2015-16 Ski Season Progress Report as of December 16, 2015

October was warmer and drier than normal in most ski regions, but there were widespread small storms through most of the West each week in November, contributing to the usual early openings on snowmaking. However, only areas in western Canada saw major storms and had much more terrain than normal open. Wolf Creek was also in full operation since mid-November with much more snow than other western US areas. The Pacific Northwest had a series of major storms in early December, spreading in lesser amounts into adjacent regions. The Northwest and western Canada are set for an excellent holiday season, with other western regions closer to average.

All snowfall totals are since November 1 and at mid-mountian locations where possible.

California: The first storm started with snow levels over 9,000 feet but eventually lowered. Later storms were colder and snowed as low as Lake Tahoe but not yet enough to build a solid natural base. Mammoth and Mt. Rose opened Nov. 5 and several other areas opened mid-November. Mammoth had much more snow up high during the first storm and thus had by far the most open terrain in California in the early season. The Northwest storms moved into the Sierra last week, dropping 2-4 feet and opening over half of terrain at most areas. Base depths are 3-4 feet and some Tahoe areas have now had more snow than in all of last season. See Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth.

Pacific Northwest: The November storms had variable snow levels and were strongest to the north. Thus only Whistler had extensive terrain open. There were 3 major storms in early December, totalling 6-8 feet of snow except for lower elevations that got rain during the second storm. Base depths average 4-6 feet, with 3 feet at some low elevations and 80-114 inches at Mt. Baker.

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: The November storms were strongest here. Some areas near the US border had some rain/snow mix like the Northwest, but other areas were far above average in both snow and open terrain. The December Northwest storms pushed into the region, with snowfall ranging from 2 feet at the Banff areas to 5 feet in the Kootenay areas. Base depths average 4 feet, with over 5 feet at Big White, Whitewater and Revelstoke. Sun Peaks and Silver Star are over 95% open.

U. S. Northern Rockies: November snow was below average but Targhee as usual had some of the most terrain open in North America in early season. The December Northwest storms dumped 4+ feet in Idaho, bringing base depths to 3-5 feet, and lesser amounts in Montana and Wyoming, which are still mostly below average.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Whitefish	86	103%	36%
Bridger	69	95%	90%
Grand Targhee	89	77%	93%
Jackson Hole (mid)	64	66%	47%
Schweitzer	64	89%	45%
Brundage	109	140%	94%
Sun Valley	63.5	126%	83%

Utah: Most of the November storms split before reaching Utah, which thus had substantially below average snowfall plus a dry first week of December. The Northwest storms dropped 2-3 feet of snow during the second week of December, bringing Cottonwood area base depths close to 4 feet. Base depths are less than 3 feet at other Wasatch areas and holiday skiing will be limited at those places without substantially more snow. In the far south Brian Head got 3+ feet and is 75% open.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Alta	94	71%	40%
Snowbird	94	81%	20%
Brighton/Solitude	82	66%	41%
Park City group	60	84%	13%
Snowbasin	52	67%	15%

Northern and Central Colorado: October was much warmer than usual so snowmaking was delayed until the last week and Loveland and A-Basin each opened a snowmaking run October 29. The consistent modest November snowfalls accumulated base depths of 2+ feet with mostly average terrain openings (Keystone the positive exception) for early season. First half of December snowfall has been 2+ feet at most areas, with more at Steamboat and Winter Park. Base depths average 3 feet. A-Basin is 45% open.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Beaver Creek	85	101%	68%
Breckenridge	83	110%	32%
Copper Mt.	69	96%	34%
Keystone	92	158%	86%
Loveland	99	121%	28%
Steamboat	104	109%	70%
Vail	80	87%	78%
Winter Park	106.5	114%	67%

Southern and Western Colorado: The central Colorado mountains had a below average November, while the southern mountains and New Mexico were above average. Wolf Creek's base reached 50 inches by the end of November. The second week of December storms have also been stronger in the southern (2-3 feet with 4+ at Wolf Creek) than central (1-2 feet) mountains. Taos has a 42-inch base and is 66% open, double the average open terrain for mid-December.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Aspen/Snowmass	51	87%	56%
Gothic Snow Lab	47	56%	N/A
Crested Butte	34	58%	19%
Telluride	92	143%	57%
Purgatory	68	109%	58%
Wolf Creek	162	179%	100%

Northeast: Mid-October cold allowed Killington and Sunday River to open first in North America on October 19. After a week of skiing the snow melted and snowmaking did not resume for nearly 3 weeks. With minimal natural snow and unseasonably warm temperatures, terrain open in mid-December is the lowest of the 13 seasons for which I have records : Okemo 13%, Stratton 9%, Sugarloaf 7%, Sunday River 19%, Tremblant 16%, Mt. St. Anne 4%.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Jay Peak (mid estimate)	11	16%	4%
Stowe	12	15%	18%
Sugarbush	14	23%	9%
Killington	4	7%	12%
Whiteface	12	25%	8%
Le Massif	15	27%	12/19

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