2000-01 Ski Season Progress Report as of February 28, 2001

From mid-December to early January the West was fairly quiet while the East and Midwest got the most snow. Storms in the second and fourth weeks of January first hit California and then mainly the Southwest. California received the strongest storms in February, with most other regions close to average with smaller snowfalls. Canada was the exception with most areas under half normal snowfall in February.

Only a few areas post season-to-date snowfall on their websites. At the end of the regional sections, I list selected Ski Central or RSN month-to-date snow totals for other resorts, making educated guesses as to which resorts have supplied complete data for the month.

California : Season snowfall: 151" lower and 266" upper Squaw (82% of normal), 311" Mammoth (121% of normal). Both January storms were unusually low in water content and hit Mammoth more than Tahoe. Thus January base depths were still a far below normal 4-6 feet after the December drought. The coverage problems are over now (base depths are 6-10 feet) after another 6-12 feet this month. Southern California had a near record snow month in February. See Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth.
Ski Central December Snow: Alpine Meadows 42, Northstar 28, Heavenly 14.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Alpine Meadows 88, Northstar 75, Heavenly 57, Kirkwood 100, Arizona 74.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Alpine Meadows 97, Northstar 76, Heavenly 64, Kirkwood 121, Sugar Bowl 137, Arizona 53.

Pacific Northwest: Skiing is good at the 2 major destinations despite the below average start. Whistler/Blackcomb is in full operation on 5.5 feet of base but with spring conditions after a dry February. Mt. Bachelor's base is 6-7 feet as it has been grazed by the northern edge of the California storms. After a skimpy January, Washington got a much needed 2+ feet in early February and another 1-2 feet a week ago, so coverage is finally adequate but still far below normal.
Ski Central December Snow: Whistler 42 (likely incomplete), Baker 59, Stevens 47, Crystal 49, Hood Meadows 50.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Alyeska 148, Whistler 61, Baker 74, Stevens 41, Crystal 30, Bachelor 35, Hood Meadows 38.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Alyeska 82, Whistler 18, Baker 62, Stevens 61, Crystal 40, Bachelor 73, Hood Meadows 24.

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Expert terrain is still restricted with another subpar snow month The Kootenay region is having its worst season in at least 24 years with current early season conditions at Fernie and Red Mt. deteriorating as the weather gets warmer. Banff/Lake Louise (78 inches YTD snow, 49% of normal) should also be avoided as this season is even worse than 1993 and 1998 so far. The Okanagan is somewhat better off than the Banff and Kootenay regions, as Big White finally reached full operation at the beginning of February on a 5-foot base. Cat and heliskiing operations have adequate snow only above 6,000 feet.
Ski Central December Snow: Lake Louise 26, Silver Star 34.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Sunshine 22, Big White 34, Fernie 14.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Sunshine 33, Big White 34, Fernie 27.

U. S. Northern Rockies: In early October Big Sky got a freak dump of over 3 feet and opened some intermediate runs on weekends, increasing to daily operation on 900 acres on Nov. 11. Big Sky's base is now 50-76 inches and it has been at least 90% open since Christmas. Jackson has had 221 inches snowfall so far this season (76% of normal), and opened the tram Dec. 23. January was much drier than normal throughout the region, as super reliable Grand Targhee fell short of its previous 24-year low January snow total of 55 inches. Schweitzer and Big Mountain (YTD snow 143", 60% of normal, base 3-4 feet) improved from a miserable January with up to 2 feet new in the first week of February, and the Tetons got nearly as much. Since then there have been several small storms of a few inches, leaving February somewhat below average. Sun Valley has received 108 inches this season, 75% of normal.
Ski Central December Snow: Big Sky 35, Targhee 50.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Schweitzer 26, Big Sky 19, Targhee 44.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Schweitzer 41, Big Sky 39, Targhee 48.

Utah: Alta has received 298 inches since Nov. 1 (83% of normal) after the 65-inch head start in October. January's storms brought modest snowfalls to the Wasatch but hit Brian Head hard. Cottonwood areas base depths are up to 8 feet after average February snowfall. Snow Basin, Park City and The Canyons are fully open, with base depths reported 6-7 feet.
Ski Central December Snow: Brighton 92, Park City 83, Brian Head 25.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Brighton 46, Park City 36, Snowbird 61, Brian Head 115.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Brighton 70, Park City 67, Brian Head 87.

Northern and Central Colorado: YTD snowfall totals, with a 1+ foot storm the first weekend of February and several smaller storms since: Breckenridge 149.5" (77% of normal), Vail 230" (92% of normal), Winter Park 272" (109% of normal), Steamboat 249" (96% of normal). Virtually all terrain is now open. Conditions are similar to the past 2 years, which had poor holiday skiing but lots of snow in January. This year was the opposite: a strong start but about half normal snow from Christmas through January. February and the season overall are now close to average. Recent storms have hit the areas near the Continental Divide the most.
Ski Central December Snow: Copper 64, Keystone 48, Loveland 76.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Copper 16, Keystone 22, Loveland 18.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Copper 55, Keystone 40, Loveland 57.

Southern and Western Colorado: Wolf Creek's Rockies-high base depth is 117-127 inches. It has been in full operation since early November with 293" since Nov. 1 (116% of normal) after 54" in October. The January storms from California hit New Mexico and southern Colorado hard, improving conditions to a 4-6 foot base at Durango and Telluride and 6-7 feet at Taos, which needs at least that much for its steeper terrain. With excellent snow preservation, these resorts should offer quality skiing for the rest of the season. The January storms were centered south of Aspen and Crested Butte, but February snows have brought the base up to 4-5 feet and finally opened all of the expert terrain. The February California storms have generally moved directly east into Utah and central Colorado, rather than veering south as in January.
Ski Central December Snow: Aspen 28, Crested Butte 55, Telluride 27, Durango 42, Taos 30.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow (note the dramatic north/south split): Aspen 23, Crested Butte 21, Telluride 71, Durango 77, Taos 86.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow : Aspen 37, Crested Butte 56, Telluride 57, Durango 50, Taos 58.

Northeast: Warm weather knocked out the first snowmaking attempts by November 15. Since then snowmaking cranked up for a week and Killington, Okemo, Sunday River and Hunter Mt. were about 30% open for Thanksgiving. December snowfall was near record high. Base depths did not reflect this, due to the one weekend (Dec. 16-17) of torrential rain. After the holiday dump of up to 2 feet, nearly all areas have been close to full operation. Conditions since Christmas were excellent with ongoing new snow and cold temperatures in January. After a limited freezing rain event, New England enjoyed an epic first week of February with up to 4 feet of powder. A Feb. 9 thaw and freeze created a hardpack surface for a week, but some new snow later in the month improved the surface, mostly at the northern areas. As my report is an overview, I strongly recommend checking Vermont No-Bull Ski Report or First Tracks Online Ski Magazine No-Bull Ski Reports for up to date information in this region, where both weather and surface conditions can change so rapidly.
Ski Central December Snow: Mont-Sainte-Anne 46, Tremblant 31, Sugarloaf 64, Jay 95, Stowe 89, Sugarbush 72, Stratton 49, Snowshoe, WV 34.
Ski Central/RSN January Snow: Mont-Sainte-Anne 35, Tremblant 22, Sugarloaf 53, Jay 77, Stowe 62, Sugarbush 48, Stratton 43, Snowshoe, WV 39.
Ski Central/RSN February Snow: Mont-Sainte-Anne 38, Tremblant 30, Sugarloaf 58, Jay 86, Stowe 88, Sugarbush 52, Stratton 51, Snowshoe, WV 17.

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