Some Powder. Trail Counts Good.

The weather pattern that dominated the month of March in the eastern half of the country has continued right into April…unfortunately.  I communicated with a resort manager in Vermont last week and found out that the mountain, which has a high base elevation…had received exactly one inch of snow last month.  One %#$$@*& inch!  A good number of areas pulled the plug after offering skiing during the Easter weekend as the lack of snow and late month rain beat down the base depths to the point where skiing and riding couldn’t be extended any further.

Going forward, I wish I could tell you that some late snow was on the way to sustain the sliding for several more weeks, but that is simply not the case.  The strong ridge at the jet stream level that took shape a couple of weeks ago over northeastern Canada is still there, and a piece of that ridge has extended into the northeastern U.S. the past week, leading to temperatures that continued the shrinking of the snow supply.  While it will be turning cooler in the East relative to normal for the last two weeks of this month, it looks like “too little, too late.” Lastly, base depths never got overly deep during the heart of winter, then the snow drought hit in March, and right now, we are left with a dwindling supply on the slopes.  So, in the East, get it while you can.  Grab the rock skis, bring the sunscreen and the tailgate gear and have a go at it.  This weekend there will be about 20 resorts to choose from in the East and trail counts are still pretty healthy.

In the West, the spring skiing season is also underway with the resorts sitting on much more in the way of “money in the bank.”  That is, ample snowfall through the season has built up the base depths to an extent that skiing and riding can easily continue for several more weeks.  Keep in mind that a good number of resorts will be closing, or have already closed, because their deals with the National Forest Service say they must, regardless of how much snow is still on the hill.  But overall, the season still has plenty of legs throughout the West.  In this region, there is actually hope for a little more in the way of snow.  Here’s a map of the snowfall for the next couple of weeks.

It’s not a ton of snow, but if you time it right you might be able to squeeze in a few more powder turns before calling it quits for the season.  British Columbia has been the big winner in terms of snowfall this season, which is to be expected during a La Nina winter, and they are in line for a dump or two, or more, in the coming weeks.  Unfortunately, a Covid resurgence has caused many of the resorts in that province to close for the season.

The turns are out there if you really want them, but you might have to work a little harder to make them.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Pac NW/B.C.:

Late week snow will set up one more weekend of winter surfaces.

Central and southern Sierra:

Perfect spring skiing weather coming up for the next week.  Sunny, mild days and overnight lows below freezing to preserve and set up the snow.

Rockies:

Mild days, chilly nights, and any precip in the next week will be light.

Midwest:

Lutsen, Minnesota appears to be the only resort still operating.  Light rain and snow most days next week.

Northeast:

Warm pattern turns cooler late next week and beyond.  Better hustle to get those turns in.

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:

The party is over.