Skiing and Snowboarding - Page 55

Calgarian · #**1081** Posted **Dec 12, 2019, 7:57 PM**

Had 6 days at Louise so far and it's been awesome! best conditions this early in the year I've seen, aside from the first day, we have found all the powder we could ride, just have to know where to look!

Klazu · #**1082** Posted **Dec 20, 2019, 7:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VantageHD

New lift announced for Sun Peaks today. Maybe they'll refurbish the existing Crystal chair and move it to the Gils.

https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/explo...lift-announced

Excellent news! The old triple-chair was always crowded and so slow. Too bad the new one isn't express speed?

Which reminds me that the Burfield quad-chair must be the slowest and longest chair lift I have ridden. It must take close to 30 minutes from bottom to top.

Also Manning Park Resort here in BC has upgraded their main triple-chair to a brand new quad-chair (no express). I need to try to get out there to try out Manning Park one of these days.

https://manningpark.com/presenting-the-bear-chair/

Klazu · #**1083** Posted **Dec 20, 2019, 7:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Castle and Fernie are doing preview weekends after this last storm, season is almost in full swing!

Sounds like Albertan resorts are off to a great start. Enjoy it guys!

Season started pretty poorly here on the coast but this week it has been dumping snow and all local resorts are now open and Whistler is opening more ground every day. Should be good in the new year when I plan to hit the runs next time.

In February I will also be making a trip to test out some slopes in Colorado. We'll be definitely spending two days skiing in Vail, but I would be curious to hear which other nearby resorts people like?

Apey · #**1084** Posted **Dec 20, 2019, 8:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

Excellent news! The old triple-chair was always crowded and so slow. Too bad the new one isn't express speed?

Which reminds me that the Burfield quad-chair must be the slowest and longest chair lift I have ridden. It must take close to 30 minutes from bottom to top.

Also Manning Park Resort here in BC has upgraded their main triple-chair to a brand new quad-chair (no express). I need to try to get out there to try out Manning Park one of these days.

https://manningpark.com/presenting-the-bear-chair/

Feel kinda bad for saying this but guess I'm a bit of a wuss as I like the slower ride of the Burfield lift. But it's mostly cus i dread having to come back down faster than I came up. And yes I get asked why do you ski then? Still don't have an answer for that one!

Denscity · #**1085** Posted **Dec 21, 2019, 1:48 AM**

Fernie is actually in BC though some Calgarians seem to forget that lol.

Calgarian · #**1086** Posted **Dec 24, 2019, 5:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity

Fernie is actually in BC though some Calgarians seem to forget that lol.

For snowboarding, Fernie is almost a local Calgary hill lol. Can't think of many other activities where someone is willing to do a 3 hr drive one way on a day trip.

VantageHD · #**1087** Posted **Jan 2, 2020, 6:59 PM**

Over 60 cm in 2 days at Sun Peaks! So busy but so good. Can always find hidden stashes at that mountain.

itom 987 · #**1088** Posted **Jan 3, 2020, 2:42 AM**

Just got back from skiing at Nakiska for the first time, and Sunshine.

In spite of that 60cm dump a while back not all the runs are open at Nakiska, and a lot of the black diamond runs are full of ice and rocks. Now that I've been there, I won't be going back ever again.

Sunshine was spectacular everywhere, even the run down to the parking lot was good.

s211 · #**1089** Posted **Jan 3, 2020, 4:55 AM**

Hearing from people that if I'm thinking of going to Whistler, to not bring my good skis. Are conditions really that dodgy there still?

Calgarian · #**1090** Posted **Jan 7, 2020, 11:03 PM**

Never been to Nakiska, don't plan on going. What we need is for Fortress just down the road to open up again!

Klazu · #**1091** Posted **Jan 8, 2020, 12:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

Hearing from people that if I'm thinking of going to Whistler, to not bring my good skis. Are conditions really that dodgy there still?

Conditions have improved significantly and this weekend should be super busy and great. I will be skiing on Blackcomb this weekend.

Calgarian · #**1092** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 2:05 AM**

2 tree well deaths in BC this weekend, one a skier in Fernie and the other a boarder in Whitewater. Always ride tree pow with a buddy, tree wells are f'n scary!

Damn apparently there was an avalanche in bounds at a hill in Idaho that killed 3, 2 others were buried. They even bombed the area before they opened it to be sure.

millerman · #**1093** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 7:38 AM**

[QUOTE=Calgarian] 2 tree well deaths in BC this weekend, one a skier in Fernie and the other a boarder in Whitewater. Always ride tree pow with a buddy, tree wells are f'n scary!

This is unfortunate. I was a member of Nelson Search an Rescue for 13 years and we were the second/third busiest volunteer rescue group in the province-shared with Rossland (after North Shore SAR). We recovered several persons from tree wells at Whitewater and its surrounding backcountry. Typically skiing alone or w/o proper leap frog skiing with a partner. Several of the body recoveries we did were not amateur skiers, but sometimes very experienced who let their guard down (aka Kuba) skiing alone. These areas typically have deep snowpack and therefore deep tree wells.

When I taught my daughters to ski at Whitewater and they were skiing double blacks (Sproulers/Terraratta) at 4/5yrs old, I had to teach them very serious lessons about safe ski practices including demonstrations (me jumping into) tree wells (feet first - not head first) and showing them how deep they were, and subsequently having an adult buddy help me out. Scared the crap out of my kids, but they sure stayed away from the undersides of trees.

Calgarian · #**1094** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 3:00 PM**

Good lessons! as a snowboarder the trees are my go to, we all have radios and whistles and a few buddies have beacon as well (I'm taking my AST 1 before the year is out), but we do sometimes get excited and lose eachother in the trees. Going to put the buddy system back into play now!

millerman · #**1095** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 4:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Good lessons! as a snowboarder the trees are my go to, we all have radios and whistles and a few buddies have beacon as well (I'm taking my AST 1 before the year is out), but we do sometimes get excited and lose eachother in the trees. Going to put the buddy system back into play now!

That's great you're taking AST 1! Education is key, and the course will give you the basics for making fact based decisions based on snowpack attributes (that change with aspect and terrain), information from CAA bulletins, and local operators in the area, plus experience over time and also very important - having a good understanding of what is going on in the snowpack this year for the area you are boarding in. AST 2 is a good course building on AST 1. Together they give you a solid base for "slackcountry" skiing/boarding.

I took my Operations Level 1 and 2 courses through CAA a number of years ago, along with Organized Avalanche Response (team member and team leader). Even with all that training and 20+ years of ski mountaineering (when I was younger) and back country skiing, I am super cautious about conditions and where I ski unless I'm "on top of it" regarding snowpack conditions where I am going to ski back country.

Apey · #**1096** Posted **Jan 22, 2020, 5:33 AM**

[QUOTE=millerman;8806244]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgarian

2 tree well deaths in BC this weekend, one a skier in Fernie and the other a boarder in Whitewater. Always ride tree pow with a buddy, tree wells are f'n scary!

This is unfortunate. I was a member of Nelson Search an Rescue for 13 years and we were the second/third busiest volunteer rescue group in the province-shared with Rossland (after North Shore SAR). We recovered several persons from tree wells at Whitewater and its surrounding backcountry. Typically skiing alone or w/o proper leap frog skiing with a partner. Several of the body recoveries we did were not amateur skiers, but sometimes very experienced who let their guard down (aka Kuba) skiing alone. These areas typically have deep snowpack and therefore deep tree wells.

When I taught my daughters to ski at Whitewater and they were skiing double blacks (Sproulers/Terraratta) at 4/5yrs old, I had to teach them very serious lessons about safe ski practices including demonstrations (me jumping into) tree wells (feet first - not head first) and showing them how deep they were, and subsequently having an adult buddy help me out. Scared the crap out of my kids, but they sure stayed away from the undersides of trees.

Just wanted to give you congrats on teaching your daughters at such a young age the risks and dangers associated with sking or snowboarding! I know I was a young teenager when I got my leg caught in the well of a tree and it gave me the panic attack of my life! It still shakes me to my core to this day 20 some years later, I just remember thinking keep going up not down or sideways! Not sure if that was the right or wrong fight or flight reaction, but alas I'm still here to tell the tale!

Coldrsx · #**1097** Posted **Feb 1, 2020, 7:51 PM**

Was up at Marmot (Jasper) last weekend and it was amazing... top 5 ski days of my life.

https://twitter.com/IanOyeg/status/1221850205202444288
@ianoyeg

Klazu · #**1098** Posted **Feb 3, 2020, 12:28 AM**

Looks like amazing conditions! How is Marmot as a place to ski and is that the go-to mountain from Edmonton?

Klazu · #**1099** Posted **Feb 3, 2020, 12:32 AM**

Season here on the coast has been pretty great so far. Few photos from Cypress Mountain before the recent warmer weather.

We have been busy being up on Whistler and here are few photos from past several weekends.

Base · #**1100** Posted **Feb 3, 2020, 8:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

Looks like amazing conditions! How is Marmot as a place to ski and is that the go-to mountain from Edmonton?

As a ski destination it is a fantastic experience. Mostly personal preference but I consider it my favorite mountain to ski in Alberta. It is probably the go-to mountain for Edmontonians although time wise it's not too much further to visit the Banff area mountains.