Whistler Update (Feb 2009 weekends)

Hello white gold surfers,

Sorry for the long long delay with regards to my Whistler updates but I’m going to give you a quick update on the Whistler conditions and what I have been up to there.

The last couple of weekend in February the conditions have been off and on. One day during the weekend you’ll get a shitty icy day of riding but sunshine which is always good, but I would take pow over sun. While on the Sunday if you are lucky, like I have been you get a pow day. For some reason the last 3 week Sunday have been power days with about 10 to 15 cms.



The weekend of February 7th has been the best of the year so far and there has not been that many good days this season so compared to other years it was as best good. During that weekend we got about 30 plus cms of snow over 3 days so we decided to hike out and build a kicker. We first tried in Bagel Bowl on the Saturday but the snow coverage wasn’t that great, to wind blow. On Sunday I suggested hiking into Flute to find a spot to build. It was the best decision because we found a hidden spot that had the best features to build an amazing kicker.



A couple of us sessioned the kicker all day on Sunday, hiking up and jumping down. We had suck an awesome session that we lost track of time that mountain patrol found us to say that the mountain was closing and we had to get the hell out…..it was 3pm and we starting sessioning at 10am. It was such a fun but exhausting day.




The last two weekends have been shit to ok. Not much snowfall so the runs where pretty icy especially for the Valentines day weekend. But don’t worry thing will get better in Whistler if history is on our side. March and April should start dumping snow and it has already started this past week. So be patience and watch the forecast closely for the next little while….winter is not over.

Winter 2008 / 2009 Prediction

Whistler Snow Forecast

Well hope you get out and enjoy some powder lines this weekend and I’ll be back up in Whistler to shed and give you an update on the Showcase Showdown competition happening on Sunday.

Showcase Showdown

Whistler Blackcomb Update (Dec 20 & 21, 2008)

Hello all,

Sorry for the lack of postings or updates but I have been really busy at work and have no time to posted up any new blogs.

This passed weekend I decided to get away from my busy schedule and head of to Whistler to get some snowboarding in before I go on holidays. Now in past weeks the conditional have been less than desirable but I really want to snowboard so I just went for it.

On Saturday I went up to Whistler mountain for the day because the Whistler side has better snow coverage than Blackcomb, Blackcomb was way too icy. It was still pretty cold as the temperatures were about -20 degrees Celsius but very little winds so that was good. I tried to good off and find some better terrain but the lack of snow coverage in those area made me stay close to Emerald and Red chairs. Staying within these areas sucked because there was too many people and the snow was so packed down that it was ice….I couldn’t get my edge in which started to really frustrate me. So I did a hand full or runs and decided to call it a day….that is the beauty of a seasons pass.


When I got back to the cabin I check the snow forecast because if it was going to be shit again I was going to pack my bags and head back to Vancouver. But the forecast surprised me when it said that about 15cm was going to fall in the alpine overnight. Yes, finally a somewhat powder day.


So on Sunday I woke up really early and headed to the lifts to make it there for 8:00am. When I got up on Whistler mountain there was powder to surf though…this is what I have been waiting for the last couple of weeks. Now areas close to Emerald and Red chair were good enough but I could have ventured out a bit more but was too lazy to. I surfed all the pow until it was all tracked out then headed to Blackcomb mountain via Peak 2 Peak. I was told that not that many people were on Blackcomb and there still some untracked run left. But I when on Blackcomb and the conditions were still not the best. It’s weird because Blackcomb usually gets better snow coverage in more areas than Whistler. By 2:00pm I was done and decided to call it a day since I’ve been up from about 6:30am.


Overall this weekend was saved by the Saturday night snowfall and the fact no one was up on the mountain on Sunday, so I was happy with it. But looking ahead…it’s going to start dumping in Whistler have a look…..just in time for Christmas and for me not to be there since I’m head to Toronto to visit my family.

Whistler Peak 2 Peak Opens Today

Hello all,

Just wanted to remind you that Whistler's Peak 2 Peak opens today. If you don't know the Peak 2 Peak is a cable car or gondola that runs from Whistler to Blackcomb mountain. More specifically from the Roundhouse lodge on whistler to the Rendezvous lodge on Blackcomb, right over Fitzsimmons Creek.


I be riding it this weekend so I will take many pictures and videos to show you all the Peak 2 Peak experience.

Take care and look for my Peak 2 Peak post next week.

Whistler Blackcomb Update (Weekend of Dec 6, 2008)

I headed up to Whistler on this weekend, as per my usual winter weekend routine. I knew going into it that it did snow much or at all the week before, so the condition where going to be less than desirable. Got up there Friday night, via the Greyhound and headed straight for the cabin, as I was really tired from working long hours all week. My plan was to wake up early and hit the mountain to ride all day, but Saturday morning came around and I needed more sleep. So I got up to the hill at 11:30am.


On Saturday I boarded on Blackcomb…still no new snow. The conditions actually were worse than the weekend before….kind of icy. Also Blackcomb only had a couple of lifts open, Jersey Cream, Solar Coaster and Catskinner, so everyone was all in a confidante area. If you know Blackcomb the run are tight even on the best of days, that what Blackcomb so good. But on Saturday with the number of people and narrow runs I basically took a hand full of runs and called it a day…good thing I have a seasons pass.

Sunday, I headed to Whistler and this time I managed to get up earlier that the day before. The extra motivation came from the 10cm of snow that fell overnight. So in the morning the condition where ok, a layer of powder over hard packed….nothing to ride home about. As the day when on the conditions got worse and the fresh powder was all packed out.


Since all the run were pack out I decided to go off and make my own line….what a mistake that was. Knowing that there were rocks, or land mines I like to call them, under the powder, I tried to get some powder riding done. After taking my so called powder line I look at the base of my board and it was full of rock shots. One word of advice just stay on the runs until it dumps unless you are will to hike the higher alpine just like some people I saw. But all in all Sunday was a better day because the Whistler they had open area more wide open therefore accommodating more riders.


It is suppose to snow a bit over the rest of this week so hopefully the weekend will be better. Also Peak 2 Peak is opening on Friday so if I can get on it this weekend I’ll show you all in my next post.

Opening Weekend at Whistler Blackcomb

I have officially started my snowboarding season for 08/09 this past weekend, Nov 28^th and 29^th, in Whistler. Whistler mountain actually opened on Nov 26^th with Blackcomb mountain opening one day later, on Nov 27^th. Now since I’m now working full-time in Vancouver I can really only get up to Whistler on the weekends…I hate being a weekend warrior.

I was a bit worried with regards to the conditions as I have been checking the snow report for the last two months and never really saw any significant snowfall…even up to opening day. As a matter a fact the freezing level and overall air temperature was well above seasonal….now you can see why I was so concerned.

On Saturday I hit the slopes pretty late, at about 10am, to avoid the huge lineup for the Whistler gondola that was expected. Since it was the US Thanksgiving and opening Whistler mountain on Saturday was packed with people….it’s a good thing that I did wait until later in the morning. Also the snow conditions were what I thought they would be shit. The alpine temperature was about + 4 degrees celsius and there were times were it drizzled rain because the freezing level was above the peak of the mountain....I felt sorry for people who paid $83 plus to ride in those shitty conditions. Sunday we decided to hit up Blackcomb. The conditions actually got even worse over night because it didn’t snow and the alpine temperature was almost 8 degrees celsius…..spring like conditions. The good thing is that it wasn’t too busy but even with that said we only took a couple of run and packed it in for the day. Overall opening weekend was disappointing with regards to snow conditions as I was hoping for a lot better. I just hope we don’t see another 04/05 season in Whistler as I really want to do more powder riding this year and get into the backcountry.

Well all you Whistler riders prey to the snow gods for a huge dump of snow to come really soon because it is much needed for Whistler and Blackcomb mountain.

I’ll keep you post on the conditions this coming weekend.

Whistler Daily Snow Report

I know we all have been patiently waiting for the beginning of the snowboarding session up in Whistler and have been wondering about the conditions up there. Is the season going to start early? Is there going to be enough snow for opening day, Nov 27?

Well you can stop wondering now and start checking up on it daily because Whistler Blackcomb is starting up its daily snow report. Each and everyday at about 6:00am you can read what the conditions are for that morning and the forecast for the next couple of days. The Whistler Blackcomb daily snow report is taken on Whistler from just above mid-station at about 1400 meters and the weather forecast is from Environment Canada.

Whistler Blackcomb Snow Report site

The Whistler Blackcomb snow report is good but I have found a better report that I have been using for the past 4 years in Whistler. It’s called the Snow-Forecast website. This site gives you the opportunity to see conditions and forecasts at various elevations (village, 675m, mid 1400m and peak 2284m). The Snow-Forecast site is pretty accurate too because we I compare their forecast to Environment Canada’s it bang on. But the add bonus it know what the forecast is going to be at the peak for the next 6 days.

Whistler Snow Forecast site

So go and check it out….it’s just another tool for you to chase the elusive powder experience.

Whistler 2008 / 2009 Seasons Pass Math

Now that the 2008 / 2009 Whistler season passes on up for sale and the early bird special price is valid until October 13, 2008, I just wanted to share some insight on which pass to buy. I know this is a bit much but it might help in trying to decide which pass to get for the season.

Whistler Seasons Pass Link

This year seasons pass at Whistler has gone up again by about $100 or so. Also with the addition of the Peak to Peak there are two type of passes and tickets, with Peak to Peak include and without, so here goes. Below is a matrix of the the different types of pass available and the number days you will need to pay off your pass. Note all costs are based on the early bird pass pricing and is compared to the Edge Card daily rate for calculation purposes.



So all in all if you are going to ski or snowboard at Whistler / Blackcomb over 26 times it is worth it to get seasons pass. I usually ride about 40 to 55 days a season at Whistler so my seasons pass is well worth the money. If you don't planning on riding more than 26 days here are some options:

- More than 20 days but less than 26 = Get two 10 day Edge Cards and pay for single day riding with the card discount

- 20 days = Get two 10 Edge Card or one 10 day and ay for single day riding with the card discount

- 15 days = Get one 10 Edge Card and one 5 Edge Card. The 15 day pass doesn't seem to be worth the price.

- Less than 15 days = Get one 10 Edge Card and pay for single day riding with the card discount

Remember all these calculations are based on the early bird pricing and is dependent on the Whistler / Blackcomb Edge Card discount schedule. So remember visit the Whistler site or contact their customer service for more information or guidance. Please note the suggestions above or just that, so I am not liable for any loss of money if you purchase any of the passes mentioned above or changes to the pricing.

Hope you all have a great season and see you in Whistler.

Crankworx Slopestyle 2008 Whistler

What do you get when you mix the worlds best two wheeled warriors, a massive mountain playground on Whistler mountain and 10,000 passionate spectators….2008 Whistler Crankworx Slopestyle.



For those who are not familiar with the Crankworx festival, it’s a week long gathering of the worlds best mountain bike athletes competing is varies competitions for big prize money. And it so happens that the Slopestyple competition is the main attraction of the festival.




The competition was fierce and in the end Spains Andreu Lacondeguy took home top prize of $15,000. Andreu’s winning run consisted of a long list of impressive tricks, starting with a Double Back Flip of the first table (never seen in competition before), a Foot Plant off the Monster Snake, a Back Flip X-Up, Flat Spin 360, Topside Nac-Nac, Can-Can Step-Down, Superman, and finished off with a Back Flip onto the final Kokanee feature and Superman off into the village.



Second place went to Lance Mcdermott of the UK with a score of 91.5 and third place went to Whistler’s own Brendan Semenuk, with a score of 89.8.

Overall it was an amazing competition and I’ll mark my calendar for Crankworx 2009….you should too!!!