|
|
 #24 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 09/07/2008 @ 00:54:18 |
   |
|
| In reply to post #23 ... |
I really like Big White. Great mountain. Great snow. No lift lines. Friendly people. Beautiful views. You'll love it! Only a couple of bars (literaly) but they're reasonably lively, and a couple of good restaurants. Everything you need.  |
 |
| It's not just a sport, it's a way of life. |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 43 |
| Dunbartonshire |
|
| #23 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 06/07/2008 @ 11:45:07 |
|
|
| In reply to post #2 ... |
I'm going to Big White in Jan for the season with the Snow Skool people. Should be good , cant wait 
Whistler is amazing, yet expensive |
|
| Talk Hard- Steal the Air |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 35 |
| Lancashire |
|
| #22 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 05/07/2008 @ 20:31:00 |
|
|
| In reply to post #21 ... |
good point...now banff is back in the mix....haha  |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 397 |
| Gloucestershire |
|
| #21 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 05/07/2008 @ 16:40:40 |
|
|
| In reply to post #20 ... |
Er, can't remember the rest of the thread, but surely the point is that there's nothing to stop you booking a week off at the same time well in advance but booking the location last minute..
Whatever, hope it pans out well for y'all.. enjoy. |
|
The piste-artist formerly known as a_noodler
CASI Level 2 instructor |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 35 |
| Lancashire |
|
| #20 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 05/07/2008 @ 15:02:03 |
|
|
| In reply to post #19 ... |
following our group discussion in the pub last night the majority want to book in advance and pay the cost off in bits despite my points re. weather and waiting...  so its whistler, march(ish) 2009
i dont think any of us are well off enough to realistically book it last minute and we all have jobs needing to book time off in advance so for us all to get the same weeks means we have to book that time in advance anyway regardless of snow.... 
thanks for the price advice everyone, im looking at all the links provided! and keep everything crossed for snow in march 2009! i think we are just going to book it with the view that a bad season in Canada is better than Europe anyway....!?....i can see it ending in tears....
think im going to put some money aside and do a last minute trip on my own somewhere in europe when (if) theres a good dump....unless any GBers want to join in! |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 804 |
| UK - England |
|
| #19 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 01/07/2008 @ 13:17:37 |
|
|
| In reply to post #17 ... |
QUOTE (lez_s - 28/06/2008 @ 10:10:02) philw - do you work for powder mountain? i was out in whistler for the season just gone and did a day of cat boarding there and it was one of my best days of powder riding i've done. looking forward to getting back out there this coming season.
I maintain their website, but the owners (Ken and Don) are old boarding buddies. I generally ride a couple of weeks or so at Powder Mountain each season. They've been developing the infrastructure hard for the last couple of years so things have been getting better rapidly.
I'm glad you had a good day in the powder; nearly everyone does. You need to be careful with it though - it's hard to go back to ski resorts with people and queues and tracked out snow once you've been spoiled... |
|
|
|
|
|
| #18 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 28/06/2008 @ 12:05:59 |
|
|
| In reply to post #15 ... |
Seems like Whistler always gets alot of snow at sometime during the season, so the average is always 30ft or more, but you just don't know when it'll fall. So for the locals there's rarely a bad season. Just early seasons, late seasons, or good all through.
So, best time to go...? Tricky. As far as I know, there's no consistently good or bad time to go. The historic snowfall stats show enormous variability from year to year, but averaged over 15 years it all evens out. The last few years have been best before mid Jan, but the next few could be very different. So I'd suggest going when it's most convenient, cheap, and quiet... and cross your fingers, because when Whistler's good it's truly spectacular.
I'd note that Whistler doesn't have many easy green slopes, so if you have any absolute beginners they'll only have a few runs to progress to. Other than that, the only issue to note is the crowds. Whistler is probably the most crowded Canadian resort, and is particularly bad during US or Canadian holidays. You should defnitely avoid those! |
|
| It's not just a sport, it's a way of life. |
|
|
|
|
|
| #17 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 28/06/2008 @ 10:10:02 |
|
|
| In reply to post #15 ... |
| philw - do you work for powder mountain? i was out in whistler for the season just gone and did a day of cat boarding there and it was one of my best days of powder riding i've done. looking forward to getting back out there this coming season. |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 2405 |
| Banffshire |
|
| #16 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 28/06/2008 @ 09:57:31 |
|
|
| In reply to post #15 ... |
| all ill say is all of last season when i was in banff i saw rain twice and neither time was it on the mountain just in town |
|
Lv 2 CASI Instructor
lv 1 CASI carving instructor
LV 1 PARK instructor |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 804 |
| UK - England |
|
| #15 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 28/06/2008 @ 09:51:26 |
|
|
| In reply to post #14 ... |
The basic deal is as stated down there somewhere - the coastal range is warmer and so the snow's wetter. The freezing level can be a problem in Whistler, although that's also true in the Rockies. I've seen rain in all the places mentioned. The good news is that the solution is often (although not always) within reach... drive to where the conditions are different.
I think it was three seasons ago that Whistler was on the UK radio for having a snow free season. Except it dumped at the end of the season, so you'd have been laughing in April that year, but like me you'd have been driving inland in December.
Last year... well Whistler had an excellent season. I happen to maintain a website where we have shots of the conditions from each day last season (and the season before; I dumped the ones from the year before that). So if you want to see what there was, here it is.. This is across the valley from Whistler, closer to the coast, so it gets more snow, but you'll get the idea.
I'd be careful about committing to a small place as a destination for a long period of time. Canadian resorts are not as big as those in Europe. But if you're bold enough to venture off the beaten path then you'll find fewer tourists and maybe better snow at Sun Peaks or a dozen other places not yet advertised in the UK.
Rain.. The thing about the coastal stuff is that it rains more because it's warmer, and it's right in the path of everything coming in off the sea. Check the freezing level... below that you're riding through rain. That's very common in Whistler, although it's less of a problem than you may think. The main thing is you need to ride in it, not after it because it settles. (Hence Whistler's a bad place for heli, not that anyone asked.)
But it's all b*llocks - if you want to book ahead, you'll be very popular with the travel industry as their cash-flow works much better that way. On the other hand you're betting on weather conditions which none of us can predict... year on year you can switch from absolutely nothing to more snow than you want. The difference is black and white, but it's unpredictable.
So my advice is don't book ahead; wait and see where the snow falls and go there. If you're half competent you can always get somewhere at the last minute, and it's almost always cheaper than booking in advance. |
|
|
|
|
|
| #14 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 28/06/2008 @ 02:58:43 |
|
|
| In reply to post #13 ... |
It rains in Revelstoke too. And Fernie.
Kicking Horse escapes the rain for the most part. |
|
MIKE RICHARDS
Passing on the Passion for Powder since 2002
CSIA (Canada) Level 2 Ski Instructor
PSIA (United States) Level 2 Ski Instructor
Canadian Avalanche Association Level 1 - Ski Operations |
|
|
|
|
|
| #13 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 28/06/2008 @ 00:11:47 |
|
|
| In reply to post #12 ... |
| I'd agree with everything that's been said. Even the contrary views, because Whistler can be so unpredictable. The village is only at 2000ft, and it's not that far from the coast, so it can rain quite alot, even in Jan & Feb. On the other hand, when it snows it can really puke, and that can happen any time from mid Dec to late April. (Living near Whistler must be awesome - just head up there when it's dumping!) The problem for us is that we have to book in advance, so it's a bit of a lottery. But then again, where isn't? Apart from Revelstoke. Or heli-skiing. Er, what was the question again? |
|
| It's not just a sport, it's a way of life. |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 397 |
| Gloucestershire |
|
| #12 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 21/06/2008 @ 05:49:32 |
|
|
| Revision #1 (Last edited: 21/06/2008 @ 05:56:16) |
| In reply to post #11 ... |
That's why I didn't use any 'definites' Stuart.. 
I CAN be good but is less likely... we hit the day after a good dump but it was already almost unrideable off-piste even up top.. there was 50m of nice stuff from the summit then as soon as your weight compacted the snow it set solid, it was summat like that green stuff you can use for flower arranging, making it almost impossible to steer... funny but frustrating..
I'd take a look at Revelstoke for the best of both worlds - heaps of snow and colder conditions. They're getting on with the expansion plans it will be pretty awesome this season.
http://www.revelstokemountainresort.com/revelstokemtn/info/2008_2009.aspx |
|
The piste-artist formerly known as a_noodler
CASI Level 2 instructor |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 5128 |
| Forum Mod |
| Kirkcudbrightshire |
|
| #11 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 21/06/2008 @ 02:05:10 |
|
|
| We have been to Whistler in April and had great snow. It can be heavy and wet on the lower slopes at Whistler anytime during the season. |
|
|
|
| Ranked Posts: 2405 |
| Banffshire |
|
| #10 Re: Advice on trip to Canada 20/06/2008 @ 23:49:37 |
|
|
|
|