North America Weekly Roundup #255

Timberline Closes: North America Awaits the 24-25 Ski Season

• Timberline in Oregon has closed, leaving no outdoor snowsports options currently open in North America except for the Big Snow indoor center in New Jersey.
• Ski areas are gearing up for the 24-25 season, with some like Keystone in Colorado aiming to open as early as mid-October, depending on conditions.
• Optimism for early season openings is growing, with hopes for cold enough temperatures for snowmaking and potential early snowfalls.

USA REPORT

With Timberline in Oregon, which had been the only centre still open for its 23-24 season, ending its nine-month-plus run on Sunday, there’s currently nowhere open for snow sports in North America…unless you count the Big Snow indoor center in New Jersey. However, ski areas are increasingly talking about the start of the 24-25 season and starting to name the days when they hope to open for the coming winter. The most optimistic are hoping their lifts will be running in less than two months now, with Vail Resorts announcing that Keystone in Colorado will open in mid-October “if conditions allow.” Those conditions typically mean cold enough temperatures for consistent snowmaking, and if we’re lucky, some good early snowfalls. Other October opening candidates in recent years have included Midwest, East, and West Coast centres when those conditions have aligned enough to build bases there too. It's only a few years since areas in the Pacific Northwest opened for a few days in early September after an unprecedented early snowfall, so it's time to keep the faith and keep snow dancing.

USA FORECAST

Warm and dry, even on high slopes, where overnight lows will be in the low 50s, and daytime highs in the 70s-80s.