Pow!!! Finally. And the last week has been pretty awesome on the hill. And while it’s been a little slow getting things open of late, the patrollers out there are doing things right and we are a patient bunch. The Hazard right now as per the CAA and Whistler Blackcomb for the Whistler backcountry and surrounding area, including the Duffy Lake road, is: Considerable.
So what does that mean? I could quote the CAA’s definition but it’s fairly dry (see below). In layman’s term, it means there are big slabs sitting on deep instabilities out there and you can’t take the snowpack for granted. And starting today we’re into another series of wet poopers coming out of the South Pacific that are going to load things even more.
In the meantime, be F$&KING CAREFUL. While the hazard is considerable, the snowpack is complex and requires a ninja skillset to handle it. This is not the time to go send it all over the place because the word CONSIDERABLE doesn’t feel scary. Respect the mountain environment and maybe just ski the hill for the next few days, or at least until this next cycle comes through. It’s not like our choice of ski hills is bad. We kind of have the pick of the crop here.
And for all you snowmobilers out there, take stock of what’s out there and understand a 600lb machine with a 200 pound sledder on it is a BIG trigger. Bigger than a lone skier. Maybe spend the next little while in mellow terrain playing in the flats. Last time I checked you didn’t need to highmark or hillclimb to have fun on a machine that has a throttle.
Whatever you do, be safe, don’t be afraid to back off and ski hard
