Ski Weather - How To Avoid The Worst Of It
By Trevor Paetkau, Thu Dec 8th

Three days of sleet pellets bouncing off boilerplate and a wetwind that renders Goretex useless ... herein lies no joy. Andworse yet, if you're holed up at the Chateau Whistler shellingout hundreds a night, you're doubly irate and ready to give thewhole ski industry a swift kick in its over-priced, paddedrear-end.

So, what's the lesson? Stay away from the Chateau Whistler? Well... apart from the obvious; let me state the obvious. Whistler'spoorly kept secret is that, regardless of the time of year,skiers stand a better than average chance of encountering grayclouds, snow like cement and an evil penetrating dampness.Likewise, no-one should be surprised when their mid JanuaryLaurentian ski sojourn turns into an exercise in frost-biteavoidance.

The following advice is designed to slap you with what should beobvious, but because of our skier's ever optimistic hearts, isalmost always ignored. So listen up.

November Visit the coastal ranges. As of November 14,2005 Mount Baker had a 7 foot base. A little wet maybe, but whocares about a dose of Sierra Cement when thanksgiving is stilltwo weeks away. Avoid the east... Tremblant's mountain-camsshowed absolutely zero (nada) snow for the same date in spite oftheir promises of an early opening.

December / Christmas Season It's god awful dank and darkin the coastal ranges this time of year, and the joy of justbeing in the mountains again has worn off. By Christmas, thesnow pack in the Rockies should have filled in and its a wholelot drier at 10,000 feet than it is at 3,500. Any interior rangeis your best bet. Keep avoiding the east, the snow guns will beblasting you in the face, and its bound to be gray, icy andfrigid.

January / February

Has anyone truly, honestly liked in the middle of winter.There is no sun, the east and interior ranges are frigid, thecoastal ranges are dark and gloomy. That said, if you're goingto ski (and who isn't?) take your pick between light ortemperature ... Southern Colorado, the Monashees, and EasternRockies have more hours of sun per day than elsewhere, thecoastal ranges are warmer, and the east is ... well, the east isstill afflicted with bullet proof snow and windswept runs.

March

You're in business everywhere ... this is the time of yearskiing is at its best almost everywhere

... In the east, the sunwill actually bless you with some warmth, the snow pack is atits most filled in (you can finally ski those vaunted glades themarketing guys keep throwing at you in their brochures), and thedays have stretched out to light your way home from the bar. TheRockies still have light dry powder and will be as filled in asthey're going to get. As for the Coastal Ranges, if you get agood week you'll be in heaven ... top to bottom skiing, massivesnow pack, and as much sun as you can expect anytime of year.

Late March

It's a shame, but on many Eastern mountains the snow pack hasdeteriorated to the degree that anything interesting is eitherso bony a rider is risking life and limb, or its simply closed.There is lots of light however, and the sun is still putting inan extra effort without degrading the surface too much. TheRockies and Coastal ranges are still in top form.

Spring

Tuckerman, Tuckerman, Tuckerman ... here's where eastern ridersget to shove it in the face of all those Western hotshots ...there are core lines here that have more history than any otheron the continent, and by April enough snow has blown over thetop of Mount Washington to fill in what's going to get filledin, and the ski-out is still open... you haven't paid you'redues until you've paid them there.

That said, anyplace still open with a patio, cold beer and aslush puddle will do the trick ... spring afternoons at thebottom of a ski-hill, any ski-hill, are what adolescent memoriesare made of.

Late Spring / Summer

Back to the coastal range, my friends ... core skiers will stillrecall the year Mount Baker was open until the July 4th longweekend. Blackcomb Glacier and Mount Hood offer lift servicedskiing throughout the summer.

And that's that ... mountain sports are, by their nature,dependent upon the weather; a great day can be had on anymountain at anytime of the year and likewise; a horrible day canhit any mountain anytime ... no matter what decision is made,it's still serendipity that rules. Get outside.

About the author:In addition to his lifelong interest in the outdoors recreationcommunity, Trevor Paetkau is the proprietor of Moraine AdventureBooks, an independent source of Adventure Traveland OutdoorRecreation books, articles, advice and resources.