Arizona Snowbowl Makes History With Longest Season Ever at 185 Days

• Memorial Day Madness: A Dozen US Resorts Still Open for Weekend Thrills
• Summer Skiing Kicks Off: Beartooth Basin Reopens After 2-Year Hiatus
• Late-Season Snow Surprise: Rockies Score 20” in Final May Dump
• Last Chair Call: Most Resorts Close After Memorial Day—Get Your Final Runs In

USA REPORT

With Canada's season ending at the start of this week (the last three areas that had still been open—Whistler's Blackcomb Mountain, Banff's Sunshine, and Quebec's Sommet Saint-Sauveur—all closed at the start of this week), it's down to the US to keep the lifts spinning in North America.

There are still about a dozen ski areas open in the Rockies and on the West Coast, with skiing still possible in seven states, and America's one summer ski area due to open for its 2025 season this coming weekend, all being well.

Most of those centres are now only open on weekends, with a big one coming up including the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Quite a few of those still-open centres have been keeping operations going until then, but more than half plan to end their 24-25 seasons on the 26th.

The weather continues to surprise, with some very warm temperatures (not unexpected in the latter half of May) mixed with sudden heavy snowfalls for some.

The biggest surprise among ski areas still open up to last weekend was arguably Michigan's Boyne Mountain, which was until last Sunday the only area in the US still open east of the Rockies. It announced at short notice that it would close on Sunday, with the snowpack it had built up on its so-called 'Victor Glacier' through the winter now thawing fast.

However, Arizona Snowbowl remains open after announcing its season is continuing into June. This will take it to 185 days of operations—the longest in its 87-year history, completing more than six months of skiing and snowboarding. It will reopen this Friday through Monday, May 23-26 (Memorial Day weekend), and now also Saturday and Sunday, May 31-June 1, 2025.

"Thanks to our dedicated team, an early November opening, and strategic investments in snowmaking, we've delivered our longest season ever, giving people the freedom to ski," said Angie Grubb, marketing manager at Arizona Snowbowl.

It's one of four centres expected to still be open next month, including Colorado's Arapahoe Basin (6/59" / 15/147cm), California's Mammoth (59/113" / 147/284cm), and Timberline (14/118" / 35/295cm) in Oregon. Summer ski area Beartooth Basin (formerly the Red Lodge summer camp) is also expecting to open on the Montana/Wyoming border this coming weekend for the first time in two years. Back in Colorado, Copper Mountain's hike-to summer terrain park is also scheduled to open for its 2025 season shortly.

The other centres still operating and reopening for Memorial Day weekend (but probably not after) are The Palisades (4/109" / 10/272cm) in California, Mt. Bachelor (8/81" / 20/203cm) in Oregon, Snowbird (8/81" / 15/203cm) and Solitude (4/50" / 10/124cm) in Utah, and Crystal Mountain (12/49" / 30/128cm) in Washington State. Naturally, most centres only have limited, high-altitude terrain open now, with Mammoth, Snowbird, and The Palisades posting the most at 30-50% of their terrain still available.

As for conditions, it's mostly just about freeze-thaw, although some terrain is no longer freezing overnight. The Rockies saw some decent snowfall through the latter half of last week and the weekend, with seven-day totals up to 20"/50cm. In California, it's been largely sunny, with temperatures ranging from freezing overnight up to the 50s in the afternoons.

USA FORECAST

Mostly sunny for the coming week in the Rockies. Temperatures just about down to freezing overnight on high slopes, with daytime highs in the 50s. On the West Coast, it's looking much the same—wall-to-wall sunshine and, if anything, daytime highs a degree or two warmer.