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  1. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    Mammoth just announced it will stay open another week to May 31. Here's Mammoth's lean season history: snow Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May max base 75-76 27.00 14.50 13.50 54.00 50.00 38.50 6.00 203.50 65.00 76-77 0.00 0.00 26.00 27.00 37.00 0.00 40.00 130.00 36.00 86-87 0.00 0.00...
  2. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    I'm still waiting on some 2025-26 data to finish out this exercise for California and Utah. Alta/Snowbird: alta snow Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. max base 60-61 75.00 40.00 1.00 62.00 113.00 35.00 326.00 62-63 31.00 17.00 85.00 39.00 93.00 136.00 401.00 76-77 13.50 17.00 50.50...
  3. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    That's an interesting point. When the areas were separate there was some Alta vs. Snowbird type rivalry between them. I'll concede that Alpine was the one closer to an Alta vibe even though it's much more intermediate friendly than Squaw. I think Squaw and Snowbird have always been close...
  4. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    It's not the "most expert terrain," it's the proportion of expert vs. intermediate terrain. Strong cults don't form around areas that have wide appeal to intermediates, period. I challenge James to name one. I only saw a little bit of Sugarbush, but I'll bet it has way more intermediate...
  5. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    I suspected as much, but as I've never skied Whistler after early April, I've waited to hear local confirmation. With latitude adjustment Mammoth and Whistler are not that different in terms of conventional March/April snow preservation, but I think there's an absolute altitude effect where...
  6. Tony Crocker

    Managing the fickle winter of 2026

    That's a very detailed summary from Alta. But I think the headline has it right: In my detail tracking since 2005, this season is about on a par with 2017-18 as Alta's worst. 2014-15 may have been the other one with the least snow, but it had more early snow for some decent skiing in...
  7. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    Plenty expert, but: 1) How often are they open? and 2) How many runs in those sectors can you get in a day when they are open? It is a more extreme version of the Big Sky tram situation. Both Big Sky and Sunshine are overall heavily intermediate ski areas, meaning they fail the prime criterion...
  8. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    What season is that quote from? Probably the same 2023, as closing date April 9 is a Sunday. This the :rotfl: part of that blurb.
  9. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    Mammoth also has advanced/intermediate chair 3 and mainstream intermediate chair 1. Groomers on both of these are salted, so as the season pushes way late intermediates as well as experts are accommodated. I think Emerald would be mostly likely to play that role at Whistler, though Harmony...
  10. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    I don't think we have to worry abut it raining on Kachina Peak! So you have to make the case that New Mexico's climate is getting drier, even though SoCal and Arizona are not. TaosAZ snowbowl 18-19 237.00 346.00 19-20 245.00 243.00 20-21 250.00 224.00 21-22 206.50 191.00 22-23...
  11. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    I think Mammoth gets adequate business on weekends until they close. Midweek, they try to keep the race camps booked.
  12. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    berkshireskier: Since I had to contact Sunshine for snow data, I asked and got this response: I looked up a map and found this: Goat's Eye and Continental Divide both have almost exactly west facing orientation. My impression of snow preservation comes from Goat's Eye having a lot of steep...
  13. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    Kicking Horse absolutely has the terrain profile. But does it have a cult following? I think the issue here is that other regional areas also have some of that profile. Expert Calgary skiers can and do patronize Lake Louise, Fernie, Castle and even Revelstoke as well as Kicking Horse. I...
  14. Tony Crocker

    Western North America Conditions 2025/26

    I'm sure it did but the percent of terrain open has remained below 10%. I'll agree with MarzNC that in that condition A-Basin is mainly a social event. Meanwhile Mammoth is twice as big and 43% open. :smileyvault-stirthepot: Note that in the cult thread I recalled being at A-Basin at about...
  15. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    More support for the prime criterion of a cult ski area. I think Alan Henceroth is quite zealous about maintaining A-Basin's culture. Stuart interviewed him not long ago, and the only hint I heard about Alterra interference was removing A-Basin from Mountain Collective.
  16. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    Many SoCal skiers have Mammoth car stickers. I couldn't resist getting this one when Mountain Monster was handing some out at a spring chair 2 tailgate a couple of years ago.
  17. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    The new picture at the top of this Forum page was taken that same day after skiing as I was driving north for whitewater rafting the next day.
  18. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    Confirmation of the prerequisite criterion of a cult ski area. The recurring poor snow seasons can't be helping the situation there. Strongly disagree. Avid skiers from outside the region flock to these places after mid-April precisely because the quality of skiing remains high after most...
  19. Tony Crocker

    Spring 2026 in Utah Cottonwood Canyons

    Did you have to download the tram? Third pic looks like groomed Chip's mid-mountain. No pics from Little Cloud?
  20. Tony Crocker

    U.S. Ski Areas With The Biggest Cult Followings

    It has dawned upon me that all the areas on the SnowBrains list, plus others cited here like Taos, Jackson, Snowbird, Red Mt., Whitewater, Fernie, Castle and Aspen Highlands, are noted for abundant expert terrain and more modest quantity or quality of intermediate terrain. Also Mt. Baldy...
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