What's the pow like in Whistler/Blackcomb?

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foedragon1

Member
Hey guys,
I'm heading to whistler for 4 months this winter. I just bought my bentchetlers today off a guy, and he mentioned that there isnt all that much pow and when there is, it gets tracked out really really quickly... i ski primarily in japan, where there is fresh pow nearly every day and no-one dares to go off piste except for foreigners :3.
is this accurate? I was pretty stoked because I heard BC had some sweet pow, but this guy seemed legit (spent 2 seasons there), and he said it had nothing on japan. what do you guys think?
cheers
 
Im about to go to Whistler for my 2nd season in a row, and the season before that i did a season in Japan. Yes its true that it doesnt compare to japan but cmon its japan. Whistler is fucking sick though and i love it, steep, which japan lacks, mad cliffs, great tree skiing, and you dont realy need to look far to get good pow. i was skiing knee deep untouched a week after the last snowfall, its also fucking huge, it is packed and the main stuff gets tracked out in like 30mins but the vibe that comes with it is unreal
 
japan has some of the best pow in the world, so naturally whistler is going to be a step down, but it's still better than what 90% of us get to ski, so be happy.
 
its a warmer climate so the snow is a bit heavier but when yo get up top its unreal soo much terrain if you get pow youare in for a treat
 
There is pow. facefuls upon facefuls. primarily the last 2 seasons, and they are saying that this is gonna be another big one.

That guy you got your skis from is in all likelihood a gordon. If you get to know the place, the secret stashes are endless. on the main runs ya, it gets tracked pretty quick becasue all of vancouver hears about the snow and comes up, so the lift lines are pretty long on pow days. I couldnt navigate you to any of the secret zones if i tried, but they are everywhere.
 
im assuming its someone who gets off the lifts and skis the most obvious tails he can find then complains about no powder
but whistler has endless posder youjust gotta walk a little your bentchetlers are in good hands i hope you haggled the price down after he told you that
 
it wont be the same as japan, but whistler is huge you can definitely ski fresh all day.
 
ive never skied in below 0 temps in utah, it just cold enough in the mountains for light ass snow then it never gets below like 20 in the city its tight.
 
Whistler can have really, really, really great snow fall. Typically, it will be heavier snow than what you'll find at Hokkaido. Closer to what you'll find in Hakuba. However, the actual terrain is leagues ahead of what you'll find in Japan. The hills are steeper than anything in Japan, and there are more cliffs, chutes, and of course alpine skiing (which you won't really find in Japan).

Things will certainly get tracked faster than what you're used to in Japan. Though, if you have skins and a beacon, you can find some great snow for a while after a dump.

Whistler is one of the best places in the fucking world for skiing. It's not the best in any aspect, but it is an extremely well rounded place to be for four months.
 
yeah, whis is pretty much the shit. But if you dont feed the birds in the lift lines they will attack you. no joke.
 
Were in the PNW so we still do get a lot of snow. And yes it is heavier than in other places, but the benefit of this can also be that the snow is stickier, allowing you to ski steeper terrain, and to have some what less worry about avalanches.
 
Not in Canada they don't. But snow at freezing compared to snow just few degrees below freezing is a whole different story. Hell, snow at 0F is terrible. It falls really light and blower, which is fun in the morning but by day two it is generally tree wells.

Whistler's coastal snow is nice and everything but it really doesn't last long. Early in the season is really the time for Whistler. Like around holiday break or January. They are going to have way more snow at the time than most places are as well. In four months, so like end of February or early March the snow at Whistler is going to be extremely variable. It falls heavy but stays heavy when say like Utah, Wyoming or Colorado are going to be getting heavy dumps of light stuff.
 
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