Lake Louise update again

The cold snap finally snapped and some decent temperatures out there took me up to the Lake. Up top and over the back into blind man's skiing. The light was almost good enough to be functional but really wasn't. Snow felt good with some soft over top of the warming base. Coming up Paradise the bowl looks real good, flat and covered except for the usual breakovers. ER 3 needs a lot of snow yet but Swedes looks to have filled back in quite well. Standard hole in the clouds lets you see on 3-4 shoulder and crow bowl. Nice snow with some wind load and pretty flat underneath. Decent coverage just a bit of work for not that much skiing. Skied off Grizzly Bowl from Olympic top mostly. Nice snow, good coverage even into the bowl and to the lift was clean.

Nothing real unusual in this season for an el Nino year. Warm Fall, limited snow early season, lots of warm and precip in the interior, Lower Mainland BC getting snowfalls that don't make it to Whistler. Pretty typical for the southern mountains to get hammered with big dumps and then moving on to monsoons in Cali complete with mudslides while the east coast has ridiculous warm weather. Seen it all before and it goes like this with the el Nino. It's what is going go happen next that is important up here.
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IT STARTS TO PUKE ON US UP HERE!!! IT'S OUR TURN, WE'RE READY, THE MOUNTAINS ARE READY, I'M READY!!


FUCKING BRRRIIIIINNNGGG IIIITTTTT!!!!!

If you hit the lake again this week head over to whitehorn 2 B gully/C fan. It is bogus at the top so scoot along the 1/2 fenceline and then cut back to the left once you clear the obvious rocks. It was boottop in places and a lot of fun especially once you were in the bottom half.

Shoulder-roll was ok but I second the vote for crow/soul/east bowl.

They are talking about opening some of the ER3 area in the next week or so.

I wish it would snow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oarhead

I wish it would snow.

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IT WILL!!!! And soon.

I might have explored stuff like that today except I couldn't see it. Soon there'll be enough snow you won't need to see it.

Oh like last night. 14cms on the report, much more blown in as per usual. Little heavier snow than usual so it will be good stick to your ribs or the rocks material. Decent light today pretty much all day. Took the high line into the heart which no one else had, blown in nicely and pretty deep. Came back up and no one else had noticed so I had to go do it again.

Oarhead you'll like this. About 50 people standing waiting for the gate to drop at Boomerang. Heard the call came through to open but the patrol was taking his sweet time walking slow and chatting on the way to dropping the gate. Really making a point of building the anticipation. Drops it, we're gone but heard from another patrol later that one guy dropped straight down C gully when the Boomerang gate opened. Full on dumbass and they had barely finished control work there and decided it wouldn't be opening.

Calling for up to 30 cms more tonight. Refer to large print statement a couple of posts above.

Yep it was prety sweet out there today, especially in the trees. Where did you hear about the possible 30 cm tonight. Every report I've seen is just talking flurries. Man, I hope you're right. Pay back for -40C here we come. :biggrin:

One of the patrol at the Lake. Some weather sites I've seen show precip but don't give accum estimates. I assume he was on top of it.

Keep your fingers crossed. And I thought it was pretty good today.....

Give us a report on today's conditions, once you get back.

I'm hoping the rain stayed below the base today. It sounds like the wet stuff has now gone up high at Kicking Horse. Praying that LL and SSV will dodge the bullet. (You don't want to see the web cam at Fernie's base.)

Only problem is getting anywhere. Freezing rain on the highways today. AMA road reports this morning had the TransCanada closed between Castle junction and Louise (is that correct?), and then closed from Louise west to Golden. Also 93 south closed to Radium and 95 north to Golden.

I didn't go. It's 5 degrees in town and wet and socked in like hell. The hills here all cheaped out on weather this year and just direct you to Banff weather and forecast. If I wanted that I'd look out my frickin' window!! Hard to see what's going on higher but no snow on trees right up on Norquay. Should cool tonight. Hopefully high stayed wet snow.

I heard Castle west not recommended. I just head to the 1A then and go up that way. It'll be snotty but consistent and lacking rental morons. Sunshine road was closed and I'm sure either kicking horse pass or the canyon or both would also be closed.

I'll let you know if I hear more.

Thanks for the update, L7. I just read Idris's post in the main forum about Sunshine today.

Whistler alpine forecast has their freezing level dropping from above 2300m down to 1500 tonight, so a cooler flow could be on the way. Enviro Can says snow above 1500m for Banff. Some colder weather arriving before the precip stops here would be ideal.

(Because, as you said, it's our turn damnit!)

Was at the Lake today. Once you survived the drive the skiing was pretty sweet. It was pretty much raining at the base, but by the time you got to the top of Glacier it was snowing. By the time you got to the top, it was actually decent snow. It was pretty heavy, but knee deep in places. Even though it was heavy, it skied pretty well. I was expecting a lot worse when I saw the base. It was getting pretty chopped up by later in the day. Could be interesting tomorrow if it gets cold tonight. All that heavy shit refrozen will be hell. The roads will also be hell tomorrow if it gets cold. They were actually better in the morning than afternoon. Good news is they are calling for another 15cm above 1500m. Keep your fingers crossed!