It may still be early in the ski and snowboard season at the region's massive Whistler Blackcomb resort, but don’t tell that to Mother Nature. With over 362cm (142.5 inches) of snow so far this month Whistler Blackcomb has more than doubled its average November snowfall of 148cm (58 inches). With almost two weeks left in the month, as well as over 100cm (40 inches) in the forecast for the next five days, Whistler Blackcomb is well on its way to the possibility of breaking its record for snowfall in the month of November, which stands at 416cm (164 inches).
The heavy snowfall does, however, pose challenges for the operations crews opening the high alpine. With the current blizzard-like conditions crews have not yet been able to access this area of the mountain. Once they do, however, they'll be busy performing avalanche control, marking hazarads and placing signage before the terrain can open.
With all this new snow, operations crews are hard at work getting ready to open Creekside Gondola and Garbanzo Express in anticipation of the coming weekend. On Saturday, in addition to the Whistler Village Gondola, guests will be able to upload and download Whistler Mountain via the Creekside Gondola with access to Red Chair, Emerald Express, Franz’s and Garbanzo Chair.
“I’ve skied here for over 15 years and I’ve never seen this much snow so early in a season, it seems like every day’s snowfall is topping the last,” says Stephen Butt, Communications Coordinator and voice of the snow phone for Whistler Blackcomb. “We have already received one third of our average annual snowfall for the entire season and it’s only four days into the season, it’s unbelievable!”
