Edelweiss QC: Return to Easyweiss or Winter Fail – Jan 2, 11

Back to Square One or should I say Green Circle?

Local student is having a bad spell.
100% is the passing grade = average

Here are the last few monthly report cards from Environment Canada data:

So far this season starting in October: 39%
December 10: 41%
November 10: 9%

Last season: 59%
April 10: 38%
March 10: 0%
February 10: 87%
January 10: 59%
December 09: 100%
November 09: 17%

2008-2009 season: 96%
April 09: 40%
March 09: 8%
February 09: 33%
January 09: 146%
December 08: 149%
November 08: 117%

This student has seen 10 of it’s last 11 report cards over the last 2 years below average and often far below the passing grade. Ottawa is failing Winter severely. People in Canada’s capital have been talking about the economic deficit or the democratic deficit, but I’ve rarely heard any talk about the snow deficit. How much are we talking about? The accumulated snow debt In term of centimeters since February 2009, Ottawa is 222cm or close to one year worth of snow.

This year is also pretty pathetic as the numbers showed at the end of December a total of 32.8 in snow accumulation versus 83.2cm the norm. We are deviating from the norm. Then the thaw happened (7c and rain and a warm 36 hours), but with little snow on the ground, the snow is pretty much gone from the lawns. Ottawa never had more than 11cm on the ground at the airport.

Climate change? We’ll some of you know how passionate I’ve been about the subject dating as far back as 1986. I’m not going to get into that debate here and now…I just wanted to tell you about my frustration. I’ve used snow accumulation, I might as well used another indicator.

So, did I go skiing today?

Well I got up at 6am, not sure what was going to happen today. Initially the plan was to return skiing as a family, but when I saw the weather plus the return to coldest temps, I told my wife that the conditions weren’t worth the price of a lift ticket. I waited to check the online update on the Edelweiss website. Shortly before 8am, it was official, number of trails open was going to be 3, back pretty much to the same as the first weekend of the season (Chemin des bois, Easy Street and Trou du Diable).

It was also stated that the hill was going to open at 9am, instead of the regular 8:30am. The parking was virtually empty except for a few cars. Once at the hill, we found out that it was now a 10am as the mountain crew where grooming and pushing snow around. There was little snow at the bottom of the HSQ. There was no intermediate runs open, there wasn’t enough snow to do brushes. The coaches decided to get the snowblades out, get the kids centered and not risk damaging their skis.

Kids went out as one whole group at around 10:30. As a few parents went to the main lodge for a coffee and as the bar didn’t open at 11, I headed out. Four brutal runs. It was a frozen granular from Hell. I can live with consistent conditions, but today mixed was from frozen solid patches to sugary granular to minuscules death cookies where laying a clean edge was virtual impossible. In more ways than one, Edelweiss isn’t Mad River Glen, “I think the word for today is…Bar opens at 11“, Vermont, so the bar didn’t even open today.

The coverage was there on the open runs, however they lost a good chuck of snow. Zoomer skier’s left was pretty much on grass with a light dusting of snow. Kids went back out for a few runs after lunch and I started to get to skis and my bag to the car. There were little skiers around, the mountain decided to shutdown at 4pm.

This weather must be hurting, the last weekend of the Holidays and the hill was closed yesterday and had little paying customer on Sunday. It supposed to be below freezing all week, but I’m not sure where is the next time I’ll be skiing. Everything is up in the air right now. Training for the ski club Tuesday night? Unless there is full gates, it probably won’t happen. First Ottawa Masters race at Fortune Wednesday night? Don’t know how deep the snowpack was there before the New Year’s Thaw. My daughter’s first Slalom at Fortune on Saturday and GS at Mont Ste-Marie? Simply don’t know?

One word in closing: Protect our Winters.

To see the graph, links and the map of open terrain... Go to Ski Mad World's version.

Patrick,

Your report = yikes!

You need a cell phone or P&S or something. At least a blurry pic or two would suffice to go with the words (or am I just way too visuals oriented).

I can recall growing up and hiking for 200' vert patches of man made stuff, in the rain, at holiday race camps at Greek Peak. It does happen back east. Perhaps more frequently now?

I believe my parents told me at the time that 'it builds character' :lol:



:worthless:

EMSC":grktsgbi said:

I believe my parents told me at the time that 'it builds character' :lol:

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I guess the bar was open and they didn't bother skiing. :lol: My daughter pretty much skied on snowblades all day, but the timing for the conditions was the worst ever, but I was expecting it. Rain thaw followed by freezing temps. Surfaces should have been better today.

EMSC":grktsgbi said:

I can recall growing up and hiking for 200' vert patches of man made stuff

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Here it sucked on 200 meters vert. :mrgreen:

EMSC":grktsgbi said:

It does happen back east. Perhaps more frequently now?

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Surfaces were pretty good until 2011. Definitely less icy than Loveland or A-Basin on my October trip. Mind you, Edelweiss would seem to be having issues on snowmaking, thus the limited open stuff.

EMSC":grktsgbi said:

You need a cell phone or P&S or something. At least a blurry pic or two would suffice to go with the words (or am I just way too visuals oriented).

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What, you don't like my graph and map. :lol: Ah, kids today. :mrgreen: Daughter has a cellphone that can take pics, but I didn't really care about taking the time. I believe I have a few pictures from Edelweiss that I'll post eventually. I need to keep some punch of my next posts. :lol:

Note that Patrick conveniently chooses to stop his snowfall data set before he gets to 2007-08. :stir:
If we're going to start tossing anecdotes about, we might start with Great Britain's coldest and snowiest December in 100 years. Most readers here know that the western ski season over a very wide geographic area is off to a spectacular start, with 25 out of 45 areas I track being over 150% of normal snowfall and only 4 being below average. Joe Bastardi is crowing about how he made the call ~9 months ago about PDO, NAO etc. shifting into their cold phases similar to 1940-1970. He believes that by 2030 temps will be back to where they were in the 1970's. In the case of both Patrick and Joe Bastardi a few months do not prove anything. But it will worth to watch the next few years and see the rationalizations put forth by whoever misses the mark widest with these predictions.

I do feel Patrick's pain in terms of quality of skiing. It does appear that Edelweiss has some management issues in addition to the challenging weather. Are there other daytrip areas that are run more competently? Do any of those have programs that Morgane could use?

Tony Crocker":384g7kvp said:

Note that Patrick conveniently chooses to stop his snowfall data set before he gets to 2007-08. :stir:

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I did put the entire 2008-09 season. What would be the purpose of posting all the numbers? Just demonstrating that Ottawa has been cheated out of Winter (well Winter for us). It's snowing today, but nothing to make up for the huge snowdebt. Montreal's numbers are much better I would suspect.

Tony Crocker":384g7kvp said:

If we're going to start tossing anecdotes about

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You are reading things that I didn't say.

Never said that this one dry spent = proof of climat change. [-X

I had fun compling all the snow data for Ottawa since I moved here. Regarding of the almost snow record year in 2007-08, temps that Winter and most Winter, Fall, Spring Summer and generally above average. I don't have to start a debate of climat change here, we'll never agree on it anyways, but one of the things that was talked about was a possible increased precipitations in BOTH forms (mentioned it when I was studying geography in university and knew people going graduate studies in the climatology). I'll let the climatologist speak and analyse the data.

Tony Crocker":384g7kvp said:

I do feel Patrick's pain in terms of quality of skiing. It does appear that Edelweiss has some management issues in addition to the challenging weather. Are there other daytrip areas that are run more competently? Do any of those have programs that Morgane could use?

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It's hard to tell without going on a regular basis. Jasoncapecod went to Massif du Sud over the Holidays and had a great time, however I'll heard many dissatisfaction on Zski about the state of the infrastructures.

Although I'm not a fan of MSSI, this is a quick run-down analysis of the local places (numbers of the top of my head):

Edelweiss: cheapest pass (by a good margin), one of the best terrains (when it's open). A full 200m vert.
Cascades: only one real good run, I would be bored spending too many days here. (160m). Skied there a few times when Tara was 6 (free skiing until 7)
Vorlage: flat hill. great for beginner, but it would be worst than Cascades in term of ski experience for myself (140m vert). Free skiing until 7 also and Morgane had 2 years of lessons there.
Camp Fortune: closer hill, busiest also. Biggest race program around. Long run are limited to the Skyline side (189m). Half of the run near the Main Lodge are 100m in vert.

All these areas are within 20-40 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Then there is the race club. Morgane knows the people and has friends there. The prez competes against me when he's not injured. The group of the club is more friendly and less competative (that what I've been told).

Further out? There is Parkenham = beginner hill par excellence. (80m at 45min away)
Calabogie (230m) and Mont Ste-Marie (380m): 95km away (1+ hour). Calabogie seem to be going things right this year. Of all the locals, it would be my favorite in term of terrain, but a bit far. The close 4 + Pakenham also have night skiing.

So yeah, I trying to look one the bright side. I'm getting out more often (days, vert= probably not?) and practicing my technique with slalom skis. Heard that the Masters' race is happening for tomorrow night at Fortune, so my next few days are going to be elsewhere.

just so you don't think you are alone, IMHO, the last 4 out of 5 years in new england have been nothing short of an epic fail....I 've pretty much been out of the game for the last 2 seasons ... somewhat because of this and mental exhaustion it brought chasing the snow here in the simply pathetic northeast, but more so because of life changes.... but it will always be in my heart and soul....it's just really eye opening when reading , year after year , about places like mammoth and whistler ...the northeast is a best bush league when it comes to skiing..

Hey Joe, it's been a while. Hope all is well.

Edelweiss is far from the prime of the East, however it's close to home and my daughter wants to try to race, the damn racer that you hate so much. Don't worry, she also loved MRG bumps and Mammoth July skiing. She's an all-round skier and is having a good time regardless. It's just her dad that sometimes longs for the Prime East Stuff. It is out there Joe.

But like I've always said, it's the variety that is important. Bumps, powder, ice, gates, corn, glades, alpine...it's all good. Too much of one thing and you lose certain skill. If you don't bother skiing like the day I had last Sunday, you can fully appreciate days like today.

Hey Joe , I hear ya and couldn't agree more as also mentally exhausted chasing snow but still won't give up . Always hope that a powder day ( or even tracked up powder ) is just over the horizon ( somewhere) coming in on the next storm . Just can't get worked up by skiing the FG groomers covered in artificial . My oldest kid , ( studying science ) advises me don't be so negative and to get used to it as more and more this is all that there will be. Anyway guys don't give up the dream .