August Snowfall Transforms Canadian Ski Resorts as Opening Day Approaches
Can you hear it? Can you smell it? Can you feel it? Winter is coming, friends.
Yes, each passing day is a step closer to snowfall and cold temperatures, but a handful of ski resorts in British Columbia and Alberta got an intense, albeit brief, preview of winter weather over the past weekend (August 29-30, 2026).
See below for the best photos and videos from the storm.
Kicking Horse
Kicking Horse
Kicking Horse, which operates a mountain bike park in the summer months, shared images of fresh snowfall covering its high-elevation terrain yesterday, August 30, 2026. “A little snow? No problem,” wrote Kicking Horse. “A few more bike laps? Absolutely. Winter mode? Loading…”
Kicking Horse didn’t report an official total for the storm, but judging by the video below from Dominic Ash, it looks like a solid 2-3 inches fell. Tap or click below to watch Ash’s rowdy descent through a snow-covered trail on August 30, 2026.
Projected Opening Day: December 13, 2026
Ski Big3 (Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Norquay)
Lake Louise and Sunshine Village are oddballs on this list in that they already recorded their first dustings of snow back in early August. This past weekend’s accumulation was more significant, though, so we’re counting it as Ski Big 3’s first “real” snowfall of the season.
Lake Louise Projected Opening Day: TBD
Sunshine Village Projected Opening Day: TBD
Norquay Projected Opening Day: Early November
Banff Sunshine Village
Banff Sunshine Village
Panorama Mountain Resort
Panorama Mountain Resort tends to fly under the radar for many North American skiers, but don’t misjudge it— Panorama is huge with a vertical drop of 4,265 ft. and nearly 3,000 acres of patrolled terrain. It’s a sleeping giant tucked deep away in interior BC.
Panorama cashed in on the first storm of the season too, recording at least a couple of inches at higher elevations. See below.
Projected Opening Day: December 4, 2026
Panorama Mountain Resort
Other Resorts
The snow dusted other ski resorts in Canada, including Revelstoke, RED Mountain, and SilverStar, but photos and videos were not shared on social media.
Stay tuned for more opening day announcements as winter draws closer, and vote in our reader poll below.
Related: Meet the 13 Athletes Nominated to the Inaugural U.S. Freeride Ski and Snowboard Team
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