Moderator: Tony Crocker
egieszl wrote:It's not uncommon at that time of year to have rain on the lower slopes and snow on the upper slopes.
sbooker wrote:@egieszl - I find the drive from LA to Mammoth to be both easy and beautiful. I'm not getting the inconvenience bit that you feel?
tseeb wrote: Whistler [is] a more 'cosmopolitan' experience.
Mammoth may not have enough to keep you going, both on and off the mountain for a week, although that time of year June Mountain should also be open.
You could consider flying into Reno and skiing a couple of days at Tahoe, depending on how season progresses.
Tony Crocker wrote:Mammoth's lower half of vertical will preserve snow better than lower terrain at Whistler.
As for upper terrain, Whistler and Blackcomb are like having two Mammoths. Snow quality on the upper 2,000 of Whistler preserves at least as well as Mammoth, but the vast majority of that terrain is advanced/expert. Your wife will be able to experience some of that: the Blackcomb Glacier, Seventh Heaven, Harmony/Symphony. So given what you say about her tolerance/independence, I vote for Whistler while the Canadian $ is still somewhat of a deal. And it sounds like your daughter might be ready for an Extremely Canadian clinic.
egieszl wrote:If your trip requires air travel then you should go elsewhere.... [A]ccess is a huge issue and the drive a major inconvenience. The exception to the above is if you want to ski late season like May or June.
Anyone considering Mammoth should be aware of the fact that it can be very crowded on weekends.
Where Mammoth really shines is in late season. The mountain historically gets a lot of snow and holds the snow very well. If your spring break were to fall in late-April Mammoth is an excellent choice because of the amount of terrain that will be open and the quality of the snow for that late in the season.
The town however leaves a lot to be desired.
Whistler-Blackcomb ... gets a bit crowded, but not Mammoth weekend crowded. The mountain offers signficantly more terrain versus Mammoth with great variety, exceptional vertical, and long runs. The lift network makes Mammoth's outstanding network look mediocre.
The only downside to Whistler-Blackcomb is the snow conditions. It's not uncommon at that time of year to have rain on the lower slopes and snow on the upper slopes.
Tony Crocker wrote:egieszl wrote:It's not uncommon at that time of year to have rain on the lower slopes and snow on the upper slopes.
West Coast rain incidence is not what many people think. Lowest rain incidence is February/March. Highest is November, then December. January and April are in between. I have 30 years of daily data from the Central Sierra Snow Lab on this, and Larry Schick says it's the same in the PNW. Nearly all of the destructive Pineapple Express events in the PNW with very high rain/snow line have occurred in the first half of the season.
Sbooker wrote:Interesting comments above.
I agree that Whistler is a bit more 'resorty' than Mammoth - but then again I see that as somewhat of a negative. I like the 'real' feel of Mammoth.
We've also had a great time at Alta/Snowbird at the end of March. Both times we've scored powder days and the snow was largely winter snow (not melt/freeze). I would think it would have to be a consideration too.
flyover wrote:I've been concerned that Mammoth might not have enough skiing to keep us happy for a week
flyover wrote:I've wondered about June. Not many FTO TRs. How's the skiing there in April?
flyover wrote:At what point in the spring do the weekend crowds start to thin at Mammoth?
flyover wrote:That is reassuring, although even without rain, I'm assuming we would spend almost all of our time on an April trip to Whistler skiing the upper half of the vertical.
tseeb wrote:You may want to consider Epic Local Pass...
Tony Crocker wrote:Liz and I were at Whistler during your timeframe April 2-6 during the very lean 2014-15 season. The lower mountain was completely burned off and had to be downloaded, yet skiing was still good in the alpine.
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... hp?t=11789" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... hp?t=11790" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Return to Western North America
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests