WORLD SNOW WRAP – Fresh February
Simon Blondel from Liberty Skis Australia finds some fresh in Brighton, Utah Image:: Simon Blondel
Mountainwatch | World Snow Wrap
After a fairly non-snow filled January most resorts in North America and Europe are now sitting pretty with some fresh snow on the ground. This change was welcomed by most people with the obvious exception of those who sadly remain without power in the North-East of the United States and Canada. A freak snow storm blanketed the region with more then 25 inches of fresh snow causing widespread power outages and service disruptions to more than 100,000 people.
Whistler Blackcomb basking in the Alpenglow on Feb 2 Image:: Whistler Blackcomb
Canada
The resorts in B.C have been maintaining steady top ups of snow delivering powder days every week, ski areas in the Banff region were stoked to see some fresh dry snow fall last week after a long wait throughout January.
Whistler has been getting some great snow and the snow pack is holding up quite well even with some bluebird days and valley inversions thrown in the mix. Over in the interior Revelstoke has been copping it and there is a whole lot of epic terrain holding some great snow for those willing to hike for it. Further south in B.C Whitewater has some incredible terrain on offer and is still holding some great snow although the fresh stuff is mainly outside of the ski area boundary.
A skiier finds it steep and deep in Revelstoke January 31 Image:: Revelstoke Mountain Resort
USA
Further south the resorts in the USA finally saw some snow which was welcomed with open arms, those skiers who were lucky enough to be in Utah and Colorado enjoyed some of the best pow days since the snow that fell in late December.
Feb 9 looks like it was one of the better powder days of the season in Aspen Image:: Aspen/Snowmass
Down in California the sun has been shining and it looks like it is sticking around for the rest of the week. The sun is out and the snow is great, the perfect time for some sunny park days in Cali!
The images coming out of Chamonix this season astound me, an impressive set of mountains Image:: Ole Eirik Dalbye/Chamonix
Europe
Over in Europe a whole stack of fresh pow dropped over the weekend and that has been backed up by cold temps and sunny days this week. All ski areas in the alps are on track with a solid base and the vast expanse of skiable terrain means that anyone there will be hunting down fresh lines for days!
The pick after the recent snow storms seems to be Austria who did exceptionally well out of the storm, fresh snow is still falling in Italy so time will tell how well they do out of this run of pow.
Revelstoke partnered with the Canadian Avalanche Association on Feb 9 to teach people about avalanche safety and awareness Image:: Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Summary
As you can see in that rundown we are pretty well on track in February, conditions are pretty much as you would expect, we should see a few more base building snow falls ahead of when things start to warm up for spring come March, great time to be in the mountains!
Events
The Sochi World Cup is currently taking place over in Russia, this is basically a test pilot for the 2014 Winter Olympics that will take place there this time next year. Athlete feedback and the overall success of the event should be a good indicator of the areas readiness to host the Olympics next year.
The much anticipated Red Bull Ultra Natural event holding period kicks off Friday 15 February, the weather period goes until the 21 February. A total of 16 international riders will descend on Baldface Lodge, Nelson, B.C for the event. A backcountry snowboarding competition designed to challenge, then crown the best all-around snowboarder on the planet. With the likes of Pat Moore, Mark McMorris and Terje Haakonsen present, the action will be electric.
Where We Would Like To Be This Week
Baldface Lodge, B.C – Imagine kicking back at the bottom of the course watching 16 of the world’s best snowboarders battle it out on the most progressive course in Snowboarding’s history, sounds good right?!
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