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Pacific NW/AK/BC Whistler - Peak to Creek Grooming

mcpowell

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Last year my daughter and I skied this run, but it had not been groomed for a few days. It was a bit exhausting. We're going back again in a few weeks and I can't seem to find a pattern as to when it is groomed.

Does anyone know how often or what day(s) it is groomed from top to bottom?
 

Marty McSly

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A member in another forum I'm on told me recently that it's groomed top to bottom on Wednesdays and Sundays, as long as the snow depth and condition is amenable to grooming.
 

raytseng

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I was there first week of new years, and the long middle section was an ice sheet, rippled and a chore for the whole week.
They clearly signed and notified that it was ungroomed or poor groom existed though so skier is fairly warned. The upper peak back to highway 86 was running very smooth, as was the very bottom.
It was not an issue of effort, but lack of base and snow. It seemed that it is so scraped off that would not be able to lower the tiller any deeper without pulling up dirt and rocks.
 
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mcpowell

mcpowell

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I was there first week of new years, and the long middle section was an ice sheet, rippled and a chore for the whole week.
They clearly signed and notified that it was ungroomed or poor groom existed though so skier is fairly warned. The upper peak back to highway 86 was running very smooth, as was the very bottom.
It was not an issue of effort, but lack of base and snow. It seemed that it is so scraped off that would not be able to lower the tiller any deeper without pulling up dirt and rocks.

Well that's interesting. I wonder just how much snow it takes to make it nice and "groomable"?

When we were there last March, there was plenty of snow on it. In fact, it was a tiring due to the choppy conditions.
 

Marty McSly

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When we were there last March, there was plenty of snow on it. In fact, it was a tiring due to the choppy conditions.
Oh yeah.

It was hard going for me in a few places too. Where I ski in Australia we very rarely see that depth of fresh snow. It was worth doing though. By the time I got to the bottom, I was starting to get the hang of it.
 

Seldomski

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Will pile on to say, I skied this run for the first time during the first week of April, 2017. It was great to about mid level, around 'Dusty's Descent,' things changed.

Run out from there to the bottom was awful. Snow was something I've never skied before. I think it was wet slushy on top of a layer of drier powdery stuff. I guess it was upside down? Made me feel like I don't know how to ski after all. Don't know that I would even call it 'good for you' snow. Just plain sucked. Consistency was a blend of mashed potato and a slushy.
 

Jilly

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Try doing it top to bottom, with ~100 GS gates, non stop, as in the Peak to Creek race....:)

That was the problem at the gathering last year.....they had just run the Peak to Creek race and hadn't groomed it out yet. The Saddle wasn't groomed and there is nothing like taking a group of intermediates in advanced bumps!! Marty McSly did very well in that crap!
 
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mcpowell

mcpowell

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That was the problem at the gathering last year.....they had just run the Peak to Creek race and hadn't groomed it out yet. The Saddle wasn't groomed and there is nothing like taking a group of intermediates in advanced bumps!! Marty McSly did very well in that crap!

Jilly,
This was the exact time my daughter and I were @ Whistler last year.
 
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mcpowell

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Well...there were only about 50 of us there.....where were you!!

Well...I was the guy in all black :).

I asked my daughter a couple of times if she wanted to look up the crew from epicski but she thought that was too weird (she's a bit more introverted than her dad). I figure we've only got another year or two for Daddy/daughter trips and then ole dad will be on his own. Once she abandons me I hope to start making the gatherings.
 

mdf

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Well...I was the guy in all black :).

I asked my daughter a couple of times if she wanted to look up the crew from epicski but she thought that was too weird (she's a bit more introverted than her dad). I figure we've only got another year or two for Daddy/daughter trips and then ole dad will be on his own. Once she abandons me I hope to start making the gatherings.

And once she gets into her mid-20's you can start bringing her! You will probably have to pay her way, though.ogwink
 
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mcpowell

mcpowell

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Wow, so here it is 3 years after I started this thread. A different daughter and I are headed to Whistler at the end of February (well…hopefully), and I found this thread again. I was looking for the same information so we could ski this run.

Does anyone know if there is a published / historical grooming report? I specifically checked last Wednesday and Today (Sunday) to see if Peak to Creek was groomed top to bottom and it appears they did not.
 

Jerez

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You can look at it on the ride up and then download on the Creekside Gondola if it's not to your liking.
 
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mcpowell

mcpowell

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So I've been watching the grooming report for over a month now, and it seems only Upper Peak to Creek is ever groomed. And here lately, the middle and lower sections are closed.

Does anyone have any insight? Is it due to a lack of snow in that area? Or maybe just too maintenance intensive?

Just curious as it's one of my favorite runs.
 

fatbob

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It was better when it was officially out of bounds and just a bumped up stumpy adventure at times.
 

Jilly

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Could be Covid related. Grooming staff may be reduced in numbers. A couple of weeks ago there were only 3 guys to groom at Tremblant. Rest were out with Covid or Covid protocol.
 

noncrazycanuck

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Lower Peak to Peak is not groomed frequently, nor is Lower Franz, both are allowed to bump up a bit between grooming, although both remain pretty mellow even with the small bumps that do develop as there is not that much traffic. Any grooming you see on the top sections before dropping in from the Hwy 86 or Upper Franz cat tracks will continue to base.
But the many other routes off the main runs are never groomed

If you prefer daily grooming to Creekside base cut over to Dave Murray. It's always groomed as it has the most traffic.
 

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