Many Parts of US Endure Dreadful Start to Season
Resorts in the main ski state of Colorado have seen their lowest snowfall for three decades.
“We experienced one of the worst early-season snowfalls in the Western U.S. in over 30 years,” Rob Katz, Chief Executive Officer, said in a press release.
“This has limited Vail Mountain and other resorts from opening new terrain and has decreased skier visits.
Vail Resorts has seen visitor numbers down 20.0% compared to the same period last winter.
Vail itself is one of the worst affected areas and has its lowest snowpack for almost 50 years.
“The snowfall numbers for Western resorts are reporting 50% below their historical 30-year average, and the Rockies are down almost 60%,” added Katz.
“This has resulted in approximately 11% of the terrain being opened in December.”
Breckenridge has just 73 of its 193 runs open.
Resorts had to cancel their openings as we reported at the time on PlanetSKI:
It has got better, but only just.
The forecast snow for areas of Colorado this weekend will be very welcome, but it is nowhere near enough to get things back on track.
The resorts in Utah and Wyoming are not quite so bad, though it has been far short of a bumper winter.
California is holding up with Mammoth Mountain claiming a base of 2.4m base at the top of the mountain which is about average for the time of year
The lack of snow is not only a concern to resorts and skiers, but also to the Rocky Mountain Region as a whole.
The Rockies rely on the winter snowpack for water in the spring to sustain cities, towns, and agriculture.
Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico have also seen poor winter snow.
In the ski resorts of the eastern USA it is a different picture.
Killington has seen great snow and 90% of the resort is open.
Iy has been a cold and snowy week across the region.
“Another bitterly cold week lies ahead, with deep-freeze temperatures, light snowfall and moderate winds,” said Snow Forecast.
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