Western North America Conditions 2025/26
- Thread starter ChrisC
- Start date
EMSC
Well-known member
No snowmaking system in Utah or Colorado has accomplished all that much this particular year. But it was and is extremely forecastable that that section of new terrain was both 100% snowmaking dependant and that that area/altitude has warm temps in the early season on a regular basis. Not a good combination which is why that expansion has been so widely panned as stupid.
Made it to LL today and it was definitely the right choice. Woke up crazy early and made the not fun drive over Rogers pass. LL had 14 inches in the last 24 hrs of winter snow. I think west bowl was closed yesterday as it was skiing deep and didnt track out. I was finding untracked up until 1pm. Temps are certainly warm as the car said +2C in the parking lot at the end the day. Normally this time of year temps at LL are -20. Now I am concerned about my Mustang Trip on Friday. However I just spoke to them. Apparently at Mustang lodge level they had all snow, although, heavy wet snow. It supposed to cool off some later in the week. I am not sure if the snow will recrystalize or if it will form a crust. Lets hope I am not skiing a breakable crust for 3 days.
Overnight there was some frozen precip in Revelstoke at 600m. Top of Rogers pass at about 1200 m had slush on the road. I dont think rain snow line was this high.
ChrisC
Well-known member
Deer Valley has lots of "Snowmaking in Progress" icons all over its Live Map. However, webcams do not show much snowmaking, maybe still too warm.
It's interesting that there is not a single Deer Valley webcam showing Deer Valley East (it's likely ugly and uninspiring). Instead, the point is a single cam eastward from the top of Bald Mountain / Sultan Lift. Too brown, lower down.
www.deervalley.com
It's interesting that there is not a single Deer Valley webcam showing Deer Valley East (it's likely ugly and uninspiring). Instead, the point is a single cam eastward from the top of Bald Mountain / Sultan Lift. Too brown, lower down.
Deer Valley Mountain Webcam | Deer Valley Resort
See many different views and discover real-time conditions at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
www.deervalley.com
takeahike46er
Member
Too warm. I checked temps on the Park City site earlier and all of them were above freezing.
Closer to home, I was looking at the Whistler webcams earlier. It was depressing. The alpine is covered in rain runnels.
I’m supposed to go touring in the Whistler backcountry next week, staying in the Kees and Claire hut for three nights. It’s not looking good.
The lodge is at 5,700 and alpine terrain goes up to 8,000. You are in the situation that occurred during much of 2014-15. If the weather is clear enough to ski the alpine as I did in 2015, you will be OK. Many 2015 tours that were confined by weather/visibility below tree line sucked though.
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After skiing at Lake Louise a second day that included blue skies, I can confidently state that the coverage is the best that I have ever skied there. Back bowls are really remarkable. Someone I rode a lift with said he was skiing lines today that he hasn’t skied for 40 years purely due to the snow cover. I found lots of nice smooth windsift in the whitehorn chutes today.
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Utah is the warmest ski region of the Rockies, and the Wasatch Back is obviously warmer than the higher Cottonwood Canyons.
AFAIK no one in western North America has more than about 700 acres with snowmaking pipes. This is not the Dolomites, SkiWelt or Saalbach.
I'd guess that with the expansion Deer Valley has more than 700 acres with snowmaking. But there is is still the question of water. Can Deer Valley draw unlimited water from Jordanelle Reservoir as Big Bear does from its lake? But Big Bear has only 450 acres of ski terrain while Deer Valley claims 4,300 for 2025-26. I see Mt. High style triage happening at Deer Valley. They will use their snowmaking to maintain the higher and better exposed Bald and Flagstaff mountains and not expand to the more problematic new terrain until that upper core terrain is secure.