From: poahbear@leland.Stanford.EDU (David G Lawson)
Subject: Blackcomb/Cyprus/Baker Mountains
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 93 22:48:00 GMT

       Just returned from a 9-day visit to Vancouver, B.C.
       Managed three days of skiing while I was there ....

Dec 22nd, 1992     Blackcomb Mountain
Cloudy, temp -6/-9 (valley/alpine)
No lines to speak of.  90cm base.
Despite the BIG snowstorm that hit Vancouver the previous weekend,
Blackcomb was seriously short of snow. Lots of rocks under the new
Glacier Express (great new chair!!) and the Crystal Ridge chair. Most of
advanced terrain needed a lot more snow to make it skiable. I had a good
day anyway ... the terrain IS second to none ... but decided I would not
return without some more snow (too many other mountains in the Vancouver
area had LOTS of snow!)
Ticket Price : $38 at Super-Value
Travel time from Vancouver : 1.5-2 hours

Dec 27th, 1992      Cyprus Mountain, north shore of Vancouver
GLORIOUS DAY!!!! Sunny, temp -6C
Base : 180cm/260cm (mid/top) with 10cm new overnight
What a great little (in comparison to Blackcomb only) mountain! Three
separate peaks ... the base of one starting at the top of another. Lots
of snow ... you could ski anything! Excellent advanced run ("Top Gun")
off the upper most peak cut through a heavily forested area. It was
obvious that stumps and boulders had been left on the run to create
interesting contours at every turn. I nice change from the overly
manicured runs elsewhere.View from the upper-most peak the most
spectacular I think I have ever seen from a ski area. Just off the chair
there is a 5000' plunge down to the ocean (Howe Sound). The sound was
littered with islands and surrounded by spectacular peaks (including The
Lions). Breathtaking! The trees were twisted pillows of down at this
altitude. Looking back towards the chair, you can see downtown Vancouver
far below. Stay for the night skiing ... again, the view is incredible!
Ticket Price : $24+GST (8:30am-11:00pm), FREE if you have a rental car
from Tilden!!
Travel time from Vancouver : 30min straight up from North Van
P.S. A petition was going around to expand the area and add new lifts -
a quad which they desperately need! The area is in a provincial park, so
these things take time. Also, two skiers got lost skiing out of bounds
while I was up there. One was eventually found ... they got caught in an
avalanche. 

Dec 28th, 1992      Mount Baker, northern Washington state
Another great day! (the thin snow at Blackcomb was a blessing in
disguise) Cloudy, snowing heavily through the day, temp -6C
Base : 280cm and climbing with 8' of new. POWDER everywhere!!
Despite the weather, the snow conditions were unreal. An excellent day
to ski the steep ones buried in snow. The powder was light and deep! The
weather in B.C. and Washington had turned cold with arctic outflow
conditions. The dry snow usually reserved for B.C.'s interior was now
falling on the coast ... heavily! Baker has 2 quads and 6 doubles. It
used to be "the mountain" for Vancouverites before Blackcomb/Whistler
rose to fame. They have an average annual snowfall of 750", with an
average snowpack of 250". Lots of challenging runs. Definitely worth a
visit on powder days for those heading to Whistler!
Ticket Price : $27(Can) weekend, $18(Can) weekday ... a steal!!!
Travel time from Vancouver : about 2 hours, although the border
crosssing can hold you up since most of the skiiers are Canadian.


Overall, a great trip. Those folks in Vancouver are soooooooooo lucky!!
Newsgroups: rec.skiing