North America Weekly Snow Roundup #283

• Snow teases West; Alaska lands 9" fresh snow
• East sees first frosts as snowmaking windows open
• Colorado eyeing traditional mid-to-late October first chairs
• Trollhaugen’s stockpile delivers a hot-October rail jam

USA

October marks the beginning of North America's ski season. Currently, there are no open resorts (except for indoor skiing in New Jersey), but further mountain snowfalls have been reported across the continent, and temperatures have been low enough for snowmaking systems to operate in some areas. On the East Coast, the first mountain frosts have been reported.

There was some North American outdoor snow skiing at the weekend when Trollhaugen ski area in Wisconsin used a big pile of snow stockpiled under covers through the summer (created in March and covered in hay then tarps, it reportedly shrank from 30 to 15 feet high over the past six months) for a bit of pre-season weekend snow fun and a rail jam. Spread about two feet (60cm) deep on the centre’s Tomtebakken Terrain Park, about 300 skiers and boarders came to play in 90°F temperatures. But that was only ever its annual pre-season event, not a season starter per se. Typically, the first North American resort opens from mid-October onwards, and it's rare for any resort to open before the end of October. Often, it's somewhere in Colorado, but occasionally other states win, including on the East Coast or in the Midwest, thanks to early snowmaking efforts.

In terms of snowfall this past week, most mountains on the western side of the country have seen fresh dustings up high, with winter weather advisories in place for eight states over the weekend and Alaska seeing up to 9" (22cm) of snowfall.

Most recently there was a reported “foot” (30cm” of snowfall of Beartooth Pass and high ground in parts of Wyoming. Among those reporting falls in the West were Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, which plans to open on November 28th but will do so earlier if there's enough pre-season snow, as there was last year. Back in the Rockies, Snowbird in Utah also reported fresh snow, with website Powder noting determined skiers managed to make a few turns on about 6” of snow at neighbouring Alta. There were more webcams available in the Canadian Rockies, at Banff Sunshine and Jasper’s Marmot Basin in Alberta, as well as in eastern BC resorts, including Big White.

Forecast
Mixed early-season conditions continue across North American ski areas, with early fall snow chances focused on the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies. The Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies are expected to experience cooler air and scattered snow showers, particularly at higher elevations, where temperatures will range from the 20s to the 40s. In the US Rockies and Sierra Nevada, it will be slightly warmer and drier than the early October average, with a limited likelihood of snowfall and highs in the high 30s to low 50s at altitude. Mild and cloudy, with little to no snow or frost expected in the East and overall Alaska continues to provide the best chance for fresh snow, especially in southeast regions.

Canada

More webcams are coming alive, showing snow in the Canadian Rockies, at Banff Sunshine and Jasper’s Marmot Basin in Alberta, as well as in eastern BC resorts, including Big White.