Western North America Conditions 2025/26

MarzNC · 2026-02-28T04:13:08+0000

Wolf Creek was very busy Feb. 19-21 during the big snowstorm that dropped about 50 inches. Started getting busy yesterday. Quite few people from AZ. This is a holiday weekend for some schools in nearby counties in Colorado. So Super Saver season passes are blacked out this weekend.

There seemed to be quite a few people arriving this morning that have never skied Wolf Creek before. They didn't have any idea how much less day tickets were but were happy to find out at the ticket window. Ski school will be pretty busy with adult beginners.

snowave · 2026-02-28T16:14:25+0000

Wolf Creek's "locals" season is over. March is a complete mess almost the whole month due to all the various spring breaks across the south/lower midwest. With some of the deepest snow in CO, that will likely only be amplified. The latest storm/s however, have probably helped some still go to places like Breck/Crested Butte, etc.

snowave · 2026-02-28T16:39:02+0000

MarzNC said:
Yep, the process for opening Kachina Peak is based on opening it first for hiking only. That way, the snow is settled in by people who know what they are doing. There have been a few steep areas around the mountain that TSV ski patrol "skier packed" the old fashioned way after the latest snow storm, one ski length at a time.

Many of the Ski Week instructors don't take their students up the Kachina lift the first day it opens. Even when there is plenty of snow up there.

It wasn't that long ago that there were two fatalities because of an avalanche in one of the Chutes (between 2 and 3?). I was there a few days later. Shook everyone up for a while before they groomed out the slide path, which came down onto the groomed area near the top of Lift 4.

I think I remember that being part of the 'excuse' given as well.

I know Kachina is unique, but I still think it's a very odd to spend the capital on putting a lift up there if one of the announced goals is: "Taos Ski Valley has also committed to preserving a majority of the hiking terrain that is currently available". ( part of the Taos press release I found ). I know it ( installing the lift) was quite controversial to the hike/ski community, and it appears that's part of the reason as well.

If I had been aware of this protocol, it would have been easier to swallow, esepcially on a powder day (and yes, they had some hikers going up that day, but it was minimal). But as an uninformed guest... paying for a lift ticket to see a lift not operate, while seeing ski patrol and hikers getting turns in there was frustrating to say the least. I was not alone that day in frustration as quite a few people kept trying to line up at the lift that was running all day (with only ski patrol using it) and were told not yet, maybe later... or tomorrow.

jimk · 2026-02-28T23:28:04+0000

Was up at Snowbird for a while today, 28 Feb 2026. Pretty significant slide (I'm sure triggered by ski patrol for mitigation) could be seen in Little Cloud Bowl, avalanche path in center: