Whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada appears to be getting its season back on track following significant snowfall since new Year, including 60cm (two feet) on higher slopes in the past 72 hours.
The resort, which has the largest ski area in North America and more than 200 ski runs had less than 10% of its terrain open for much of December due to warm temperatures and precipitation falling as rain on its lower slopes. It's snowfall totals were about 25% the average.
It is now reporting a snow depth of 1.7 metres (nearly six feet) and has more than 80 runs open, just over a third of its total.
Whistler was not alone in facing a challenging season start with the conditions it experienced shared by other ski areas in the Pacific Northwest corner of North America, and across the Pacific in Japan.
It has now also started snowing very heavily in Hokkaido, Japan and south of Whistler in Washington State, USA, location of Mt Baker which hold the record for the most snow in one season and the highest average annual stat. It is now reporting the deepest snow in North America at 3.1 metres (10.3 feet) after nearly 1.5 metres (5 feet) of snowfall in the past few days, having been unable to open until shortly before Christmas due to a lack of snow.
Photo Credit: Mitch Winston Photography/Whistler Blackcomb.