North America Weekly Roundup #262

Aurora Meets Autumn Colors in Canada's Pre-Season Ski Spectacle

• Canadian ski areas like Big White, Lake Louise, and Whistler Blackcomb report early snowfall, while Banff Norquay aims to open November 1st.
• Western US ski resorts face unseasonably warm weather, with snowmaking preparations underway but no consistent cold temperatures yet.
• Wisconsin's Trollhaugen ski area hosts the first US pre-season riding event, with colder, snowier conditions expected in the Midwest this winter due to La Niña.

USA REPORT

Canadian ski areas have been posting pictures and news of fresh snowfall on higher slopes across the mountains in the west of the country, with Big White, Lake Louise, and Whistler Blackcomb all reporting the deepest coverings of the pre-season so far. The season start here is just over three weeks away, if target dates are met, with Banff Norquay expected to open on November 1st. There have been some spectacular sights in recent days, with the snowfall meeting fall colors in the forests and also nights with the aurora glowing overhead. Snowfall has also been reported on peaks south of the border in states like Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Further south in the US, however, it continues to be unseasonably warm, with more or less non-stop sunshine on Western mountains. California is reported to be experiencing a fall heatwave. Ski resorts like Arapahoe Basin and Keystone in Colorado, among those hoping to open from mid-October, are posting news of their snowmaking teams retesting equipment as they await a temperature drop. Unfortunately, so far there’s no clear sign of when it will be consistently cold enough. That said, Copper posted on Tuesday that it had begun making a thin covering of snow as temperatures start cooling, with the aim of beginning base building ahead of opening. Further east, the Midwest, and particularly Trollhaugen ski area in Wisconsin, has had a good week. The center uncovered its own pile of snow stored through summer for use at their annual rail jam on Sunday, which marked the first US riding of the pre-season. They also reported temperatures dropping to 31°F overnight, enabling a test run of snowmaking systems ahead of the full 24-25 season start, which they're hoping will begin in early November. Wisconsin has been singled out as a likely beneficiary of the La Niña-influenced weather pattern this coming winter, with a colder, snowier winter than average expected there.

USA FORECAST

It’s continuing to look warm and dry with pretty much non-stop daytime sunshine in the Western US. The highest slopes in the Rockies should see temperatures dip a degree or two below freezing overnight, but even if it gets cold enough for snowmaking in some spots, daytime highs in the 50s and even low 60s are likely to thaw any snow created at this point.