North America Weekly Roundup #251

Timberline: North America's Last Ski Stand

• Timberline on Mt. Hood in Oregon is the only lift-served ski area currently open in North America, offering high-altitude skiing and a terrain park.
• Summer camps at Woodward Copper in Colorado continue for three more weeks, featuring the largest hike-to summer terrain park, open to the public on weekends.
• Meteorological forecasts predict a 60% chance of a La Niña event for the winter of 24-25, potentially bringing more precipitation and snow to North American ski regions.

USA REPORT

There’s really just one lift-served ski area open in the US and all of North America. Timberline on Mt. Hood in Oregon continues to offer about 4km (2.5 miles) of high-altitude skiing, along with a terrain park and pipes, open every morning, weather permitting. Temperatures have been warm, as you’d expect for late July, and the snowpack continues to thaw, but there has been no end-of-season notification yet, and usually, the Palmer snowfield there makes it into August. Elsewhere, there are about three weeks left of the summer camps at Woodward Copper in Colorado, where the largest hike-to summer terrain park yet is continuing to hold out against the warming summer sun. It’s normally open to non-campers for a $25 ticket from Fridays to Sundays. The indoor snow hall at Big Snow in New Jersey is also open daily. The first long-term official forecasts for winter 24-25 have been published, with meteorological agencies predicting a 60% chance of a La Niña event between November this year and January next. La Niña typically means more precipitation and snow than its counterpart El Niño, which delivered a dry first half of last winter to most North American ski regions, after record snowfall during the previous 22-23 La Niña winter. Thus, skiers and riders should hope those early long-term forecasts prove correct and that next winter’s La Niña turns out even stronger than currently forecast.

USA FORECAST

Mostly sunny weather is expected to continue, with overnight lows up high getting down to the high 30s but not likely to drop below freezing, and daytime highs well into the 60s Fahrenheit.