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| 24hr Snow | 5 cm | 7 Day Snow | 88 cm | Snowbase | 240 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Temp | -6 °C | Valley Temp | +2 °C | Conditions | Variable |
Today was another good day on the mountain, but maybe not for everyone. The conditions were completely different depending on where you were (at what time of the day).
In the morning, the lower mountain was covered in a thin layer of wet powder which compacted to make that kind of ‘grabby’ snow. I felt sorry for the beginners down there, it is basically the ‘worst’ snow on the mountain, and they are trying to learn on it. In the afternoon though, the lower mountain was quite warm, and the snow had become really soft, but not quite the spring slush. Fun skiing actually, and obviously a lot better for learners too.
Mid-mountain was the place to be today (depending on tastes), with some quality powder snow, great grooming and no winds. Visibility was either good, or you were in a fog layer with little to none (still enough to ski, but some people will definitely disagree 
) I also found a lot of places where the powder was sitting on top of a hard packed / bumpy base – nothing like the bottomless powder we have had lately, but still good.
The alpine had sensational snow, with hardly any tracks to be seen. Partly because there were no tracks, but mainly because the visibility was poor most of the time. There was also a decent wind constantly blowing, with only a few ‘really strong gusts’. So not the ideal skiing conditions (except for snow quality) – I remember doing the whole Showcase T-bar hardly being able to see my skis, luckily the slope is consistent and reliable. That being said, when you got the lulls in the wind, and a pocket of visibility, there was some great skiing to be had.
I have also received an email with some ‘coupon codes’ for Moosejaw. I will cut n paste them here:
and
Use Code 683
Yeah the conditions were all over the place. I went up the Peak and couldn’t see anything more than 2m in front of me. Sometimes, I couldn’t even see the snow that I was skiing on. However, a little bit lower into Million Dollar Ridge (which I know I’m not supposed to go on), the conditions were phenomenal. Knee deep fresh tracks. So fun!
You’re talking about the wet snow that packs down to a near sheer surface, and is really easy to catch an edge on, right? Horrible stuff.
That “grabby” snow is atrocious to ski on. Forget the beginners, it was giving ME fits last week. Thankfully there was only a small section of that around Olympic Station elevation last Thursday.
Hey Nick, there is no rule saying you can’t go there – only patrol doesn’t do a sweep of the area, and if you get hurt and require assistance, you MAY get charged for it.
Nathan, that’s exactly the snow I am talking about – I HATE IT ! – quite often the rescue road on Blackcomb (cat track from bottom of Spankys back to Excelerator chair) gets that way.