2006-07 Ski Season Progress Report as of December 15, 2006

In the Northwest and western Canada November snowfall was at or near record levels. Colorado's snowfall started in October and most areas there are headed for an above average Christmas, though not as good as last year. The Northern Rockies and Utah areas between are below average, and at the current rate only consistently high snow areas like Alta and Grand Targhee rate to be in good shape for the holidays. The Sierra is far behind schedule with last weekend's 1+ foot storm being the largest of the season so far. The first week of December was fairly quiet; during the second week the storm track resumed a similar northwest pattern as in November.

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: North Tahoe was brushed by a couple of the November storms and last weekend's storm totalled up to 1 1/2 feet, but the limited terrain open is due mostly to snowmaking, and no one is more than 15% open. Heavenly is 11% open and Northstar 14%. This is the driest start to a Sierra season in 11 years, so advance commitments to any Sierra area should be avoided before at least mid-January. With snowmaking assistance more terrain is open than a week ago, but far more snow is needed for off-trail skiing. 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	66	70%	2%
Kirkwood	37	37%	10%
Mammoth	21	26%	13%
Southern Cal	5	31%	0-20%
Arizona Snowbowl	7	15%	closed

Pacific Northwest: The late October/early November storms rivaled the infamous Tropical Punch of January 2005 for flooding and high snow levels. But for the rest of November temperatures were cold and it dumped record snow. Current base depths are 104-114 inches at Mt. Baker, 96 inches at Whistler and 5-7 feet elsewhere. Mt. Hood Meadows opened fully Dec. 9 after repair of its washed out access road. There was some rain in early December, but 2-5 feet more snow this week with more on the way.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Whistler	228	210%	95%
Crystal Mt.	172	184%	100%
Mt. Bachelor	159	163%	95%

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Enough of the Northwest storms reached interior Canada for a near record start. Most areas are 80+% open and several are 100% after another 1-2 feet new snow last week.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Lake Louise	70	148%	90%
Kicking Horse	194	256%	95%
Fernie	128	124%	98% Dec. 9

U. S. Northern Rockies: The early Northwest storms hit northern Idaho hard, but otherwise most of this region has had average or less snow. Particularly behind schedule are Big Sky (only 15% open) and Bridger, which has still not opened. Jackson got 2 feet of upper mountain snow last week, but is still only 32% open due to snowmaking dependence or thin cover at lower elevation. As usual Grand Targhee is the exception, maintaining its record of consistency with more snow and far more terrain open than nearby areas.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Schweitzer	143	213%	80%
Big Mountain	87	104%	53%
Grand Targhee	135	121%	100%
Jackson Hole	93	95%	32%
Sun Valley	48	99%	37%

Utah: Snowfall has been slightly below average with most of the snow coming in late November. Alta and Brighton have the best cover and current conditions. The Park City group and Snowbasin will need above average December snowfall for expert terrain to open by Christmas. After an average 1 foot new snow last week, base depths are close to 4 feet in the Cottonwood Canyons and 2-3 feet elsewhere. Brian Head still lags behind due to the dry November farther south.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Alta	113	91%	93%
Snowbird	89	82%	90%
Brighton	100	93%	88%
Park City group	57	86%	60%
Snowbasin	62	79%	43%
Brian Head	42	56%	24%

Northern and Central Colorado: These areas had 2-4+ feet of October snow and a normal November of 3-4 feet. With 1-2 feet so far in December more terrain is open than normal for this early, and ongoing normal snow should result in close to full operation at most areas for the holidays.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Beaver Creek	85	100%	85%
Breckenridge	87	129%	82%
Copper Mt.	92	143%	82%
Keystone	83	191%	89%
Loveland	120	154%	90%
Steamboat	108.5	117%	70%
Vail	96	102%	77%
Winter Park	88	94%	74%

Southern and Western Colorado: Wolf Creek had 65 inches in October and 69 in November and is in full operation. Regional snowfall is well above average north but well below average south. Substantial December snow (1-2 feet so far) will be needed to open expert terrain by Christmas with current base depths of no more than 3 feet except for the 5 feet at Wolf Creek. About 65% of Aspen/Snowmass is open, much more than normal for this early. Durango, Telluride (35% open) and particularly New Mexico are in the southwest drought and thus skiing is more limited.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Crested Butte	81	145%	62%
Durango	42	69%	41%
Wolf Creek	149	179%	100%
Taos	43	61%	9%

Northeast: Natural snow in October totalled 21 inches at Jay Peak and 16 inches at Killington (not included in totals below). Unfortunately November was warm so all precipitation was rain and the first openings on snowmaking were for the weekend of Nov. 18-19. There was some cold and snow for the first week of December, but it has warmed up again and skiing is much more limited than normal. Current percents open: Sunday River 26%, Sugarloaf 10%, Okemo 27%, Stratton 24%, Hunter 37%, Tremblant 27%, Mt. Ste. Anne 17%, Snowshoe 45%. 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: Stratton 4, Okemo 5, Mt. Ste. Anne 11.

Directory of Ski Report Links