Here we are at mid-season
I know many of you readers think mid-season WHAT?, we are at the end of the season. Well not so in Whistler Blackcomb and especially not true this season. With 3 more full months of skiing left the best is yet to come.
The season started slowly in the PNW this year. While there were some September snow days in the alpine, we saw the first lasting snowfall in November but the rest of that month was snowless. In early December while many skiers/riders showed up there were only a handful of runs, the snow was rough and space between bodies was slim.
Then things changed. Starting Dec 13th it started snowing and each day conditions improved. Each day more terrain opened and space between skiers increased. But what didn't open were the Alpine zones. The interwebs exploded "whats wrong with Vail they refuse to open the top" "Vail sucks! when Canadians owned WB the top was always open". What happened in reality? Mother Nature happened. In January alone Whistler received more than 6 meters/ 20 feet of snow. And remember that November layer of snow? it went through several cycles of weather when it laid on the ground for a month turning it into a wicked faceted layer on top of which the new snow landed.
What we saw in late December and all of January was an avalanche mitigation nightmare. The ski patrollers worked tirelessly to open new terrain, there were days with the almost constant sound of avalanche bombs going off. I was told in those 6 weeks the patrol used 60% more bombs than normal and at one point even a patroller was caught and buried in an avalanche for nearly 9 minutes.
Down below the WB customers endured relentless lift lines and crowded slopes while staring up and the beautiful empty bowls of the Alpine zone. By early February the Alpine zones finally have been operating consistently. While the danger of the deeply buried weak Nov layer has been mostly mitigated within the ski area boundaries, that danger is present and a well considered issue traveling in the backcountry still.
While I am no great supporter of the corporate giant Vail in the case of this seasons' snowpack management they made the right call leaving the decisions to the patrol on the mountain in Whistler Blackcomb.
So the snowpack is deep, the sun is finally coming out from behind the clouds and the Alpine is open...
Bring on to the Spring season!
