There's been heavy June snow on mountain tops across North America in the past week, even Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the world's tallest mountain from its under-sea roots, has reported a dusting of June snow on its summit (below).
However Boreal Mountain in California (top), which opened yesterday and plans to re-open next Saturday 25th June, did so thanks to investing in an 'all-weather' Snow Factory snow making machine from Techno Alpin. The machine, similar in size to an articulated lorry, makes snow within the body of the unit which can then be sprayed on to the slope.
Although open to the public for 'Summer shred' sessions, the unit will mostly be used for snowsports summer camps that use the resorts 'Woodward at Tahoe' facility, an indoor freestyle sports training centre. Similar facilities exist at Laax in Switzerland and at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the latter, one of the world's highest areas, offering snow sports for campers on snow in summer too, but able to use natural or snow made with normal snow making equipment because of the altitude and low night time temperatures.
Elsewhere in North America glacier skiing is currently underway (until July 18th) at Whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada, and Mammoth Mountain is still open for snowsports and plans to stay open in to July too. The summer snowsports operation at Mt Hood in Oregon is also open.
Although not officially open for snowsports some skiers have been using summer lift operations to access the fresh snow that has been falling, former Olympic skier Martin Bell posted pictures of skiing in mid-winter blizzard like conditions at Mt Bachelor in Oregon on his Facebook page this weekend.