Whistler Skier Dodges Rock On Early Season Powder Run

Ella Boyd
·2 min read

Get your rock skis ready: it's go time in Whistler.

Professional freeskier Alex Beaulieu-Marchand, or @abmskier on Instagram, posted a video searching for freshies and hanging on by a thread, with the caption "20cm of snow on rocks in Whistler! Early season powder hounding 🤣 Get your rock skis out!"

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A post shared by Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (@abmskier)

Maybe "powder hounding" should be changed to "powder floundering"... get it? Because they're bottom feeders?

Zoology jokes aside, that run looked pretty rough. We commend Alex for giving it his all, as we all should because being stoked is contagious, and you don't need an excuse to go skiing.

I earned a couple core shots this weekend when I explored the (seemingly) vast terrain at Mammoth, only to hit a little bump off to the side and land right on some rocks below. (Shout out to Mammoth for opening the Cornice Bowl, that thing is sick and, surprisingly, held up all day!)

Also, to my Tahoe friends who saw me hike out of the trees last week after a very unsatisfying foray into the glades... what can I say, I'm channeling my inner Alex.

Alex's moves may look reckless, but he is calculated and talented: a Canadian Olympic medalist and 5x X Games medalist, Beaulieu-Marchand can throw down, snow or no snow.

On the bright side, Whistler has gotten some new snow recently, despite things looking scarce from Alex's POV footage: the mountain received 12cm in the last 24 hours, and 18cm in the last 48 hours.

In the last week, Whistler has seen 47cm of snowfall. There is a 70cm base layer already, and the season total is 153cm.

There is a little snow on the way, with 3-5cm predicted to fall today.

Are you clicking into your powder skis? Maybe just throw them in the back of the truck, just in case.

Related: Whistler Skier Gets Real: "We Need Snow"

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