First Snows of Autumn in North America
Snow has been reported on high slopes across North America over the past week – during the final few days of summer and since the start of meteorological Autumn – which begins on September 1st.
Ski areas in the Northwest of the continent in Wyoming in the US and on the Alberta/BC border a little further north were the first to report snowfall. In the past 24 hours however there’s also been fresh snow in Colorado with high resorts like Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge (below) and Copper Mountain (pictured top yesterday) all reporting snow.
The sight of snowfall has raised excitement levels for the coming winter in the region and through social media posts as well as focused minds on completing new construction projects such as the new chairlifts at Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin ahead of the weather turning fully ahead of the 18-19 season.
BEAVERS LIFT UPDATE: Yesterday, a helicopter brought fresh buckets of concrete from the base area to each of the fifteen lift tower foundations. There's more concrete to pour in the next couple of weeks, and then comes the really fun part – flying and placing the lift towers! Stay tuned for more construction updates coming soon. #ABasin #TheBeavers Lift Blog Leitner-Poma of America
Gepostet von Arapahoe Basin Ski Area am Samstag, 1. September 2018
The only ski area that had been operational in North America, Timberline Lodge in Oregon is currently reporting its status as ‘temporarily closed – waiting for snow.’ It usually operates almost year round but often closes in September for annual lift maintenance.
(Jackson Hole on 28 August)
Snowmaking ahead of the start of the 2018-19 ski season is likely to begin later this month on high slopes in Colorado. Loveland ski area which aims to be one of the first in the US to open, if possible in October, has a ‘countdown-to-the-start-of-snowmaking’ clock on its website which gives a September 28th date for them to fire up their systems.
Arapahoe Basin, which only ended its 17-18 season a few months ago, normally opens in October too and ski areas in Alberta as well as more in Colorado usually open at the very start of November.
(Sunshine in Alberta this week pictured below)
