There was a widespread western storm at the start of October, but that snow is gone. Snow from a late October storm of 1+ foot in some of the West probably persists in well preserved locations or those with good November snow. November snowfall has been below average in the western coastal regions but well above average at many areas in the Rockies. Wolf Creek, Targhee and Fernie are the standout areas so far in snowfall and base depths. A storm is expected to hit the Northwest late this weekend and move into the northern and central Rockies next week. Snow totals for the rest of the season reports will exclude October for most areas, though for some whose online reporting starts at area opening it's not possible to separate it out.
California: Minimal snow is left from 2 October storms after the first 3 dry weeks in November.
With less than one foot of snow last week open terrain in the Sierra is limited to a few snowmaking runs. Advance commitments
to the region should be avoided until well past the holidays unless there is a substantial dump before then. See
Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Squaw 8,000 |
10 |
18% |
3% |
|
Northstar |
3.5 |
9% |
2% |
|
Mt. Rose |
8 |
19% |
8% |
|
Heavenly |
8 |
19% |
1% |
|
Kirkwood |
10 |
16% |
2% |
|
Mammoth |
10 |
22% |
5% |
|
Southern Cal |
7 |
84% |
0-15% |
|
Arizona Snowbowl |
29 |
106% |
8% |
Pacific Northwest: The early storm caused Crystal and Stevens to open for one day each in early October. November snowfall has
been below average but should catch up with what's expected over the next few days. Current base depths are
max 30 inches except for Mt. Baker's 32-46 inches.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Whistler |
45 |
58% |
21% |
|
Crystal Mt. |
45 |
69% |
Closed |
|
Stevens Pass |
63 |
82% |
22% |
|
Mt. Bachelor |
46 |
71% |
21% |
Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: November snow has been well above average in most of this region. Base depths are nearly 4 feet at
Fernie and Whitewater. Silver Star is 50% open and Sun Peaks 56% open on bases of about 30 inches.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Big White |
63 |
113% |
49% |
|
Lake Louise |
37 |
105% |
37% |
|
Sunshine |
65 |
140% |
55% |
|
Revelstoke |
81 |
113% |
50% |
|
Kicking Horse |
56 |
103% |
Closed |
|
Whitewater |
93 |
148% |
Dec. 6 |
|
Red Mt. |
36.5 |
83% |
Dec. 14 |
|
Fernie |
89 |
149% |
56% |
|
Castle Mt. |
66 |
157% |
Dec. 7 |
U. S. Northern Rockies:Targhee opened 3/4 of terrain the weekend before Thanksgiving. Elsewhere in the
region November was about average and base depths average 2+ feet. More snow is expected next week.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Grand Targhee |
97 |
139% |
89% |
|
Jackson Hole |
60 |
98% |
15% |
|
Whitefish |
56 |
108% |
Dec. 7 |
|
Schweitzer |
40 |
89% |
21% |
|
Sun Valley |
20 |
62% |
17% |
Utah: The Wasatch got the early October storm but it melted out. Season snowfall excluding that storm is below average,
so base depths are about 2 feet but some snow is expected next week.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Alta |
53 |
60% |
43% |
|
Snowbird |
46 |
67% |
18% |
|
Brighton/Solitude |
46 |
55% |
38% |
|
Park City group |
36 |
76% |
4% |
|
Snowbasin |
40 |
78% |
7% |
|
Brian Head |
29 |
61% |
8% |
Northern and Central Colorado: A-Basin and Loveland opened their first snowmaking runs on October 13 and 14.
This region is only slightly above average in open terrain, far behind 3 years ago though of course far ahead of the past
two poor starts. Base depths are in the 2 foot range and A-Basin is 22% open. Some areas are reporting snow totals including
early October snow that I exclude below.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Breckenridge |
46 |
100% |
29% |
|
Copper Mt. |
38 |
78% |
18% |
|
Keystone |
28 |
71% |
10% |
|
Loveland |
59 |
107% |
18% |
|
Steamboat |
69.5 |
106% |
26% |
|
Vail |
61 |
97% |
15% |
|
Winter Park |
57 |
84% |
14% |
Southern and Western Colorado: The Gothic Snow Lab between Crested Butte and Aspen (snowier climate than either) had
43 inches in October and 48 in November. A strong southern storm came through during the week before Thanksgiving, so
base depths are an above average 3 feet, and nearly 5 feet at Wolf Creek. Taos had its best opening since 1996-97.
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Gothic Snow Lab |
55 |
99% |
N/A |
|
Aspen/Snowmass |
61 |
158% |
37% |
|
Crested Butte |
56 |
146% |
15% |
|
Telluride |
61 |
144% |
25% |
|
Durango |
65 |
156% |
35% |
|
Wolf Creek |
105 |
167% |
100% |
|
Taos |
73 |
148% |
37% |
Northeast: Killington and Sunday River opened at the end of October on snowmaking. More terrain than normal is open
due to cold temperatures for snowmaking even though November snowfall was mostly below average.
Percents open: Okemo 27%, Stratton 38%, Hunter 17%, Sunday River 24%, Sugarloaf 4%, Tremblant 28%, Ste. Anne 18%
|
Area |
Season Snow |
Pct. of Normal |
Pct. of Area Open |
|
Jay Peak (mid) |
43 |
137% |
14% |
|
Stowe |
45 |
107% |
31% |
|
Sugarbush |
27 |
80% |
19% |
|
Killington |
20 |
65% |
28% |
|
Cannon Mt. |
2 |
14% |
10% |
|
Whiteface |
17 |
55% |
17% |
|
Le Massif |
9 |
32% |
10% |
All content herein copyright © 1996-2013 Bestsnow.net
All Rights Reserved.
No copies or reproductions may be made in whole or in part without express permission by Tony Crocker.
Prices for commercial users will be determined based upon intended use and distribution.