US and Canadian Resorts Extend Seasons in to May after mid-April Snow Dumps
A number of ski areas in the US and Canada have extended their ski seasons in to May following big snowfalls in the past week – in some cases the biggest ever recorded April snowstorms.
Initial snowfalls in the early part of the week saw ski areas in Colorado and Utah reporting up to 50cm of fresh snow. These included Snowbird, (below this week) which is normally open in to May anyway, and Winter Park, which isn’t, but has decided to now extend the ski season, limited to its Mary Jane terrain, to May 6th.
But it was the Mid-west where most ski areas had already closed for the 17-18 ski season, some a month back, that the record-breaking snowfalls hit mid-week. Up to 80cm of snow was reported across the region as temperatures dropped by up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit to mid-winter conditions.
Some ski areas that had been closed re-opened, others announced extended seasons for as long as the snow remains good.
Andes Tower Hills in Wisconsin ran a Facebook survey to see if they should re-open this weekend Minnesota and Boyne Mountain in Michigan (above this week) said they’d now had more powder days in April than January.
Wild Mountain and Granite Peak also announced they’d be open,
“This snow alert is an under statement… we’re in the middle of one of the biggest snow weekends yet again here in Wisconsin. If you can make it here, it’s some of the best skiing we’ve had all season and may have for years to come!” a statement from the latter claims.
Big Snow Resort’s Indianhead Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula plans to stay open as well. The mountain is in the Lake Superior snowbelt near Wakefield and regularly gets more than five metres (17 feet) of snow in the winter.
Then the East Coast, particularly in New Hampshire and Vermont, reported good (and on-going) snowfalls. At time of writing a number of areas including Jay Peak (pictured top after 40cm of snow in the past 72 hours) and Killington in Vermont as well as Wildcat in NH and Sugarloaf (above) and Sunday River in Maine are yet to announce a closing date as the snow keeps falling.
Just north of the border in Southern Quebec however Mont Sutton has announced its extending its ski season to May 6th.
