Canada Ski Blog

Canada-Ski news, views and travel specials on resorts in the Canadian Rockies and Western Canada.

Head to BANFF NATIONAL PARK today for a great POWDER DAY!

In the last 24 hours, Sunshine Village received 25cm, Banff Norquay 20+cm and  Lake Louise 13cm. These ski resorts are all included in your Tri-Area Ski Lift Pass.

The following ski resorts also received some fresh:

Panorama 11cm, Kicking Horse 10cm, Fernie 7cm, Jasper Marmot Basin 5cm, Whistler Blackcomb 4cm, Nakiska 4cm

- Whistler Blackcomb’s season is now it’s SECOND snowiest in history!

- Kimberley Alpine Ski Resort is now CLOSED for winter operations.

Spring Fiesta
Date: April 10 and 11, 2010

Say adios to the 2009/2010 Winter Season with cervezas in the Beer Gardens all afternoon and rock out to the Juno Nominated band TEN SECOND EPIC. CJAY 92 will be hosting the day and giving out awesome Kokanee Prizing! Bring your friends for one last run for the year.

Nakiska is set to close on Sunday, April 11, 2010. However, they have recently announced a “bonus weekend” on Saturday, April 17, 2010 :

BONUS WEEKEND & Bermuda Shorts Day (BSD) Hangover Party

The day after University of Calgary‘s famous BSD Party, you can cure your hangover at Nakiska Ski Resort. Great spring skiing, fun games, and music. What a great way to end the school year and ski season!

Smith Optics Big Mountain Challenge (7th Annual)

Where: Lake Louise Ski Area

When: April 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 – 2010 :

Lake Louise ski resort shows off its epic Powder Bowls for its annual Big Mountain Challenge. Competitors from all across North America are expected to participate in the multi-day freeskiing event.

Cost: $100 +GST (lift ticket not included) or  $200 +GST (includes 5-day lift ticket)

Please note that Sunshine  Village, Banff has now extended it’s lift hours for spring skiing and riding!  Lifts times have been extended to run until 4:30pm (Jackrabbit 5pm) until season close (May 24 2010).

Also, the double black diamond Wild West run opens at noon today (MST) – in just half-an-hour – indicating the snow conditions are excellent! They received another 5cm of fresh snow in the last 24 hours.

We may have had a slighter milder El Niño winter this year in Western Canada (as confirmed by Environment Canada) but the snow has kept coming this spring.

Over the  last 48 hours alone, Whistler Blackcomb has received the most snow out of our featured ski resorts in Western Canada: 36cm (14.2in) and Fernie has received 21cm (8.3in).
Fresh snow has also hit some of the other ski resorts in Western Canada over the last 48 hours: Sunshine Village 11cm, Kicking Horse 6cm, Panorama 5cm, Kimberley 4cm, Lake Louise 3cm and Nakiska 3cm to name a few.
Happy Easter to you all!

PHENOMENAL SPRING SNOW AND GUEST INPUT PROMPTS WHISTLER BLACKCOMB TO REVISE SPRING CLOSING DATES

Spring skiing/riding continues to April 25 2010 on Whistler Mountain and May 24 2010 on Blackcomb Mountain

Whistler Blackcomb has announced the decision to extend skiing and riding on Whistler Mountain by one week. Whistler Mountain’s last day of operations will be Sunday, April 25 2010 while Blackcomb Mountain’s last day of operations will be Monday, May 24 2010.
“With over 1,353 centimetres (533 inches) of snow so far this season and a current snow base of 363 centimetres (143 inches), this incredible season is far from over,” says Dave Brownlie, president and chief operating officer at Whistler Blackcomb. “The great snow was a key factor in deciding to keep Whistler Mountain open an additional week, but guest feedback about Whistler Mountain closing during the second week of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival played a big role in the decision as well. We listened to the feedback, then reviewed and revised the required lift maintenance schedule, allowing us to extend Whistler Mountain’s winter operations by one week.”
The last day of operations for the Creekside Gondola and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will remain as scheduled on Sunday, April 18 when regular lift maintenance must begin. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park will open May 15 via Fitzsimmons Express (weather permitting). Whistler Mountain, along with the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, will reopen for summer sightseeing for the Memorial Day long weekend, starting Saturday, May 29.
Spring Skiing and Riding
- Whistler Mountain is open for skiing and riding through Sunday, April 25, 2010 via the Whistler Village Gondola.
- Blackcomb Mountain is open for skiing and riding through Monday, May 24, 2010.
PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola
- The last day of operations for the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will be Sunday, April 18 to allow for regular lift maintenance prior to re-opening for summer sightseeing.
- The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will re-open for the Victoria Day long weekend, May 22 – 24, and accessible via the Wizard Express and Solar Coaster Chairs on Blackcomb Mountain.
- The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will re-open for daily summer sightseeing on Saturday, May 29, accessed via the Whistler Village Gondola.
Creekside Gondola
- The last day of operations will be Sunday, April 18. Access to Whistler Mountain will be via the Whistler Village Gondola only from Monday, April 19 through Sunday, April 25.
Whistler Mountain Bike Park
- The Whistler Mountain Bike Park will kick off operations on Saturday, May 15 (weather permitting) via the Fitzsimmons Express.
Summer Sightseeing
- Whistler Mountain and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will be open daily for summer sightseeing starting Saturday, May 29 (Memorial Day Weekend).
- Skiing/riding will not be available on either mountain during the Memorial Day long weekend.
Summer Glacier Skiing
- The summer glacier ski season will kick off on Blackcomb Mountain, Saturday, June 19.
For up-to-the-minute information on current weather and snow conditions at Whistler Blackcomb visit Ski Holidays Canada – Whistler

Source: Whistler Blackcomb

Freewheel Battle of the Boards is happening this weekend, March 28th, at Jasper Marmot Basin!

The Skier/Boardercross event starts at 12 pm on Punchbowl.

Registration will take place at Marmot Basin and Freewheel starting at 8 am on Sunday March 28th. The event will feature a banked dual slalom followed by a mini rail jam in Terrain Park located on Lower Lift Line at 3 pm.

Good luck to all participants!

Jasper Marmot Basin is thrilled to have five time World Champion of mogul skiing, Jennifer Heil, visit on April 3rd 2010. You can meet Jenn at the Paradise Chalet…
Jennifer Heil - Olympic Medalist
Get an autographed photo and go for a run with our Canadian Olympic hero!

The Olympic Silver medalist was the first Olympian to win a medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. She was the gold medalist in Turin in 2006 and has just won her 5th World Championship in freestyle mogul skiing.

There is some time to book your Jasper Ski Holiday and see Jenn at Jasper Marmot Basin!

We are glad to let you know that we successfully moved this Canada Ski Blog to a new blogging service provider. We were down for about an hour so sorry if you couldn’t find us during this time!

WHISTLER RECEIVES 53 CENTIMETRES (21 INCHES) OF SNOW AND COUNTING, BRINGING TOTAL SNOWFALL TO OVER 12 METRES (39 FEET) SO FAR THIS SEASON

On track to be third snowiest winter on record, and 3.3 metre (11 feet) base signals return to “deep winter” at Whistler Blackcomb

WHISTLER, BC, March 12, 2010 – Whistler Blackcomb is currently experiencing deep winter conditions with the latest system bringing 53 centimetres (21 inches) of snow to the area. This brings the total snowfall count for the season to 12 metres (39 feet), putting this winter on track to be the third snowiest on record.

“What a great way to kick off the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games with a winter wonderland village and snowy mountains for all the Paralympic athletes and visitors to experience,” says Stuart Rempel, Whistler Blackcomb’s Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales. “The snow conditions are absolutely incredible right now, and there is a palpable excitement in the resort as we return to our role as world-host during the Paralympics. With more than two months left in our season, and great post-Games deals to be had, there’s no shortage of time and reasons to head to Whistler Blackcomb.”

Whistler Resort will be alive with the excitement of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games through March 22. Free concerts will take place daily in the Village as part of Whistler Live! and tickets are still available for many of the Paralympic events, starting at just $15 per ticket. Each night, Whistler Medals Plaza will light up Whistler again for the medal presentations followed by a concert. Admission is free and gates open at 5:30pm.

The Environment Canada forecast is calling for another 20 to 35 centimetres (8 to 14 inches) through tonight, followed by another frontal system early next week bringing up to 45 centimetres (18 inches) through Tuesday.

With all this new snow, the backcountry avalanche advisory is currently considerable to high. It is recommended that on-mountain guests remain inside the ski area boundary and be aware of the risks and requirements associated with backcountry travel.

Skiing and riding is available at Whistler Blackcomb to May 24. Great accommodation deals and packages are always available.

Visit Ski Holidays Canada for the latest deals.
Rss Feed Tweeter button Facebook button Technorati button Reddit button Myspace button Linkedin button Webonews button Delicious button Digg button Flickr button Stumbleupon button Newsvine button Youtube button