2005-06 Ski Season Progress Report as of December 15, 2005

There were 2 northern storm tracks in November. Both hit Washington, Oregon, the Northern Rockies, and Northern and Central Colorado, and most areas in these regions are close to full operation already and should be in good shape for the holidays. The earlier storms hit western Canada, but those areas are only about average now. The later storms dumped on previously dry Utah, which is now above average. Farther south snow has been well below average and there are still many areas where skiers should avoid advance commitments before January. There is minimal new snow in most of the West this week and nothing major is expected for another week.

With more areas posting season snowfall since 2003-04, I am no longer tracking the less reliable numbers from RSN, except in regions where no nearby area has up-to-date information. I am now including season snowfall from some areas italicized from SnoCountry.

California: Mammoth opened a few runs on snowmaking Nov. 10. Boreal was the only other area to make enough snow to open for Thanksgiving. After 3 feet the following week, most Sierra areas opened for the first weekend of December, but with less than half of terrain. With the slow start a major dump is still needed to open steep runs, so advanced skiers should avoid commitments before January. See Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth.
RSN December Snow: Heavenly 39, Northstar 23, Sierra-at-Tahoe 31.

Pacific Northwest: Mt. Baker opened Nov. 8 with 100% of terrain and a 5-7 foot base. Crystal opened Nov. 4 on about 4 feet as did Blackcomb and Timberline on lesser amounts. Another 2-3 feet of snow fell on Washington and Oregon areas so far in December, and these areas are likely set for the holidays. Whistler has had only 6 inches in December and still needs more snow to open much of the alpine.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Whistler	71	65%	50%
Crystal Mt.	120	129%	95%
Stevens Pass	123	103%	100%
Mt. Bachelor	118	121%	95%

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Sunshine is 82% open, Sun Peaks 85%, Red Mt. 80% and Silver Star 87%. Like Whistler, snow was above average in November but far below average so far in December. Base depths are around 3 feet at most areas, and Big White is only 27% open and Panorama 14%.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Lake Louise	34	74%	85%
Fernie	85	82%	95%

U. S. Northern Rockies: This region had a very strong start since early November. Big Sky opened Lone Peak at the end of November, a rare occurrence. Jackson Hole opened all lifts December 10. It is likely that all areas will be close to full operation with excellent conditions for the holidays, and most of these areas have had some more snow this week.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Big Mountain	80	96%	80%
Bridger Bowl	102	149%	100%
Big Sky	109	169%	85%
Grand Targhee	197	171%	100%
Jackson Hole	113	117%	100%
Sun Valley	95	197%	75%

Utah: Utah was much drier than normal for most of November and thus Alta opened a week later than scheduled. But huge dumps from late Thanksgiving weekend through early December brought season totals above normal. The Cottonwood Canyon areas are close to full operation already, and the other Wasatch areas are in majority operation. Brian Head is south of the storm tracks and still very limited.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Alta	127	102%	100%
Snowbird	117	108%	94%
Brighton	126	117%	95%
Park City	65	99%	86%
Snowbasin	83	105%	60%
Brian Head	30	40%	15%

Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland and A-Basin had a couple of runs open on mostly snowmaking since mid-October. November snowfall was much above normal, and by December 1 this region had as much terrain open as at an average Christmas. With another 3-5 feet so far in December, full operation for the holidays is likely with the best season start since 1995-96. This was one of the few regions to get some more snow this week.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Beaver Creek	109	128%	83%
Breckenridge	120	176%	86%
Copper Mt.	118	183%	88%
Keystone	108	248%	91%
Loveland	111	143%	90%
Steamboat	143	154%	95%
Vail	147	156%	99%
Winter Park	135	144%	65%

Southern and Western Colorado: Aspen is well above average and Crested Butte slightly above average from the northern storms, but everything farther south has been much drier than normal. Advanced/expert terrain is often not open until January in these areas in normal years, and in the southern areas it may not be until February this year.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Aspen	101	180%	65%
Crested Butte	69	124%	60%
Durango	26	43%	10%
Telluride	38	67%	37%
Wolf Creek	67	81%	100%
Taos	28	37%	10%

Northeast: The remnants of Hurricane Wilma turned into a Nor'easter that dumped 2-4 feet of snow in parts of New England, prompting Wildcat (24 trails) and Killington (22 trails) to open more terrain on October 29-30 than would be normal for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately both areas closed Oct. 31, and ensuing warm weather wiped out most of the natural snow. Several areas opened on snowmaking the weekend before Thanksgiving, by which time the snowmaking leaders were about 20% open with cold temps and some new snow. Several trails closed with rain at the end of November, but so far December snowfall and snowmaking conditions have been above average. Percents open: Killington 56%, Okemo 60%, Stratton 55%, Sugarloaf 26%, Sunday River 35%, Hunter 69%, Mt. St. Anne 40%, Tremblant 20%, Snowshoe 57%. I strongly recommend checking 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.
RSN December Snow: Killington 28, Stratton 16, Okemo 19, Sunday River 7, Mt. Ste. Anne 22, Snowshoe 14.

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