November 29, 2002

Wanted Drunk or Sober: The Griz!

Wanted:The Griz
Description: bearded, mythical, sometimes beloved Fernie snow god.
Charged with: dereliction of duty
Last seen: November 8, 2002


Yes, it would seem that the Griz must be off on another bender for the snow drought continues and we have been left sucking frost. The only flakes falling are those coming from the snow guns beside the Mighty Moose, which may now boast the best skiing on the mountain. Even up at the Bear's Den there is virtually no snow except in the shade and Bear itself is looking mighty, well, bare. I hear that the ski hill will make a formal decision on opening day next Monday, but unless that scoundrel is rounded up and gets in some serious overtime this weekend, I fear the result is a forgone conclusion.

Farther up there is some snow, but it is far from friendly. Even up in the middle of Lizard I could still prance about on the surface of the snow and my considerable bulk left barely a mark. On the brighter side, this dense, albeit thin, sediment will probably provide a good foundation for future snow when it comes. Certainly a meter of fresh would change the outlook considerably and that can arrive in just a day or two here. Unfortunately the spoil sports at the Environment Canada weather office are refusing to conjure up any precipitation in their five day forecast.

Another tiny bright spot is that following the departure of the cat after our last lonely snowfall, they were able to bring in a large backhoe which did a remarkably good job of smoothing out the mess on Bear. The resulting brown area is rather stark evidence of the lack of recent snow though.

At 16:00 it is -2 C at the house and the sky is clear. Anyone for some Extreme pinochle?



Lizard Bowl from the soccer field of my daughter's elementary school.

The snow guns produce some weird sculptures on the weeds of the bunny run, while some desperate boarders do mini runs in the background.

Barely Bear.

The Bear's den looks forlorn in the snowless gloom.

At quarter past one in the afternoon, the sun has already set on Lizard Bowl.

A back hoe repaired Bear.

There was snow up here beside Dancer, but the conditions could be described as concrete and bush. Presumably the jump in the foreground was made in softer times. The top of the Bear Chair is in the upper right.