Skiers and snowboarders who have been watching the weather, just hoping for an opportunity to hit their favorite ski resort this holiday season, are likely to be pretty excited at the moment. Snowstorms across the western United States have started dumping plenty of fresh powder on the region and it now looks like we could be on course for a much better ski season compared to last year.
A late autumn storm brought plenty of fresh accumulation to most of Colorado this past weekend, with Wolf Creek picking up an impressive 30″ and Purgatory getting more than 20″ as well. Monarch Mountain wasn’t far behind with 17″ of new snow, while Steamboat was hit with 13″. Most other major resorts across the state also received anywhere from five to ten inches of new accumulation, which means nearly any hill will be ready for the holiday rush beginning this weekend.
Taking a quick look at current base levels for snow at some of the more iconic ski destinations across the west shows that there is plenty of powder currently on the ground. For instance, Snowbird has a base of 60″ at the moment and has already received more than 118″ so far this season. Jackson Hole is doing quite well for themselves too, having racked up an impressive 164″ of snow before winter has even officially begun. If you’re headed to the Lake Tahoe region, Heavenly is boasting a base of between 30-50″ with total accumulations in excess of 120″ on some parts of the mountain. Nearby, Squaw Valley has received as much as 6″ of fresh powder in the past day or so, bringing its base up to nearly 70″ as well.Not to be outdone by its competitors, California’s Mammoth Mountain is measuring their base between 5.5 and 6.5 feet, with total accumulations in excess of 134″ already this season. The forecast calls for more snow over the next few days as well, bringing those totals up even more. All of this fresh powder comes just as the first flights of the season take off for the resort. Regular air travel to Mammoth begins tomorrow, just in time for the holiday season ahead.
Weather forecasts indicate that another large storm front will hit the western U.S. later this week, bringing more snow to many areas. If you’re planning on spending some time on the slopes this holiday season, it seems you’ll have plenty of fresh powder to shred.
[Photo Credit: Mammoth Mountain]