Well, winter arrived in Whistler and B.C. in the form of three or four good snowstorms… before the rain returned to push a hard restart on the snowy season.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 30, Whistler Blackcomb had a base depth of about 143 centimetres, up from the 99 cm measured at the beginning of January, but well below where things should typically stand in late January.
The B.C. government’s Feb. 1 snow and water bulletin won’t be posted until Feb. 8, but as of Pique’s weekly deadline, the provincial average for all snow weather stations in the province was just 66 per cent of median, up slightly from 65 per cent on Jan. 1.
In the Lower Fraser Basin, which includes Whistler, the snow basin index was just 35 per cent of normal, compared to 86 per cent at the same time last year.
Here’s the lay of the land at ski resorts near and far as of Tuesday, Jan. 30.
LONG LIVE THE KING
According to onthesnow.com, as of Jan. 30, there were three B.C. ski areas considered 100-per-cent open: Mt. Baldy, Powder King and Sun Peaks.
Not to be outdone, a fourth, Whitewater Ski Resort near Nelson, was reportedly 137-per-cent open—and math isn’t our strong suit, so let’s just go with that.
Whitewater was reporting a base depth of about 147 cm on Jan. 30, with 97 of 97 trails open and five of five lifts operating (which really sounds more like 100-per-cent open, but what do we know?).
While some B.C. resorts are making the best of a wet winter, others aren’t faring so well.
Mount Timothy Recreational Resort in Lac La Hache, north of Kamloops, will not open this year.
“The owners of Mount Timothy have made a very difficult decision and are sad to announce that due to lack of snow, continued warm temperatures, no precipitation in the forecast and what would already be a very late start to the season, we will not be opening for the 23-24 ski/board season,” reads a post on the resort’s website.
Old Timothy is not alone in his plight—mountains on Vancouver’s North Shore are also bearing the brunt of the soggy start to winter.
Mt. Seymour in North Vancouver was closed this weekend due to the heavy rain, and as of Jan. 30, the resort was reportedly just seven per cent open, with three trails, one lift, and a base depth ranging from 43 to 165 cm.
Who’s got the deepest base? Long live the king—Powder King, that is, which is reporting a base depth up to 190 cm as of Jan. 30.
FURTHER AFIELD
Turning our attention south of the border, Vail Ski Resort in Colorado is reporting a base depth of 127 centimetres, with all 275 trails open and 31 lifts running.
At the nearby Aspen-Snowmass, officials are reporting a base depth up to 129 cm, with 345 of 366 trails open and 34 of 41 lifts operating.
On Jan. 22, tragedy struck Aspen-Snowmass, when a 22-year-old woman collided with a tree and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not been released.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident, and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time,” said Jeff Hanle, vice president of communications for the Aspen Skiing Company, in a press release.
WHO’S GETTING THE GOODS THIS WEEK?
According to snow-forecast.com, Canadian ski resorts will be left out in the rain when it comes to worldwide snowfall in the days ahead.
While more than a dozen North American ski resorts appeared on snow-forecast’s three-to-six-day snowfall outlook on Jan. 30, none are in Canada—and the top four are all located in Norway.
According to the eternal optimists at snow-forecast, Norway’s Fonna Glacier Ski Resort could see up to 119 centimetres of fresh snow this week.
If you’re not up for the long-haul flight, the closest ski areas with a good chance of seeing snow in the days ahead are Mammoth Mountain (72 cm), Kirkwood (66 cm) and June Mountain (64 cm)—all in California.
