J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Arapahoe Basin ski area took advantage of recent snowstorms in Colorado following a week or so of snowmaking in order to claim the 'first to open in the US' title.

After Keystone resort announced yesterday, Friday 11th, that they planned to open for the season today (October 12th), Arapahoe Basin announced they'd open late Friday afternoon. In an unusual move opening at 3.30pm for a few hours, usually the end of the ski day in North America.

Loveland, another high altitude Colorado ski area, had earlier announced it would not open this weekend.

"The race to be the first to open in Colorado and the country is always a treat. Vail has announced that Keystone is opening tomorrow. I know Loveland is right on their tail. Congratulations to both resorts," commented Arapahoe Basin's manager Alan Henceroth yesterday afternoon Colorado-time, "We are proud to announce that we will open Black Mountain Express today, Friday, October 11, from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Our team has done an extraordinary job making snow, grooming snow, getting the annual tramway licenses, hiring staff, training staff, etc. etc. etc. We have been having fun. I can't wait to get my skis on. As I write, the cat drivers are putting the finishing touches on the snow. The lift ops and the ski patrollers are getting their gear in order. The staff gets an A+ for this one."

The battle between Arapahoe Basin and Keystone to open first is also a battle between the two giant season pass groups of North America, Vail's Epic Pass and the Alterra Group's Ikon Pass. Arapahoe Basin has moved from Epic to Ikon this year.

As there are no areas currently open in Canada, Arapahoe Basin is also the first to open for the 19-20 season in North America.

Finland's largest ski area, Levi, has opened for its nearly eight month 2019-20 season this morning by using snow stored from spring and then spread back out on the slopes this week as temperatures cool.

The snow has been laid as a ribbon down Levi's wide main slope, and temperatures dropped below freezing with a heavy frost, so it won't be thawing at all today.

Levi joins fellow Lapland ski area Ruka which was the first 'non-glacier' resort in the northern hemisphere to open for the 19-20 ski season a week ago.

The first resort in the Alps to open for 19-20 without a glacier is due to open in just over a week's time at Kitzbuhel in Austria.

The famous resort, currently reeling from a mass shooting of a family by a disgruntled ex-boyfriend earlier this week, has opened several high slopes in mid-October for the past three seasons using the same summer snow storage technique.

Kitzbuhel aims to open for 200 days each season through to the following May and its opening weekend is normally a big even attracting thousands of skiers and strong media interest.

The forecast heavy snowfall has moved in to Colorado heightening speculation that a ski area there will be the first in North America to open for winter 2019-20 – possibly in the next 24 hours.

"We are going to open soon," announced Arapahoe Basin's boss, Alan Henceroth, speaking as night fell in Colorado a few hours ago, and adding, "I am not exactly sure when, but we are going to open very soon. The snowmaking crew is raging, totally capitalizing on this tremendous weather event. Can't wait to see the place in tomorrow's morning light."

Arapahoe Basin, along with Loveland and Keystone are all known to have laid down bases with snowmaking ahead of the current storm and it seems any of them could open imminently.

Elsewhere in North America there has been heavy snowfall in Alaska, BC, Washington State and Oregon among other areas already from the current snowstorm, with many areas reporting at least a foot of snow, although none have yet said they expect to open early as a result.

"Although it has been snowing fairly often here at Timberline, we have not received enough to safely open for skiing and snowboarding," an online statement from the operators of the permanent snowfield on Mt hood in Oregon states, adding, "We would like to remind everyone that the ski area is currently closed and we would ask that folks refrain from heading into the ski area to get some early season turns in. Stay tuned to our website and social outlets for updates to our operating schedule and think snow!"

At least three more ski resorts in Europe will open for the 2019-20 season this weekend taking the total operating already to 16.

First to open will be Finland's largest resort, Levi, which will open its Front slope for skiers at 10pm on Friday with access via the North-chair. It joins fellow Finnish area Ruka, which opened a week ago, and the Norwegian summer ski area Galdhopiggen which is open through October.

Then on Saturday Engelberg's Titlis glacier (pictured above prepping the slopes yesterday) will become the third Swiss area to open, joining year-round Zermatt and Saas Fee, which has been open since July.

Finally an eight Austrian glacier area, the Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun, will begin its season on Saturday too.

There has been some speculation that Tignes will open too, two weeks after it had planned to at the end of September, but so far that appears to be pure speculation based on a couple of snowfalls since the postponement announcement was first made, rather than any hints from the resort's lift company.

Across the Atlantic heavy snowfall has begun moving in to the Northwest of the continent already and there's speculation here too that several areas could open this weekend as a result, although again no confirmation as yet. High resorts in Colorado including Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Loveland had already been snowmaking for more than a week and built up ski run bases with machine made snow.

There's speculation (although as yet no official announcements) that ski areas in Colorado, and possibly elsewhere in the US, may open as soon as this Friday as a major cold front is forecast to bring heavy snow to the western side of the country, with Colorado and Utah looking like they'll see 30cm/a foot accumulations.

An 11th/12th October opening would be one of the earliest starts to the US ski season, but the start of this month has been cold and resorts including Arapahoe Basin, Loveland (pictured 48 hours ago above) and Keystone have all been making snow for over a week, and have published pictures of fairly complete looking ski runs ahead of the coming snowstorm.

There is also the added dimension of a battle for 'length of season' now between the two giant multi-area ski passes, Vail (which owns Keystone) and their epic p[ass, and the Alterra group which partners with Arapahoe Basin, that was formerly on the Epic pass but their season has switched to Alterra's Ikon pass.

Last year though another Colorado ski area, Wolf Creek, unexpectedly opened ahead of the more usual names.

The cold weather has also extended further East to the Midwest ad new England and ski areas like Killington in Vermont and Sunday river in Maine have also begun snowmaking And could also open even without natural snowfall in the next few weeks.

There are no real 'glacier ski areas' in North America as there are in Europe. Only Whistler operates glacier lifts but does not open them in summer (except for a short period over late spring/early summer) whilst Timberline in Oregon uses a year-round snowfield and seemingly could open now if they wanted to, but have said they won't do so until November.

Although Tignes has, as yet, been unable to open as planned for the start of its 2019-20 ski season whilst it waits better snow cover (it had hoped to on September 28th), Les 2 Alpes is in the midst of prepping for its annual end-of-October/start-of-November week of festivities when it traditionally offers new season ski and board testing, competitions, fun events and a general festival feel ahead of the main ski season.

The autumn ski week, spread over two weekends and the week in between, has been running in various guises for more than two decades. It's currently called 'Enjoy the Glacier' and this year is scheduled to run from 26th October to 3rd November 2019.

In recent years the event has had to be cancelled occasionally as the glacier, Europe's largest skiable one, has had inadequate snow cover. Despite recent snowfalls, with the current situation in Tignes and the fact les 2 Alpes ended its summer skiing three weeks earlier than planned back in August due to poor snow cover, there's some concern that unless there are bigger snowfalls over the next fortnight, history may repeat itself.

However this time resort staff are insisting that the event won't be cancelled – it just may not include any snow sports.

Instead there's a greater emphasis on non-ski/board mountain sports and the event will go ahead with just these, if it has to, J2Ski has been advised. Mountain biking ("end of the biking season") is currently getting equal billing with skiing and boarding and the festival will be biking focused if snowsports can't happen.

A former Geography teacher from Inverness has - despite climate change- managed to ski for 120 consecutive months on Scottish snow. Her record breaking achievement has seen her hike many miles with her skis in summer and autumn to ski tiny remaining snow patches in the Cairngorms and Nevis area.

With this month looking like all remaining snow patches from last season may disappear, 65 year old Helen Rennie was hoping for new snow and yesterday on the 2nd of October her wish was granted, and there was just enough to make some turns below the summit of Cairngorm.

The previous month she had hiked 6 miles to a patch at Aonach Beag accessed primarily by the gondola at Nevis Range (pictured above on 1st August this year).

"Way back in November 2009, I headed up Cairngorm to enjoy the first day of the snow sports season, never for a moment imagining that day would be the start of a record breaking achievement," said Helen, adding, "It was an epic ski season and snow lay in the mountains throughout the summer, so I decided to try to ski for twelve consecutive months by hiking up to the remaining snow patches- and then it just kind of snowballed!"
Helen first tried in 2006 and managed 11 months but in the October of 2007 was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer so didn't manage the full year.

"The real heroes of this achievement are my GP's and the staff at Raigmore hospital because without them I wouldn't have been here to attempt this challenge," Helen added.

The challenge has been more difficult these past three years, as there has been less snow accumulating over the winter and as a result smaller amounts remaining over the summer. Helen has become fascinated with snow patches and their survival, something which is being monitored by snow patch enthusiasts and those interested in climate change. Helen says going up in the summer is now not only about skiing the patches but also about monitoring their changes over each year.
Helen who celebrated her 10 year achievement with a strong coffee concluded,

"I don't plan ahead and live life a day at a time but it would be good if this winter was like 2009 /2010, the epic one that started it all!'

So will the Snow Domes give you a discount if you skin up the slopes... ?

Ah, you spotted the subtle sales angle. I gather 3 hours for the price of 2 - so they must be calculating you'll use the lift 33% less?