2007-08 Ski Season Progress Report as of December 21, 2007

There was some snow in the Northwest and some of the Rockies in early to mid-October. However, the next month was exceptionally dry, so most western areas were well behind schedule in opening terrain and building a natural snow base. High snowfall areas like Alta, Kirkwood and Steamboat did not open for Thanksgiving, and most western U.S. areas that were open only had snowmaking runs and less than 10% of terrain. Therefore I will attempt wherever possible to exclude October from season totals in the tables below. Whistler was the conspicuous exception, opening 1,200 acres November 16 after a substantial dump, and 5,000 acres for Thanksgiving. Elsewhere in the West skiing remained limited through the first weekend of December despite some unusual storms.

Substantial snow during the first half of December was concentrated in the Southwest and the Northeast, which still have excellent ski conditions. During the past week the West Coast areas have had substantial snow and are finally opening more terrain for the holidays.

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 very sketchy snowmaking ribbon Nov. 9 and added a couple more runs at Thanksgiving. A few Tahoe areas also opened for Thanksgiving. Late November was good for snowmaking, but no one in the Sierra was more than 10% open Dec. 1 on natural snow of only 2-8 inches. About 2 feet of snow Dec. 6-7 opened about 20% of terrain at areas like Northstar, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Sugar Bowl. The Sierra has had 3+ feet of snow Dec. 18-20, and some areas are now 70-80% open on 3-4 foot bases. Much expert terrain like KT-22 at Squaw still needs more snow. The Southwest storms allowed Arizona Snowbowl to open most runs Dec. 13. 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	78	72%	50%
Kirkwood	70	61%	75%
Mammoth	65	71%	70%
Southern Cal	12	21%	0-50%
Arizona Snowbowl	73	137%	90%

Pacific Northwest: Whistler had 4 feet of snow to open on November 16. It remains an excellent bet for early season skiing in North America this year. Some storms reached Washington and Oregon in late November, but starting with a high rain/snow line. The big early December storm started snow but ended with heavy rain and left Whistler with a hardpack base. Mt. Bachelor's Summit received enough snow to open December 10. Skiing was more restricted in Washington due to lower elevation and more rain in early December. Up to 2 feet of snow resurfaced Whistler and opened most terrain there by Dec. 15. This week 2-4 feet of snow has fallen throughout the region, and with base depths of 5+ feet nearly all terrain should be open by Christmas.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Whistler	138	110%	92%
Crystal	99	91%	62%
Stevens Pass	98	71%	100%
Mt. Bachelor	108	58%	100%

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.:Snowmaking at Lake Louise opened one trail Nov. 9, but November skiing was very limited. Sunshine has a 51 inch base, and after 2+ feet new snow opened some of Goat's Eye Dec. 7. Snowfall is also above average at Kicking Horse, which opened a week early on Dec. 8. Elsewhere the season started slower. The Okanagan areas have had below average snow and are still less than half open. Red/Fernie received too much rain in early December and are still limited despite 2 feet of recent snow. More terrain at those areas is likely to open soon with control work.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Lake Louise	49	92%	65%
Sunshine	93	125%	86%
Kicking Horse	108	126%	97%
Fernie	92	77%	36%
Sun Peaks	63	105%	87%

U. S. Northern Rockies: Grand Targhee was 75% open by November 30, maintaining its perfect early season track record. Jackson got some of this snow, but locals reported a low mid-December natural snow base below mid-mountain. Big Sky has been 50+% open on its easier lower mountain since Dec 8. Bridger got 32 inches in late November and opened most terrain on schedule Dec. 7. Schweitzer got 4 feet of snow in early December before it turned to rain. It and Big Mountain have most runs open now after 3+ feet in the past week and a half. This week's 2+ feet of snow at Jackson has opened more runs there.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Big Mountain	89	92%	84%
Bridger Bowl	106	133%	100%
Grand Targhee	123	95%	100%
Jackson Hole	100	89%	65%
Schweitzer	93	119%	54%
Sun Valley	67	121%	72%

Utah: The Cottonwood Canyons had up to 4 feet of snow in mid-October, bringing out substantial numbers of backcountry skiers Oct. 21. But November was the driest since 1976, exceeding that drought year only in the final week. 1+ foot of snow at the start of December and up to 3 feet Dec. 6-8 got Utah's season off the ground. At mid-December only Alta approached full operation. But last week the Cottonwood areas got another 3 feet and most runs there are now open. Elsewhere in Utah a little over half of terrain is open.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Alta	113	79%	89%
Snowbird	92	74%	80%
Brighton/Solitude	98	81%	80%
Park City group	64	83%	58%
Snowbasin	75	84%	70%
Brian Head	70	83%	68%

Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland received 22 inches snow in October and had 105 acres open by Nov. 4. November snowfall was less than half normal throughout the region and record low along the Continental Divide. But 4-5 feet of denser than normal snow fell during the first half of December. Therefore, normal percentages of terrain will be open for the holidays even though snow totals are still below average.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Beaver Creek	85	89%	79%
Breckenridge	69	89%	85%
Copper Mt.	62	85%	73%
Keystone	55	110%	85%
Loveland	58.5	66%	70%
Steamboat	87	77%	62%
Vail	80	76%	97%
Winter Park	76.5	73%	80%

Southern and Western Colorado: The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, located at Gothic 9,400 feet between Crested Butte and Aspen, had 34 inches of October snow, but a 30+ year record low of 14 inches in November. Telluride did not open for Thanksgiving, and even Wolf Creek was less than 10% open. But this region has had an outstanding first half of December, with 5-6 feet of high density snow at most areas, and 13 feet at Wolf Creek. Much more terrain is open than normal for the holidays on 4-5 foot bases (90+% at Aspen/Snowmass), and even part of Crested Butte's North Face opened this week. Taos opened Dec. 14 with far more than average base depths and open runs.

Area	Season Snow	Pct. of Normal	Pct. of Area Open
Crested Butte	70	112%	81%
Gothic	106.5	121%	N/A
Durango	115	167%	99%
Telluride	85	132%	85%
Wolf Creek	184	196%	100%
Taos	107	138%	82%

Northeast: Sunday River made enough snow for a "marketing opening" on Halloween. A few areas opened for the weekend of Nov. 10-11, and many more for the next weekend, assisted by over a foot of new snow at many areas. For Thanksgiving trail counts increased from the 10% to 20% range, though surfaces were less than ideal due to midweek rain. November had overall average conditions by historical standards though much better than the past few years. Upper New England and Quebec have had 5-8 feet of December snow with outstanding conditions for nearly 3 weeks. Base depths are ample, but unfortunately surfaces are likely to be degraded by rain predicted for Sunday. Percents open: Okemo 99%, Stratton 99%, Hunter 80%, Sunday River 88%, Tremblant 90%, St. Anne 100%. 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.

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