jasoncapecod
Well-known member
I’m going to wait til Jan before buying airfare to Spokane.
Schweitzer, ID: 03/03/21
- Thread starter jamesdeluxe
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ChrisC
Well-known member
What did you ask the Gen AI Agent: Tell me why I should avoid Schweitzer due to inconsistent snow? I want more information about Cascade Concrete and Selkirk Slush? What are the reasons to ski in Colorado versus the Northwest? Tell me about bad snow seasons in the Northwest.
In my view, the response was overly pessimistic and likely generated by a negative user prompt versus an unbiased analysis.
Also, Schweitzer is not a weak snowfall resort. If it is having a poor season, almost all its neighboring resorts will likely also have a bad season. The only exception to this rule might be a high snow level storm, which could allow some mountains, such as Whitewater, Castle, or upper Whitefish, to remain untouched due to their elevation.
Overall, my experience is that the Interior Northwest (defined as Interior BC (excluding Whistler), Interior OR/WA, Northern Idaho, and NW Montana) is very reliable. Additionally, since the snow is a bit heavier than Colorado fluff but not as heavy as coastal snow, it's relatively easy to open the majority of the mountain with around a 50-inch snow base. (I have seen Crystal Mountain, WA, open its premier expert terrain/sidecountry of Silver Queen/Powder Bowl/Campbell Basin/Silver King, ….all of which were open in mid-December on a 40-45 inch base.) Rain is not that common mid-winter, either.
The snow will stick to most features; most of the CO/UT snow does not, so I find fewer 'sharks' or chutes scraped down to rocks the majority of the season. I rarely need base repairs while skiing in CA/OR/WA/BC during the season. This is not the case in Jackson, Telluride, Aspen, Silverton, or Crested Butte.
In short, I believe you can book most NorthWest ski resorts ahead of time. For Winter 2022, we booked lodging at Airbnb Revelstoke, Nelson, and Rossland by August 1, 2021 - primarily due to heli/cat skiing reservations, but also for local skiing.
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Yes, the disaster region of 2005 and 2015 was very extensive.
I would suspect you will know enough by mid-December.
I would be as comfortable booking Interior NW right now for January or February as I would booking Colorado for February or March.
The highest risk of these areas is rain, which like powder you cannot predict until 3-5 days ahead. But it's not like Northeast rain incidence, and the increased upside of abundant and not so competitive powder is more than an offset for the rarer downside of rain.
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For me, I have been finding that plane tickets that provide some flexibility are only slightly more expensive, car rentals can always be cancelled as well. Therefore, I have been booking earlier knowing that I can change if needed.
jimk
Well-known member
Not an expert on Schweitzer obviously since I've only been there one week last March. The top elev is only 6400' so from what I hear spring comes sort of early, esp compared to CO or UT. February should provide excellent chances for optimal conditions. And while the mtn is gaining popularity, it's still not crazy crowded from my experience so reserving lodging closer to travel date shouldn't be a problem.
ChrisC
Well-known member
I generally found skiing in the Northwest to be better in low daylight in December than in March, due to the cold, less sun, and heavier snowfall. Winter is definitely primetime from December to early March.
Spring really starts to deteriorate Northwest conditions - often due to elevation and exposure (less north-facing terrain).
I would not book March and expect light powder. Additionally, I found that most March storms have snow levels that approach resort base elevations, especially in the Coastal Mountains.
Too often in the US, we see everything through the lens of Colorado, since that is what is marketed: Sun, light powder, dry snow, wide, tree-lined runs, low humidity,high-elevation mountain towns, excellent March conditions…and it’s un-marketed slow snow accumulation, favoring mid/late season skiing.
It’s like Europe, where the lower altitude valleys <1500 meters start to melt out.
Additionally, if someone dislikes Whistler, I would not recommend other interior Northwest resorts. I would say 20-50% of skiers/friends who have skied Whistler would not return. It's too wet, drizzly, cloudy, vertigo-inducing, requires following piste markers, crowded runouts, etc. They are biased to sunshine and powdery snow. They do not want to use proper sections of a 5200 vertical foot mountain, and instead have uniform conditions on a 2500 vertical foot mountain in Colorado.
Spring really starts to deteriorate Northwest conditions - often due to elevation and exposure (less north-facing terrain).
I would not book March and expect light powder. Additionally, I found that most March storms have snow levels that approach resort base elevations, especially in the Coastal Mountains.
Too often in the US, we see everything through the lens of Colorado, since that is what is marketed: Sun, light powder, dry snow, wide, tree-lined runs, low humidity,high-elevation mountain towns, excellent March conditions…and it’s un-marketed slow snow accumulation, favoring mid/late season skiing.
It’s like Europe, where the lower altitude valleys <1500 meters start to melt out.
Additionally, if someone dislikes Whistler, I would not recommend other interior Northwest resorts. I would say 20-50% of skiers/friends who have skied Whistler would not return. It's too wet, drizzly, cloudy, vertigo-inducing, requires following piste markers, crowded runouts, etc. They are biased to sunshine and powdery snow. They do not want to use proper sections of a 5200 vertical foot mountain, and instead have uniform conditions on a 2500 vertical foot mountain in Colorado.
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I asked Jason's question: "I plan to ski Schweitzer Mountain during mid-February and want to know if it's OK to book flights now or should I wait until January to make sure that there's a decent base?"
+10 Mammoth has a similar profile of March being the most reliable month. So when I started taking out-of-state trips in the 1980's, some of them were in March with minimal concern on my part. LCC 1981 and Sun Valley 1983 were fine; then I got a rude surprise at Jackson in 1986.
Yes. Unlike most casual North American skiers, the Euros understand this because altitude and exposures are so drastically variable in the Alps. Americans who take one destination trip a year to Colorado do not. The majority of Colorado areas have outlier excellent snow preservation.
The data does not support this assertion. February and March have the lowest rain incidence anywhere I have data in WA, OR, CA.
Yes, I view Whistler as two excellent 3,000 vertical mountains. The lower 2,000 is icing on the cake if it's any good, exactly like numerous areas in the Alps.
People who have skied with me know I resist wearing goggles unless absolutely necessary. But I wear them at Whistler about 3/4 of the time. It helps that I handle flat light better than most skiers, an attribute that might decay with age at some point.
ChrisC
Well-known member
I didn't mean it rains that much at the base, but most often the 'cold' storms are done for the season by March1-15th or so. Using Washington State as an example, you will not find sea level to 1000 ft snowlines (very cold) or 1000 ft to 2000 ft (decent-quality snow). By that point, you are lucky if the storms roll in with a 3000 ft Snoqualmie Pass snowline, but often they will come in warmer with 3000-4000 ft snowlines (below Stevens Pass), or 4500 ft snowlines further south at Crystal (which has no pass to pull cooler air into storms).
Generally, by March, the snow quality at Washington State Cascade Mountain resorts has deteriorated. Might be OK at Mission Ridge. Whistler is still good on the top 2000 ft in the bowls for most March storms.
I would be hesitant to recommend the Alps to someone who really did not like their Whistler experience. While not as cloudy and grey, and more sunny like Colorado, there can be poor conditions in the valleys, crowded pistes/runs down low, and possibly no-ski storm days with lift closures.
I like goggles for trees - keeps branches out of my face and eyes.
Giro used to make a Nine model helmet with a visor. I loved it for smacking tree branches away from me.
The data is in the form of total water to total snow, which accounts for both rain and high vs. low water content snow.
Most of that is due to mediocre altitude/exposure. Higher water content snow is also more sensitive to melt/freeze.
Yes because that altitude is excellent in context of latitude, just like Bachelor and Mammoth. Fresh powder is usually better at Whistler because the snow is usually wind-hammered at Bachelor and Mammoth.
It is unfortunate that I could not find any Interior Northwest sites to get those total water to total snow numbers. Subjectively I'd say Schweitzer powder is overall like upper Whistler, usually better (lighter) than most places in WA, OR, CA.