Canadian Rockies (and region!) update:
After 2 bonus weekends, Nakiska has closed for the season.
We’re down to 3 resorts:
Jasper Marmot basin and Lake Louise close next Sunday. May 6.
Sunshine Village is open until Monday, May 21.
I skied Lake Louise both days this weekend.
Saturday was HOT. With a high in Lake Louise village of +19 and Calgary at +26, temps last Saturday were more typical of July and August than April. This was the third straight day of really warm temps, and the snowpack is starting to deteriorate. There were big natural slides all around us as snow on steeper sections let go, often sliding to ground and hitting the valley floor.
Needless to say, a lot of terrain was closed on Saturday. The back bowls closed by noon. The Gully off Top of the World (and surrounding terrain) also closed really early. Upshoots was closed all day, as were Exhibition, Ptarmigan Chutes, Ptarmigan Trees, Elevator Shaft, and the Trees off Larch. So….limited terrain.
The closures were warranted though. All three Ptarmigan Chutes slid to the ground. ER 5 went big and there was even an avalanche off a steeper face onto the green run, Saddleback. With mostly Solar aspects open, Natural snow was sticky, and in lower elevations isothermal. The man made stuff stayed firm under a layer of granular…and was still fun to ski. Larch held out better than most areas.
Although Lake Louise closes next weekend, the second last Saturday hosts Shake the Lake, the big closing party. The Kokannee Cabin was packed all day and there was more of a focus on the Party than the skiing…though the Park had some awesome skiers.
With lousy skiing though, it felt like the end.
Sunday was a different story. It got cold overnight..first time in a few days! The backside reopened and stayed open all day. Whitehorn II, Brownshirt and ERs1-3 were closed all day, as were the Ptarmigan runs skiers right of Ptarmigan (the run), the Larch trees, and Upshoots/The gulley. Still, there was plenty of interesting terrain to ski.
The highlight was ER6, which held really nice snow…it’s high and faces true north. ER7 was also really fun, and Paradise Bowl held soft bumps. Whitehorn I was a bit scratchy though.
We mostly stuck to ER6 and 7, with a blast down Men’s Downhill for lunch and for the end of the day. Men’s Downhill was great with good quality granular snow. It was a very good day. We had low expectations, but left with huge smiles.
Coverage remains good for the most part. The thin areas, such as lowest meadowlark, upper meadowlark, and Exhibition are starting to show some rot though. It’s very deep in the back, with no significant melt.
I’ll ski Louise on closing day next weekend, Sunshine for a day on the following weekend, then the Sunshine closer. So I am down to 3 resort days.
With a cooler week forecasted, I hope the snowpack in the backcountry will heal. I’m in the mood for some good corn skiing!
After 2 bonus weekends, Nakiska has closed for the season.
We’re down to 3 resorts:
Jasper Marmot basin and Lake Louise close next Sunday. May 6.
Sunshine Village is open until Monday, May 21.
I skied Lake Louise both days this weekend.
Saturday was HOT. With a high in Lake Louise village of +19 and Calgary at +26, temps last Saturday were more typical of July and August than April. This was the third straight day of really warm temps, and the snowpack is starting to deteriorate. There were big natural slides all around us as snow on steeper sections let go, often sliding to ground and hitting the valley floor.
Needless to say, a lot of terrain was closed on Saturday. The back bowls closed by noon. The Gully off Top of the World (and surrounding terrain) also closed really early. Upshoots was closed all day, as were Exhibition, Ptarmigan Chutes, Ptarmigan Trees, Elevator Shaft, and the Trees off Larch. So….limited terrain.
The closures were warranted though. All three Ptarmigan Chutes slid to the ground. ER 5 went big and there was even an avalanche off a steeper face onto the green run, Saddleback. With mostly Solar aspects open, Natural snow was sticky, and in lower elevations isothermal. The man made stuff stayed firm under a layer of granular…and was still fun to ski. Larch held out better than most areas.
Although Lake Louise closes next weekend, the second last Saturday hosts Shake the Lake, the big closing party. The Kokannee Cabin was packed all day and there was more of a focus on the Party than the skiing…though the Park had some awesome skiers.
With lousy skiing though, it felt like the end.
Sunday was a different story. It got cold overnight..first time in a few days! The backside reopened and stayed open all day. Whitehorn II, Brownshirt and ERs1-3 were closed all day, as were the Ptarmigan runs skiers right of Ptarmigan (the run), the Larch trees, and Upshoots/The gulley. Still, there was plenty of interesting terrain to ski.
The highlight was ER6, which held really nice snow…it’s high and faces true north. ER7 was also really fun, and Paradise Bowl held soft bumps. Whitehorn I was a bit scratchy though.
We mostly stuck to ER6 and 7, with a blast down Men’s Downhill for lunch and for the end of the day. Men’s Downhill was great with good quality granular snow. It was a very good day. We had low expectations, but left with huge smiles.
Coverage remains good for the most part. The thin areas, such as lowest meadowlark, upper meadowlark, and Exhibition are starting to show some rot though. It’s very deep in the back, with no significant melt.
I’ll ski Louise on closing day next weekend, Sunshine for a day on the following weekend, then the Sunshine closer. So I am down to 3 resort days.
With a cooler week forecasted, I hope the snowpack in the backcountry will heal. I’m in the mood for some good corn skiing!