North America Weekly Roundup #244

Last Tracks of the Season: Arapahoe Basin's Final Long Weekend Celebration on the Horizon

• North America experienced extreme weather, including baseball-sized hail in Texas and unusual hail resembling snow in the Midwest, alongside actual snowfall on high slopes in the Rockies.
• Despite the changing seasons, four ski centres in the US are extending operations into June, with two still welcoming skiers and riders this upcoming weekend, offering access to advanced terrain and diminished trails.
• Oregon’s Timberline and Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin remain open, with Arapahoe Basin planning one final long weekend at the end of next week before closing for the season, boasting the most terrain available compared to other centres.

USA REPORT

North America saw some wild weather including baseball-sized hail stones hitting Texas and hail 'like snow' in the Midwest, plus some actual snow on high slopes in the Rockies. In terms of ski operations, four US centres made it into June with two still open this coming weekend. The last centre open on the East Coast, Killington in Vermont, allowed dedicated skiers and riders to descend its much-diminished Superstar trail on Saturday, June 1st and Arizona also saw its first-ever lift-accessed June skiing with the Snowbowl's Arizona Gondola operating from 10 AM - 4 PM on June 1st too, offering access to advanced terrain. So still open are Oregon’s Timberline (18/117” / 45/294cm ) and Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin (12/50” / 30/124cm) although the latter has moved to Friday-Sunday operations. It’ll be open this upcoming weekend and announced on Monday that it will re-open for one final long weekend, at the end of next week, with its closing day party scheduled for June 16th. It's also posting the most terrain open, about 15 miles (24km) of slopes still. That's about three times more than Timberline where Palmer is open plus the Magic Mile Terrain Park and public halfpipe. Temperatures have been climbing into the 50s and 60s in the afternoon with plenty of sunny skies, although Oregon and the Northwest saw cooler weather and some rain/sleet to start the week.

USA FORECAST

There's more sunshine ahead, overnight lows at high elevations are still close to freezing but climbing up into the 50s and even low 60s at lower levels in the afternoons.