Topic: 50cm+ at Castle Mountain tomorrow. Will the G8 make it?

[tortoise]

When going to Sunshine I suggest only going when the sun is actually shining.  It's mostly above tree-line so if the light is flat it's not a ton of fun.  At least Louise has some trees.

And 20 days at Ste-Anne or Massif and no powder?  How is that possible?

[ktm525]

Thanks KTM. I'm advanced/Expert east coast type, more used to ice than powder, 20 days of skiing this season alone altough none on powder yet this year. I bought the Watea's in December and have not used them yet.

We will stay in Banff so it will likely be Louise and Sunshine with a possible trip to KH. Altough I have been to Louise 4-5 times now, I've never been to Sunshine. Time to go have a look!

BTW why did'nt you use the LR3 that day? Sounds like the perfect vehicle for the conditions?

It was slippery in Calgary and the LR3 is the kid shuttle bus and the wife had 5 kids on her carpool day. Wifey would not be happy with G8 and fresh snow.

One of the reasons the G8 may be on the block this spring in favour of a new to me Ridgeline (which is not a truck  ).

[Guy]

When going to Sunshine I suggest only going when the sun is actually shining.  It's mostly above tree-line so if the light is flat it's not a ton of fun.  At least Louise has some trees.

And 20 days at Ste-Anne or Massif and no powder?  How is that possible?

At the Massif. Not a fan of St-Anne, too crowdy and snobby.  We had some days with 10-15 cm of new snow but that does not qualify as powder, does it? Thanks god for snow making equipment, otherwise I would be riding my bike on the trainer in the basement.

They said on the news that the average snow fall in Quebec city has been going down in the last few year. 25 years ago the average was 350 cm/year. Now it's down to 300, even tough 2008 was an all time record with 500+ cm.

Using mostly the Rossi's 9S for carving on hard snow and ice these days.

Thanks on the advice on Sunshine! 

If you ever come over to ski at Le Massif, let me know!

[Guy]

Thanks KTM. I'm advanced/Expert east coast type, more used to ice than powder, 20 days of skiing this season alone altough none on powder yet this year. I bought the Watea's in December and have not used them yet.

We will stay in Banff so it will likely be Louise and Sunshine with a possible trip to KH. Altough I have been to Louise 4-5 times now, I've never been to Sunshine. Time to go have a look!

BTW why did'nt you use the LR3 that day? Sounds like the perfect vehicle for the conditions?

It was slippery in Calgary and the LR3 is the kid shuttle bus and the wife had 5 kids on her carpool day. Wifey would not be happy with G8 and fresh snow.

One of the reasons the G8 may be on the block this spring in favour of a new to me Ridgeline (which is not a truck  ).

Will you keep all 3?

[tortoise]

At the Massif. Not a fan of St-Anne

  We had some days with 10-15 cm of new snow but that does not qualify as powder, does it?

If you ever come over to ski at Le Massif, let me know!

I'm a HUGE fan of Massif.  I've skied St-Anne, we just kept driving past it to Baie St. Paul.  The same group has done 3 Easter trips to Massif and had a blast each time.  Sadly no skiing for me this season as I'm rehabbing a blown knee.  Hopefully next year.

In the east I'll take 15 cm of snow and call it powder all day long.  But you're right, it's not quite the same.  The season ski bumming in Fernie definitely spoiled me on that front.

[HeliDriver]

Sunshine is definitely worth a trip on a clear day, if only for the stunning view from the top of the Divide chair.

And make sure you bring your avi gear if you head to Sunshine - there's some great sidecountry-ish terrain that is still technically in-bounds. You'll need a partner and avi gear to access the terrain (Delirium Dive and Wild West), but the ski area is responsible for avalanche conditions there and will close it when unsafe.

If you're still a little uneasy (or don't have avi gear or a partner), the ski school can fix you up with gear and guide you.

[Guy]

At the Massif. Not a fan of St-Anne

  We had some days with 10-15 cm of new snow but that does not qualify as powder, does it?

















If you ever come over to ski at Le Massif, let me know!

I'm a HUGE fan of Massif.  I've skied St-Anne, we just kept driving past it to Baie St. Paul.  The same group has done 3 Easter trips to Massif and had a blast each time.  Sadly no skiing for me this season as I'm rehabbing a blown knee.  Hopefully next year.

In the east I'll take 15 cm of snow and call it powder all day long.  But you're right, it's not quite the same.  The season ski bumming in Fernie definitely spoiled me on that front.

At the Massif. Not a fan of St-Anne

  We had some days with 10-15 cm of new snow but that does not qualify as powder, does it?

If you ever come over to ski at Le Massif, let me know!

I'm a HUGE fan of Massif.  I've skied St-Anne, we just kept driving past it to Baie St. Paul.  The same group has done 3 Easter trips to Massif and had a blast each time.  Sadly no skiing for me this season as I'm rehabbing a blown knee.  Hopefully next year.

In the east I'll take 15 cm of snow and call it powder all day long.  But you're right, it's not quite the same.  The season ski bumming in Fernie definitely spoiled me on that front.

Sorry to hear about your knee. Both mine are quite loose now, using a brace on the left knee.

I remember chatting with guys from Ottawa going up the lift last year, maybe we met...

[tortoise]

I wasn't there last year.  I crashed at Sugarbush on the 23rd of January dislocating my knee and demoing my PCL and LCL.  I'm still recovering but things are coming along well. 

Here's hoping I won't have to switch to snowboarding!

[Guy]

I wish you a prompt and complete recovery!

[ktm525]

Don't overlook the Mount Norquay tube park for a couple hours of sliding fun. Great if you arrive in Banff and have a half day to kill.

[johngenx]

If you are a beg/int. skier then I don't really see the allure of Louise, you are better off at Sunshine skiing the divide.

I agree.  We ski mostly out of bounds at Louise, avoiding the front side of the mountain (under the Gondola) as much as possible.  Even on deep days, that area is crud in about 15 minutes.  I took my wife to Louise once, and she'll never return.  But, she won't go back to KH either!!  (The lower mountain sucks big time and there is barely anything off the Gondola for her to ski.)

The only ski hill we both really seem to enjoy is Red Mountain, except she can't ride the Paradise Chair there, as it's, uh, REALLY high off the deck.

Heading west, try Whitewater sometime.  I have only been there after it's closed (skinning up) but the terrain is sweet, the snow is deep, (I measured 2.5M at treeline 3 weeks after they closed) and if you're into slack/back country, the lines are superb.  The first time I went there, I went with a gal I know from Castlegar.  5'1, 110lbs, and she loads PMGEAR BRO192's into my roof box.  Huh?  I think I'm out of my league!  I was!!  She ripped.

As for Sunshine, yeah, it can be awesome, and it can suck bad.  We had a great powder morning there last year, only to lose visibility, and then the lifts were shut around lunch as the wind rolled in.  Refund?  No, we got the finger!  KH gave us all back but $10 one day when they shut the Gondola due to wind.  But Sunshine has great beginner/intermediate terrain, just stay off the Standish cat-track return loop, as it sucks every day.  The backcountry outside of Sunshine is AMAZING, off the Wawa Chair as well as Standish.

[tortoise]

... she can't ride the Paradise Chair there, as it's, uh, REALLY high off the deck.

  5'1, 110lbs, and she loads PMGEAR BRO192's into my roof box.  Huh?  I think I'm out of my league!  I was!!  She ripped.

No joke about the Paradise Chair.  I've only been to Red for one March Break (probably 20 years ago) back when that chairlift was the double with the center pole and no safety bars.  That wasn't bad, but while we were there the chair stopped and then proceeded to cycle through 20+ feet oscillations.  Nutty.

And yeah, that's a lot of ski for someone who's only 110lbs.

[safristi]

Don't overlook the Mount Norquay tube park for a couple hours of sliding fun. Great if you arrive in Banff and have a half day to killYOURSELF

.....fixed yer funeral for ya....................better to be savaged by bears......that place is freaky angled  for the death wish set.......... .......Sunshine........................skied there once the Sun vanished after an hour but wot an hour...the drive up was as much fun too...sliding my to be Father in laws olde Pontiac all over the place....biased ply tyres,half gone and 6 inches of fresh snow.....wot a HERO .........oops just notice U mentioned a TUBE slide...i woz thinking the Ski Hill.....................so yer ONLY half dead then.......

[Guy]

Thanks guys, you too Saf. With all these options I may need to extend my stay to 2 weeks! 

[quadzilla]

Skiing is a sport I would love to do more of but the cost (gas/time) to get to anything worthwhile is too much from Toronto. Until I move, I stick with my snowshoeing.

A guy on the other side of my office is a huge skier and sent me this video he made and the resort used. He shot it with a GoPro camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCLgFXwTbQ&hd=1

Not sure where the resort is out west, but it looks amazing to me.

[johngenx]

And yeah, that's a lot of ski for someone who's only 110lbs.

So, we drop into this nice line that's super steep at the top, then mellows into this great open bowl.  Hey, I'm married, but I still like to show off for a pretty young woman, ya know?  So, I give 'er everything I've got, actually scaring myself.  She flashes by me like I'm standing still.  I've been out with some pretty amazing skiers (which I'm not) and this woman ranks high on the list.  But, she grew up skiing freeride terrain at Red, Whitewater and the surround back country.  Okay, now Im just making excuses as to why she was so damned better than me...

[Guy]

Skiing is a sport I would love to do more of but the cost (gas/time) to get to anything worthwhile is too much from Toronto. Until I move, I stick with my snowshoeing.

A guy on the other side of my office is a huge skier and sent me this video he made and the resort used. He shot it with a GoPro camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCLgFXwTbQ&hd=1

Not sure where the resort is out west, but it looks amazing to me.

Nice   

[rrocket]

  The first time I went there, I went with a gal I know from Castlegar.  5'1, 110lbs, and she loads PMGEAR BRO192's into my roof box.  Huh?  I think I'm out of my league!  I was!!  She ripped.

Can you translate that for those of us who are clueless?


BTW...can you do mountain sledding in all of these areas?

[rrocket]

@rrocket -
Short light girl with huuuuuge skis who kickd everyone's a$$ 

Ok...I got the short and light girl part...didn't know what all that jim-jazz was about tje skiis....

[johngenx]

@rrocket -
Short light girl with huuuuuge skis who kickd everyone's a$$ 

Yup.  Generally speaking, bigger skis are reserved for bigger people and those that can ski tremendously well.  A petit, light woman generally can't "drive" a big ski like that, and can ski pretty fast on a smaller ski.  If you see a small woman on super-fat, really long skis, she's either on the wrong gear, or is about to kick your ass.

I'm a light (155lbs) dude that is a "turny" skier, meaning I don't go super fast, but instead making lots of turns (which I find fun!) so I rock a 175-185cm long ski.  Bigger guys and guys that go into warp speed ski 185-195s.  A little girl on 192s is an eye opener.

As for snowmobiles, I rarely go anywhere sled-heads are allowed.  One aspect of backcountry skiing I love is the quiet and the lack of people.  Earning your turns means few people and wonderful untracked fresh snow.  Also, sled-heads are often ill-trained in avalanche hazard evaluation and can cause lots of problems, including avalanches.  A snowmobile exerts a great deal more force on the snowpack than a skier, and therefore is much more likely to trigger a slide.

My personal favourite place to ski is Banff and Jasper National Parks, high in the alpine, and on glaciers.  "Hero" powder snow is typically nothing short of amazing on steep glacier slopes.  Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately, as it keeps the crowds away) they're also far from the road (hours, perhaps more than a days travel) and usually in "Complex" terrain (the highest avalanche hazard).  There is also the issue of crevasses, so special training/gear is helpful for staying alive.  But, given some decent weather and solid snowpack, it's all worth it...  (The Bow Glacier in northern Banff)