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| 24hr Snow | 7 cm | 7 Day Snow | 195 cm | Snowbase | 220 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Temp | -2 °C | Valley Temp | +2 °C | Conditions | Soft / Groomed |
Roundhouse and Peak 2 Peak stationIt was a beautiful sunny morning, a little cool in the shadows but nice and toasty in the sun. The snow temperature was still cold, and fun to ski. My friend Rob commented one time about how good the snow was by saying “You can comfortably cut some big turns, and feel confident in maintaining an edge” – that’s how ‘soft’ the hard packed groomers were. No only run I didn’t like today was Ptarmigan, it seemed to have suffered a bit of thaw/freeze
effect, though I am not sure why.
Here is video of Rob and Steve cruising the Dave Murray Downhill – it was about our 3rd pr 4th time, and to be fair to them the light had gone a bit flat on the rollovers making it a little hard to go ‘flat out’.
Overall, it was one of those days when even though there was no ‘epic powder skiing’ – you really enjoyed being up there and looking at the magnificent views Whistler Mountain provides. We haven’t seen them much yet, due to all the storms.
Snow laden treesIn amongst the trees, you can still find a couple of powder turns, but for the most part the ‘open’ mountain is tracked out. It isn’t hard though to do a quick 5 minute hike into Harmony zone, or if you are keener, strap on the skins and hike up to Whistler Bowl (you are now allowed to do so). The terrain is still official closed, and there are hazards such as crevasses around, so only go there if you are comfortable taking your safety into your own hands.
Top of Emerald ChairliftNow for the bad news. The forecast is for the freezing level to rise to 2000m tonight, meaning the system coming through is going to drop rain and not snow. All that untouched powder on Blackcomb is about to be spoilt before we even have a chance to ski it 
Yeah Yeah the rain is good for the base and all that nonsense, but when you think about the days we just had, imagine them on Blackcomb as well …..
It’s too bad, but not much we can do – and rain is typical in November so we can’t complain too much (if at all considering how we are now set up to have a great season).
How does the rain affect the base/overall skiing on whistler? Is it really not a factor as long as it is followed up by some more snow?
Rain to the top will help solidify the snowpack for the remainder of the season.
Rain is common at W/B, and can happen any time of the year. What is unusual is to have storm after storm with snow to the valley in freaking NOVEMBER.
With a 2M base to get started off with, W/B is set up for one of the best seasons ever. Unless you’re there right now, the rain is good for the future.
it will still be well worth a look, whistler has surprised me many times in the past…..
Thanks Paul and Mike for your answers. I think Paul is spot on. The rain, while disappointing in the short term, is good for us for the long term (season).