost of a parking space in Whistler isn’t one of them. Prices throughout...

This is rage-bait. There’s actually a decent amount of free day parking in Whistler—both in Creekside or the Upper Village. Vail actually doesn’t charge for any of the parking on its land. All the paid lots are owned by the village. The exorbitant cost of this parking spot has more to do with...

Yesterday in the Musical Bumps area of the Whistler backcountry.

A Pineapple Express, followed by a hard freeze and 2 inches of new snow reported… On paper, that sounds like a day worth skipping. Dust on crust. And below treeline, that was indeed the case yesterday. I waited in line for 7th to crack. Would the alpine be any better? Among the very first off...

Acres “officially” open jumps to 3,300 by Thursday (up from just shy of 2,000 at opening). Insane. Unofficially, the skiable footprint is much larger. You just have to hike/skin and have the necessary avi training. Otherwise, it’s fair game unless the uphill routes/zones are closed for...

What month is it? An unreal start to the season in Whis.

Let’s keep the pattern the way it’s been, shall we? Hasn’t the sunshine and warm weather been great? Mountain biking is where it’s at! :p It has been going OFF this past week in BC and the N. Cascades. Mount Baker already has a base depth of 65” at Heather Meadows (79” on Pan Dome). Whis is...

Death before download! :D

I’m shocked considering the recent warm temps but glad you’re all getting your season started. Get after it! My home mountain, which now has a mid-elevation snow depth equivalent to the Mt. Mansfield snow stake in mid-January, and is the only major resort serving a metro area of 2.6+ million...

Off to a good start in the Whistler alpine. Can’t wait for opening day in a month’s time.

Rise & Alpine puts out some fun content in the winter season, but this summer ski video is a hoot:

Sad news. A fire has destroyed the ski town of Jasper, Alberta. There is no information at this time on whether the adjacent Marmot Basin ski area was directly impacted, but regardless the destruction of the town of Jasper will be a significant barrier to operating this winter. Too bad as I was...

“The company attributed the reduction to lift ticket visitation not returning to typical historical spring behavior as expected in the March and April period, primarily at Whistler Blackcomb…” Vail really needs to reevaluate their ticket pricing. In high season, they can get away with absurd...

It has in some areas, but not necessarily for the reasons cited in the article. “Unpredictable” snowfall patterns are much harder to attribute to climate change. However, rising temperatures are having an effect on snow levels and season duration, particularly in lower elevation regions like the...