How hard are blues at Whistler Blackcomb?

[NYSnowflake]

I am heading out west for the first time at the end of March. I am wondering- are the blue groomers at Whistler Blackcomb about the same difficulty level as blue groomers at big east coast mountains like Stowe, Killington, Whiteface, Sunday River, Sugarbush, etc.? Or should I expect them to be scarier??

 

[Jilly]

They may not groom the blues at WB. So they can be harder. On your list I've only been to Whiteface, so hard to say. Last trip out the Saddle wasn't groomed so it wasn't easy for sure.

 

[NYSnowflake]

They may not groom the blues at WB. So they can be harder. On your list I've only been to Whiteface, so hard to say. Last trip out the Saddle wasn't groomed so it wasn't easy for sure.

I checked the snow report and it looks like 9/10 blues are groomed at WB. I think I heard they changed the saddle to a black?

 

[Jilly]

I haven't been out in 6 years (to the exact day even). So that could have happened. Not to put a damper on your trip, by VR has not done the place any favours.

 

[Christy]

I've never skied the east so I don't know how helpful this will be, but when I was a lower intermediate the things about Whistler's blues that I found hard were the amount of skier traffic, and how bumped out runs would get (from all the snow and all the skiers). It's not a place you should expect to see a lot of corduroy.

The flat light in the alpine areas, above the treeline, can make things tough, but you can just decide not to go high up on overcast or snowy days.

 

[xxs_skier]

Not sure how accurate Fatmap is, but you can look at the routes and see the gradient and compare them to the runs that you're used to.

 

[sorcamc]

I think this is where skiing is very mental. If you have the confidence to ski a blue on the East Coast, I think technically, you should have the skillset to ski blues on any mountain really. Even if they are a little steeper, or narrower or bumpier, you will be able to do it. In fact, I'd venture they may even feel easier because you have less ice to contend with. Id ask someone what the hardest green there is and see how you feel. Or ask what is a gentle blue and take it from there.

 

[xxs_skier]

I checked the snow report and it looks like 9/10 blues are groomed at WB. I think I heard they changed the saddle to a black?

Yes, on the trail map it says it's a black now.

 

[Cantabrigienne]

I am heading out west for the first time at the end of March. I am wondering- are the blue groomers at Whistler Blackcomb about the same difficulty level as blue groomers at big east coast mountains like Stowe, Killington, Whiteface, Sunday River, Sugarbush, etc.? Or should I expect them to be scarier??

It's the moguls/heavy chop that's challenging. I've skied all you mentioned bar Killington and think the gradients are comparable esp as they are graded assuming they'll be icy, right? (I was a total noob when I skied Whiteface tho, so memories are dim.)

Correspondingly there are a lot of blues at WB that are pleasant and not challenging when freshly groomed, but 4 hours into the day and >4" of snow later are heavy crud / chop / mogulled up & tough to ski. If you want corduroy, sign up for Fresh Tracks (pay extra $28 to be one of the first 600 onto the mountain - they open the gondola up at 7:30 for Fresh Tracks, which is an hour before the gondola officially starts running. It includes a $17 breakfast voucher so I guess it's really $11....)

Hope to see you at the womens' camp on April 1 (or earlier - PM me to let me know when you get in.)

 

[HeatherPR]

I haven’t skied Whistler but I ski sugarbush every weekend. I just got back from Taos and I could ski the blues out there no problem. As another poster said if you can ski blues east with ice then west blues will feel better. That being said some of the blues in Taos were not groomed and that was challenging for me…mostly bc I haven’t mastered moguls or bumps yet.

 

[echo_VT]

Agree that pitch may be similar but the conditions on the terrain may be different. If you can, lessons go a long way. When I would do a week in Whistler, I go with the group I came with and a few people who know the terrain well give us tips, or we split by discipline and do week-long or multi-day camps or clinics with local rippers who are great teachers and know where to go depending on the day's conditions.

 

[Chuyi]

I am heading out west for the first time at the end of March. I am wondering- are the blue groomers at Whistler Blackcomb about the same difficulty level as blue groomers at big east coast mountains like Stowe, Killington, Whiteface, Sunday River, Sugarbush, etc.? Or should I expect them to be scarier??

Nothing scarier than skiing the East

 

[Jilly]

Ice in our veins!!