A 300-cm miracle: The snow surge that recharged this ski giant
An explosive, late-season snow dump has skiers buzzing and meteorologists taking note. We discuss how an iconic B.C. mountain pulled off one of March’s most impressive snowfall feats
March began with whispers of a season destined for below-average snowfall. Three weeks and 300 cm later, Whistler was back in the powder game––and then some.
If you blinked, you might’ve missed it. What started as an unremarkable winter suddenly turned into a late-season surge. As of March 3, the resort had logged just 628 cm of snow––and skiers were quietly bracing for a forgettable finish.
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But the weather had other plans.
Between March 3 and March 26, Whistler picked up a staggering 283 cm of snow, averaging more than 11.8 cm per day. By April 7, the total climbed to 936 cm, thanks to another 25 cm through early April.
Sluggish snow start
Whistler’s historical, seasonal snowfall average sits around 1,100 cm, so by early March, the resort was well off pace. The 628 cm recorded by March 3 was edging uncomfortably close to the lowest full-season totals of the past 30 years.
A pattern flip fuelled the comeback
So, what changed? The pattern.
A stubborn trough anchored over the Gulf of Alaska in early March tapped into a deep supply of cold air and redirected the storm track straight onto B.C.’s South Coast.
Instead of mild Pacific storms with high freezing levels, temperatures dropped just enough to keep snow levels low, especially in the alpine. High-moisture events suddenly became high-accumulation snowstorms.
Not without consequence
The snow surge wasn’t all good news.
Avalanche risk rose sharply with the sudden increase in snow. The rapid accumulation overloaded buried weak layers in the snowpack, leading to prolonged periods of high avalanche danger across alpine terrain.
On March 24, three people tragically lost their lives in an avalanche near Kaslo, B.C., underscoring the risks that come with abrupt snowpack changes.
How much more?
With snow still in the forecast, Whistler’s season might not be done just yet.
While it may not reach its seasonal average, this March-April burst was enough to lift the resort from the brink of a below-average season to a perfectly respectable one.
This season won’t be remembered for records, but it will be memorable for the comeback and not the struggle.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The incorrect heliskiing operator was originally identified in this story regarding the avalanche on March 24 near Kaslo, B.C. The operator was in fact Stellar Heli Skiing.