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Banff and Lake Louise getting nuked!

3K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  poutanen 
#1 ·
Crazy conditions here at the moment! Looking out my office window and it has been snowing hard all day long. I was at Sunshine on the weekend and Wild West was off the hook. Super steep double blacks with waist deep snow! Tomorrow should be crazy. I think I will be taking the day off work. If they open the dive it will be epic. Strong winds have been loading it with snow all weekend!

Anyone else from AB get out there this weekend?
 
#6 ·
Nakiska is heading to a high of 2 Deg each day, and Lake Louise is predicted to have a high of 0 each day. It always seems to be 5-10 deg colder in the mountains!

You heading to Nakiska or one of the "Big Three"? If you're at Nakiska look for a guy in a black jacket and yellow pants bombing runs with a contour Roam on the side of his head or attached to the back of his binding. That's not me... lol
 
#9 ·
Newnew why are you not riding again after this weekend? The snow is just getting good now in the rockies. The BC resorts are about to turn to shit. Warm temps here we come!

Poutanen Sunshine is a flat as you make it! :)
 
#10 ·
haha i dont' know, i've been everywhere this season already, and my trip to lake tahoe kind of capped it off. and with the weather being how it is, all rollercoaster in alberta, all i see if slush and gravel. i may have 1 more trip in me but i think i am gassed out for boarding. we'll see how this weekend goes in sunshine. i'm excited but at the same time i feel tired already...you guys ever get that? lol
 
#13 ·
i went on Saturday and tuesday, both awesome. tues was different and they didn't open dive or south side chutes.

a patroller got taken for a short ride in the chutes and they brought in the chopper to bomb it all. it was cool to see. maybe 7-10 avys in the area.

don't go to ssv for park, LL is much better. i talked to a lifty and he said they cut the budget this year. it is literately half the size it was last year. LL park is bigger, and the jumps are made better.
 
#14 ·
don't go to ssv for park, LL is much better. i talked to a lifty and he said they cut the budget this year. it is literately half the size it was last year. LL park is bigger, and the jumps are made better.
I can second this. Last time I rode by SSVs park (about two weeks ago) it probably had about 10-15 features. The LL park splits into two and each side has probably 15-20 features plus some of the big stuff at the top. Even as ancient as I am I hit some of the shit there!!! :eek:
 
#17 ·
#19 ·
I'm heading for Nakiska in the morning. Supposed to be -4 or so in the morning, with some wet flurries in the afternoon. I usually leave once I start having to wait in line anyway.

Supposed to be heading to Fernie next weekend to celebrate the GFs laser eye surgery, but the 7 day forecast doesn't look so good. On the other hand Lake Louise is supposed to get snow everyday until next weekend. Too bad we don't have a season pass there... :(
 
#21 ·
Yeah next year I'm thinking the full RCR pass plus Lake Louise. Nakiska for days like tomorrow (by myself, just want to ride for a couple hours), Lake Louise for great riding without needing a hotel, Fernie and Kicking Horse for any other trips, stay in hostels, B&Bs etc.

Found a really nice B&B for a really good price near Fernie, great breakfast so that's where we plan to go about once a month during the winter. :D
 
#22 ·
ya, rcr would be cool considering how many resorts they have now but parks with no jumps is a deal breaker.

how do you like nakiska? i have only been once and most of the diamond terrain was closed, only good riding was the monster glades unless i wanted to ride groomers.
 
#23 ·
Yeah I can't stand rails so that does kinda suck. On quiet days at Nakiska I'll hit the park and use the launch ramps for the rails to just jump.

Nakiska is pretty much just what you said, groomers or the glades and the glades tend to be rough most of the time. I've been lucky there a few times, getting to the mountain when 6-12" of powder fell on top, and then it's a blast. The gold chair generally leads to nice steep terrain with very little in the way of traverses, so for powder it's fantastic, but then again almost anywhere is good with powder.

I like the fact that tomorrow I'll show up at 9:00, ride the bottom half for 3-4 runs of bombing under the chair (I carve hard and then use the natural lips for some air), then I'll head up top when the bottom gets a few people in line. I can ride up top all day tomorrow with no lift lines, and there are some nice lips to hit. It's sort of a carve--->lip--->carve kinda hill. Nothing like the lake, fernie, etc. for truly alpine terrain, but some really good steep groomers. I get a thril out of passing skiers wearing tights almost as much as finding powder somewhere, so Nakiska is a great hill to have 1:10 from the house.

Living in Fernie or Golden would be the life though! :D
 
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