Mild to Wild

Blue sky and sunshine, warm weather, reliable flights at the local airport...if you’ve been thinking it feels more like spring than winter lately you’re not alone. With the temperature peaking at 9c in Nelson in late January, Vitamin D has been plentiful. But for every yin there’s a yang.

Welcome back to winter. February promises to get off to a snowy start, with temperatures dipping as we head into the glory days of ski season. That famous coldmoke powder is slated to replenish a healthy base that’s been hovering around 200cm for the past few weeks. And despite the balmy weather in town, Whitewater’s lofty elevation has stayed just cool enough to keep conditions healthy.

With an average of 1200cm (or 40 feet) of snowfall at Whitewater each season, the recent dry spell is a reminder of how it’s easy to take things for granted. I feel for those in Eastern Canada currently riding out the snowstorm of the year, with over of 20cm of the white stuff causing havoc. Around here, that’s just another powder day.

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But the truth is as much as we all delight in fresh tracks, good times on the slopes really boil down to what you make of it. Growing up in Ontario, skiing was all about carving on groomers and good times with friends and family. Watching Warren Miller movies were as close as I got to powder skiing.

As the saying goes, any day that we’re able to spend doing “X” is way better than a day at the office. And if “X” is skiing, well, that’s a pretty damn good way to use your time any way you cut it. Add in lunch at Fresh Tracks and après-ski at the lodge or in Nelson and life looks pretty good. So whether it’s snowing or the sun is shining, you can count on good times at Whitewater. Just don’t forget to thank Mother Nature when she delivers some bonus snow.