Whistler Trip Planner - to maximize time/skiing/$

I'm up for a long weekend starting Tomorrow! I just say that they have 74" at Pig Alley. That is usually a mid December total in a good year! Trees start getting good and safe at 100 inches! I'm stoked!!!

Two months into this season, I see the same 70" of snow at Pig Alley that was there November 16th! A couple of updates...

It's getting more crowded and especially more noticeable on the weekends. Show up at the Gondola 15 - 30 minutes early. They will very often start early anyway to try to keep the que from getting too long. If the Alpine is too crowded then go hike Flute and get fresh snow there.The lines normally go down after lunch...always on Sundays. Or...Go top to bottom. The Creekside Gondola seldom has much of a line by late morning. I'll be up this Thursday for a full week and it looks good. Send me a pm if you want to ski a run.

Great thread! Looks like I may be headed there to ski Fri-Sun, Jan 26-28, on the tail end of a business trip to L.A. Any suggestions for walk to lift lodging with a fun hot tub would be appreciated. Best bars to visit? Never been, I'm excited!

I love Legends in Creekside (my condo) 50' from Gondola. Village is more"fun" for younger people, but the hot tub at Legends is Legendary.

Thoughts on storm closures/storm skiing?  I got skunked last year at Squaw in the midst of an atmospheric river bonanza year because so little actually seems to open there when it's snowing.  With the typical winds they get there even a small dump can shut a lot down.

It's an unsettled week at Whistler.  Snow every day right through the weekend.  4-8 inches give or take each day through Thursday, a quiet day Friday (be nice to have good vis to explore my first day), with the potential for a foot or more Saturday into Sunday.

No epic dumps, but nice, steady snow to go along with the 3 feet plus they've had in the past 48 hours!

With snows like that how do you think the alpine might be affected?  Friday looks good.  Saturday could be storm day skiing, but hopefully the alpine will be open. Any thoughts you have on good places on a storm day are appreciated.  Sunday morning might dawn with significant new snow.  Any advice you have on powder day lift opening is also appreciated.  How much snow does it typically take to keep the alpine closed after a storm?

Appreciate your help trying to make my first trip as efficient and productive as possible.

Hope your Alps adventure is going well!

Great storm skiing as if the Alpine is closed you still have 5-6 mid level chairs. Often the top is only flat light for a few hundred feet. Symphony has trees close by. Alpine opens by 10 after small to medium storms. Larger storms its a crap shoot. Helps if there is vis ability for the patrol to work. Sometimes if top can't open they open the tbar and that gives you 3/4's of Harmony.

Have fun and report back.