Noted this guess cast today for this season I see heaps of snow and we can't get there https://www.kelownanow.com/watercoo...BC_according_to_long_range_forecast/#fs_89726
Sun Peaks continues to be as busy as a normal Summer. Of course the concerts and the Summer tour buses are absent so rental accommodation is very much depressed. Day traffic must be BC locals. I suspect the ski season will be the same. Many visitors have never been to SPs but expressed a desire to return to ski. Some have never skied. Their winter getaways down south are off the table. All US ski destinations are likely closed to Canadians this coming season especially if there is a 2 week quarantine on each end. Vancouver appears busy. The beaches are packed. Took Hudson to Kit's dog beach. Transit riders are absent but the roads congested. Outdoor patios at cafes are spilling out onto the sidewalks and parking spaces. Glad the City has passes legislation to allow this. BC deaths are still predominantly in the over 80 age group in care homes. The BC CDC finally released city specific data along with the region. The entire BC Interior. which includes SPs, Silver Star, Apex, Big White, Revy, etc has experienced 2 Covid deaths. The Kamloops district of which SPs is included has had 53 per 100,000 total confirmed cases. So under 100 cases. How they classify a case is interesting. A positive PCR test is all you need to be included. May be asymptomatic but included. AB testing is still rare. I think it's time they will ramp up the fear and mandate more regulations just to keep us compliant. Not working in the all important under 40 crowd. So lets lockdown the healthy and destroy the economy (small business) again and look to Government to protect us. Yeah, right. While Covid is real and is a serious threat to those who are health compromised, co-morbidity rates need to be studied more carefully. I do feel for those who have died and their families. As I do for all increased suicides and drug overdoses that have been recorded since Covid. They outnumber Covid deaths in multiples. Don't they matter as well? Taipan's great reset is finally here but with a twist. UBI, ID travel cards proving vaccination and other delights that one only thought possible in Nazi Germany, Communist China or other authoritative governments are just a few of the brilliant ideas they will foist upon a docile population. Think snow but for 2022 unfortunately.
OT I guess but just as Clemenceau was said to have stated war is too important to be left to the generals so too a pandemic is too important for government to surrender to the medical bureaucracy. Given that the economic costs are being shared by more than one generation and benefits accruing to mis-matched generations the government should be involving actuaries to advise on the integenerational inequities arising from current policies.
Planned trip as below Are all these roads open in winter, I would assume Sun Peaks ... Mountain Collective Stevens Pass Epic Australia How long.. That's a good question 2022 or 2023
Nice drive! Been on all these roads with 4wd m/s tyres. My plan is to do another trip similar but hit Panorama, KH, Revy then Sunny Peaks.
Mountain Collective now cover Sun Peaks, Revelstoke, Panorama, Lake Louise and Sunshine. Ikon has Revelstoke, Red, Lake Louise and Sunshine and Crystal (and Bachrlor if you want to get adventurous). Indy Pass has Mission Ridge, Apex, 49 Degree North , Silver Mountain and Castle Mountain. All those roads are usually open. I love skiing road trips!
Mountain collective looking the goods. Would love to explore Panorama some more. Spent 5 day in January this year but during the cold snap. Has changed a lot since last visit 20 years ago.
I’ve not been there but have visited the others on Mountain Collective. Pano doesn’t get much snow reportedly. Leave it until last?
My son lived jn Seattle for 5 years. He used to ski Steven’s pass on weekends, and go up to whistler a couple of times a season. His comments about Stevens pass was that the weekends were extremely busy. So maybe try and hit that midweek. Also, I don’t think there is any accomodation there, you have to stay quite a long way away.
All those roads are open in winter, subject to blizzards, avalanches, set ups for Highway Thru Hell and dead moose. They are all main drags. The longest closure I have heard about is 48 hours, but that was extreme. They are very good at clearing snow. That does not mean that driving them is fun. Driving in Canada in winter is the most stressful driving I have ever done. Don't even think about doing it at night.
Concur with the Stephen's Pass comments, can be nuts on the weekends or after a dump. Too close to Seattle. Money goes further in Canada and queues are shorter.
I think I will look at Panorama next !! @Beerman I agree, Stevens Om doesn't look that big , I would favour Sun Peaks , it's our favourite .. but Big White is pretty good too .. just looking at options , will be me and the boss soon, no kids, they can housekeep while we are off !! @Legs Akimbo funny I found driving in Canada great , that's why I say get winter tyres not D&S I drove pretty much as normal . Locals said they wouldn't drive on anything less ..the hire companies charge for both . I would get winters here if I lived in southern NSW or Canberra ..they lose little in the warm if you drive carefully They treat the roads better over there to prevent ice.. I get more scared on the road to Perisher..luckily we just park at lodge in Smiggs and always seem to get in , get buried and get out Heaps of photos but I won't bore you guys with them ., @robbo mcs Yes I see that in the video of the 39 inches , folk came from all over.., I would try mid week , no real on snow accom , but worth a look
Did SP, BW and SS this year. Was at BW during the cold spell but in no hurry to ho back. We saw the sun once in 10 days. Couldn't ski rhe top 1/3 of the hill the whole time we were there
That was our Whistler. Great snow but.. SP was good but they were all apologies at 90-120cm .. Looking forward to Silverstar.
Any blown snow drifting across major highways in fog? When it's good it's OK. When it's bad it's horrible.
Stevens Pass and Crystal both get hammered on weekends. This past season - before the pandemic - Crystal started capping their day ticket sales due to crowding and follow on issues in the community, mostly related to parking. The route you've chosen is straightforward and thise roads all get a lot of attention. But if course on the wrong day any of them can be challenging. Just build the plan with some flexibility so you can opt to stay put for a day to let a storm push through. Accomms owners know what the weather and roads can be like, they'll understand.
Check out the SP’s website. All Alpine Season Passes sold out for 2020-21. Limited day passes will be sold.
Interesting. I wonder how SP is going to treat Mountain Collective passes? I guess they're like a season pass for the included 2 days (plus a third bonus day if you bought early enough - that benefit is no longer being offered for this season), although after 2 days you get 50% off the ticket window price, so presumably those days will need to be somehow bought in advance.
This year at Thredbo you had to fill out a form and apply in advance for MC and Ikon. Not sure how that went for people as I decided to defer my Ikon pass.
Just letting everybody know that you won’t see me around here from now on. I won’t be in Sun Peaks this winter. Planning November - April 22 I will however continue to be at Sun Peaks for several more decades. Happy and keen to ski with old and new friends For the next several decades I expect to do complete full seasons Met some great people on this forum but unfortunately also a few small number of toxic individuals who are best left behind. Again best wishes to everybody. Always happy to guide anybody around the mountain, green, blue, black, double black Have a coffee, a beer, a meal. Never forget. For the love of skiing.
Just somethi8ng worth noting. This Mountain Collective could be ok. ? Thredbo 2 days free , Thats enough back to Mt P.. Sun Peaks 2 days free , ski 10 , Revelstoke 2 days free ski some more... Panorama 2 days free skis some more The extra skiing would be at 50% so I assume $80 local, which is about normal $488 USD for 8 days skiing?? Is it worth it?? Anyone experienced the 50% off... This could be good., if its less then normal costing which it should be.
Guess I'll probably skip SP this season too if there's no Taipan Clan to hang out with. That and exchange passes with SS, Baldy, Whitewater etc will take me elsewhere.
Hudson, you will be our local correspondent. It is going to be a very disappointing year for those watching from afar
March gives you longer, milder days so can be nice. but also me freeze/thaw cycles. so you'd have to cross fingers for a good season
I’ve skied Whistler, Lake Louise and Sunshine in April and all three had great conditions. I really hope your BC bubble happens. I think of all likely Northern Hemisphere mountain states British Columbia will be first cab off the rank because of the commonwealth connection. I doubt it will be as early as March though.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Canada is in a bit of trouble. Their 7 day average of daily new cases is now 1830 cases. That's the highest it's ever been and the curve is steepening. With our cases so low, I can't see a travel bubble being created in the near future.
Vancouver and Frazer area, have had over 1400 cases in the last 14 days. Quebec 1700. So it's just as prevalent in Western cites. Regardless, it's my opinion that any bubbles created by our govt, will look at the bubble country as a whole. Reasoning being. Once an Australian Traveller is in a foreign country. Australian Authorities lose all control of their movement. And they lose the ability to track their movement reliably. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/covidtrends/?HR=591,595,2403&mapOpen=true
Love the optimism re skiing for several more decades, @Taipan ! Gives me hope when my own legs and back complain!
If the forecast for the BC Interior Winter is accurate, it could be a repeat of last year. I can post the odd photo. A glowing commentary could be considered cruel.
Yeah but if YVR, YKL and SP WERE the travel bubble, we'd be set I'll change my avatar from Beerman to Ideasman shortly
Take it one step further. Given my job, I’ll be first line for a vaccine. I’m happy (for a small fee) to salt away a few vials for select ski.commers for early access. We can probably make a compelling argument with the federal government for compassionate o/s travel for mental health purposes. so..travel bubble through @Beerman , vaccinated population, health grounds for travel, low population prevalence in SP. hard to argue against, I’d have thought.
First snow. Sept 25. Came and went. The fox family Is looking very healthy this year. Meanders through the property almost everyday. Very curious creatures. this is from today.
Little slip of a zero there Astro. Correct that BC is holding steady at about a hundred cases a day, but QC is clocking over a thousand cases a day with ON close behind. Both central Canada provinces have announced return of some restrictions and more are likely. They probably should be going full lockdown for a fortnight to stop the cycle but that is politically unpalatable. In BC the schools are back in session, pubs and restaurants remain open and life is fairly normal. Despite a slight surge at the end of summer, the numbers in hospital now are less than half what they were back in April when we were also at a hundred new cases a day, and the number of active cases is falling as more recover than are contracting it. BC continues to have the best results in nth America in terms of low infection and deaths rates balanced with relaxed restrictions and most of the economy functioning. We have a legit expert as Provincial Health Officer and the premier and cabinet have been smart enough to listen to her all the way through.
