Ahhh Whismas. If anything can steal the thunder from the season’s final weekend of skiing, it’s the first weekend of the Whistler Bike Park. A bit of rain followed by a bit of sunshine was once again a recipe for perfection on Sunday, with trails running fast and tacky.
But before we go further on the summer transition, we should take a moment to give the ski season its proper sendoff. In the tradition of our former back-pager G.D. Maxwell, I’ll try my best to answer his annual reflective statement:
So, what kind of season was it?
If I were to boil it down to one word, I’d say overpromised. This isn’t anyone’s fault necessarily, perhaps our own. We bought into the idea that winter would rise again out of its rainy doldrums and give us the pow day corker season we deserved.
Whenever we have a bad year—like a really bad year—the following season usually serves as a recalibration of normality. After the very poor performance of 2023/24 winter, we all bought stocks in the upcoming 2024/25 season. Buy low, sell high. Right?
La Niña stopped by early season and gave us an encouraging opening. Then, after a handful of pow days and showing promise for a redemption arc, she abruptly ghosted us. A paltry 155cm fell in January and February, not undoing all the great early winter conditions, but stalling the snow season nonetheless. Just when everyone started getting into spring mode with bikes and barbeques, March arrived in force.
I have to hand it to March. After La Niña packed her bags and left us hanging, March delivered some of the better resort skiing I’ve had in years. Whenever Whistler gets over 40cm overnight, I prepare for heavy cement conditions. That wasn’t the case with the March 9 storm, which arrived as an honest 47cm dump (84cm over a couple of days) that skied amazingly anywhere above 1300m elevation. Some storms you’ll never forget.
While March held strong for a solid couple of weeks and gave us a well-above-average 299cm for the month, it was fleeting. April began to wrap things up and all but called it a day on the 2024/25 season.
To boil it down to a few words: It was an overpromised season, one that didn’t necessarily under-deliver, but one that delivered inconsistently. And that my friends, is part of our new winter reality. We may be better off than most resorts in the world most of the time, but we also have high standards. Consistency with the winter weather continues to evade us, prompting a gold rush every time conditions turn around. Grab what you can. Just don’t be late to the party.
On Sunday my friend invited me up for a dual sport day on the hill: ski the morning, bike park in the afternoon. Given the amount of gear and faff involved with two sets of clothing and equipment, I rarely do these novelty mountain days. It had been a while, so I figured why the hell not? Conditions up on Blackcomb were mixed, but it felt good to make some turns in May and bid the overpromised season adieu. Once we pulled on the pads and full faces, however, my Whistler flame was reignited. Laying the bike over on buff berms, popping off sculpted jumps, landing drops in the sweet spot then accelerating away… I’ve never ridden trails quite like I ride them in the Whistler Bike Park, and I’ll be making the drive up from Squamish on the regular to get my fill. The June 7 Creekside opening can’t come soon enough.
May also signals the return of World Cup racing. This past weekend had some horrendously cold, rainy and muddy conditions for the Downhill and Enduro races in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. Our local boys (and previous World Cup round winners) Finn Iles and Jackson Goldstone didn’t have their finest runs, but I’m excited to see what they bring to the 2025 season of downhill racing. Goldstone was out all last year after an injury but came back to win Red Bull Hardline Tasmania in February. Do yourself a treat and watch the POV video of his winning run to see the speeds this kid is capable of.
Let’s go biking.
Vince Shuley has officially transitioned to summer. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider email [email protected] or Instagram @whis_vince
