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        <title><![CDATA[Whitewater Ski Resort]]></title>
        <description>RSS of Whitewater Ski Resort</description>
        <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 07:53:12 -0800</pubDate>
        <link>https://bcs-stage.websites.px-bcs.pixxell.co</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[NEW Whitewater Ski Area Ski Touring Map - Get it!]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Our newly released&amp;nbsp;Whitewater Ski Area Ski Touring Map is the second map we&amp;#39;ve produced in conjunction with Mighty Bighorn Maps and our fifth map/guide book to date. The first map was our Kootenay Pass Ski Touring Map which you can purchase over here.

We&amp;#39;ve got plans for more maps in the future but wanted to tell you to pick up a copy of the&amp;nbsp;Whitewater Ski Area Ski Touring Map as it&amp;#39;s&amp;nbsp;been created with the help of CAA professionals, ACMG/UIFMG members, and GIS technicians. It details 18 winter ski touring routes and includes a 1: 25,000 scale&amp;nbsp;topographic map&amp;nbsp;with 18 georeferenced photographs of various routes. Information on each map includes approach descriptions, terrain details, resort information, and avalanche terrain assessment scales.

You can purchase the&amp;nbsp;Whitewater Ski Area Ski Touring Map through our online store&amp;nbsp;for only $19.95.

If you are looking for other maps/guides for ski touring in BC then check out our store as we have a total of 23 maps, guides and books for sale including our West Kootenay&amp;nbsp;Ski Touring Guide 2.0, Whistler &amp;amp; Area Ski Touring Guide and the Lake Louise Sunshine Banff &amp;amp; Area Ski Touring Guide book. Get the info and be safe out there!]]></description>
            <pubDate>2019-01-17 09:14:07</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Whitewater-Ski-Area-Ski-Touring-Map</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Whitewater-Ski-Area-Ski-Touring-Map</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Last minute trip to Nelson]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[It looks like I am going to be in Nelson this weekend. My plans have changed and I will have a lot of free time. I am wondering if I can tag along with anyone heading out for a day tour.&amp;nbsp;
I am a pretty chill skier. I am with Fernie&amp;nbsp;SAR and have my AST1 and OARTM.&amp;nbsp;
Shoot me a text 2504302846 if you can be my tour guide!
Thanks
Tim]]></description>
            <pubDate>2017-12-07 06:43:39</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Weekend%20in%20Nelson</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Weekend%20in%20Nelson</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[December at the Ymir Lodge]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[With the great ski touring conditions this winter we have opened up two new weeks at the Ymir Backcountry ski lodge for this December. Dec&amp;nbsp;9-16 and Dec 16-23rd. Some customization of the dates might be possible depending on numbers. We were skiing up there mid November with 30cm of fresh with a 120cm base. Epic. Great Deals and work trades available.&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
            <pubDate>2017-11-20 10:36:31</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/December-Ymir-Lodge</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/December-Ymir-Lodge</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Is winter here to stay?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[When you see snow blanketing the top of Elephant Mountain (which lies across the lake from Nelson BC) like sprinkles on a double scoop DQ, you know it&amp;rsquo;s time to go investigate. Rumour had it that there was a two foot base atop the Glory Ridge at Whitewater Ski Resort, and this it seems is true. The idea that you can already ski, well, not so much.&amp;nbsp;

We parked in the Summit lot and were surprised to see that we could put our skis on right away and start skinning. While the snow puked on us the entire way up we were not surprised to see alder and trees poking out on the Blast, Bonanza and every other ski run in sight. There may be a lot of snow for this time of yer but it ain&amp;rsquo;t no where near ready to ski below the 7,000&amp;rsquo; mark.



After an enjoyable skin up and look around we peeled the skins and followed our up track back down. Given that the cat road had seen some sled traffic, the base was super solid and the sides full of coastal pow and untracked. Closer to the parking lot I did manage to find some nice pointy rocks to give me something to repair later that night but the exercise and October turns were worth it.

If this keeps up for another few weeks then we&amp;rsquo;re going to have a very early ski season this time around. If you&amp;rsquo;ve been out and about with planks under foot, leave a comment below and let us know where.

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-10-19 21:25:58</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Is-winter-here-to-stay</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Is-winter-here-to-stay</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Ski Sale!!]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Looking for the best deals on a new pair of skis and boots for the coming season? Or other backcountry gear such as packs, goggles, jackets, helmets, gloves,... heck there&amp;#39;s even tents and climbing gear to be found.

Backcountry Skiing Canada will be there with all sorts of screaming good deals on new and used touring gear. If you&amp;#39;re set for the season gear wise just come by and say &amp;quot;hi&amp;quot;!

Come check out the Whitewater Sidewalk Sale this Friday September 30 at&amp;nbsp;602 Lake Street from 12 - 4. There&amp;#39;s even a Wax and Tune Workshop that&amp;#39;s free! And of course the famous Whitewater Fresh tracks Food Truck will be on site serving up delicious food.

When: Friday&amp;nbsp;Sept 30th, 12 - 4
Where: Whitewater Office Parking Lot&amp;nbsp;602 Lake Street]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-09-28 10:52:58</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Ski-Sale</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/Ski-Sale</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[June 20 ski tour -- Whitewater Ski Resort]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[You never know &amp;#39;til you go, eh? I was keen to get one more little tour in before hanging up my skis and found a bud who was up for it&amp;ndash;it was actually our third annual early summer assault on the Whitewater slackcountry. We&amp;#39;d skied First Choice&amp;nbsp;before and decided to go for it again because it was a little sun protected and the cover looked good. In years past, we didn&amp;#39;t time it right with the sun exposure/time of day, and the snow was unskiably hard at the top.
This year we found a free day and a good window in the crappy weather we&amp;#39;ve been having. We were at the Whitewater parking lot at around 8:00 a.m.&amp;ndash;full sun but still coolish. The hike for the first 45 mins or so was on grass and rock, then we hit the snow. Travel wasn&amp;#39;t easy but it was doable. The best combo was skins and crampons. We boot-packed up the last few hundred metres of the couloir, had a sangwidge up top then headed back down at about 11:45 a.m. The top 2/3 of the snow-covered bit was really, really nice. Totally carveable, but fast, spring snow. The bottom third was skiable but a little more schmooey and grabby. All in all it was super fun and highly recommended. I may have to venture out just one more time&amp;hellip;.





]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-06-21 13:05:34</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/june-20-ski-tour-whitewater-ski-resort</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/june-20-ski-tour-whitewater-ski-resort</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Wheres all that spring time pow? Ski touring in the rain.]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Typical April weather here in the interior of BC dictates at minimum, a handful of powder days. So far this year however spring feels more like summer and we&amp;rsquo;ve had no significant dumps of any kind. The law of averages stated that the Pow has to be coming at some point, but the advancing calendar and El Ni&amp;ntilde;o may have it other wise.
Tired of waiting for ideal conditions we headed up to ski Ymir Peak at Whitewater Ski Resort. The worst of the week&amp;rsquo;s heat had subside and with cloudy skies and rain predicted for the day figured it would be cooler and the snow pack a little more stable for shredding. It was a little startling to see well over 1/3 of the snow pack melted away and more like 3/4 of it on sun baked south aspects. What wasn&amp;rsquo;t a surprise however, were the number of wet avalanches littering Ymir Bowl and running to valley bottom.

&amp;nbsp;
With storm clouds threatening, we started placing elevation behind us as we headed up Bonanza ski run on the way to Blasters Ridge. Within the first 100m Jason one-up&amp;rsquo;ed my find of a dime in the parking lot by discovering a crisp new $20 bill laying in the snow. Rather than pocket it, he proposed the idea of Burritos at El Taco after our ski. Not a bad idea at all.
Once we reached West Ymir the ominous clouds turned to rain and our waterproof gear came out. Up until this point we&amp;rsquo;d been ski touring in just T-shirts and soft shell pants which were both quickly becoming saturated. While we geared up we quickly lost sight of our objective, swallowed up in a shroud of cloud. The clag had set in and our hopes of taking in views from the summit of Ymir Peak were quickly dashed. Plan B: Stay low in the bowl under the cloud cover and ski over to Scob&amp;rsquo;s Knob where we could decent with better visibility in the trees.
&amp;nbsp;


After waiting for a brief respite from the dreary grey that surrounded us, we headed down and were pleasantly surprised by how good the ski quality was. Not so wet that brakes were involuntarily put on between each turn and not too sun cupped that you couldn&amp;rsquo;t find your rhythm. The only down side of the day was that fact that the faster you descended the wetter you became. At valley bottom we retreated to our car satisfied with the climb and the outcome of the day, proving that neither the lack of a summit or the sunshine was required to make spring skiing enjoyable. Plus, we had burrito&amp;rsquo;s waiting for us in town, compliments of some kind sole with very loose pockets.
&amp;nbsp;
Get out and enjoy it while it lasts!]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-04-23 11:18:10</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/wheres-all-that-spring-time-pow-ski-touring-in-the-rain</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/wheres-all-that-spring-time-pow-ski-touring-in-the-rain</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Avalanche Conditions Report Feb 4th  VIDEO]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Another weather cycle with moderate south westerly winds has created a new storm slab in our avalanche terrain. Check out this weeks Avalanche Conditions Report with Whitewater Ski Resort&amp;#39;s Snow Safety Supervisor, Wren McElroy to learn about how the changes in conditions have affected the snowpack and see some of the results of the recent avalanche control.&amp;nbsp;






For more details visit Whitewater Ski Resort web site.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2016-02-05 01:39:42</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/avalanche-conditions-report-feb-4th--video</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/avalanche-conditions-report-feb-4th--video</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Whitewater 2015/2016]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Here we go!

Had an excellent day at Whitewater today with Martin Ouellette. With a report of 60cm in the past week we were determined to get up high over 2000M to find some good turnable snow.

Low threshold levels allowed a direct Ymir bowl skintrack through Goat slide. Travel was smooth and easy on a supportive crust under surface hoar and 10 cm of low density snow. we were after a nice direct fall line with blown in wind transport snow and found it in Kuba Chute, directly below Ymir peak. 125 cm&amp;#39;s in the chute skied like a perfect mid winter line.

To exit we followed a nice glide line down our skin track contour back to Goat Slide. With only 60 cm&amp;#39;s over talus, Goat Slide skied surprisingly well. The supportive crust down 10cm allowed smooth and easy turns. Sluice exit was skied conservatively, but easily passable, followed by an enjoyable glide out the Silver King access road.

Early Effort, but a great day out at Whiteater.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-11-05 03:19:16</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-20152016</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-20152016</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[White Queen alder tamed]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[White Queen is a go to backcountry ski route just outside the boundary of Whitewater Ski Resort here in Nelson. For the last half decade or more the lowere section of White Queen has been un-skiable until a settled base of at least two plus metres had fallen. This meant that it was typically February or later until one could enjoy her 2000&amp;#39; sustained fall line descent. Last season however the story was even more grim. White Queen was not skiable all season,&amp;hellip; sure the top 3/4 held great turns but it was the last 1/4 when you hit the alder fields that made passage a &amp;#39;no go&amp;#39;. Trying to ski into the woods was no alternative either as the downed trees, stumps and holes made things &amp;uuml;ber dangerous.
&amp;nbsp;
With rumours of another less than average snow year, we decided that something had to be done to ensure White Queen was navigable top to bottom this winter. Over the course of the past two weekends a crew of three of us armed with chainsaws and hand saws set out to cut an exit line through the alders on the lower flank of White Queen. This proved to be more work than anticipated since the alder had grown to over 12 feet tall and covered the entire lower face. After many hours and considerable hard work we&amp;#39;d cut a line 20&amp;#39; wide from the cross country trail to the boulder field which covered a distance of about 400-500 vertical feet. While this won&amp;#39;t provide any epic turns in its own right it will provide an exit after skiing the top 3/4 and require only about a metre or more of base to make things skiable.
On your next drive up to the ski hill have a look at the bottom of White Queen&amp;nbsp;and you&amp;#39;ll see what I mean, then get out there and enjoy the fruits of our labour.
&amp;nbsp;
This is how things looked before we got started.

&amp;nbsp;
And after the first day the job was ony half done.

&amp;nbsp;
The complete line from the cross country trails up to the boulder field.

&amp;nbsp;
A person at 6&amp;#39;1&amp;Prime; is dwarfed by the alder that would require more snow than we now get in a season to cover them.

&amp;nbsp;
Slow going on day one.

&amp;nbsp;
A look up the new line to the boulder field.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-10-16 12:36:11</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/white-queen-alder-tamed</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/white-queen-alder-tamed</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[TOP 5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MARY WOODWARD - A TRIBUTE]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Mary Woodward was the first person I met hiking with the Kootenay Mountaineering Club (KMC) when I moved to the kootenays 14 years ago. She was immediately open, welcoming, friendly and willing to take time to share information about her background mountain playground. 10 years later she gave me a picture she took of my first Kootenay hike. I still have it in my very small pile of actual printed pictures and even though Mary is no longer hiking and skiing with us, she&amp;#39;d still remembered.
&amp;nbsp;
The following is a fitting tribute to Mary Woodward by Eric Crosland of Sherpas Cinema. He wrote this shortly after her passing just about a year ago:
&amp;nbsp;
In a world where nothing is certain, there is one thing I have learned to count on over the years.. A ski day at my home hill of Whitewater in Nelson BC is sure to be sweetened by a sighting of local skier Mary Woodward going for a rip on the slopes.&amp;nbsp; Sadly May 31st 2014 marked the end of an era, when Mary Woodward passed away at the age of 80.&amp;nbsp; Her life was&amp;nbsp; celebrated this weekend by the Kootenay community and her family, a tribe of great skiers raised by the Mary who are all pillars of our mountain community.
&amp;nbsp;
Mary has been a true inspiration to me over the years.&amp;nbsp; The first time I finished a backcountry run and saw her at the bottom waiting for her ride to shuttle her back up to the resort something hit me&amp;ndash; It was as if the soul of skiing itself stood right in front of me, embodied by an 75 year old woman covered in snow.&amp;nbsp; Mary lived life&amp;nbsp; the way it should be lived- Skiing laps of pow every day and on weekends passing her love for skiing on to her grand kids. I owe it to Mary for driving me to make choices that ensure I enjoy a long life in the mountains.&amp;nbsp; It would be a true dream to retire like Mary and ski pow everyday with my kids and friends- reaping the fruits of my labor with knees that still work.
&amp;nbsp;
I&amp;rsquo;m saddened by Mary&amp;rsquo;s passing, but she lived the dream in her golden years and it&amp;rsquo;s something none of us should ever forget. Mary had more stoke than fifty pro skiers put together in a fruit smoothie. She embodied pure, untainted happiness when she was skiing. What saddens me the most is that the Kootenays just lost a little piece of Magic&amp;hellip;.Rare magic- the type Disney would pay millions for&amp;hellip;. ( So if you missed it don&amp;rsquo;t bother coming now &amp;hellip; Best off going to Revelstoke&amp;nbsp; and waiting in line with all the nerds. ie. Chris Rubens and Izzy Lynch )
&amp;nbsp;
In honour of Mary and keeping her magic alive in our community-here are the Top 5 Things I Learned from Mary Woodward:
1 . Save your knees for retirement. Don&amp;rsquo;t bag them to hard in your twenties trying to be rad&amp;hellip;You&amp;rsquo;ll need them&amp;nbsp; for your retirement strategy.
2.&amp;nbsp; Master the Art of Skiing Pow in Tight Trees. Mary&amp;rsquo;s masterful tree skiing skills were her secret to skiing pow every day.. She could always find stashes in the tight forest on north aspects.
3. Bring a lunch to the ski hill and always sit at the same table. Ski Lodge lunch hour is like a prison cafeteria. Your status and hierarchy is based on your table and who you are sitting with. If you have to buy your lunch you&amp;rsquo;ll&amp;nbsp; lose your spot at the round table.
4. It&amp;rsquo;s never to late to start skiing. Mary started skiing a bit in her twenties but didn&amp;rsquo;t&amp;nbsp; really start skiing pow in the backcountry consistently until her 60s.&amp;nbsp; Mary taught me that saying &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m too old to start&amp;rdquo; is total bullshit.
5.This is the big one&amp;hellip;Smile when you are skiing. &amp;nbsp; It easy to forget when you are racing for fresh pow and trying to get back to the office all in one day&amp;hellip; But it really helps the vibe of ski area and the community and brings everyone back down to earth when you can do it all with a smile on your face.
Mary&amp;rsquo;s smile was legendary and could light up the entire mountain on a storm day. I will remember it every time I find a stash of perfect pow hidden in the trees and find myself surrounded by good friends and family during lunch hour in the Whitewater daylodge&amp;hellip;.
Thanks for the inspiration Mary.
-Eric Crosland, Sherpas Cinema]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-06-01 11:06:53</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/top-5-things-i-learned-from-mary-woodward-a-tribute</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/top-5-things-i-learned-from-mary-woodward-a-tribute</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Winter continues, but caution is key]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[One day after winter returned to BC end everyone got out for some much needed powder turns &amp;nbsp;things actually improved huge. The snow stayed light and deep, and the sun came out to allow everyone to explore and ski some lines that haven&amp;#39;t been skied in many weeks. While blue bird skies make everything better it didn&amp;#39;t help much with stability and things were running off most convex roles. There was even an inbounds slide that took a pair for a ride down a run called the &amp;#39;Blast&amp;#39;.
This slide came off the rocks just to the south of &amp;#39;First Choice&amp;#39;&amp;nbsp;and ran right to the bottom.


Today may be your last chance to get some good pow turns in before the temps rise up to a balmy 19&amp;deg;C (in town) as this will turn the snow to mush. Be sure to keep your smarts on high alert however and don&amp;#39;t let the blue bird convince you things are safe.

South aspect snow was still light and fluffly at 10:00 am on the way over to West Ymir.


Top of the boot powder skiing in West Ymir, not bad for mid April.


Plenty of tracks in the bowl but plenty more to be had.


Hummer A and Hummer B&amp;nbsp;lines&amp;nbsp;were both skied and lots of debris to contend with as well.


Be safe out there.]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-04-16 11:47:58</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/winter-continues</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/winter-continues</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Winter is back in the Kootenays, where is everyone?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[When the snow line shows up on Elephant Mountain which lies in plain view, and directly north of the city of Nelson you know its time to get your backcountry gear out of temporary retirement. Since the local ski hill known as &amp;lsquo;Whitewater&amp;rsquo; is now closed for the season it makes for an logical destination to get in some convenient vertical, being all but a 20 minute drive from downtown Nelson. This is an April (and sometimes May and June tradition) and yesterday was no exception.&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;
Arriving at Whitewater around 9:00 am I was expecting to see a small army of cars amassed in the parking lot but was pleasantly surprised to be the first one there. After putting in an uptrack directly up a run called &amp;ldquo;Bonanza&amp;rdquo; I skied back down the same way. There was healthy 30cm of dry, fluffy snow atop a soft base so the skiing was excellent. On lap two I was still the only one that could be found skiing or skinning and was starting to wonder where they hell everyone was. I skinned bak up my uptrack and came down a run called &amp;ldquo;Pay Dirt&amp;rdquo; which was just as much fun as the first. On my final climb a few people joined in but I still managed to get first tracks down &amp;ldquo;The Blast&amp;rdquo; and even though it sluffed huge off the convex role it was the best skiing of the morning.
When I left at 12:00, 4,000 feet more tired the temps were holding cold at -2&amp;deg;C and it was still snowing hard. With only 10 cars in the lot I was thinking that everyone really had given up on the season and that coming back on Wednesday was looking like a very good idea.
So who else got out? where? and how was the snow? Maybe &amp;lsquo;work&amp;rsquo; really is a four letter word or just maybe the sting of a really shit season is a pain that most people aren&amp;#39;t yet over.
&amp;nbsp;

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-04-15 00:45:39</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/winter-is-back-in-the-kootenays-where-is-everyone</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/winter-is-back-in-the-kootenays-where-is-everyone</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Backcountry Conditions]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Hey everyone,
I&amp;#39;m heading to Whitewater ski resort this Friday to do some sidecountry skiing with some friends and I wanted to know what the conditions are like. &amp;nbsp;My friends and I, all new backcountry skiers, are taking the &amp;#39;DISCOVER WHITEWATER BACKCOUNTRY&amp;#39; program offered by the resort and I was wondering if after this course we will be able to venture off on our own? &amp;nbsp;I also purchased the backcountry map for Whitewater from this site and I was wondering if there were any recommended runs or cautions. &amp;nbsp;Do skiers venture into the backcountry around Whitewater when the avalanche conditions are considerable?
Thanks in advance,
Mike]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-01-27 14:28:00</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/backcountry-conditions</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/backcountry-conditions</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Avalanche Conditions Report - VIDEO]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[In this weeks video Whitewater Ski Resort&amp;#39;s Snow Safety Supervisor Wren McElroy performs an extended column test and a compression test to show us the persistent week layer and how it reacts. You&amp;rsquo;ll be able to see the buried surface hoar layer is reacting now and what this means relative to the coming weather which is expected over the weekend. Enjoy the following video and stayed tuned for the next &amp;lsquo;Avalanche Condition Report&amp;rsquo; on&amp;nbsp; January 9th.





]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-01-02 18:40:13</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/avalanche-conditions-report-video</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/avalanche-conditions-report-video</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Backcountry observations + avalanche report]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Skiing in 5 Mile basin just outside the boundary of Whitewater Ski Resort over the past few days we witnessed&amp;nbsp;a size 1 pull out on a convex roll in&amp;nbsp; the upper reaches of the fingers (the multiple slide paths between the trees on the lower half of the basin). A women was caught but luckily only momentarily lost her ski. This fracture broke well above the skier and after others had already skied the slope.&amp;nbsp;



The very next day our party was skiing in the trees on the same Westerly aspect and got terrained out on a very small rock outcropping. We decided not to ski left into a very large gully (not a good idea given conditions) so we decided to ski right into a very small isolated pocket and ski cut the top of the slope to see what would happen. Unfortunately their was a small drop into this route and the first person fell and could not cut the slope but instead triggered the slope to fail. Without any snow above the subject they were not buried and thanks to fast reflexes they pulled their airbag just as a precaution. They were not buried and didn&amp;rsquo;t travel far given all the snow was beneath them. The crown was perhaps 15- 20 feet wide and isolated within the rocky terrain, it failed on the buried rain crust approximately 35cm down. The debris moved for 100&amp;rsquo; down slope and we estimated it as a size 1. No one was buried or hurt and it was a good learning exercise for everyone involved.


Be smart out there and don&amp;rsquo;t think it&amp;rsquo;s as safe as it is as it really isn&amp;rsquo;t. Micro terrain is very reactive and small changes in location and aspects make a huge difference in stability. If you have any observations please post them so we can all learn and be safe.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2015-01-01 12:17:52</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/backcountry-observations-avalanche-report</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/backcountry-observations-avalanche-report</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Whitewater Avalanche Conditions Report]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[What&amp;rsquo;s going on in the snow pack? How safe are things out there? What&amp;rsquo;s the impact of the coming weather?
Whitewater Ski Resort&amp;#39;s snow safety supervisor provides a detailed overview of the current avalanche conditions and what is going on in the snowpack right now. Learn about a recent size 2 avalanche and some tips on how to stay safe. Enjoy the following video and stayed tuned for the next &amp;lsquo;Condition Report&amp;rsquo; January 2nd.






If you have anything to add, thoughts, comments or reports of your own&amp;mdash;please add them below as a comment. The more information we all share the more educated and safer we all become!
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-12-27 01:01:22</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/state-of-the-backountry</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/state-of-the-backountry</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[State of the Backcountry - Trickier than you think!]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[The Avalanche Canada bulletin for Kootenay Boundary today was rated as&amp;nbsp; &quot;High&quot; for the alpine, &quot;Moderate&quot; at tree line and &quot;Low&quot; for below tree line. This should be taken seriously and ensure you don&amp;rsquo;t get comfortable with that thick underlying slab that now sits 20-30cm down under some fluffy new snow. While it may not be reactive where you are skiing at one point in time it may be at another.&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;
We just returned from a lap down Acidophilus and 5 Mile with nothing more that a few shooting cracks and collapsing of layers under foot (clue #1 to take notice of). One of these cracks was exceptionally large and propagated almost an entire slope (clue #2 to take notice of). While nothing was moving as we skied the slopes conservatively our confidence was not strong given the incredible amount of variability from one micro aspect to another.&amp;nbsp;

Skiing out via Goat Slide and back to Whitewater Ski Resort we could tell that the winds had done their thing on this South facing slope (clue #3 to take notice of), not like the North and West aspects we had just skied. A soft slab had formed on the entire south face and it was easily triggered by both skiers ahead of me. A small size one quickly spread and took out a 50m wide section. This was in the same area that we witnessed a single skier descending as we were switching over to ski our first lap into Acidophilus.

Long story short, play things conservative and expect to see a high degree of variability in the stability of the snow from where you are at to just past that next tree. It&amp;rsquo;s tricky out their, play safe.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-12-21 19:46:08</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/state-of-the-backcountry-trickier-than-you-think</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/state-of-the-backcountry-trickier-than-you-think</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[State of the Backcountry - What&#039;s going on?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Perched up high on peak called White Queen the backcountry surrounding Whitewater Ski Resort looks pretty spectacular and the snow pack like that of a typical year. Get a little closer and the truth becomes apparent however. Mother nature has not been kind to us thus far and this guy called Ullr that everyone keeps talking about, well he&amp;rsquo;s been more than a little bit of a let down so far this season.

Skinning up the skin track you can see the coverage or lack there of.



Whitewater has done wonders with the snow they have in preparation for Fridays opening day.


With 169cm of snow for the month of November (as recorded by Whitewater Ski Resort) we are about 45cm off the typical norm for this time of year. Not much you say? True, it&amp;rsquo;s only a 21% difference but what a difference when you consider what we have is pretty much un-skiable. Most of this base fell last week as the fluffy white stuff we all love and then you-know-who decided to warm things up and throw a little rain topper over everything. The result is that all the skiable snow is trapped under a 10cm crust that is bridging everything, everywhere. Luckily this crust is thick enough that it will support all but the most out of shape backcountry skier so there are still some turns to be had.

Descending from White Queen today was not without some decent turns and a few smiles. It is what you make it, so be sure to get out there. Be safe and enjoy what we have, more is on the way - you can bet on that.
Let us know what the state of the backcountry is where you are, we want to hear from you.

On the way to White Queen, Ymir Bowl looked pretty ready.


10 cm of soft snow and surface hoar on top of the crust provided pretty decent turns, as long as you weren&amp;rsquo;t too picky.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-12-04 01:01:00</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/state-of-the-backcountry-whats-going-on</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/state-of-the-backcountry-whats-going-on</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Whitewater sidewalk sale + Backcountry Skiing Canada = Great Deals on Gear]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Looking for great deals on new and used backcountry ski gear &amp;amp; more?
Whitewater is hosting their annual sidewalk sale this Friday September 26th and 27th and Backcountry Skiing Canada will be there again this year. We&amp;#39;ve gone through our gear closet and have heaps of great gear to sell, including backcountry skis, bindings, boots, transceivers, packs, jackets, gloves, insulation layers, sunglasses and plenty more. Whitewater will be selling off their rental fleet and a few outdoor shops will also be in attendance such as ROAM. While you are there be sure to get your Whitewater Season Pass as this will be your last chance to get it at the early bird rate!

So, if you are anywhere near the Kootenays this coming weekend be sure to head on over to the Whitewater office in Nelson BC and say &amp;#39;Hi&amp;#39;, mayvbe even take home a great deal on some new and used ski and snowboard gear.

Details:
Friday, September 26th 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm!
602 Lake Street, Nelson BC
Phone:	250-354-4944
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-09-22 09:50:55</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-sidewalk-sale-backcountry-skiing-canada-great-deals-on-gear-1</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-sidewalk-sale-backcountry-skiing-canada-great-deals-on-gear-1</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Whitewater ends with a splash]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[We can blame it on the late arrival of the Easter holidays this year but we can&amp;#39;t blame it on the lack of snow,&amp;hellip; the closing day of Whitewater Ski Resort that is.
April 6th, marked the last day of operations for Whitewater this year who made a big push to the finish line with over 25cm of snow in the last few days. This provided top notch backcountry skiing opportunities for those who hadn&amp;#39;t yet waxed the boards for summer storage. The final base height was a few flakes north of 300cm which is more than respectable given the kind of season that it was.
In traditional Whitewater form, the beach party weekend signed things off for another season and ended in a big splash for most.

Good to see the kids going big.



Click the image to see the samurai-spread animation, you won&amp;#39;t regret it. Or will you?


It looks cold...


...and it is.


Some people made the distance;


and some people just didn&amp;#39;t care.


Elvis was in the pond;


and little princesses too.

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-04-08 11:34:03</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-ends-with-a-splash</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-ends-with-a-splash</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Whitewater Backcountry TR - winter ain&#039;t over yet]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[You would think with these spring-like temps down here in Nelson and plenty-o-sunshine that things up in the Whitewater backcountry would have gone to shit by now. Not so. Having returned from a morning tour yesterday, I was quite surprised as to how well things were holding up.



We caught the first summit chair (literally) and headed for the skin track up blasters ridge towards Prospector Bowl and West Ymir. Once arriving at Prospector and seeing plenty of opportunity for fresh lines and soft snow we decided to peal our skins right away and take advantage of the opportunity. The skiing was solid with little more than minor sluffs to manage. Top-of-the-boot skiing as they say and mighty fine at at that. Closer to the bottom, trending skiers right we hit the open avi path and skied back in bounds shocked at just how good things were holding up.&amp;nbsp;


With a round trip time at just 1:10 we headed back up, this time with West Ymir the objective. Once on the ridge we took some time to watch a few boarders jump into Dog&amp;rsquo;s Leg and a gaggle of skiers skinning up to the summit. Once we skied the first bench we realized that West Ymir&amp;rsquo;s shaded North face held just as good snow as did Prospector&amp;rsquo;s even though most of the resort was in full sun. The skiing was mid-winter like and the lack of tracks everywhere told us that most people have already retired their touring gear for the season. Tsk, tsk.




Even though it was a quick morning tour with only two laps, they were still some of the best of the season given how calm and sunny it was&amp;mdash;are rarity this season. If you are on the fence about a spring tour, do yourself a favour and get out there, with more snow on the way you won&amp;rsquo;t be disappointed.

Check out our route here (on our Suunto Moves Count page) if you are not familiar with&amp;nbsp;West Ymir and Prospector Bowl&amp;nbsp;routes get more info&amp;nbsp;on our Whitewater Ski Resort routes section.&amp;nbsp;
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-04-04 10:46:35</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-backcountry-tr-winter-aint-over-yet</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/whitewater-backcountry-tr-winter-aint-over-yet</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Yimer peak]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Hi all
Just a quick update on the peak for anyone keen to giv&amp;#39;er a shot. &amp;nbsp;As of April 2 the drop in is in fine shape. &amp;nbsp;The top 10cm is sluffing but the base under foot is soft to give you a good purchase. The entry into Kubas shoot is icy with some big rocks showing through. &amp;nbsp;Kubas is in fine shape with deep dry coverage. &amp;nbsp;West yimer is stellar up high with a light breakable crust about midway down. &amp;nbsp;Sorry no pics but was a stellar blue bird day with short sleeves touring up and high to moderate winds on the peak.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-04-02 21:46:49</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/yimer-peak</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/yimer-peak</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Soap Box Comp_Whitewater Sidecountry]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[As skiers we seek out premium snow conditions and as a photographer I am drawn to the best lighting conditions. &amp;nbsp;Late in the afternoon during the Coldsmoke Powder Fest, the light on Joker was fading but Catch Basin was open and catching some nice afternoon light. &amp;nbsp;We decided to go for it and were blown away at what greeted us on the ridge &amp;ndash; full sunlight and snow fleeced trees. &amp;nbsp;It was a winter wonderland and photographers paradise! .... and the skiing was excellent.

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-03-31 17:46:54</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/soap-box-comp_whitewater-sidecountry</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/soap-box-comp_whitewater-sidecountry</guid>
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            <title><![CDATA[Soap Box Comp_Glory Ridge]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[One of&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;highlights from this ski season was attending the Cold Smoke Powder Fest. &amp;nbsp;Had a great day at Whitewater skiing Glory Basin for most of the day. &amp;nbsp;It was right after a much needed snowfall. &amp;nbsp;Standing up on the ridge, it&amp;#39;s easy to see why it was named Glory Ridge!&amp;nbsp; 




]]></description>
            <pubDate>2014-03-31 17:40:02</pubDate>
            <link>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/soap-box-comp_glory-ridge</link>
            <guid>/index.php/forum/bcs/category/whitewater/topic/soap-box-comp_glory-ridge</guid>
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