Western North America Conditions 2025/26
- Thread starter ChrisC
- Start date
Palisades said in a Tuesday blog post that the lack of snowfall and “quickly diminishing base” will stop the resort from making it to its targeted May 25 closing date. Instead, the resort is hoping to stay open until “late April,” although that date is not guaranteed. The resort is hoping to keep Alpine Meadows open until the first week of April.
In Colorado Sunlight closed March 22 and Monarch and Purgatory are closing March 29.
tseeb
Well-known member
Post by Heavenly on Facebook - seems like only upper level on CA may be OK as I heard middle level is not:
Conditions check: a little unpredictable, a lot of fun in the sun.
We've been dealing with temps that feel a little more June than March right now. As a result, today marked the final day for skiing and riding at top of Gondola and in Nevada. California is still open with plenty more days of spring skiing to be had, and the Gondola will remain open for sightseeing and activities. We're taking everything day by day and working hard to keep you sliding around on snow as long as we can. Layer on that sunscreen, stay hydrated, and we'll see what this shift in weather brings next week.
See you soon for more spring turns and aprés
Conditions check: a little unpredictable, a lot of fun in the sun.
We've been dealing with temps that feel a little more June than March right now. As a result, today marked the final day for skiing and riding at top of Gondola and in Nevada. California is still open with plenty more days of spring skiing to be had, and the Gondola will remain open for sightseeing and activities. We're taking everything day by day and working hard to keep you sliding around on snow as long as we can. Layer on that sunscreen, stay hydrated, and we'll see what this shift in weather brings next week.
See you soon for more spring turns and aprés
EMSC
Well-known member
Powderhorn, Ski Cooper and Buttermilk are also all closed at this point in Colorado too. Silverton closes this coming weekend, hard to keep up with all the closures at this point.
Eldora is melting very fast now based on reports I've been getting past couple of days. Not sure if they will make it too much further. So many 80F+ days down here on the flatlands (which is ~60-65F at Eldora).
Eldora is melting very fast now based on reports I've been getting past couple of days. Not sure if they will make it too much further. So many 80F+ days down here on the flatlands (which is ~60-65F at Eldora).
Denver is the new Alamogordo!
takeahike46er
Member
Add Deer Valley to the list
According to Ski Utah, Park City will also close March 29 and Snowbasin closed March 22.
Whitefish is practically in Canada and presumably not subjected to the last 3 weeks of heat. It even snowed some there!
From Mammoth Snowman:
Coverage out on the hill is thinning in some areas, especially below the 9,500-foot level.
The current base at the 9,000-foot level is now down to a shocking 38 inches with 5-7+ feet of base over the upper mountain.
Chairs 22 and 9 are now closed until the mountain receives more snowfall. The Little Eagle area is about toast, with only a thin ribbon of snow at the bottom. I don’t see chair 15 running after this weekend, unless they truck in some snow.
>> If you’re wondering how long Mammoth will stay open this season, they have plans to stay open until Memorial Day. To make that happen it needs to cool off and more snowfall.
My comment: I believe the upper mountain will last to Memorial Day unless the abnormal heat persists for an extended period. Mammoth may need to be willing to run the lower gondola for transport as during the 2017 and 2023 August closings.
Current snowpack is better than at this time in 2012, 2014 and 2015, all of which made it to Memorial Day though very marginal. Mammoth announced a May 10 closing in 2015 but extended after an 18 inch May storm.
Coverage out on the hill is thinning in some areas, especially below the 9,500-foot level.
The current base at the 9,000-foot level is now down to a shocking 38 inches with 5-7+ feet of base over the upper mountain.
Chairs 22 and 9 are now closed until the mountain receives more snowfall. The Little Eagle area is about toast, with only a thin ribbon of snow at the bottom. I don’t see chair 15 running after this weekend, unless they truck in some snow.
>> If you’re wondering how long Mammoth will stay open this season, they have plans to stay open until Memorial Day. To make that happen it needs to cool off and more snowfall.
My comment: I believe the upper mountain will last to Memorial Day unless the abnormal heat persists for an extended period. Mammoth may need to be willing to run the lower gondola for transport as during the 2017 and 2023 August closings.
Current snowpack is better than at this time in 2012, 2014 and 2015, all of which made it to Memorial Day though very marginal. Mammoth announced a May 10 closing in 2015 but extended after an 18 inch May storm.
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ChrisC
Well-known member
Apocalypse is here in Colorado.
Telluride's high altitude Lift 9/Plunge terrain is essentially closed, and zero hike-to's are open.
I'll be there for closing weekend to celebrate the disaster this season was and pretend I broke even on my Epic Pass
.
Maybe a late April trip to Whistler.
Telluride's high altitude Lift 9/Plunge terrain is essentially closed, and zero hike-to's are open.
I'll be there for closing weekend to celebrate the disaster this season was and pretend I broke even on my Epic Pass
.Maybe a late April trip to Whistler.
tseeb
Well-known member
Beaver Creek will close tomorrow, Sunday March 29. Story also includes:
“Aspen Highlands made a similar announcement to Beaver Creek on Friday — after initially targeting April 12, Highlands will close on Sunday.
In California, Vail Resorts also moved the Northstar ski resort’s targeted closing day up by a week, from April 12 to April 5. Mt. Rose moved its closing date up from April 29 to April 12, and Palisades Tahoe, on Friday, acknowledged that there’s no chance it will make it to Memorial Day as originally planned, and will now target late April.”
“Aspen Highlands made a similar announcement to Beaver Creek on Friday — after initially targeting April 12, Highlands will close on Sunday.
In California, Vail Resorts also moved the Northstar ski resort’s targeted closing day up by a week, from April 12 to April 5. Mt. Rose moved its closing date up from April 29 to April 12, and Palisades Tahoe, on Friday, acknowledged that there’s no chance it will make it to Memorial Day as originally planned, and will now target late April.”
EMSC
Well-known member
Not as interesting as those major resort closures, but I heard that Eldora is proactively shutting down several trails and going to be pushing the snow down into the base area just to keep operating and that almost the entire front side of the hill is almost un-skiable due to rocks. Cooler air and even possibility of snow next week might allow them to get through the first weekend of April, but going to be very close to see if they can even make it that far with 3 days at super warm temps still to go...
That did not happen. Bear Mt. closed March 25.
The posts regarding this spring's conditions in Utah's Cottonwood Canyons are moved here. We have ongoing reporting from two residents plus a current visitor. It will be a useful historical reference to see how well these places held up in a generationally bad season when so many other places were closed (or should be) by the end of March.
The same is probably true for Mammoth, but there will probably just be specific TR's when Tseeb or I visit later this spring. Garry Klassen was at Mammoth last week, sounded like a slightly below average report from late April or early May. Mammoth Snowman remains an excellent source for monitoring Mammoth conditions. As of today the season is officially over for chairs 7, 9, 15, 22 and 25. He thinks the groomers to Canyon can be maintained for quite a while.
The same is probably true for Mammoth, but there will probably just be specific TR's when Tseeb or I visit later this spring. Garry Klassen was at Mammoth last week, sounded like a slightly below average report from late April or early May. Mammoth Snowman remains an excellent source for monitoring Mammoth conditions. As of today the season is officially over for chairs 7, 9, 15, 22 and 25. He thinks the groomers to Canyon can be maintained for quite a while.
EMSC
Well-known member
Telluride is closed at least for the rest of this week as of 4p today. It may reopen for the weekend depending on the results of this weeks two storms...
Just a terrible overall year in Colorado.
I have gathered data for end of March though it may be awhile before I write it up.
Front Range/I-70 Colorado is worst ever at 51% normal snowfall, unlikely to catch 2011 at 59%, despite April being a higher average snow month than other regions. Open terrain now is much lower than in 2012.
Southwest at 54% is just ahead of the 52% in 1977.
Utah is likely record low at 50% vs. 59% in 2015.
US Northern Rockies are at 59% vs. 66% in 1977.
Overall West is 64% vs. 58% in 1977 but western Canada is 111% vs. 74% in 1977.
Front Range/I-70 Colorado is worst ever at 51% normal snowfall, unlikely to catch 2011 at 59%, despite April being a higher average snow month than other regions. Open terrain now is much lower than in 2012.
Southwest at 54% is just ahead of the 52% in 1977.
Utah is likely record low at 50% vs. 59% in 2015.
US Northern Rockies are at 59% vs. 66% in 1977.
Overall West is 64% vs. 58% in 1977 but western Canada is 111% vs. 74% in 1977.
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The stat comparison of interest to me would be the number of nights with a low above 32 degrees in March 2026 in the Rockies and along the Pacific coast, including Tahoe. The degree of melt in the past few weeks, combined with lack of new snow seems very unusual.
The two mountains I've skied in very low snow conditions more than once are Alta and Taos. For Alta, my history of annual late season stays at Alta Lodge start in 2010. Started skiing Taos regularly in 2017. Just from memory, each of the low snow seasons evolved differently.
Comparing the total snow level for 2025-26 to previous seasons on the Alta website, the data goes back to 2004-05. Here's the comparison between this season and 2014-15 as of the end of March.
The two mountains I've skied in very low snow conditions more than once are Alta and Taos. For Alta, my history of annual late season stays at Alta Lodge start in 2010. Started skiing Taos regularly in 2017. Just from memory, each of the low snow seasons evolved differently.
Comparing the total snow level for 2025-26 to previous seasons on the Alta website, the data goes back to 2004-05. Here's the comparison between this season and 2014-15 as of the end of March.
Had a sick kid cancel our Mid march trip and we’re planning end of April, but looking like it probably won’t happen now, not worth the efforts around youth sports for marginal skiing. Bummer of a season.