Where’s the snow? Lack of flurries puts damper on North Shore ski season

A lack of snow on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore mountains is putting a damper on the ski and snowboard season for many.

Despite a major dumping of snow across the region late last year, many images of bare runs and less-than-ideal conditions have been shared online.

Those who regularly hit the slopes say they’ve noticed.

“There’s not as much snow as usual. On the way up, we were pretty surprised,” one person at Grouse Mountain told CityNews.

“I like when it’s nice and fluffy when I’m doing the snowshoeing. But it’s just more moist, more like slush,” another said.

Some say they haven’t seen the local slopes look like this, at this time of year, for a decade, adding “it’s pretty bad.”

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“Had quite a few powder days at the start and then, yeah, slowly, more recently, some rain washed though, some stuff showing through — dirt, rocks, coming up,” one man added.

While the major snow storm to sweep across Metro Vancouver was just less than a month ago, CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss says more recent weather is to blame.

“The melt that’s happened in the last two weeks has been so significant that we’ve gone from 300 centimetre snowfall accumulation, so that’s the snow that’s fallen, down to bases of 100 centimetres or below in spots,” he explained.

A Cypress Mountain ski slope is pictured amid a lack of snow, with some patches of rock, dirt, and grass showing through. (Courtesy Anna-Louice Thiem)

A snowpack bulletin released by the B.C. River Forecast Centre last Tuesday says snowpack on the south coast is only 70 per cent of normal.

“We need some snow on the Lower Mainland,” one local said.

Last week, both Mt Seymour and Grouse Mountain announced plans to close some areas for a day or so “due to increment weather” in the forecast.However, a much-needed dumping of snow followed in the days after.

Grouse Mountain says 18 centimetres fell overnight Sunday, Jan. 15., with more coming down on Monday. But more than half of the runs remained closed to start the week.

Some runs on Grouse Mountain have been closed due to conditions created amid a lack of snow. But the forecast shows there will be more flurries in the forecast the week of Jan. 16, 2023. (Monika Gul, CityNews)

Kuss says things could be turning around, with more light snow expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. The forecast also includes some lower temperatures.

“So even on the days where we don’t see snow, Thursday and Friday, for example, it’ll be cold enough to make snow, so that definitely helps as well,” he said.

Cypress Mountain was also quick to provide an update on conditions, saying Monday that 10 centimetres had fallen overnight, with more expected over the coming week.

SNOW UPDATE

We’ve had 10cm overnight and are seeing more snow forecasted for most days this week, particularly mid mountain and upward!

Temperatures are around -2° with a chill of -9°

Get the shades out for some more bluebirds days coming!

Credit – @_mikefraser_ pic.twitter.com/s67TIQy5CX

— Cypress Mountain (@Cypressmtn) January 16, 2023

That’s the news many skiers and snowboarders want to hear.

“I hope that there is some snow. I know that nobody likes to hear that in Vancouver but I like some snow in the city. Don’t kill me. I feel like I’m jinxing us,” one woman said, with a laugh.