December 13, 2002

Pass the Lithium

Watching the snow, or lack of it, is definitely a manic-depressive experience these days. High on a flake, down on a drip. Unfortunately the forces of blue seem to be winning and my guarded optimism of a couple of days ago melted away in the rain along with the lower mountain snow.

If you go far enough up the mountain, your mood improves, for around the top of China Wall new snow finally starts. It is heavy and wet at this elevation, but it is probably better and more plentiful farther up. Turn around though and look back downhill and the blues return and get deeper with every downward step. The lower mountain's coat of a centimeter or so of slushy paste does not bode well for opening in a week.

What is worse the forecasts are now gloomier with rain called for tonight and tomorrow up to above the Bear's Den. There are flurries forecast for next week, but I think it will take a lot more than flurries to get this hill open. What is needed is one or two of those special Fernie dumps which have saved us in the past. However with only a week until the start of the holiday season, the odds of Griz pulling one of those out of his coon skin hat are looking kind of slim.

I heard a rumour that they might consider just running the White Pass chair, but that would be so lame I can only hope it is just another Fernie rumour. It is not like Timber Bowl is our best or most covered terrain even with normal snow. The only possible reason to do that would be to pretend to be open, which just seems like a scam to me and I can't believe they would actually do it. I think we just have to wait and hope the snow will still arrive in time to save peoples holiday vacations and all those small accommodators and others who depend on the Christmas season.

At 16:50 it is 2 C and overcast. (Our net provider's link is down though, so who knows when this will actually go out).