November and December so far have provided an excellent start to the season. At this point there are no destination resorts in the West which should be avoided for lack of snow.

California: The Sierra Nevada was drenched by the most intense tropical rainstorm on record Dec. 31 - Jan. 2, up to at least 11,000 feet. The snow level fell to 7,500 ft for the last 6-8 hours of the storm. Therefore the higher altitude areas (Kirkwood, Mt. Rose and the upper half of Heavenly) at Tahoe or Mammoth have good surface conditions. Areas below 8,000 feet should be avoided until the next major snowfall. Squaw Valley had major flood damage at its 6,200 foot base. Southern California and Arizona ski areas also received rain. See Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth.

Pacific Northwest: Everything in Washington and Oregon still has deep base depths of 90 to 150+ inches. This week's storms were both colder and less intense than in California, bringing 2-3 feet of new snow. Check Cascade Ski Report Current Conditions or Northwest Ski Report First-Hand Reports for up to date information. Whistler and Blackcomb also received this snow and now have an alpine base of 89 inches.

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Fernie has the most snow (112 inch base) in the region, though Whitewater is close. Red has both mountains open on 54-79 inches. The Okanagan areas, Lake Louise and Sunshine have more skiing available now than normal for this time of year.

U. S. Northern Rockies: The entire region is enjoying an outstanding early season. Schweitzer, Silver and Big Mountain are on the Pacific Northwest storm track and consequently in good shape on 90+ inch bases. Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole are finally getting a respite after a record December. Bridger and Big Sky (now in full operation from Lone Peak) also have excellent conditions. Sun Valley got quite a bit of rain from the California storm but has since received snow and has a record base for this date.

Utah: Alta and Snowbird have over 90 inch bases. This is generally what is needed to open areas like High Rustler and the Upper Cirque. Check eyewitness skier reports (if they get around to updating Snow Reports For Utah Resorts) for confirmation. The other Utah areas are also in full operation. Utah seems to be having a more consistent and average season so far than other areas of the West.

Northern and Central Colorado: Steamboat has received over 230 inches snow this season to lead the region. Vail is next with 190. Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mt., Loveland and Winter Park are all at least 90% open, which is above normal.

Southern and Western Colorado: Telluride is 100% open and all the Aspen areas are at least 90% open, which is much more than normal, on consistently above average snowfall in both November and December. All of Crested Butte's North Face / Extreme Limits terrain is open, which has not occurred this early for 4 years. The southern areas, Wolf Creek, Purgatory and Taos, have received 1-2 feet of new snow so far with more expected from the residual effect of the California storm.

Northeast: Snowmaking is currently keeping pace with periodic thaws. Some resorts have well over half their terrain available. On the other hand, natural snow dependent Mad River Glen is not yet open and recent Vermont eyewitness reports are not positive. As my report is an overview, I strongly recommend checking Scenes of Vermont Ski Page for up to date information in this region, where surface conditions can change so rapidly.