North America Weekly Roundup #237

West Coast Wonder: California Resorts Thrive with Deep Snow and Sunny Slopes

• Despite the winding down of the season in North America, around 50 ski centers remain open, predominantly in the Rockies and on the Pacific Coast, with excellent snow conditions and occasional late-season snowfall.
• Resorts in the Rockies, such as Colorado and Utah, have experienced late-season snowfall, extending the ski season for several areas into May, with some reporting up to two feet of fresh snow.
• Ski areas on the West Coast, particularly in California and Oregon, still boast substantial snow depths and a high percentage of open terrain, offering ideal spring skiing conditions.

NORTH AMERICA INTRO

The season is of course in wind-down mode across North America, but we still have around 50 centres still open, 90% of them in the Rockies or on the Pacific Coast. That list includes many of Canada and America's biggest and best-known resorts, and a good many of them have managed to keep all or most of their slopes open to date, as winter 23-24 draws to its close with much better snow conditions than when it began – the snow lying more than 10 feet (3 metres) deep at several western areas. This being now well into springtime it’s no surprise that the past week has brought mostly sunny and increasingly warm temperatures, but there's also been some light snowfall recorded at centres on both the east and west coasts and in the Rockies to give a brief slopes refresh against the bigger thaw.

ROCKIES REPORT

More big-name ski areas in the Rockies ended their seasons at the weekend, with temperatures climbing into the 50s and even low 60s Fahrenheit, but we still have a dozen or so areas open into the second half of April, most of them in either Colorado or Utah. There was also a blip in the warm temperatures with a drop back below freezing and some fresh snowfall to start the week and improve things for still open ski centres. Tuesday was in fact a late season powder day at many still open resorts with up to two feet (60cm) of snowfall reported on Colorado slopes. There are more than a dozen resortsd still open across Colorado, Utah and a few other spots too. Most still have 100% of their terrain open although America’s biggest, Utah’s Park City (0/104” / 0/260cm) which had been due to close last weekend but extended its season by a week, has dropped to 80% of theirs. Copper Mountain (18/57” / 45/142cm) has announced it is extending its ski season into May for the second successive year. After April 28, Copper says their American Eagle, Excelerator, Super Bee and Storm King lifts and associated terrain will remain open, including the Superpipe and there will also be a hike park in the base area. Four other Colorado ski areas – Arapahoe Basin (32/64” / 80/160cm), Breckenridge (16/57” / 40/144cm), Loveland (22/55” / 55/137cm) and Winter Park (66/74” / 165/185cm) are also expecting to stay open into May.

ROCKIES FORECAST

A mostly sunny latter half of this week with temperatures ranging between the mid-20s and low 50s depending on altitude and time of day. There’s not much precipitation on the horizon, just a chance of light snowfall up high at the weekend.

USA WEST REPORT

There were a few inches of snow for some West Coast ski areas to start the week against a week of predominantly sunny weather with daytime highs getting well up into the 40s although overnight lows on high slopes still a few degrees below freezing. Ski areas around Tahoe saw snowfall down to fairly low levels on Sunday/Monday. About a dozen ski areas remain open on the West Coast, most of them in California where the snow is lying up to 13 feet (3.9m) deep on high runs at centres like Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth, although there’s also Crystal Mountain (27/58” / 67/145cm) in Washington State and several in Oregon. Indeed Timberline (114/170” / 285/425cm) there is posting North America’s deepest snow cover and 100% of its slopes open. Most centres in the region report at least 80% of their runs still open though and the majority more than 90%.

USA WEST FORECAST

Largely sunny skies ahead with temperatures staying a degree or two above freezing even overnight on higher slopes and into the 40s or even low 50s Fahrenheit at bases in the afternoons.

MIDWEST REPORT

The ski season in the Midwest is essentially over with temperatures getting into the 60s Fahrenheit this week and all ski centres in the region now having announced their 23-24 seasons are done, many complaining that a lack of consistently cold temperatures through the winter prevented them from really getting going. That said Michigan’s Boyne Mountain (10/10” / 25/25cm) did open a couple of runs at the weekend despite the warm temperatures and it has not officially announced it has closed yet, so we’re waiting to see if they’re back next weekend.

MIDWEST FORECAST

A mixed bag of weather ahead across the region, but the snowpack will continue to thaw away and forecast showers are more likely to be rain rather than snowfall so definitely continues the season-over vibe.

USA EAST REPORT

There are a handful of ski areas still open on the US east in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, mostly still excited from the eclipse just over a week ago. Vermont’s Killington (8/21” / 20/53cm) has the most terrain still open, despite a fairly thin base, around 70% of its terrain, and most years stays open to late May, but then most years has more snow lying in April. But that said there has been some fresh snowfall this week, including 3” (7.5cm) reported on Tuesday, and it has been pilig the snow up on its Superstar trail, the one that stays open through May. It recently reported the depth of the machine-made snow on it had peaked at 340” (8.6 metres) so that’s quite a lot of snow to thaw through. Sugarloaf and Sunday River (28/32" / 70/80cm) in Maine are both expected to stay open until the start of May. Sugarloaf (14/28" / 35/70cm) reports the whole mountain is still open, for Sunday River it's about two-thirds of their terrain is still open this week. It's been mostly 'springlike' at times quite warm in the northeast but we did see a brief temperature drop and an inch or two of snow on higher slopes going into the weekend.

USA EAST FORECAST

Changeable conditions with temperatures down below freezing by a degree or two on high slopes at night and snow/sleet/rain showers likely depending on altitude and time of day/night the precipitation arrives. But it remains ever later into spring and daytime highs in the upper 40s and low 50s will see the thaw continuing.

CANADA

CANADA WEST REPORT

Most of Western Canada's ski areas have ended their seasons now but half a dozen will continue to operate through to the end of the month or into May. Among them is North America's biggest, Whistler Blackcomb (0/225cm / 0/90”), which still has five weeks of its season left and will be the penultimate Canadian ski area to close for the season, on May 20th. Its Blackcomb slopes closed for the season at the weekend but Whistler Mountain will continue through to the end. Typical springtime weather this last week really with overnight lows up high down as far as -12C but getting well into positive numbers down low in the daytime. Some snow up high/rain down low showers too. The heaviest reported snowfall came on Tuesday-Wednesday this week with a 10-20cm accumulation at resorts in the Rockies leaving mid-April powder conditions. Most still-open areas in the west (which also include Jasper’s Marmot Basin and all three Banff ski areas) still have 80% or more of their slopes open. Sunshine (140/151cm / 56/60”) reported one of the biggest midweek accumulations, it still has over a month of its 23-24 season left to ruin, being traditionally the last in the country to close for the season, this year targeting May 21st after its famous annual Slush Cup long-standing pond-skimming event.

CANADA WEST FORECAST

Mostly cloudy skies over the next few days, with temperatures ranging from +10C at resort level in the afternoons to -10C at altitude overnight. Some light snow showers are possible on high slopes, rain in the valley, with sunnier weather expected at the weekend.

CANADA EAST REPORT

Most of Eastern Canada's ski areas are now closed for the season including the biggest, Mont Tremblant, which had to announce it was closing more terrain than it had hoped to have to, ahead of its closing weekend last Saturday/Sunday due to the warm temperatures, but higher north facing terrain was open there to the end. Summit Saint Sauveur (45/65cm / 18/26”) is traditionally the last area to close in the East each season and that’s looking like it’ll be the same again this season.

CANADA EAST FORECAST

Staying fairly mild through the 24-hour cycle, with lows of +1 or +2C, and highs around +10C. Mostly overcast skies with light rain showers possible, sunnier weather expected towards the weekend.