You can turn this into a parlour game, seeing how the way you formulate a question will generate a positive or negative reply. For example, when I name-checked Tony in a neutral way, the reply came off as relatively balanced.
Question: If I recall correctly, ski-resort snowfall expert Tony Crocker has also written about Schweitzer. Can you provide anything he's posted that will confirm or disprove my impression?
ChatGPT said:
I dug around and found a few places where
Tony Crocker (of
Bestsnow.net and ski‑snowfall analysis) has commented on or related to Schweitzer (or nearby resorts). But I did
not locate a definitive, long‑form deep dive by him just on Schweitzer — most commentary is more passing or comparative. Here’s what I found, and what it suggests.
1. Forum exchange / comment about rain risks and exposure
In a forum thread, someone asked Tony about whether rain is a concern at Schweitzer, and he replied:
“Rain incidence (except Whitewater) is as much as North Tahoe. 5,000 feet in the Kootenays is like 8,000 at Tahoe; rain is rare above that elevation and occasional below it. 5,000 is halfway up Fernie, Red and Schweitzer … While I did get nailed by the mother of all rain events in January 2005 … it’s not that common … But midwinter snow preservation on sunny days is much better, thus the recommendation.”
First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine
● What that suggests: Tony views Schweitzer’s elevation as moderately protective from rain, especially in midwinter, but acknowledges that lower parts could occasionally be vulnerable.
2. Forum quoting Tony’s observations of conditions at Schweitzer
In a discussion of conditions at Schweitzer in March 2021, a user quotes Tony as saying:
“My impression this week was the opposite. Sometimes the south facing didn't hit prime corn mode until noon or even later, so best to ski north facing winter snow early in the day.”
First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine
That is not a snowfall‐analysis quote per se, but is an on‑the‑ground snow condition comment, reflecting that south slopes warmed earlier or softened later, consistent with differential solar exposure.
3. Tony’s “Your Guide to Snowfall / Bestsnow.net” overview
While I didn’t find a Schweitzer‑specific report, Tony’s site (Bestsnow.net) is his main repository of snowfall data and statistics for many resorts. He includes charts and metrics like “days of 6+ in” and statistical likelihoods, and invites users to look up particular resorts there.
Best Snow However, I did
not find a detailed writeup on Schweitzer in the publicly indexed pages that clearly stands out in the search results.
4. “Who got the most snow in North America?” pieces
In Tony’s guest pieces (e.g. “Who got the most snow in North America in 2019‑20”), he discusses broader regional snowfall patterns and how particular zones performed. While he doesn’t single out Schweitzer in that article, the methodology underlying those reports is the same kind of statistical approach that would include Schweitzer in his dataset.
Weather to Ski
Interpretation: does Tony’s commentary support your impression?
Putting together what I found, here’s how Tony’s views align with or nuance your impression that Schweitzer receives solid snowfall and has good terrain:
- His rain comment suggests he believes Schweitzer (especially its higher elevations) is sufficiently cold to avoid frequent rain, which is consistent with a favorable snow retention environment.
- His condition observations (south vs north slope behavior) imply that snow quality (corn, melt/freeze cycles) does matter there, especially later or in warmer times.
- In his framework of Bestsnow, Schweitzer would be one of many resorts compared on snow reliability metrics (though I didn't find a standout narrative specifically praising or disputing Schweitzer’s snow in what I found).
So overall, what I saw does
not contradict your impression. The tone from Tony’s comments is that Schweitzer is in a region where snow is good, especially in midwinter, with occasional caveats about exposure or lower slopes.
