Whistler Opening Day :: 2011 :: Snow Report Video

“Cold temperatures, early season snow fall and the relentless work of our mountain operations, grooming, and snow-making teams is what allows us to open early” says Doug MacFarlane, Mountain Manager at Whistler Blackcomb. “Early season conditions apply, but we are very happy with the current conditions.”

Whistler’s coming off the snowiest two winters on record. Last season the mountains recorder a whopping cumulative snowfall of more than 51 feet (15+ metres) and 49 feet (15 metres) the year prior. Both seasons shattered the average annual snowfall of 33 feet. Meteorologists are forecasting more of the same this year with a La Nina weather pattern.

The first chairs to open will be the Whistler Village Gondola, Emerald Ex-press and Big Red Express, all on Whistler Mountain. The trails will benefit from $2.5 million of new grooming equipment, which allows up to 1,500 acres to be groomed nightly.