• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

John O

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Posts
423
Location
Seattle, WA
I'm working tomorrow and can't make it up, but I grew up about an hour east of your location in your profile @Stephen, welcome to Washington! :D
 

pchewn

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
2,607
Location
Beaverton OR USA
I've been to Timberline Lodge 11 times this season. A couple of times with my son and grandsons. The snowfall is getting good -- most of the lifts and runs are open. This is my 52nd year of skiing and I'm loving skiing with the little ones.





P_20181227_095215.jpg P_20181227_133852.jpg P_20181227_161633.jpg
 

Tom Co.

life's new window
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Apr 14, 2016
Posts
629
Location
Seattle
Crystal - Fri 12/28
Crowd: 1.0
This got extra points because the longest line we waited in all day was less than five minutes. Not bad for Friday of Christmas week.
Visibility: 0.7.
It started out good, but got worse later in the day, and the light was pretty flat.
Snow: 0.8.
It was pretty good most places, not bad, not really good, just pretty good.

2.5/3

The top of Chair 6 sucks. . Got a big 18 inch gouge on an unseen rock.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
I usually avoid Whistler over Christmas period but this year the Okanogan ski buddies came this way for more snow instead,
yesterday arrived later at upload than normal but even with our slow start and largest lines I've experienced at Whistler a decent day.

Sunny, unlimited visibility, light breeze about a 40% untracked day, only did about 18k veritical, quit early, Whistler side
A lot of the fresh was quite wind packed from the Saturday storm and a bit of work, but lee sides on Symphony Harmony and Peak all were excellent.

despite it being probably busiest day of the holidays, the mountain did not run either of the tbars or Frans chair.
 

DanoT

RVer-Skier
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
4,788
Location
Sun Peaks B.C. in winter, Victoria B.C. in summer
despite it being probably busiest day of the holidays, the mountain did not run either of the tbars or Frans chair.

Would running all lifts been a normal thing in the past, meaning that not running T-.Bars and a chairlift is a Vail Resorts cost cutting thing? Or might it be that theydon't have enough staff to run all lifts?

I also heard a story the other day that the new gondola at Blackcomb has overloaded the electric capacity to the point were they are forced to stop lifts for a minute or so on a rotating basis. This does not sound believable to me but was true according to someone who was at WB last week. Just a guy I shared a chairlift ride with at SP so::huh:
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
I very much doubt that the 4 or 6 extra bodies it would take to run both t bars and Frans chair could make much of a difference to Vails bottom line.
They don't often run because all their terrain is now accessed by other high speed lifts lifts , it has been like this for years.
The extra uphill capacity would be good over the holidays. They ran during the early season so they are functional but when they run seems pretty random.

the story of over loading of electrical system is not believable. He may have been there on the 20th during the big storm,most of the lifts shut down over
over wind speed issues and he likely interpreted it that way. Some unlucky people on the Gulf Islands are still waiting for their power to be restored
 

Tom Co.

life's new window
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Apr 14, 2016
Posts
629
Location
Seattle
Crystal - New Years Eve Day
Short version: it was very good
Visibility - 1.0+ It was a beautiful gloryoski sunshine day

Snow - 0.9 lots of nice, soft, cut up powder, packed powder and a little bit of untracked. Deducting one point because of ROCKS

Crowd - 0.8. All lots were full except a half full F lot. Lines were not bad. A couple five minute lines here and there. We did some bobbing and weaving with lift choices.

2.7/3

Employee Housing got run of the day with Powder Bowl being a close second [dang rocks]
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
Skier
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
5,843
Location
West of CDA South of Canada
Skied Pomerelle because I could today (don't know if it qualifies as PNW or not, or what you would call it). Just me and about 300 people I don't know. 23" of snow in the past week Very wind effected by the trees were good. Clear skies and cold.

They brought in the copter today for an evac but realized I was only skiing like I was dead.

Sun Valley tomorrow. It will be cold and sunny; that works.
 

Slasher

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Dec 16, 2018
Posts
120
Would running all lifts been a normal thing in the past, meaning that not running T-.Bars and a chairlift is a Vail Resorts cost cutting thing? Or might it be that theydon't have enough staff to run all lifts?

Because of their exact location, the Whistler T-bars need a stable, consolidated snow pack to be safely used. We're not quite there yet since most of the real snow only arrived in the last 2-3 weeks.

The Franz chair was running during opening weekend (American Thanksgiving) and, being a fixed grip, was a waste of time. Not sure what WB's original intentions were, but in recent years it only runs when you can't use the Big Red, e.g. very early season if there's not enough snow to ski down to the Creekside midstation.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
Frans chair was originally put in to take the load off the old red and orange (although orange may have disappeared before Frans was installed)
But ever since Red was upgraded as said, it rarely runs.
Its slow so most would not to ride it anyway. But on a busy holiday weekend why not fire it up for laps of Frans Meadows and a little extra uphill capacity.
The t-bars stopped daily operation once Harmony became the preferred route into the bowls but before that the best Whistler offered was via them.

Trivia note;
the second one was originally down in the valley. Intended for the technical events (Whistler bid for 76 Olympics)
Valley snow must have been more reliable then. It wasn't there long. You can still see the shorter trees where it used to be at Creekside.

not sure about a current lack of consolidated snow pack adjacent same,
took a couple of nice powder runs off the ridge beside them on Sunday. I thought it was all open

Blackcomb does have issues early season getting their t-bars running.
The glacier they are on is receding so the slope is now too steep in a few sections without a deep base.
That why the snow guns still run in that area even when there seems to be plenty of snow.
there is talk about another lift from Peak to Peak area over to top of Showcase T-bar which would solve the problem but don't think its happening soon.
 

pchewn

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
2,607
Location
Beaverton OR USA
A friend of mine has a condo in Government Camp (about 5 min from Skibowl, 15 min from Timberline). He has agreed to my proposal to swap days at the mountain condo for days at our beach house in Seaside. Because everyone else had other plans, I went up for New Years eve and New Year's day.

They had received a bunch of snow on top of some frozen rain. The roads were very slick, it was crowded on the roads and in the parking lots, but no lines for the lifts or crowds on the runs. I guess everyone was inside the bar drinking?

There were fireworks at midnight, a torch parade (that I got to be in), and the lifts were open until 2am.

Skibowl has the largest night skiing area in the US -- it really is nice to ski at night there.

Here's something unusual: Skiing around rhodededron bushes -- you don't see that in Colorado.
Skibowl-Torch-Parade.jpg P_20181231_142942_p.jpg P_20181231_152626.jpg P_20181231_160510.jpg P_20190101_115700.jpg P_20190101_122823.jpg P_20190101_125601.jpg P_20190101_130315.jpg
Happy New Year!
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
whistler another 46cm (about 18") over night and still snowing heavily.
be careful today
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
after today not wishing for more snow. we got enough for a few weeks.
still snowing, expected to stop by weekend.
hopefully avy control will be done by then but i wouldn't bet on it, stay safe
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
a bit different snow pattern this year.
Whistler has a new snow record, Apex still isn't 100% open, and normally dry Kicking horse and Lake Louise are getting big dumps
The coastal rain shadow seems wider than normal. Maybe all the wind.

Whistler had a lot of challenges with the snow and wind load this week,
Yesterday Peak, Harmony and T bar managed to open mid morning after heli bombing completed, mid hill traffic was very heavy until then,
again Frans did not run.

Alpine snow deep and delightful. Valley snow was deep and heavy off piste.
 

David Chaus

Beyond Help
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
5,529
Location
Stanwood, WA
3” new at Stevens this morning, less than expected but still a nice refresh after rain on Thursday, 33 degree snow on Friday, and a nice groomer day Saturday. Got some fresh tracks before teaching a class, then a clinic in the afternoon. Roller Coaster/Gun Tower at Tye Mill was skiing nicely.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
Whistler the untracked is now scarcer, time for a refresh (expected by Wed)
for those who prefer visibility to fresh snow the last couple of days were very pretty.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
nice pictures
will be no views like that today here. we are back to our usual variable shades of grey and white.
Whistler had a 12cm dusting last night (4.8 inch if you keep score)
Snow forecast is the same daily until the sun returns briefly next week, no big dumps in forecast so daily control should be pretty quick
 

Posaune

sliding
Skier
Joined
Mar 26, 2016
Posts
1,912
Location
Bellingham, WA
I've been on the road in Idaho and Montana and I can tell you that, for skiing, I wish I was back home. Interesting places, but really low snow levels and the snow is getting harder, and harder, and harder by the day. I can't wait for some good old Cascade Concrete! I'll be home in about 4 days.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,462
pencil in Feb 7--10 just heard thats the weekend Dieter picked for his "annual" Baker get together.
last year saw 19 ski buddies from all over the province staying at the cabins at Glacier. Largest group we' ve assembled in decades
lets hope the snow comes even close to last year.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

  • Dwight
    Practitioner of skiing, solid and liquid
  • Andy Mink
    Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Top